The Search for Meaning

 
One of the challenges I have found in writing this blog: Creativity is not a steady-state. Or, it’s not a steady-state for me. I have bursts of creativity, in which I scribble down a whole bunch of ideas for 5 or 10 posts, and then days or weeks without inspiration may pass.

 
 
 
Today, I am in a lull. A low. So, you take the pen.
 
You tell me: What is the point of this post?
I am wearing an antique blouse and a semi-antique jacket; make of that what you will

Imbue this post with meaning
 
 
 
 
What lessons am I trying to convey?

 
 
 
 
What homily is lurking beneath the surface of this somewhat under-inspired outfit?
Note: This little kick-pleat in the back gives a little shape to jacket that would otherwise be very boxy and stiff

Note: How charming these dull gold buttons are against the light grey. I do love yellow — particularly this marigold shade — with grey.
 
 
For extra credit: Have you seen something like this before?
 
Answer: Yes!

 
 
A blogger said to the Internet:
“Sir, I am dressed!”
“However,” replied the Internet,
“That fact has not created in me
the obligation to comment.”
Note: This subtle detail — rows of top-stitching that matches the fabric — create distinguished cuffs

 
 
There it is.
 
The prize for the best interpretation of this text is TBD through negotiation between the winner and The Directrice Herself. I offer, as incentive, inside information: I will be pruning my costume jewelry collection soon.
 
Have a fantastic weekend!
Final Note: You can wear a jacket with an off-center placket unbuttoned

Jacket: Marc by Marc Jacobs (old); Top: JCrew (very old); Pants: JCrew (slightly less old); Bag: Kate Spade

24 thoughts on “The Search for Meaning”

  1. I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud
    BY WILLIAM WORDSWORTH

    I wandered lonely as a cloud
    That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
    When all at once I saw a crowd,
    A host, of golden daffodils;
    Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
    Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

    Continuous as the stars that shine
    And twinkle on the milky way,
    They stretched in never-ending line
    Along the margin of a bay:
    Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
    Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

    The waves beside them danced; but they
    Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
    A poet could not but be gay,
    In such a jocund company:
    I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
    What wealth the show to me had brought:

    For oft, when on my couch I lie
    In vacant or in pensive mood,
    They flash upon that inward eye
    Which is the bliss of solitude;
    And then my heart with pleasure fills,
    And dances with the daffodils.

    Reply
    • Winner in the category of Adapted Material Post! You lifted my spirits in less than a minute when I read this post, proving the power of poetry. SS, if you send your mailing address to me (use the “Email The Directrice” link on the homepage), I will slowly select a prize (TBD) and send it to you. Give me three months. That sounds about right.

      Reply
  2. This is so pretty.

    My lesson: It is elegant to combine two shades each of two colours. You have two yellows (the buttons and blouse) and two greys. A man might do the same with two blues (navy blazer and blue shirt) and two browns (tan chinos and brown shoes).

    I cannot wait to hear other interpretations of the text!

    Reply
  3. Hard to beat wordsworth!

    But I say – it’s a lesson on darts vs. not darts. The back of the jacket has such lovely shaping. The front is flat for my taste … although often flat can carry some sense of difference/artistic statement. Which speaks to the reader more? Do you look for darts in your clothing choices?

    Related: do princess seams look dated right now?

    Reply
  4. “When we are not longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves” – Victor Frankl, an Austrian psychologist, and author of Man’s Search for Meaning. We cannot change the fact that we are still searching for spring amidst the gray days of late winter – hence, the gray attire with hints of texture, folds, and slight infusion of muted colors of yellow-gold. The daffodils are beginning to emerge, we must endure only a little longer.

    Reply
    • Also a Winner in the category of Original Material Post. SM, if you send me your mailing address (using the “Email The Directrice” link at the bottom of the home page, I will send a prize (TBD) to you. At some point in the next three months. I am very slow . . .

      Reply
  5. I’m surprised how nice the asymmetric jacket looks unbuttoned. I’ve been avoiding them on the theory that I would look like I had a huge flat on one side if it were unbuttoned.

    Reply
  6. Wow, as soon as someone brought up the Woodsworth poem, suddenly I saw your outfit as a harbinger of spring -a walk through grey, chilly landscapes in the Lake District in March, only to encounter a shock of yellow daffodils dancing in the breeze of the formerly gloomy day.

    Reply
  7. Mmmmm. So many great comments, especially the sublime Wordsworth and the Morissette take. I will add that this post teaches us a lesson about value and contrast. I’m never exactly clear about those terms, but I think this outfit expresses an example of moderate value and moderate contrast.

    In any case, it’s relaxing to look at, and not boring to me. But I was raised by lawyers. They weren’t exactly sartorial experimenters.

    Reply
  8. When Winter drags on into late March and you wish you were wearing all those Spring clothes you haven’t seen in awhile, but it’s too cold, freshen up your gray sky outfits with a forsythia colored accent.

    Reply
  9. I find your lack of faith disturbing-Darth Vader

    Why? Because the lesson here is that a closet of items that are true to one’s aesthetic ultimately means that all of one’s sartorial expressions are in character. This combo is decidedly « directress » and requires no further explanation from The Directress herself.

    Reply
    • Winner, in the category of Original Material Comment!
       
      Kim, if you send your mailing address to me c/o of Harper (scroll to the bottom of the home page for a link), I will send a prize (TBD) at some point in the next three months! Giving myself time . . .

      Reply
  10. I had the song, “Buttercup Baby” going around my head while looking at that golden yellow peeping out in time for spring.

    Reply
  11. “Venus in Virgo II: Venus has a special role to play in this decan. With an eye on a perfect outcome, she guides the mind toward the labor invisible in the finished product. Those born with Venus here are easy to displease, and many have a definite idea about the right and wrong way of going about things. They prize quality, and their critical eye proceeds from a desire for things to be as close to perfect as they can be. These natives may hold themselves and their works to impossible standards…” Austin Coppock, 36 Faces

    Reply
  12. Specific clothing chosen aside (although I do love yellow and grey together), I think you’re illustrating a lovely point about how to apply one’s efforts when you’ll obtain maximum enjoyment/value from them. I suppose it could also be applied to your evaluation of prospective purchases and their surprising versatility. Creative efficiency!

    Reply
  13. I’m loving this jacket… I have nothing blog worthy to comment, only admiration for your clothing and your consistency. Please keep the posts coming! You constantly inspire me to dress well and thus the whole school I serve thanks you.

    Reply

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