Red

Hat- Me Made
Cardigan- Old Navy
Blouse- Target
Skirt- Me Made
Shoes- Old Walmart ones
Lipstick- Russian Red

When I was a kid I had an English assignment that involved capturing essence. For instance, describing a frog without using the words "amphibian," "slimy," or things usually used to describe that particular object. So I chose to describe my Great-Aunt who in my mind was "red." It wasn't just that her hair,glasses, nails, lips, shoes, and most of her clothes were red, her personality was too. She was loud and vibrant and the life of the party, bold, spunky, wild, and as a kid I associated her with the word "red." She was the lady who got Disney characters tattooed on her ankles when adult tattooing was still pretty taboo, she showed up to every family event dressed like a gypsy with spiky red hair, bright bold lipstick and a laugh that echoed though the house.

I'm not related to this aunt by blood, but I always liked her the best and felt a sense of camaraderie with her. She marched to the beat of her own drum and made no apologies for it. I liked that. When I was teased as a kid for being a little off and different, for running around in a red dress playing Russian Peasant Girl, it didn't really bother me. The people in my life who were a little bit weird always had the most fun, and seemed to be the happiest. That was who I wanted to be.

Red wasn't always my favourite colour, but a few years ago I realized that it really always had been, I've always gravitated towards it because of the "personality" I had built around it. These days it's rare to find me without some piece of red clothing or jewelry on, and even then my lips usually are painted a bright crimson. Heck even my hair changed colour as I got older. So sometimes I put together an outfit and it just feels like me. It's comfortable, and easy, and I feel like I can conquer the world if I wanted to. It's an outfit that makes me feel Red, and I like that.