Grown-up Style? Are You Having A Laugh?

Each time I hear those words I die a little inside.

Me in 1978 dressing up in my Great-Grandma's wedding dress

As kids we stomp around the house in our mothers' heels, fantasise about becoming a grown-up & owning a wardrobe crammed with jewel-coloured evening dresses we'd wear every day. We dream about having Rapunzel-length hair, swooshing around in floor-length capes and wearing rings on every finger. We raid our Mum's dressing tables, daub our cheeks with circles of blusher, apply shimmery blue eye shadow and coral lipstick and feel beautiful. We aspire to look like our dolls or the fairies and mermaids illustrating our story books.   

35 years later - same garden, same gazebo, same woman!

So we grow up and what happens? We lose our way, forget our dreams and follow the advice trotted out in magazines, by "style experts" and fashion bloggers.

We play it safe, keep it simple, embrace capsule wardrobes and minimalism. We belittle women with look-at-me clothing, vivid make-up and impossibly high heels (when secretly we envy them). We think pared-down style is the key to sartorial success - maybe a hint of leopard print or the faint glimmer of a sparkle at the earlobe, when in reality, unless we have the looks of a film star, we simply get overlooked.

Yesterday I was inspired by a BBC4 documentary on flamenco and a picture of Sharmila Tagore. The dress was from Liz's blog sale, I hacked the sleeves with the nail scissors before I left the house.

Why does grown-up style have to be such a joyless experience? 

Capsule wardrobes, restraint and minimalism be damned. My second-hand wardrobe is crammed full with endless possibilities. Shall I be 1960s Cher ? Helen in Don? Frida Kahlo does Glasto?

Lulu the mannequin (Out There Interiors) wearing a 1930s satin & marabou bed jacket (my last car boot sale, 3 weeks ago) 1960s felted wool hat (Charity shopped in 2011) and a necklace hand-made by the beautiful Edie Pop

I don't want fuss-free dressing, I want to take my time, dance around the bedroom in my knickers and try on a hundred dresses before leaving the house. I want to paint my face in the colours of the rainbow. I want to go to work dressed like a Flamenco dancer and do my shopping in a ball gown. I want to wear chandelier earrings, a statement necklace, bangles up to my elbows and rings on all of my fingers and toes.

I might be grown-up but I haven't given up.

Frida necklace by the awesome Tamera.

People will judge you regardless of the cut of your clothes or the subtlety of your eye shadow so why not forget about toning it down and live it up instead? Yes, you'll be looked at but hell, at least you won't be forgotten.

See you soon.

Linking to the always inspirational Judith and this month's Hat Attack