My Birthday & 12th Blogiversary: My Style Evolution

Back in 1982 when I was about 10, my 19-year-old sister bought one of those pie-crust-collared Princess Diana blouses and I thought it was amazing.

(Oh, and today is my birthday and blogiversary; more on that in a second…!)

It was the most beautiful item of clothing I’d ever seen up to that point, and it made me ponder the contents of my own wardrobe.

With a sudden desire for something flouncy and fashionable, I went and threw a fit at my poor mother because apparently I wasn’t allowed to wear fashionable clothes. This wasn’t true of course: my mother didn’t dress me like a Quaker in some sort of weird restricted-childhood way (for example, I had my ears pierced at 3½, certainly not the usual actions of self-confessed “old-fashioned Victorian parents” at all). I just hadn’t shown any interest in fashion-fashion – the contents of the dressing-up box don’t count – up to that point, so my rantings came as a bit of a shock to my poor, unsuspecting mother.

My sister, bless her, went out and bought an almost identical blouse as a gift for me. It became the first treasured item of ‘fashionable’ clothing I can remember having.

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Thus began a long love affair between me and my wardrobe. Now although that blouse was the height of fashion at the time, not everything I chose after that point necessarily reflected the same fashion savvy my sister showed.

(Or maybe it did, but it’s so awful to look back at them now that I’m just… assuming they were hideous then as well as now? Isn’t that what we do with ALL outfits from the past?)

Having gathered together a number of near-embarrassing photos of myself for a post in the early days of the blog (I published a similar-ish post back then but I doubt anyone reading now remembers it), I thought I should re-hash the contents and share some of the best (worst?!) ones with you. I’ve featured outfits from 1977 (aged 5) to 2011 (aged nearly 39), just weeks before the blog was born. Everything after that is recorded in great detail in my regular outfit blog posts…!

Happy birthday and blogiversary to me

It’s my 51st birthday AND my 12th blogiversary today. I’ve not missed a blogiversary post yet, and I didn’t intend to break the tradition this year (despite my general absence round here this year so far, there’s a post coming next month explaining what’s been going on). With every blogiversary that goes by I wonder where the time has gone, and I’m now doing that thing of thinking “I can’t believe I was still in my THIRTIES when I started this… I’m now in my FIFTIES. Oh. Em. Gee”.

Anyway – enjoy this trip down memory lane… gird your loins, there are some shockers!

A trip down memory lane: My style through the years

1977, aged 5

That dress, that dress (it’s so awful it’s kinda fabulous). This is also the most perfect bowl haircut I’ve ever seen – there’s NO way my mum wasn’t hovering behind the photographer with a comb. Although the dress looks like an explosion in a haberdashery department, it’s quite cute. Sort of.

1982, aged 10

This was around the time of the Princess Diana Blouse Debacle. (Who remembers “bog chain” necklaces?!!) This was also the era when ‘Shy Di’ hair was everywhere, unfortunately for my boyish-looking 10-year-old self.

1986, aged 14

At this age fashion had properly entered my consciousness, albeit in a flowery, drop-waisted bad 80s dress kind of way. I’m looking much more grown up at this point.

1988, aged 16

Oh, good GOD. I’m sooooo shamed of this I can barely look at it; it’s probably the most horrific photo here. All I’ll say is that the band Bros had a BIG influence on what I wore, so not my fault. I just… couldn’t help myself, for some reason.

1989, aged 17

Wearing denim short-shorts in Paris. That wasn’t a good idea as I kept getting my bum pinched. A LOT. (Does that still happen to women in Paris now…?) And I paired it with a “nice blouse”, which was probably my mum’s. Cute socks though.

1990, aged 18

WOW. Wearing denim shorts again; I think it’s all I wore in my late teens. This time with tights and the tiniest silver crop top you’ve EVER seen in your life. I can’t believe I actually went out like that. And yet, NOT ONCE did my dad ever say to me “You’re not going out dressed like that, young lady”…

1990, aged 18

Oh, sooooo serious…! By this time I was really into photography and shot photos of my friends and family all the time – and that included taking self-portraits. Unfortunately it’s hard to actually take it seriously with the massive, untouched eyebrows and Deee-Lite hair. Though I will confess I’ve always rather liked this photo of me, what can I say?

1993, aged 21

When I went away to art college in 1991 [to do my photography degree], I dyed my hair black and got heavily into wearing grungy clothes. By ’93 I’d cut it much shorter and decided that my eyebrows needed to be plucked away to nothingness. Regrets, me? Give me back my 1990 eyebrows, pleeeeease…

1994, aged 22

A grown-up outfit I wore to my brother’s wedding, very different to all the black and denim I wore all through college. It was a matching maxi dress and long sleeveless jacket… what you can’t see is my cropped blonde hair under that delightful straw hat.

1998, aged 26

The year I cut off my hair really short (it had grown long again after the short hair of ’94, though I couldn’t find any photos) – and from what I can remember of my friends, so did many other girls. It was the 90s era of pixie crops (thanks, Gwyneth in Sliding Doors) with little hair clips, glitter lip gloss and sheer, patterned tops with cargo pants. You can’t see my Spice Girl-style platform trainers under the table though. Eeep.

1999, aged 27

Here’s the proof that yes, once upon a time I used to wear all black. Dare I say it, but I think I’m vaguely beginning to develop some sort of sense of (my own) style from hereon in.

2000, aged 28

Does anyone else remember making denim skirts out of pairs of jeans? I made this skirt out of my (much older) brother’s 70s flares. Plus I had transparent plastic shoes with a matching bag. Plus I think Mel Gibson’s waxwork is politely not mentioning the temporary blue streaks I’d put in my hair. Well played, Mel.

2001, aged 29

I’m wearing my dad’s vintage 70s Adidas tracksuit top here – maybe my love of vintage started around this time? I do treasure this photo (it was a Polaroid) because it was literally the first EVER photo taken of me and Keith together. And Keith still wears that top of his now, LOL.

2003, aged 31

On holiday on a Greek island, and I think this might be the oldest “I’d still wear this today” outfit. Plus I still have (and still wear) those Adidas trainers: I think I’ve found The Oldest Thing in My Wardrobe I Still Wear Now… 20 years ain’t bad!

2003, aged 31

Ignoring Keith’s “Drunk Husband at His Wife’s Office Christmas Party” face, I think I was going through some sort of rockabilly stage here. Though I rather like the hair and makeup (and I still have – and wear – that black vest top. It can share the prestige bestowed upon the Adidas trainers, above).

2006, aged 33

Our wedding day… I love this just as much now as I did then. It was January, hence the faux fur coat. The whole outfit was bought in the January sales the week before the wedding, and I still think it’s lovely.

2008, aged 36

I feel like I’m more and more like “Today’s Me” here: the bright bag is the giveaway of what’s to follow style-wise. And oh my GOD I loved that Karen Millen dress. I’d still wear it now, though I don’t think it’d fit. [=cough= it DEFINITELY won’t fit, Catherine]

2009, aged 37

=Wince= The most matchy-matchy (Keith too!) of wedding outfits, and a fascinator. Wow. I mean, WOW… no words. The dress is lovely, but what was I thinking with all the matching Barbie pink?!

2010, aged 38

WHO EVEN IS THIS?! It’s not me, that’s for sure. Is there ANYTHING about this look that’s not utterly “vampish”?! I’d totally forgotten about this outfit, but to be honest I’m quite impressed at how I had the courage to go out in public dressed like this. Not sure I’ve ever dressed like this before, or since.

2010, aged 38

Notice anything about this photo and the last – not the outfits, but the pose? Can you tell I was gearing up for starting a fashion blog and was kinda… practising?! So yes, this layered 2010s eyesore was the sort of thing I went to the office in: a bit try-hard, if you ask me. But it was the start of me wanting to wear All The Colour and All The Patterns, so I’ll forgive myself.

2011, aged nearly 39

Taken just a couple of months before I started my blog, I’m adding this as the last one before Not Dressed As Lamb came into being. This dress appeared on the blog once or twice, and my signature style of bright colours and patterns is clearly coming through. Those were the days of little cardigans, layers, full skirts and brightly coloured tights. Not forgetting the butterfly clasp belts – hands up who had them in every colour like me?

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So in summary…

I do apologise for some of the horrors featured above, but I thought it was about time I gave you all a laugh and showed you how wrong, so very wrong, I used to get it.

Was it merely because of the fashions at the time, or was I actually quite hopeless at dressing myself? I wasn’t known for being a trend-setter when I was younger, though I was always interested in fashion from that fateful day with my sister’s Princess Di blouse. When new trends come out they’re embraced like they’re the best thing since sliced bread, worn to death and of course we then inevitably laugh at ourselves about 15 years later.

(I’m talking about you, 2009 wedding guest outfit with the matchy-matchy pink accessories.)

Something blogging HAS taught me, however, is what my own style is and to dress however the [sausage] I like. Doesn’t mean I get it right every time, but I have fun trying. This blog will provide some belly laughs I’m sure come 2040…