He Needs

SO, my little sister is a total fashionista!  She does something on her blog called, "He Needs/She Needs" and she does a post about the outfits she thinks her husband "needs" and the ones she feels that she "needs". :)  Well, my idea of fashion is a little different than hers...and most people's, I have realized.  So, what is my fashion sense?  First of all, i LOOOOVE modern, unique outfits and high fashion, but I don't have a good eye of how to put together such an outfit!  If someone else does it for me, I am SO HAPPY to wear it!  If I have to figure it out on my own?  I am most likely going to look really over the top and out of place (Think Lady GaGa meets "Debbie Gibson" from the '90s.  YIKES!)

(WOOF!  Nightmare!)

So, Mr. J is also pretty good at looking up and coming with regards to his wardrobe.  I always love what he wears, and he always looks SOOOO nice!  But our styles are COMPLETELY different.

So, what is Breclyn's style?

To be honest, I have gone through a lot of different "style" phases, trying to "fit in" with what I think is "IN style", or what I thought would help me "fit in".  Join me for a walk down Breclyn's-Fashion-Memory Lane, won't you?

So, first I didn't care what other people thought!  So, I was happy, but looked a bit reprehensible.  In my early years, I wore things like purple shorts, or my favourite Minnie Mouse dress ALL THE TIME.


























Of course, the next logical step would be purple shorts and a turtle neck.

Fortunately (or UNfortunately!), I don't have any pictures readily available of my pre-teen years.  Picture stretch pants and sweat shirts, and you are coming close to the horror.

Jr. High was a combination of bell bottoms, long braids and knit vests, my own homage to the 1960's (I idolized The Beatles and my biggest regret was not being alive for Woodstock.)

That was followed up with a strange obsession with Paddington Bear.  I often wore him UNDER my beloved overalls.  Yes, folks...OVERALLS.

Then, we move in to the high School and early college days.  In the exibit below, we see the BUM Equipment shirt and JINCO jeans.  Jinco jeans.  Jinco jeans.  (Just wanted to make sure you caught that.  JINCO jeans.)

And FINALLY, I started realizing that trying to be like everyone else was NOT the best idea.  So, what did I do?  How can I be myself without being TOO weird, but how can I be socially okay without hating getting dressed every day?

First of all, I accidentally did something NOT clothing related.  I left.  I moved to China.  It took lots of people saying mean things to me, lots of being mistreated, and lots of being broken down, to dig through the ashes and find who I was.

Now, I know what came out of all that isn't a girl with amazing fashion sense.  BUT... I have realized that your clothes make you FEEL a certain way, and don't necessarily plug you in to a social group.  How do I feel when I get dressed in my favourite outfit?  Bold.  Sexy.  Adventurous. Beautiful.  Confident.  Me.

So, what is my style?  Some might say comfort is the word for my style.  That certainly would describe it well!  Usually, what I am wearing IS comfortable.  And now days, a lot of my clothes reflect a sort of "Mommy"ness...nothing too low-cut, things that can get dirty.  But if I had to tell someone what KIND of clothes I liked, I would say...Raw.  Rugged.  Meaningful.  With purpose.  Clothes that give me the ability to do what I love to do.

Since Mr. J and I have SUCH different style, I decided that today I am going to include myself in her "He Needs/She Needs".

Let us begin with HE NEEDS:

(This outfit really is the epitome of SEXY!)

This shirt, that fits well but is loose enough to play with kids at the orphanage in Africa, where we will be volunteering.

 These shorts are a MUST!  With lots of pockets, he can help carry all the random things we would need on any adventure, like a pocket knife, chapstick, or cool seashells we find along the way.

These shoes look HOT on guys.  Flip flops with this kind of outfit say, "I don't take life TOO seriously" and that means he is ready at any moment for an ADVENTURE!  (I am too, so LET'S GO!)

Finally, he really should have this bag.  There are a lot of reasons for that!  He can bring a change of clothes if we are trekking far and wide, he can carry school books if he is on campus (because the HOTTEST guys are the well educated ones!), or, if we are married and have kids, he can throw in a diaper and wipes when he takes the baby but doesn't want to be caught with a "diaper bag".