Lovely newsletter for the Winter Solstice, thank you. Last year I decided to reframe my thinking about the shortest day of the year and actually try to embrace it. I started looking at it as a time to slow down, mend my clothes, deep clean my house and just generally take care of the things I already have in my life, including myself. I took it a step further this year and was actually able to take 16 days off from work, a first for me in the 20 years at my job. I used to get so caught up in the consumerism of Christmas and I when I look back, it was never actually fun. The frenzy, the multiple gatherings all squeezed into 2 days, bringing items into my home that were gifted to me (but not my style/redundant/didn’t align with my values) and feeling obligated to keep them because they were a gift from a loved one. It was absolutely exhausting, physically, emotionally and spiritually. We opted out when Covid hit and it became our new normal. And now I actually love this time of year. Yesterday I read a book (The Lost Art of Dress- thanks for the rec!), took in the waist of a skirt I thrifted many months ago, ate pasta and drank wine in the middle of the day, watched the live stream of the sunrise at StoneHenge, salt cured salmon for an upcoming meal and even did some detail cleaning in my kitchen. A very pleasant day indeed! I always look forward to reading your newsletter, I hope you get the rest you need and deserve. Also, love the Sally Singer quote. I think that will linger in my brain, probably forever.
You are my hero, Christin. I'm so happy for you that you have taken time off and focused on slow living around solstice. That's what I want to do, too. We are not meant to live frantically, especially when it's dark around us.
I had written in my diary in early December last year that I wanted to rethink the dark time of the year entirely, and to try to take some extended time off work, because my shop is never busy in December. For a bunch of reasons I wasn't able to do it this year, but I'm going to make an effort to change things in 2025! Thank you for the inspiration!
The hair skirt is amazing! I wonder whether there was a matching hair shirt ;)
I received style/color analysis from John Kitchener when he was working in California. (He now lives and works in the Atlanta area.) I'd been researching a feature article about color theory and was prepared to be hugely skeptical, but John and the company he worked for, Personal Style Counselors, won me over. They went much deeper than "finding your colors" (they rejected the "seasons" metaphor), referring instead to nature and artworks to illustrate the concepts of color harmony. I'd never studied art history in any formal way, and the lessons were a revelation. I went on to take several advanced classes from PSC on color harmonies and style essences, all of them thoughtful, detailed, and valuable. I even came to look at art in a more educated way.
Oh wow, that's so interesting about you working with Kitchener! It sounds like he has a completely different approach to style than most people out there. I loooove that he uses art as a style tool. I'm fascinated!
Thank you for a fascinating newsletter! I agree with you about the great thing about Kibbe’s system being the way it celebrates individuality rather than striving to fit a single ideal. I hadn’t come across Kitchener, I’ll have to look into that.
Thank you for reading! I look forward to diving deeper into both Kibbe and Kitchener. I love how the overall message of both is not to change, but to embrace oneself.
Kibbe is decidedly intriguing and I must admit I'll be looking into his new book, which will be released in 2025. I know many think any sort of "body typing" is a bunch of nonsense and "anyone can wear everything." But I know, deep down, what suits me. I've always been drawn to more masculine clothing and my sister is drawn to ultra-feminine. Kibbe and other body-typing advice helps me narrow things down when shopping.
I didn't know Kibbe was publishing a new book! That's exciting! His books are so expensive in the second hand market (I guess they've been out of print for a long time).
I don't have a problem with people wearing whatever they want (despite their body types), but I get where you're coming from. It's overwhelming trying to shop when "everything goes". I really don't care for traditional body type advice that focuses on hiding flaws and essentially making every body look the same, but Kibbe's approach is different and fascinating. I look forward to learning more!
Lovely newsletter for the Winter Solstice, thank you. Last year I decided to reframe my thinking about the shortest day of the year and actually try to embrace it. I started looking at it as a time to slow down, mend my clothes, deep clean my house and just generally take care of the things I already have in my life, including myself. I took it a step further this year and was actually able to take 16 days off from work, a first for me in the 20 years at my job. I used to get so caught up in the consumerism of Christmas and I when I look back, it was never actually fun. The frenzy, the multiple gatherings all squeezed into 2 days, bringing items into my home that were gifted to me (but not my style/redundant/didn’t align with my values) and feeling obligated to keep them because they were a gift from a loved one. It was absolutely exhausting, physically, emotionally and spiritually. We opted out when Covid hit and it became our new normal. And now I actually love this time of year. Yesterday I read a book (The Lost Art of Dress- thanks for the rec!), took in the waist of a skirt I thrifted many months ago, ate pasta and drank wine in the middle of the day, watched the live stream of the sunrise at StoneHenge, salt cured salmon for an upcoming meal and even did some detail cleaning in my kitchen. A very pleasant day indeed! I always look forward to reading your newsletter, I hope you get the rest you need and deserve. Also, love the Sally Singer quote. I think that will linger in my brain, probably forever.
You are my hero, Christin. I'm so happy for you that you have taken time off and focused on slow living around solstice. That's what I want to do, too. We are not meant to live frantically, especially when it's dark around us.
I had written in my diary in early December last year that I wanted to rethink the dark time of the year entirely, and to try to take some extended time off work, because my shop is never busy in December. For a bunch of reasons I wasn't able to do it this year, but I'm going to make an effort to change things in 2025! Thank you for the inspiration!
Yay! I hope you do!!
The hair skirt is amazing! I wonder whether there was a matching hair shirt ;)
I received style/color analysis from John Kitchener when he was working in California. (He now lives and works in the Atlanta area.) I'd been researching a feature article about color theory and was prepared to be hugely skeptical, but John and the company he worked for, Personal Style Counselors, won me over. They went much deeper than "finding your colors" (they rejected the "seasons" metaphor), referring instead to nature and artworks to illustrate the concepts of color harmony. I'd never studied art history in any formal way, and the lessons were a revelation. I went on to take several advanced classes from PSC on color harmonies and style essences, all of them thoughtful, detailed, and valuable. I even came to look at art in a more educated way.
Oh wow, that's so interesting about you working with Kitchener! It sounds like he has a completely different approach to style than most people out there. I loooove that he uses art as a style tool. I'm fascinated!
Thank you for a fascinating newsletter! I agree with you about the great thing about Kibbe’s system being the way it celebrates individuality rather than striving to fit a single ideal. I hadn’t come across Kitchener, I’ll have to look into that.
Thank you for reading! I look forward to diving deeper into both Kibbe and Kitchener. I love how the overall message of both is not to change, but to embrace oneself.
Thank you for this fantastic post. I learned so much. I have to say I would love to see Gothic Modern!
Gothic Modern was pretty cool! I'll try to see it a second time before the exhibition wraps up in January.
Kibbe is decidedly intriguing and I must admit I'll be looking into his new book, which will be released in 2025. I know many think any sort of "body typing" is a bunch of nonsense and "anyone can wear everything." But I know, deep down, what suits me. I've always been drawn to more masculine clothing and my sister is drawn to ultra-feminine. Kibbe and other body-typing advice helps me narrow things down when shopping.
I didn't know Kibbe was publishing a new book! That's exciting! His books are so expensive in the second hand market (I guess they've been out of print for a long time).
I don't have a problem with people wearing whatever they want (despite their body types), but I get where you're coming from. It's overwhelming trying to shop when "everything goes". I really don't care for traditional body type advice that focuses on hiding flaws and essentially making every body look the same, but Kibbe's approach is different and fascinating. I look forward to learning more!
I must have Finnish roots…by December I am wiped out even though I love Christmas 🤶! It’s that frenzy of Protestant Ethic activity…
Yeah, Protestant work ethic is a real soul killer. I firmly believe that we're meant to be resting in December!
Mahtavia sanontojen käännöksiä! Kiitos aamua piristävistä nauruista. :D
I thought so too! I can't even imagine the inspiration behind it, and the years of work it took to complete it.