Musings on a Look

As I dressed this morning I thought long and hard about my Look and why I try to appear a certain way on certain days. On the weekends and during the summer (when I do not work) I dress casually. Right now, for example, I am wearing jeans, a turtle neck and a sweatshirt. Not half an hour ago, however, I was wearing slacks, a blazer, the same turtleneck, and heels (now I am clad in warm, felted slippers over handknit socks). My work "face" is still mostly in place but the lipstick is long gone.

When I dress for work I sort of leave my "home" persona (also known as Devorah or Mom) and put on the Mrs. Z. persona. It is a part of the dressing, makeup and jewelry routines and on days when I get distracted -- perhaps by a sick child or an odd interruption -- if I forget a step such as putting on my watch or earrings, I am a little off for the rest of the day.

Earlier in the year I thought of it as putting on a different attitude but now I suspect it is really just a way of transitioning in to the professional mindset that I need for dealing with my work environment. Those days when a kid goes to school a bit off (but not enough to keep home) are the days that no matter what I wear, I am still very much Mom and I will never achieve the professional level I seek. That is just fine with me after all, Mom is the most important job I will ever have.

Anyone else "put on" a different face for work?

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And for those of you that did not come to read my musings on dress ... I give you Squid.

These are not the pair in progress but rather Chthulu socks from a few years ago. The tentacles are chains that hang out from the sock. Sadly these socks felted with wear and are now waiting for the smallest feet to grow in to them. The yarn is hand spun cheviot, Navajo plied. The yarn for Chthulu was dyed on the stove using icing dyes.