Happy New Year to all my Gal Pals.
It is hard to believe that I have been posting “A Peek Into Pam’s Closets” since 2018. What was originally going to be a 1 year endeavor became a 7 year gift to me because of all of you. I originally started the blog because some of my coworkers said they would miss the fashions I wore to work. Now, there are approximately 150 women from all over the US and in different parts of the world who follow my little monthly blog. I am assuming you don’t mind my rambling on about things that come to my mind. It is like Aunty Acid says “Sometimes I shock myself with the smart things I say and do. Other times I try to get out of the car with my seatbelt on.” I am ending the blog not because I have run out of outfits or things to talk about but because all good things must come to an end. It seemed perfect timing that I end on blog 73 since I turned 73 this past year. For those of you that have been with me since the beginning you will remember that I said as a school psychologist and BCBA I was fortunate that I never had to wear the exact outfit twice during the school year. I was able to do this through creatively putting together pieces I had and adding the fun accessories I had accumulated through many years of shopping. I also said this blog is not just about my clothes but rather about using them as a springboard for a discussion, with all of you, about fashion design. My goal was to show women over 55 how to dress fashionably while hiding the belly that seems to creep up on us as we get older. I hope all of you feel that I have met that goal. I put together approximately 250 outfits during our time together from different pieces in my closets and I wrote about the history of how some of these fashions evolved from times long ago. I thank you all for listening to my many complaints which were said more eloquently by my friends Aunty Acid and Crabby Maxine with a little sarcasm by Joan Rivers and Erma Bombeck. I can’t forget to thank my sister Vicki who got down on her knees to take multiple pictures, with my iPAD, of every outfit I wore. I am jealous of how easily she can get up off the floor! And, of course, I have to thank my little Matty for being a good sport. He used to want to come upstairs with us when we took blog pictures until he realized he was being used as a prop. Now he hides. So let me end this section with a quote from Aunty Acid,” I’m in a really good place now. Not emotionally or spiritually. Just on my couch with my dog”.
As I leave you for the last time I thought I would do a fashion segment about women’s hats. Here in Chicago it is very cold so winter outer wear seems appropriate for someone walking out the blog door, so to speak, and since I haven’t done a piece on women’s hats this topic seemed perfect. I have had a fascination with beautiful hats since watching my mother design and make some of the prettiest I have ever seen. I read an interesting article by Stephanie Lehman in which she writes that from the beginning of hat-wearing history, women were expected to have their heads covered by veils, kerchiefs, hoods, caps and wimples, but it was not until the end of the 16th century that structured hats were worn. The styles were based on the hats worn by the male aristocracy. In the late 17th century women’s hat fashions finally came into their own. Hairstyles would influence the type of hats that were worn. In the 1830’s, women liked big hair with lots of loops and knots so they wore bonnets with large crown so the hair could fit underneath. The bonnets were often adorned with feathers, lace, artificial flowers or some kind of fruit or vegetable. During the Civil Ware era bonnets were still popular but hairstyles were less elaborate so hats were more demure. By the turn of the century, popular culture influenced styles. Broadway shows like “The Merry Widow” made wide-brimmed hats all the rage and these were adorned with flowers, ribbons, tulle, feathers and even an entire bird. In the 1919’s Parisian designer Paul Poiret disapproved of large hats so he influenced turbans and toques. By the 1920’s women’s haircuts like the bob influenced a small hat that hugged the head like a helmet. From the 1930’s to the 1950’s New York designers from fashionable department stores dictated the many different styles of women’s hats. In the 1960’s formal styles of hats were a thing of the past. One of the reasons was that a beautifully structured hat was typically seen as an indicator of class and in the 60’s flaunting of upper class privilege or making class distinctions just wasn’t cool. Knit hats seem to be most popular these days but they make my head itch and they flatten my hair so I don’t wear them.
This was my very first blog picture.
Because of my degree in horticulture and my love of gardening I decided to use my old and new properties to show you how fashion design and landscape design share many of the same elements. Whether you are putting an outfit together or deciding how your yard should come together you need to focus on creating focal points, layering, contrast of texture, color and shapes, minimizing or hiding areas, using accessories to enhance the area, and mood influencing. I threw in a few extras like mass planting, and being aware of light and bloom times. Hopefully I gave you some helpful hints.
So for the very last time, let the fashion show begin.
I did a whole blog on the color orange so you know that it is one of my favorite colors to wear. I think this scarf and handbag look great together. I got the purse from Vicki as part of my Christmas gift this year while the scarf has been in my closet for years. To tone down the bright orange I paired it with a black hat, black gloves and my over-the-knee black boots. I love putting a ring on over the gloves to add that little extra something to enhance the overall appearance. Matty is always styling with his coats thanks to Aunt Vicki.
My hat looks gray in this picture for some reason but it is black. I love this hat because it fits loosely around my hair and it is lightweight. The watch band and the earrings match one of the colors in the scarf and because of the style of the hat the earrings are not hidden. The orange ring is the same color as my coat and it easily fits over my black gloves.
There are so many different ways to wear a scarf. Here it is not used as something functional but more as a beautiful accessory. The coat is a dark purple and the scarf has a color palette of purple, gold, and dark gray. I am pulling out the dark gray by wearing a dark gray hat, gloves, and shoes. The pants I am wearing are a light gray with a little bit of sparkle. My purse adds a little pop of color as it is a different shade of purple. Once again Matty is styling in his little purple coat with the dark gray color. Once again,I am wearing a ring over top of the gloves.
The hat is a dark gray with black flowers. When you wear a scarf like I have in the above picture you will need a large decorative pin to keep it in place. I chose a colorful pin with a purple flower in the center. The little purple faux pearl earrings match the one in the pin. I chose a faux pearl ring to go along with the pin and the earrings. The ring fits perfectly over the glove.
I love this outerwear. The coat is like a dark raspberry and the scarf has this same color plus a pretty pink in the pattern. The gloves are pink with a lovely band of pearls at the wrist. I love, love, love this hat! It fits loosely on my head so it does not smash down my hair nor does it make my head sweat. I paired the coat and scarf with a pink purse, and cream colored pants and shoes that match the color of the pearls in the gloves. Matty has on his raspberry sweater coat.
I love wearing decorative pins on my coat. There was enough of the pink with the hat, gloves and purse so I thought a neutral color pin would be best. Because of the pearls on the gloves, I wore the two pearl drop earrings that can be seen dropping down from the hat. The stone of the ring is a raspberry color and has a silver setting so I chose a silver watch. Again, since my gloves are very form fitting the ring fits perfectly over my gloved finger.
As for my weight, I started out this blog weighing more than I weigh now but I weighed a little less when my thyroid meds were off. I remember in my very first blog I quoted Erma Bombeck who said “I am not a glutton, I am an explorer of food.” Well, that fits me to a tee. It seems I am always on the search for something to eat. In 73 blogs I have confessed I hate working out except for my morning walks with Matty. I don’t see that changing in the new year. Crabby Maxine says it best, “My favorite day of the week to exercise will always be tomorrow”.
My website will stay open until October incase you want to go back and look at any of the past blogs.
Well, I hope 2026 brings you good health and happiness. Always remember, God loves you and so do I.
A Peek Into Pam’s Closets 