Women can make emotional connections with their clothes. My closet is like a time capsule of memories. I am still wearing things from my childhood! I also enjoy wearing things from my mom, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Broaches, jewelry, and scarves I used to play with in my mom’s closet have made their way into mine. Accessories can make an outfit personal.

My mom had a chocolate brown one shoulder Halston dress from the 70’s. Oh how I wish she still had it! I am making a lovely trousseau for my daughter!
Fashion does not rule my life, but it’s a very happy part of me and a way to express creativity. I think dressing is an art form; it can be intellectual and the same time playful. We have to get dressed every morning, why not enjoy it. Our style shows the way we think about ourselves. For me, if I love what I’m wearing, I’m going to have a great day.

As an elementary teacher I think it’s important to dress happy! I get hugged, pulled on, even patted in my classroom. My kids (both boys and girls) will lovingly touch my suede shoes and silk scarves. Kids love texture and color. They should have something interesting to look at for the seven hours they’re with me! I’m willing to be their fashion model!

When shopping I go into another world. I was almost arrested in Barcelona! I tend to shop for the whole outfit and after shopping upstairs I went downstairs (to what I didn’t realize was a different store) with a dress in my hands looking for accessories. A very angry Spanish woman grabbed me and took me to the police! I was so stunned that when the police officer was speaking to me I couldn’t even mumble, Habla Inglés! I was in another shopping daze in Paris at my Mecca, Galeries Lafayette! I was singing “The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music” in my head the whole time!

It’s been a while since I’ve been shopping. Life happens, but that doesn’t mean moms can’t enjoy fashion. I’ve been a Vogue subscriber since I was seventeen! My mother-in-law teases me about my Vogue magazines! She says someday you won’t want these. But, to me it’s like having my own art museum in my hands.

Being a working mother of two in a bad economy, I look at my closet differently. I see what I already have that can be reworked and take it to my favorite tailor, King Kong!! Alterations can change a whole look. A tailor can make you look better: thinner, taller, younger…Tailors are in vogue now because people want to make repairs on torn, worn-out clothes and shoes. People are too financially strapped to make replacements. A tailor can make an old outfit new again. And you get to be the designer.

Sex in the City was so much fun to watch! I couldn’t relate to the lifestyle but it was my shopping fantasy! My favorite scenes were those of Carrie putting together outfits in her closet, especially when she was packing for Paris! I also love Project Runway. Of course there is the good, the bad, and the very ugly. But, fashion is about experimenting and I like to see a fresh way to dress and always admire those who take risks.

We all have staples in our closets that we know work on our bodies. For me, my staple is a jean skirt. It can be dressed up or down with the right accessories. I also think about color. Certain colors can change your mood from sad to glad. I will forever be searching for the perfect jeans! It’s an ongoing quest for most women I think!

I am delighted when someone asks me fashion advice! I am not a fashion connoisseur, just an amateur who gets pleasure out of playing in her closet.

I have a theory: The sexier you make yourself appear, the less sex you probably have! I think if you are comfortable in your clothes, you are sexy! My husband’s favorite coquetting starts with a fashion show! He is quite the connoisseur! To close with clothes I will say; clothes are meant to hide what is intimate and private, but our style can actually reveal who we really are inside.
Ta-Ta bourgeois boredom, hello King Kong!

Fashion Hits by Ashley
•Movies: The Devil Wears Prada, The September Issue, Coco Chanel, Valentino: The Last Emperor, Coco Before Chanel, Yves St. Laurent: His Life and Times
•Books: Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution, Love, Loss, and What I Wore
•Websites: http://ernaleon.com/home.html, http://www.galerieslafayette.com/