Getting Dressed...

...just for the joy of it.

I was planning a piece of content just recently. The gist of it was that it’s tough right now to be the owner of a small, independent business but there are a million micro-joys I feel grateful for, everyday. I wrote them all down. One of them was the fact that I get to wear Stalf all day, everyday.

Maybe that seems obvious?

But it’s a fact- getting dressed in Stalf everyday lifts me up. Getting dressed in clothing that is ethically made, by happy people, crafted out of fabrics that we buy from like-minded, small businesses, makes me happy. I’ve not even started listing all the myriad wonderful ways the clothes themselves (the shape, the fit, the details, the colours) make me feel.

I follow another maker over on instagram, Stevie Van Horn of Yay For Earth, she talks a lot about only creating (as in physically making her lovely product) when the energy is positive. This is the idea that we pour ourselves into the work we do, specifically the things we create and release into the world, and the energy we put into it matters- is perceived by the user.

Amongst the chaos of life in this particular moment, wearing Stalf is one pure and happy thing. Many of you say the same to me when you send me all your lovely DMs or emails.

These clothes are special. I really believe that. It’s woven into the fabric of them and I know it to my core.

Thing is, sometimes amongst the constant call for content and the pressure of making sales, I forget the joy.

I was never meant to be a content creator.

A designer, yes. A machinist, yes. A writer, yes. Even a stylist, maybe? Those are all things I’ve always poured myself into. Content Creation is a necessary (evil) part of the job at this moment, and as time’s trickled on, I’ve forgotten what it means to just get dressed for the fun of it. Not for content’s sake. Not to make sales. Not in a strategic way or even a logical way. But just because.

… the joy right now is in the small things, like getting dressed in Stalf.

Here’s what I have for you…

I figured you might still want notes and thoughts alongside the pictures…

What I did here was layer a dress over a skirt. Unconventional way to wear a skirt, I know, especially when it’s almost entirely covered by the dress, but the little peek of geometric quilted fabric at the hem is what gives me a glimmer. (A glimmer, ie. the opposite of a trigger. Something that sparks delight) and that is, after all, the whole point of this article.

This dress is still the one I reach for when I want ultimate happy-dressing.

… and because the skirt deserves to also be a major component of an outfit, I pulled my Wrapper on with it and let it shine before I tucked it safely back into the wardrobe…

If the pics seem trippy, it’s because I’m still getting to grips with the self timer :)

I’ve talked about it all over social media, but this wisteria linen fabric is one we will have to wave goodbye to after this last delivery sells. It’s an absolute dream of a fabric (both to wear and to work with) but the supplier is not restocking, and so we move onward. As I type, we have a small handful of each of the trousers and the wrapper left.

I do particularly enjoy this pair worn as a co-ord, as per below…