Good Evening TXK
While I have confidently stated in the past that I truly thrive during the summer, and I still hold firmly to that statement, I must face the fact that when it comes to summer clothing, unless you are a size zero and can comfortably show some skin, it is just harder to dress to impress than it is in winter months! I would very much enjoy the ease of less clothing if I was not sporting a gut. Maybe I should just cut out fast food to solve this problem, but that is not really an option I am interested in.
I have a much better solution to the winter wardrobe blues. Vest season is upon us, and it can really never get here soon enough. For me, it starts in October, or really, the second the temps drop to anything below 60 degrees. I am ready and waiting for the first valid excuse to wear my signature long sleeve shirts paired with a vest! Name a better duo, I’ll wait.
I am by no means a fashion expert. You may be better off not listening to me when it comes to fashion advice. I can dress myself and that is about it. I consider myself a friend others can take with them to the store when trying on clothes, and they can count on me to be encouraging. “Oh yeah! Looks good!” Now, it might not actually look good, but do I think it looks good? Yes! I am not lying with my compliments! My eyes are just broken, I guess. I am simply proposing the idea here that layering clothes in the winter makes for much cuter outfits! Do people have to agree with me? Absolutely not! Everyone is entitled to their own wrong opinion.
I find clothing to be an expression of identity. Once upon a time, I used to feel like I did not fit in anywhere. Looking back, I feel like I just did not know myself at all. I did not know what I liked or what I didn’t like, what I wanted out of my life, or why I thought differently than those around me. Maybe using little things like red shoes or yellow skinny jeans represented the many shades of emotion I felt inside, but I definitely cringe to look back at old pictures where I had on a red sweatshirt, blue skinny jeans, and red Converse (yes this happened). Clothes are sometimes an outward expression of who we are. What I wore used to say what I felt I could not say to the world. I told people who I was right off the bat with the eccentricity in my clothing because I was scared they would not like me when they got beyond the surface. I wanted to give them everything upfront, so there were no surprises. It was almost like a porcupine showing his quills—you can get close to me, but not too close.
When I was in high school journalism, I wrote an article about the red high top Converse shoes I wore with everything (even things that did not match them). After I turned it in, I was sitting in that class, and my teacher was reading my assignment. She turned and said, out loud in front of everyone, that it was “really, really good,,” and “very moving.” It was the first time I had ever realized my words on paper could impact someone, and it fueled my desire to write more. This article you are reading rounds out two years I have been writing for Texarkana Magazine and it all started because of a pair of red Converse!
So, when choosing what to wear this winter, bring your A-game every time! Wear those vests! Layer up and throw your UGG boots on. And while a vest can say a lot about you… because, let’s face it, they are just cool… we should not rely on our clothes to tell the story of who we are. After all, it wasn’t the red Converse that ultimately defined me during that time. It was my teacher’s reaction to my writing about the Converse that ended up making the difference in who I would become. But don’t get it twisted. While we are out there living the big moments, showing up and showing out, it doesn’t hurt to look good too.
LOCAL EVENTS
December 2-4
Texarkana Community Ballet
The Nutcracker
Perot Theatre, four shows, times vary
December 2-3
Regional Arts Center Open House and Arts Market
321 West 4th Street, times vary
Saturday, December 3
Christmas Home for the Holidays Vendor Pop Up
sponsored by Boys and Girls Clubs of Texarkana
2300 Buchanan Road, #7540,
11 am-4 pm
Monday, December 5
Christmas Market
Kress Gap, 116 W Broad Street, 5-7 pm
Sunday, December 11
Christmas at The Perot
221 Main Street, 4-6 pm
Sunday, December 11
Outdoor Movie Night Featuring The Star
First Baptist Texarkana, 5 pm
Sunday, December 11
Christmas Charity Show
sponsored by BC Dance
Pleasant Grove High School, 5 pm
Saturday, December 17
Christmas on Main
Perot Theatre
Events throughout the day, times vary
Sunday, December 18
Natalie Grant & Danny Gokey
Trinity Baptist Church, 7 pm
LIVE MUSIC
Friday, December 2
Trophy Husband
Whisky River Country
Saturday, December 3
The LaRouxs
Hopkins, 7-10 pm
Saturday, December 3
Jesse Jenkins
The Hideout, 9 pm
Friday, December 9
Aces & 8s
The Hideout, 9 pm
Saturday, December 17
Hope for the Holidays
Hempstead Hall, 7 pm
Saturday, December 31
Stevie Ray & The Deacon with The Cold Shot
The Hideout, 9 pm
