I’ve had the same style hair for a decade—short bob that the kids didn’t grab or bury in peanut butter. My clothing style was comfortable and hardy. And my home décor has been decided by the previous owners of the furniture I inherited.
But I’ve been empty nesting for a few years now. Life has slowed down and my husband and I are earning enough to have a little extra. And here’s the clinker. My twenty-something daughters have emphasized that “Style” isn’t a dirty word. Now if you’ve met me at a conference, you know I have some beautiful clothes. Flowy fabric often with an Asian flare. Beautiful right? That’s style, right? Of course it is. And it fit perfectly with my penname Jade Lee. Except I’m also Kathy Lyons who is publishing more and more contemporary fun books. Laugh out loud books, some with paranormal twists, but all with distinctive modern humor. So…style update. Guess what I’ve changed. (Hint: can be more than one)
- Long blonde locks. Yup, grew out the hair, bleached it until it’s almost white, and then added some curls.
- Red highlights. I’ve got dark hair so that shock of red…well, it’s not so shocking. In fact, in some lights, you can’t see it at all. But I know it’s there!
- Short geometric patterns. Think 60s patterns with a fit and flare style.
- Business suits in pastel colors. I’m a modern businesswoman, right? So that means black pumps, A-line skirt, and a flowy blouse covered by a fitted jacket. My nod to creativity was that I got one in pink, one in powder blue, and a cheeky one in lime green.
- Stripper heels. Yup. I’m not exactly tall, so I’ve been practicing with increasing heights on my shoes. My next conference, I’ll be strutting my stuff in six-inch red sandals. Va, va, va, voom!
- I tried all those changes, but it was too much work. So I just put that money into expensive jewelry. That’s a style change right?
Answer: 2, 3, and a little bit of 6 – Actually, I added the red highlights a couple years back and as I said, it’s not so shocking though my husband thought so at first. Mostly, I’m covering the gray, but the less said about that, the better. I have been growing my hair out. I can even wear a ponytail now! Haven’t quite figured out how to manage all this stuff about my face, but I’m playing. By November (the Readers and ‘Ritas conference) I hope to have figured it out. And by the way, me as a blonde would look AWFUL!
I have found some fun dresses that I’m going to try out. Patterns and block colors, but they’re fun. The key is that I never, ever wore dresses before. I hated the idea of pantyhose, so pants were just easier. But bare is in now and we’re heading for the warmer months. I used to have a pink business suit. It was actually quite lovely, but I can’t imagine wearing that now. Too professional! And as for stripper heels, they may look hot, but I walk a lot at conferences. No way would my feet hold out in six-inch heels.
And as for #6 – well, I’ve gotten a couple lovely pieces lately because they were beautiful. So I have to buy clothes that show them off, right?
I don’t have a lot of pictures because I haven’t really unveiled my new style. Still putting together the pieces. You can see one of my new dresses in this picture of me with Asa Maria Bradley, Paige Tyler and Genita Loh. See what I mean about geometric patterns? And my hair is growing…
And now…last but not least is a new piece of art on my bathroom wall. Well, I think it’s art. My husband thinks it’s just toilet paper on the wall. What do you think? Leave your answer in the comments, and one lucky winner will get my first four Bridal Favors books! PS. It can be both art and toilet paper on the wall…right?
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