Feminine Counterpoint

Friday afternoon my husband came upstairs to find the vacuum in the middle of the bedroom, the sheets stripped from the bed, and a strange noise coming from the office.

It was not a crime scene. It was me...sewing.
Yes, I was right in the middle of cleaning. And yes I abruptly left everything half finished in order to make a new cover for our bed. Because after not making my bed for nearly a month, I came to realization that I didn’t like the way it was decorated. So I needed to change it. Immediately.
As you can see, the result is not fancy. Or even girly. There is a reason for this. Just because I’m a lady doesn’t mean that I condone excessive frilly-ness. I do, after all, live with a man. I can’t have him residing in a house that screams “miss priss” at every turn. So while I do certainly indulge in flagrant femininity with my clothing, accessories, hair styles, etc., I tone down the estrogen in our home.
Without getting too freshman-psychology-101-course on a Monday morning, I will say briefly that this strategy highlights an important element to consider about being a lady, which is that femininity shines the brightest when compared to its counterpart--masculinity. I, for instance, look my most ladylike when standing next to my husband, who wears denim and t-shirts everyday and has had a goatee since he was 18.
What I’m trying to say (somewhat laboriously, I might add--sorry for that...)is that the whole boy-girl combo works generally well in a lot of areas in life, including fashion and home design. And furthering the species, of course. This is why J.Crew does such a marvelous job at the whole “glamorous tomboy” look. And why leather looks great with crystal chandeliers. And why I wear men’s cologne throughout the winter with shimmery camisoles and high heels. (seriously--I do. You should try it sometime.)
And it is why I bought 5 yards of this soft flannel fabric months ago knowing that eventually it would make its way into our decor. Because the girly touches always look best when there’s a little manliness around.

And yes--I did finish my cleaning just in case you were worried.

What is your favorite "tomboy" touch? Share by posting your comment below!