Give the garment a chance

The Noro Trunk show has arrived in its entirety.  We had a few pieces last week, but the mother lode arrived the next day, and I can't wait to share it with you this week live.   

During this week I've been playing with the garments - especially that vest I wanted so much to like.  It looked great on Ginni, but on me, it was awful.  It's shown worn by itself like a tee shirt, and you know how I feel about tee shirts.  It was just all wrong - too sporty and not me at all.  

I wondered if I could make it work for me by softening the lines a little. I brought in a soft pink blouse with belled cuffs and tried the vest over it. It made an unbelievable difference. 

There were lots of garments that were much cuter on than I thought they would be. 

One of the biggest surprises was that crocheted sweater that I had really disliked too much going on was what I think I said.  When it came, just for fun, I put it on, preparing to have a good laugh.  I was shocked to find that I actually liked it very much. When worn, it didn’t look busy or over the top, but elegant in a Victorian sort of way. Will this get me crocheting? Maybe. Who knows?

But it definitely got me thinking about how important it is not to judge too quickly.

Give the Garment a Chance

Here's my advice: Give the garment a chance. Put it on. Style it in a way that makes sense for you. Try it with a different blouse or underlayer. What you're wearing on the bottom makes a huge difference, as do jewelry and other accessories. Think about how bad things often look in the dressing room with their poor lighting and you standing there in your sneakers and socks. How on earth can even the most gorgeous dress look good?

When you come to a trunk show - ours or anyone else's, wear black pants or denim and a very basic tank or other base layer in a neutral color. This way, the garments can shine without competing with a print blouse or something else that might distract. You could even just bring a black tank in your bag to slip on.

Attend Trunk Shows

If you have the opportunity to see a trunk show, it is definitely worth your while.  The opportunity to actually try the pieces on before you knit them is so valuable. 

So, if you're local, come see how these beautiful pieces look when styled and worn. You might be surprised at how much you love something once you’ve had the chance to try it on and make it your own. If you're not local, don't worry, I've roped the gang into presenting the second half of the garments in this week's YouTube live and we'll show the garments on different bodies, and we'll each share our styling tips to help you see the potential in every garment.  

See you soon, and happy knitting!

Warmly,

Ellen