How to embrace color and print and play with your style! - A style interview with Natalia

Natalia loves to play with her manner and discover new things about herself. She embraces color and impress and shows that your love of style does not have to stop when your trunk changes subsequently 40.

Time to find out more about her unique style and how it developed over the years!

Hi Natalia. Thanks for taking the time out to answer a few questions for 40PlusStyle.com. Can you tell us a picayune bit more nigh yourself?

I was born and raised in Russian federation, in a small town on the banks of the gorgeous Yenisei River in Siberia. Every bit a child, I had weak health and oft could not join my peers in games.

Simply I have a very loving family – my parents and my older brother Andrei, and I remember my childhood equally a very happy one – lots of playing and laughter, and I'grand sure it helped develop a brilliant imagination and beloved of creativity, openness and marvel about life.

Fifty-fifty as an adult, I all the same beloved fairy tales, and Ivanushka The Fool is still my favorite character. I moved to the US when I was nearly 29 years old. It's my 14th yr living on the new continent – some might say it's not much, but to me information technology rather feels like some other lifetime. For the past 8 years, I live in the Pacific Northwest with my husband and all-time friend Justin and daughter Anna.

As a indicate of reference which historic period grouping exercise you belong to or perchance you are willing to share your age?

I'thousand turning 42 this May, and I can sincerely say that I enjoy existence this historic period very much.

Tin you lot tell usa a bit more about your weblog In The Author's Closet and why you created it?

I started my web log almost a year and a half ago. Prior to this, I spent a few years of intense artistic work, building the Russian speaking community that I envisioned in the South Puget Sound surface area. Building and serving the community pretty much consumed all of me – my time, energy and finances.

Those years were important in my life, only also very tough on me – I found myself exhausted and joyless. And it is just my personal story, but I know that a lot of people can chronicle to it – we dedicate the best in us to something that really matters to usa – it can be anything, really, family unit, piece of work, art that we make…

However, afterward years of dedication, we can feel exhausted and empty. I think it means that we gave much more than we received, and so nosotros find ourselves out of residue, out of source. That'southward how I felt, and I'g sure a lot of both men and women experience it in their own life journey.

I knew I needed to find harmony withing myself over again. I did not know what exactly I needed to do, other than refocusing my life and finding my inner joy again.

Writing is something I have done for as long as I tin can retrieve, so function of my healing process just had to be writing. And to my surprise, I too found a reborn interest in fashion and style (I like to say that I took a vacation from mode during my community building years).

I had lots of doubts that noone would be interested in reading about my style and me-explorations, specially in English, which is non my strong point. But with my hubby's assistance and encouragement, I started, and the remainder as they say is history.

How would you draw your own style?

Vibrant, eclectic, whimsical.

What would you lot consider the nigh important components of your fashion?

Colour. I think it's crucial to me. I have to say that color is a relatively new discovery to me – I credit my daughter and my husband for opening my eyes about brilliant colors. I was very much into more subtle colors and "elegant" looks before these ii came forth.

I still learn about colors, I want to explore them deeper. The wonderful Eric Carle, artist, picture books writer and illustrator, said in an interview that he wished he could come across more colors – unfortunately, the human eye is not capable of seeing the whole spectrum.

You should have seen his confront when he said information technology – he was so genuinely sad! In my fashion journey, I'grand now coming to a similar point – I just want more than and more than color. Colors are amazing!

Where do you alive and how does that influence your mode?

I alive in the Pacific Northwest – in a minor maritime place, not really a hamlet or town, in between suburbs of the greater Seattle surface area. I'm sure that all the places that I've lived in earlier influenced my sartorial choices one style or another. In Russian federation, back when I lived there at least, women are expected to dress up and look their best.

Nosotros can have public transportation and ride a fully packed omnibus for an hour or longer on the way to piece of work or college, but nosotros are 100% dressed up – total brand-up, high heels, dresses or skirts almost of the time. There are really non also many frumpy looking women in Russia – yous may non fully share their choices, simply you can't deny their dedication to look good at pretty much all times.

In North America, on the other hand, it is almost the opposite – the vast bulk of people, both men and women, practice not pay much attending to their manner. I oftentimes wonder to myself, where all those fashionable wearing apparel get from the stores? I certain don't see many stylish people on the streets. I know it'southward unlike in New York City, but NYC does non equal the U.s.a.. Nigh people in America dress very casual, and I certain had my share of casual dressing, wearing pants and jeans virtually exclusively for a few years.

Practice you lot feel you accept a signature fashion?

I really tin can't say. I merely relish the procedure of exploring and experimenting at this betoken. What practice you think? 🙂

What inspires your outfit choices the most?

I really struggled with authenticity for a while. It seemed to me that I needed to notice a magic formula – whatever looks all-time on my torso and feels good to me. My wardrobe is very eclectic, I accept both trendy modern pieces and vintage or secondhand wearing apparel, and I love combining them – I think the combination of both creates such an incredible dynamic, live feeling.

I'm non e'er certain where to begin each day. Sometimes yous just know what slice you want to article of clothing, and everything else falls into place. But there are days when everything feels kinda blah – the wearing apparel that you picked with love and enthusiasm and sometimes paid proficient money for, only seem so boring – "I have nothing to wearable", sounds familiar, right?

Then Melanie of the amazing web log Pocketbook and a Beret said something in the comment to my mail, and it all brutal into identify for me. She said, "If I'm non feeling it, I can't forcefulness myself. Dressing to reflect who I am at that moment, is my holy joy zone." Information technology's genius. These words hit me like lightening!

Of class, that is the only way when y'all want to explore your inner creativity – you need to connect with yourself, to look into yourself and find who you are at this detail moment – then everything clicks, and ane of your nearly favorite outfits will be born!

So to answer your question, Sylvia, information technology'south actually hard to say what exactly inspires the choice every bit it is an intimate process inside, and there are no ii moments alike. But anything can inspire, really – nature, movies, art… Bloggers are very inspiring, ane of the greatest sources.

Practice you take things like color profiling or body type into business relationship when you dress?

I'1000 intuitive. I don't know how many times I read about Spring, Summertime, Autumn, Wintertime types – I don't seem to remember any of that. Simply intuitively I know what colors are all-time on me. Information technology does not mean that I only wear those few colors though. Sometimes, I choose to wear what's non my best color, just there is merely something about that particular piece that I like. From time to time, I detect new hues that arrange me well, and I did non fifty-fifty know about it.

I will share my insight about my body type. I gained a lot of weight in the last 10 years or so. Before that, I had a pretty perfect hourglass figure, and it was actually very easy to dress it. When I started learning about my grown body, at offset I had no clue what blazon of clothes would suit me. It seemed at first, that not so many types of clothes really looked skilful on me.

Then somewhere in the procedure I discovered, to my huge surprise, that my body, even though changed, is notwithstanding an hourglass shape, and pretty much all the types of wearing apparel that I loved when I was slim, still looked adept on me.

I don't know if it sounds obvious to others, and they just call back "duh!" – but that was such an eye opener to me.

Has your manner changed at all after turning xl?

Yes, it did change – I became much more open to experimenting and mush less serious.

Do you lot believe in dressing 'age appropriately' and what does it mean to you?

I don't. Someone you interviewed earlier, Sylvia, said that they believe in "me-appropriate" (was it Sue?). I absolutely concord with that. As a young girl, I did not fifty-fifty consider wearing extremely short mini-skirts, I never was especially addicted of shorts either. There was zero wrong with my legs – those blazon of clothes just did not feel similar "me", and that's what personal way is all about – we want to feel like ourselves, unless of class we deliberately choose to wear a costume or break out of a condolement zone – which is a slap-up thing by the way!

I'd say, wear what feels "appropriate" to yous – whatsoever your definition of "appropriate" is.

Would you say that at this stage of your life you are now more, or less interested in mode, style and the way you look?

I'grand definitely much more interested at present – thanks to blogging, personal style became my major hobby. Though it comes and goes with me. I started making my ain dress as a teenager – I learned how to sew and knit pretty early in life, and was always looking stylish and well dressed, fifty-fifty in those years of deficit in my home country. But then there was a flow when I did not think about manner at all – its language became foreign to me, because believe me if you don't expect into mode for a few years, you'll notice yourself wondering – whatever happened to fashion, when did it become and then ugly? It took me a while to learn the language and appreciate it over again.

Why is the fashion you look important to y'all?

I think it just adds to a person's conviction. We want to experience expert most ourselves, then we want to look good. Of course I enjoy receiving compliments and good kinds of attention too. It also tickles me to see my daughters' interest in style and way – she is admittedly her own person and her own stylista since a very early age. I think when she was 8 or 9, I finally figured out that the dresses I picked for her were not worn. She needed to pick her own wearing apparel – our preferences are merely dissimilar. Just from time to fourth dimension, she'd wait at me and create an outfit that resonates with mine, but in her own mode. Or she would enquire me, "Mom, can I wear this or utilize that?" And it makes me unbelievably happy to run into and hear it.

I dearest that she has such an contained mind, just I too love knowing that we accept points where nosotros intersect and go hand in hand – not even equally mother and daughter, but rather as friends. I wouldn't be noticed by so many web log readers, and wouldn't become interviewed by you, Sylvia, if I did not want to look adept, would I? And then many things would exist unlike… Just it goes beyond that. If everyone feels good near themselves, there will be and then much less unhappiness and conflicts in the world, and we all would live in a much ameliorate place and then.

Exercise you follow trends? And if yeah, which trends excite you at the moment?

I don't go out of my way to read near current trends, but I acquire them anyhow, only by observation – I read style blogs, I become to stores, and it'southward not difficult to put 2 and 2 together. I'yard happy that coral is at present "in", it's ever been one of my favorite colors, and when it's trendy, it merely means that nosotros can find something that we love in stores and enjoy for the rest of our life if we desire to. I likewise similar to await at trends as a source of ideas. But trends do not dictate what I clothing, and my wardrobe is not the trendiest ane out there.

Exercise you have any fashion and style tips for women over 40?

I don't think I have advice near style specifically, only because we all have dissimilar goals and preferences. Merely I would like to encourage people to not be agape and only play.

Dressing up in its core is the same creative process every bit writing, drawing, acting or… just living. We learn as we go. The more than we practice, the more nosotros gain confidence and freedom to truly exist ourselves.

Not every outfit needs to exist a masterpiece – just follow your middle, your inspiration. Trust the piddling soft phonation inside of you that tells you lot: endeavor this or that.

Exercise not be afraid of mistakes – they merely bear witness that you are living and doing things.

Don't seek for approval. The astonishing people that we admire, including talented stylistas, did not become amazing because they always become "canonical" – they became astonishing because they learned to trust their own vision and get for their dreams. Our dreams are there for a reason. Just go with them. Relax and play!

What are your plans for your blog and how do you meet it develop over the coming years?

I like when things grow organically, and my web log is no exception. To tell you lot the truth, this is not my first blog – I take blogged, on and off, for over 10 years already. But information technology is the starting time one near style and the outset one I wrote in English (which is not fifty-fifty my second language – I'm practically self-taught, and far from perfect). But somehow this combination – me blogging about style while I don't even consider myself especially gifted at that, and writing in the language which I don't know very well, became a magic combination.

In The Writer's Closet is definitely my well-nigh popular blog and the one that brings me incredible joy every day for the by twelvemonth and a half. I wish to grow, only in which management, only fourth dimension will tell. I would dearest my writing to meliorate, I really want to grow as a writer. I never even thought that I would write in English language – and here I am doing just that. Life can surprise us in the most unexpected ways, I want to stay open and go along for as long as it'due south a joyful, meaningful journey to me.

Annihilation further you lot would like to add?

It'southward such an honor to be interviewed by you, Sylvia, every bit I admire and respect you as a visionary who invested a lot of her time and talents into edifice a community of women. I got to know so many wonderful bloggers cheers to your site.

A petty over a year agone, I couldn't even imagine how much beloved, warmth and support this customs has to offer. It is healing, heartwarming and admittedly magical. I thank each and everyone who reads my blog and takes fourth dimension to annotate – I truly treasure all of your comments, dear friends! I thank all of your readers, Sylvia, who accept time to read this wordy interview – I really capeesh that yous stopped by. It feels incredible to exist a part of this amazing community, to exist able to contribute to it in my own way – there are non and so many genuinely kind and accepting communities on or off line. Cheers!

Be certain to check out Natalia's fabled site In The Writer's Closet today!

Which is your favorite of Natalia'due south outfits?

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