One Step Back

Occasionally a step back can also be a step forward. At least I think that's true of this place and what I do here. The idea of changing the pace of things has been lounging in the back of my mind for at least the past two years. The Favorites and The Roundups forced me to stay abreast of all that was changing and all that remained the same within the fashion world and when I moved home almost five years ago, I thought that I would need that push. That if I wasn’t careful I would lose the pieces of myself that I had gained while trying to build a life in New York. But I should have known better, should have known that I don’t have to handle my love of or my passion for certain topics.

So much of what I’ve done here in the past few years has felt burdensome and tiresome. I don’t know who I’m serving, but it's definitely not myself. When I wrote the post announcing that I will be moving to California in the spring, I realized what was missing. I had become so wrapped up in the ups and downs, the peplums and color stories, that my tone had become increasingly impersonal. And although I am capable of removing myself from the equation rather deftly, that is never what this was meant to be. So there will be a return of the more personal essays that dominated the earlier days of this blog, back when there was still a swear in the main title and I was still a bit unsure about what I was doing. I doubt that I'll be able to stop myself from doing a roundup here or there. Especially about the coats. How much I love the coats! But they won't dominate the conversation.

There might also be some longer, nerdier fashion pieces. Sometimes I find myself spouting off on Twitter about topics like my love of Prada and its quirkiness.

Miuccia Prada can change the tone and mood of her collections as deftly as anyone in the industry. And it rarely feels forced.
— Samantha Powell (@sdpowell1) February 21, 2014

Or like change simply for the sake of change. It's delightful. And quirky. And somewhat off, but only in the best way.
— Samantha Powell (@sdpowell1) February 21, 2014

I've come to realize that 140 character bursts aren't sufficient. That I want to delve a bit further. Or a lot further. That I want to improve my criticism and analysis. That this place can be a playground upon which I practice those skills. It has always provided a space for that to some extent but often in short bursts that leave me unsatisfied.

But it will be a little while before these changes come into effect. Until then there will be closet inventories to perform and goodbyes to make.