I was at a friend's place yesterday for a birthday party. Amazingly beautiful home, decorated by my friend, an extremely artistic woman, she is also very gracious & welcoming. And, being very (understatement!) artistic, I realised that, in her own way, she is also chic. Not expensive chic, nor elegant chic, but daringly, artistically, chic. Her sister & mother were there too, both more refined, somewhat elegant, chic, with quieter personalities. I realised yesterday that the look of chic had nothing to do with looking, or being, just one way.
It was more about being chic in your own way. It was a red themed party, so my red was just a red tee in my outfit, but others had beautiful outfits, some dressy, mostly casual, yet dressed-up, chic. I could see how each of us had a style of dressing, of expressing our personality.
Chic-ness, I realised at that party, was also to do with manners. Manners also express our personality. Being friendly, interested, gracious, caring, embracing, these are all chic, too, & each person has their own way of expressing all this. Some quietly, some, well, not so quietly.
Some of us live with hardship, or sorrow, in our life. Most of us, really, have something happen in our life that we learn to live with, whether death, ongoing family issues, health or financial issues, we all have our wee "cross to bear". And some have it more than others, no matter how it appears to be on the outside. And yet, strangely, this is where we often have people who are caring, generous, and accepting: those who have lived a life more difficult.
A person can have money, yet ongoing sorrow, & often we would never know, because that person is so lovely. And the lovelier a person is, the more likely they are to do something about their difficulties. For example, if you have inherited a heart condition, & you watch your diet, & get up early to go for a long walk, you are then free to allow a freer expression of your personality, you are freer to live your life well. This is so chic, to me, whether one is male or female.
So it seems to me, that chic-ness can easily be revealed when we express our selves in our clothes, surroundings, & personality, & with how, & what, we do in our life. And surprisingly, I have also noticed that when we are drab in our appearance, we can also be drab, or even dour, in our life. For some, this is a passing phase, for others, sadly, it's a way of life.
When we look as good as we can in the present moment, we feel better about ourselves. When we feel good about ourselves, it is so much easier to be good to others. To allow our chic-ness to rub off on others. It's easier to have chic manners....not artificial chic, but warm, caring, chic. A big part of being chic is giving others an opportunity to feel good about themselves.
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