Episode 8: Marnette dresses as a hobby

I worked with Marnette, and I always liked the fact that her wardrobe in middle management and then upper management was cut from a different cloth than the standard executive. Layered, frilly, colorful tops under antique-looking jackets (“I put on a jacket, it’s just not a jacket anyone else wears,” she says). They top multilayered skirts, concealing just the tops of well-worn, well-loved cowboy boots. She talks about bloomers, and because I’m oblivious, I never thought about the fact that she wore bloomers (handmade, by the way), but now that I think about it, yeah, bloomers. Who wears bloomers? Marnette wears bloomers. And they’re fun.

“I dress for fun,” she says. “I think it’s entertaining. I shop for the things I like for sport.”

It started with Halloween, she tells us, as she realized in her 30s that dress-up was amazing and she picked similar costumes every year: “I basically want to dress like a princess-witch-gypsy every day of my life,” she says. Other people describe it as “boho chic.”

I could’ve asked Marnette for pictures of her favorite outfits, but, y’know what? Marnette dresses for herself. If you want to talk to her about this, you’ll just have to email her.

I’ve only scratched the surface. There are leadership and confidence thoughts here along with wisdom that comes with successful experimentation like this in life. Don’t miss Marnette’s centered approach to people’s judgment about style, how personal expression fits into the corporate world, and how it makes her more confident.

 

WANT TO KNOW MORE?

> Marnette says she has a hard-and-fast rule: She only wears what she loves. She was Marie Kendo before Marie Kendo was a thing. (Kendo’s rule 6 is “Ask yourself if it sparks joy.” If not, say, “thank you” for its service and get rid of it.) Wait, you already heard about Kendo and you’re sick of her? Now you’re a part of the wonderful cycle of 1) See a new thing, 2) Love a new thing, 3) Get tired of a new thing, 4) Hate the new thing? Read this and this and this and enjoy your irritation.

> Marnette loves Pinterest. and see if her style is your style.

> Where does she get her ideas and her clothes? She mentions Pinterest (see her boards), thredUP, thrift stores, boutique stories (a little price-y) and her own two hands (she makes her own bloomers).

> I ham-handedly describe one impression I have of Zen Buddhist poetry and practice. I don’t know enough about this. Who let me talk? Get a different view of Zen’s play with language. Taste some Zen Buddhist poetry. Shake things up with a Zen Buddhist koan, a seemingly nonsensical whack to the proverbial head to awaken you?

(IMAGE CREDIT: The Spanish Gypsy "Preciosa" by Bisson Freres)