Monday, March 22, 2010

My Dad's Belt


I’ve absolutely fallen in love with the Boho Chic look that’s currently all rage. I tend to lean a bit more classically when it comes to my wardrobe, but there’s something to be said for playing with new colors, discovering easier fabrics, and incorporating bolder patterns and accessories. Really, that’s what style is all about, in my humble opinion: knowing what works for you while not fearing the addition of new twists.

As I researched the Boho Chic trend, I visualized what I already had in my closet that might work for me. The first item that occured to me isn’t actually mine, though; it’s an old belt that belonged to my late father. It’s a tobacco-hued leather – nothing fancy or expensive – and bears a pewter buckle that reads Prairie Cattle Company, Tulia and features a little engraved prairie dog right in the center.

I only recall my dad wearing the belt a few times when I was a small child. He worked at the cattle company for a short while before becoming the grain lord of Castro County (that’s in the Texas Panhandle, by the way; it has nothing to do with Cuba). I’d actually forgotten all about the belt until after he passed. I discovered it while sorting through his things and grabbed it without giving it much thought – just a keepsake, something to have that was his. It never occurred to me that five years later I’d sport the darn thing as my ‘newest wardrobe acquisition’. Of course, I had to get it fitted, and I’ve absolutely fallen in love with it.

I wore it the other day as I assisted an older woman in putting together her spring wardrobe. We were inside a local boutique sorting through belts when she looked at mine and asked, “Where can I find one like the one you’re wearing?” I explained the story behind it. Tears welled up in her eyes as she proclaimed, “Honey, that’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard!”

I never considered that my wearing it would ever be ‘sweet’. ‘Cheap’ actually came to mind first because I didn’t want to go out and buy a new belt. ‘Unique’ crossed my thoughts because, after all, nobody else has a belt like this. ‘Comical’ also popped into my head because I know that my dad is somewhere getting quite a kick out of it, laughing and shaking his head, wondering why on earth I’d want to wear that old thing.

Well, Daddy, I wear it for three reasons: a) it’s cool and works smashingly well with the new boots I just got, b) it really falls into fashion right now, and c) it was yours. I appreciate you for not tossing it out on one of your rare tossing-out binges. It’s awesome beyond words – just like its original owner.


Beth Newman
Image Consultant/Life Coach
www.newmanimage.info
Look,feel, and LIVE your absolute best!

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