Think pink

In my distant childhood I remember loving to dress up and twirl around in a full skirt, pretending I was a ballerina. That was offset by a lot of time reading books about ancient Egypt and making repeated attempts to dig up buried treasure in my backyard. Sadly, my aspirations to become the world's first ballet-dancing archaeologist have yet to be fulfilled, but I still spend a lot more time in denim than in frills.

Over the years, I've eschewed wearing pink and other girly pastels in favor of more saturated hues like blue, black and red that flatter my coloring and harmonize with my personality—with the notable exception of a pink dress my mom made for me in 1984, which I absolutely adored and wore out.

Then, a couple years ago, I unexpectedly experienced a pink renaissance. After Jimmy was born, I lost a lot of weight and started to experiment with fashion. About that same time, I saw Funny Face (another Fred Astaire film, co-starring the incomparable Audrey Hepburn). Early in the movie is a musical number called "Think Pink" featuring the hilarious Kay Thompson as a fashion magazine editor extolling the virtues of pink.

While it would be a stretch to call it an anthem for my new wardrobe, the song got stuck in my head and when I was out shopping, it became a catalyst for stepping out of my comfort zone. Slowly I incorporated pink into my sartorial selections, although I usually chose shocking pink, fuschia or other vibrant shades. Here's a clip from Youtube.com that has the song in its entirety:

Now that we've found out we're having a girl, I'm starting to think pink again. Not that I don't want balance for her wardrobe; I've made sure to include blues, browns, purples and so forth. But I'm reconnecting with my inner pink-ness. On Wednesday Jimmy and I went down to Jo-Ann Fabrics in Yakima and I bought some fabric for sewing projects.

I finished the first project, a double-sided flannel receiving blanket, just yesterday.


Here's a closeup of the bow detail. Stay tuned for the matching dress (which I'm going to work on this weekend).