What's an Eldergoth to wear?

Anything she damn well wants to!

Lately I keep seeing these articles circulating Facebook about what women over 30 should and shouldn't wear. It all started with a woman named  Kallie Provencher and one of her articles on Rantchic. Ms. Provencher seems to love writing about what women over 30 should and shouldn't do or wear. I am not even sure if she is over 30 herself since she never mentions her own age. The articles seem to be what I consider click bait. Click bait articles have catchy titles and usually consist of tons of photos with maybe one sentence explaining what you are looking at. They are usually snarky or condescending in some way too. Very little actual writing is involved. And most of the time the writer is well aware that these articles will be controversial. They don't care how many people are offended about the content because the real goal of the article is to get lots of traffic to their site. Remember that old Hollywood saying? Any publicity is good publicity. So it seems Rantchic has been successful in gathering lots of site traffic because those articles have gone viral. Now to be fair these types of lists are nothing new. In fact I remember seeing lists like this in fashion magazines at least 20 years ago. What makes this article especially nauseating is the snarky tone in which it was written. These articles are succesful not because they were good articles, but instead it's the reaction of disgust from women all over the Internet. Women over 30 are pissed off! 

The good news is that articles like these are simply not true. The idea that you have to be under 30 to be stylish or trendy is ridiculous. Blogs like Advanced Style prove what I'm saying is true. In fact, most of my favourite bloggers are over 30. I find they experiment more with mixing trends and they know how to accessorize an outfit better than their younger counterparts. They are truly inspirational in demonstrating that being stylish has nothing to do with age! 

Style is an evolution. It takes a lifetime to curate the perfect wardrobe. You can't just walk into a store at the mall and buy clothes straight off the rack and expect to be stylish. Or click purchase on websites in one night to do it either. It takes dedication in weekly visits to the thrift store for that perfect accessory and regular trips to the vintage boutiques for one of a kind pieces. Being original is what makes older woman look stylish. They have a collection of unique clothing and accessories that they have collected for years and years. 

Another reason I think woman over thirty are more stylish is self confidence. I find the older I get the more confidence I have to wear outfits that are not the norm. Who decided that mature equals boring anyway? You won't believe how many times I hear "I used to dress like that but then I had to grow up" or "I used to dress like that but then I had kids". Why do we put these limitations on ourselves? Why do we feel the need to conform and wear a basic uniform over the age of 30 in order to fit in? Unfortunately mainstream society expects us to tone down our style over a certain age. Some women do it in order to get a better job or to fit in with the soccer moms at their kid's school. I also toned down my outfits in my late 30s in order to fit in. Now, ten years later, I have the confidence to wear whatever I want to once again. 

Fashion is hardly new to ageism. The runway shows have models as young as 14 years old these days and magazines are full of wrinkle cream ads featuring models in their 20s. Even the larger designers rarely use older models. Think about it...the 90s Supermodels are in their 50s now and yet they are seldom used in fashion shows. Those same designer's core customers are probably in their 40s and up. I realize those shows are all about fantasy, but why not show diversity in the models? 

What I find most interesting about this latest round of ageist articles was the tremendous backlash that happened afterwards. I'm not the only blogger to post an article about it. So does this mean that fashion as a whole is evolving? Women seem to have more freedom to wear whatever they want to then any generation before them. Most of us no longer follow fashion trends blindly. That wasn't true even 10 years ago. We pick and choose which trends we want to borrow from or for that matter what decade we want to borrow from. The malls have more diversity than ever before and if we can't find it locally then we can just order it off a website. I predict that street fashion is going to change incredibly very soon. That alternative style will be the new norm. That more and more women over 30 will refuse to conform anymore. They will be free to wear whatever they like, dye their hair bright colours, and stop worrying about whether or not it is age appropriate. The concept of "dressing your age" is so old fashioned! It's time to embrace loving the way you look and feel today! 

Here is some fashion inspiration from some ladies that may or may not be over 30...

Graveyard Picnic and Tarot

I had a fantastic time this past weekend. I spent Saturday catching up with old friends and doing some Tarot reading for some lovely ladies. A perfect way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

On Sunday we had an impromptu picnic at the biggest Cemetery in town. The food was fantastic and we all had on beautiful dresses for a summer day. We sure know how to do a picnic the right way! 

Rebranding Sale!

I've just uploaded a ton of new clothing on my Etsy and I will be uploading some vintage pieces soon! To celebrate my renaming both my blog and store I am offering 20% off to friends when you enter the coupon code "autumnmoon"

Here is a sneak peek at what's on the etsy store! 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/AutumnMoonEnchant

Thank You and Happy Shopping! 

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes...I have a new name!

So you might be wondering who's blog this is by now. I'm sorry if I confused anyone with my name change but I felt like it was time for a huge change! My interests are shifting and I felt I needed a complete rebranding of my blog and business because of it. Sometimes you just just know when the time is right for a shift. The planets align and the path is suddenly clear to move forward. Change is good!

Although I loved the name Mourning Glory (named after my great great grandmother) it was only a part of my personality. I've been a tarot reader forever and lately I've been doing more tarot readings for people than I have been making dresses. I needed a new look for my business that wasn't solely based on dressmaking. I started by redesigning my business cards at first with a new logo which I love. But I quickly realized I needed to change more than just my business cards! It was time to hit the reset button. 

The new name comes from an old song by Led Zeppelin. I've always loved this line... 

Leaves are falling all around, It's time I was on my way. 

Thanks to you, I'm much obliged for such a pleasant stay. 

But now it's time for me to go. The autumn moon lights my way. 

For now I smell the rain, and with it pain, and it's headed my way. 

Sometimes I grow so tired, but I know I've got one thing I got to do... 

That song has always made me think of Seattle in the fall. The cold rain has moved in and fall and Halloween is on its way. I think of a beautiful moonlit trail through the woods lined with ancient evergreens and moss. The autumn moon shines through the trees to light the path towards true happiness. That song has always just made me feel hopeful and nostalgic. So this new name has significant meaning to me. 

This blog will still be about alternative fashion as well as tarot. They are both a huge part of me. Who knows where all this is headed but it's really exciting for me to share my love of tarot reading with everyone! 

Oracle Card Review: The Avalonian Oracle

I have been more than a little obsessed with the Avalonian Tradition and its philosophy lately. I have engrossed myself in learning as much as I can about the Celtic goddesses and reading about the mysterious and mystic island of Avalon. So when this new oracle deck,The Avalonian Oracle, showed up at my local store I was so excited to pick up a set!

This gorgeous deck comes in a beautiful hard box with a book and cards enclosed inside. The book is written by Jhenah Telyndru who is also the founder of The Sisterhood of Avalon. She is the author of Avalon Within: A Sacred Journey of Myth, Mystery and Inner Wisdom and several other books. 

I especially love the inspiring artwork by Emily Brunner. The cards are well thought out with loads of symbolism and Celtic imagery that will transport you to the holy isle of Avalon and back. 

And the well written book is chock full of the mythology of Avalon and tools for empowering your own inner wisdom. You will learn about 5 different Celtic goddesses and what they represent when you pull that card. The cards are separated by 7 different cycles or they can be read individually as well. 

Unlike Tarot Cards, Oracle Decks do not use a set system of symbology. Oracle decks can vary greatly from one deck to the next. What is important when using oracle decks is to focus in on your intuition for what the card means to you personally. For that reason I find oracle decks can really be hit or miss for me. I absolutely love the imagery used in this deck. They have a very comforting feel to them. They feel as if I have always owned this deck. 

Here is my first spread using the deck:

I drew The Five Seeds of Wisdom, The Three Cauldrons, and a goddess card Branwen. They are beautiful cards and really seem to speak to me on a deeper level. The cards I drew today just reaffirm that I am on the right path right now. I also picked up Jhenah Telyndru's book a few weeks ago. I have yet to finish it but I am enjoying it immensely so far. 

If you are interested in picking up a set of oracle cards for yourself you can get them at The Hive and Grove in Kitchener, Ontario or on Amazon.com. 

Waiting for my ship to come in.

For some time now I have been stuck in a holding pattern. Waiting. Just Waiting. But what exactly I have been waiting for, I am not entirely sure about. With this month's new moon I have been contemplating the reason why I am always waiting on the dock. When will this wait be over? My motto for this month's new moon was to do only those things that I wanted to do. To honour my own hopes and desires instead of everyone else's. To honour my boundaries in a healthy way.

For most of my adult life I have been putting my own wants or needs on the back burner in order to take care of my husband, my son, or even friends. I used to think well, it's only temporary. I'm only temporarily waiting to start my own business or to go back to school because my son was little or my husband's career was more important than my own. My son starts University in September this year so the waiting will have to hold on for at least another four years. This is an important four years for my son and my whole family so the wait is worth it. 

As for my career, I've created this holding pattern all on my own. I could have started a new career or went back to school at any time. Sure it would have taken longer to go back to college while my son was little but does that really matter in the long run? I once read an inspirational article a long time ago about an 80 year old woman that went back to university for her doctorate. When she was asked why she did so at that age she said "well, I was going to turn 80 years old anyway whether I went back to school or not!"  So I guess 47 really isn't that old to start over after all. I am still thinking about going back to school lately. I'm just not sure what field to go into or where to put my all my energy next. It's a big decision that will cost a ton of money if I do go forward with it. 

In the past I have always put all my energy and talent into other people's businesses. When I worked in retail, I put all my time and energy into selling or merchandising for huge companies. When I wrote movie reviews, I did it for a larger website instead of my own at first. And even recently I put my sewing talent to use for someone else's business. That's enough of that! It's time for me to start doing things for myself. If I only put in half that energy on my own business as I did for all those other people I would be very successful by now. Why is it so much easier for me to do things for other people instead of myself?

It's time to stop waiting on my ship to just show up. If I want it, I have to go and get it. It's time to step into my own life fully. To enjoy everything that comes along. To jump in with both feet so I'm not waiting and wanting something else. Something bigger and better will come if I just step up to the task!