And I'd Like To Thank My Stylists...

Thank you to everyone who commented here and on my Facebook page for helping me decide what to wear to sell my willow-dyed silk scarves at a local show! Your advice helped me decide on this combination:

• brown linen shirt -- thrifted but restyled with different buttons and funky cuffs (sleeves are always too long for me).  Thanks, Amy and Kim -- the brown instead of black had a nice glow in the lower light of evening. I was almost convinced there's still more brown than gray in my hair.
• black trousers
• bigger earrings than I usually wear. I took apart a copper pendant I made a few years ago and converted it into earrings.

Of course, I didn't think to take pictures at the show, where I had both dress forms gussied up in two layers of silk scarves. But I had Bill take these pictures to show the simple way I've been wearing the scarves.

I take two of the 8" x 54" scarves and knot one corner together on each end to make a continuous circle scarf. Then I just loop it over my head. On my frame, three loops works well. And it's so easy to wear that last night when people asked how I tie my scarves I could pull it off and put it back on with no mirror. Easy -- that's my style.

Again, thank you to all my stylists! Bill drew a name for me this morning, and the winner of the free scarf is a commenter from Facebook. Congratulations, Victoria!

Will Pay For Fashion Advice

Most of the easy work is done for a local event where I'll be selling later this week. Harvesting, brewing, dyeing, washing, ironing, tagging, inventorying, readying the display  -- that's the easy part. The hard part is figuring out what to wear. For that, I need your help. Can I bribe you with a chance to win one of my willow-dyed silk scarves?

I've been photographing willow-dyed scarves for Etsy on a dressmaker form gussied up with a thrifted light gray silk dress. I think it looks better than the naked muslin. I've been crossing my fingers that the garment suggests a polished background for those who equate silk with dressing up, and it's simple and neutral enough that more casual dressers can still see themselves wearing a scarf.

Now, even if I could lose 20 pounds by Thursday to fit into that dress myself, that would still leave the problem of what to put on my feet. I won't go into the whole shoe thing again -- it's too depressing. That dress is not an option.

So my choices are:

• basic-black business-casual
• casual-casual, as in dressy jeans and sweater
• working artist low-key funky

All of the choices look good with a scarf. All of the choices meet my personal requirements for comfort. Any of the choices would be appropriate for the venue, where I expect some people will be buying for themselves and others will be buying gifts.

So the question is, What style is best suited to presenting my product?

Let me know what you think at the bottom of of this post where it says "Add a comment" or "View Comments." Or post your opinion on my facebook page. I'll go one better for fashion-slash-marketing advice: If you get a friend to weigh in and say "So-and-So sent me," you might both win a scarf.

I'll draw the winner on Friday, at which time I will have sent away the pumpkin, lost my glass hiking boot, and attired myself once again in studio clothes.