My Evolution of Style Over the Years
I believe that a beautiful union exists between comfort and style for all of us. When we’re both comfortable and feel well with what we’re wearing, we exude confidence.
At the centre of the evolution of my personal style is Oma Wilhelmina, “Willy”, the beloved Dutch grandmother of my daughters. Born in Breda, Netherlands, of humble beginnings, yet tasteful European style, Oma immigrated to Canada in the 1960s. She crossed the Atlantic on her own to meet her groom Adrian after they had been married by proxy by Dutch Queen Juliana.
Oma designed and created her own clothes and even wedding dresses for brides she knew! I’d never known anyone who dressed with more style. Her lively, well-organized sewing room was always filled with beautiful patterns, fabric, notions, wooden thread spools…
Oma worked for the City of Edmonton and always dressed impeccably for work. I have memories of meeting Oma for lunch in the summer and walking, talking and browsing at Eaton Centre. She always turned heads. Opa often joked, “If Oma was ever kidnapped and they asked me what she had been wearing that day, I’d be in trouble!”
Oma styled up especially for her symphony dates with Opa, often with a hat that completed her one-of-a-kind outfit. She said who she was without uttering a word. She once said to me “A lady at the symphony said she liked my ‘costume’…She was from Europe too and a tailored, stylish ensemble is called a ‘costume’ there…”
So as a young working mother with a toddler, I needed some help in organizing my wardrobe. One of my favourite memories with Oma is a Sunday afternoon when she and Opa came to our home for dinner. After-dinner conversation between us revolved around busy schedules and deciding what I was going to wear to teach school the next day. Oma suggested we take a look in my closet.That was it.
Oma completely transformed the way I looked at clothes after that! We pulled everything out of my closet and divided up tops, bottoms, dresses, skirts, etc…Then her fresh, sharp eyes started pairing my clothes – many in combinations I would never have even thought of! She had me shop my closet and try on many “new” outfits. To some outfits I donned she would say, “No, that’s not the best colour on you”, etc. In a few hours I had what I considered a whole new wardrobe! I couldn’t wait to get out of bed and get ready for teaching every day because my wardrobe planning was done! I looked at my clothes differently and I also learned to shop differently, adding and editing my wardrobe.
Oma is now in her 80s and she and Opa retired to British Columbia decades ago. We can still talk for hours on the phone and I always enjoy our visits. It’s my turn now to send her gifts of clothing and accessories that I come across and know she would love.
Opa isn’t very mobile now but last summer we enjoyed a lovely visit that included a convertible drive around their picturesque county. Still very observant, Oma told me she liked my lipstick. I told her I combine two colours and pulled them out of my bag. She smiled widely and said “I have those colours! I’m going to try that! That’s why it looks so different…”
That’s our Oma, always with distinctive, unparalleled style.
