Tanya Cauren
- Dec 17, 2021
- 3 min read

Things That Make Me Smile - Styling

Styling...

...depending on who you are talking to and the context of the conversation, styling can mean anything from putting a look together e.g....”they were styling the Funky Crochet Hat so that it laid to the side the way Tanya likes it”, to... a way of showing up in the look put together with said Funky Crochet Hat e.g....“when they hit the boulevard, they were styling in their Head Gear Swag. Show Yah Right”. Ok I put that last bit in there for emphasis but you get it...in its active tense, it covers a lot of ground.

Be it for a photoshoot or for our very real lives, thinking through the best way to reflect product and our versions of self-expression, allows the styling doors to open and welcome in all creative waves that want to ride the outfitting ride. The end result being a simple mark in time as tomorrow, with its light and impending destinations, may inspire something different.

Knowing for me there is always a Hat, its then the Earrings (almost always Hoops), the lipstick (do I match or contrast the color), the sweater or top and....the glasses...a moment...

...I have several pairs of glasses, all in different shapes and color combinations. When you have to wear glasses to see, having more than one pair is essential, having 5 or more may be ...a thing. In the “time before”, I could swap them out as the outfit required knowing there was always a pair that were the “go to’s”, typically a black frame with good coverage to ensure peripheral vision exists. In “the time of”, my black square frame glasses have been prominent in photos as they are the ones that can secure the mask to my nose deterring fogging, so know, as we migrate into the “time after”, there will be a few more pairs of specs in the photos to change up the mood of my Head Gear Swag Styling efforts. And Im back...

Beyond the general runs that we all make to the grocery store etc...to sustain our lives, mine are often connected to the arts. Going to a museums in Uptown Charlotte and across the city, checking out the amazing murals we have in some the smaller neighborhoods, such as Dilworth and Plaza-Midwood, trips to spaces that exist and/or have been converted in support of the arts such as Noda and Camp North End, connecting with other fiber artists, be it in our C.R.A.F.T Guild, Local Yarn Stores, or an endeavor with the CLTisCREATIVE team, is where I take the styled...and show up stylin’ as it were.

Stylin’ just so you know, doesn’t always have to be showy or loud. Even when I use the phrase “Show Up and Show Out” as I am wont to do, even then, it can be subtle.

The same wow factor that can be attached to a blow your hair back tangerine hat, atop a brilliant cantaloupe sweater, 3” gold Hoops beaming (this is definitely me)...can be attached to a soft and warm cream and coco hat, paired with a winter white chunky turtle neck and subtle marbled pendant earbobs (this is less me, but I dig it and rock it from time to time).

Loud or not as loud...stylin’ without a doubt, is always...noticeable.

Stylin’ is our way of sharing what our Brands are about. It could be your personal Brand and how you want the world to see you, think about you, remember you when they walk away, or it could be your revenue generating need to make money business brand. Mine are intertwined, one and the same.

We know, I only create Funky Crochet Hat patterns that I want to wear, so whether the photo is on the head, in a lay down to show outfitting and accoutrements, or reflective of my time out and about in the world, unless its that run to the mail box, there is an outfit, that has been put together enabling me to rock my Hat, Earrings, Lipstick and Glasses in a way that expresses my creative intentions and indeed when I show up...Im stylin’. I dig it, when folks look at me and smile or ask a question about what Im wearing. I really like it when they ask how to make a hat and buy a pattern. That’s a manifestation of stylin’ joy, not the core of it, but feel free to buy a pattern and any of the yarn or tools that I wax on about.

Stylin’, putting together a look that expresses who you are, coordinated, contrasting, loud, subtle, polished, individual, interesting....on any given day, doing any given activity, almost always brings joy to the eyes, minds and spirts of those who view the “styled” and more impactfully to those of us “stylin”.

Keep helping to move humanity forward (someone or something), even if its eliciting that one smile because in your own way, you showed up and showed out...stylin’ and everything