Read Surveys (By Author)
Joanna Cornish
1. When do you feel at your most attractive?
I feel attractive when I feel useful and people acknowledge my efforts. Also, when I make people laugh and notice me in general.
3. What are some things you admire about how other women present themselves?
I admire women that look effortless in their style, like it is truly something that comes from a combination of outside inspiration and something innate in them.
5. What are some shopping rules you wouldn’t necessarily recommend to others but which you follow?
I use my pants as a test instead of weighing myself. I no longer weigh myself on a scale. I figure if my jeans still fit, I’m ok. I was getting too wrapped up in numbers. But some people might actually need to know what they weigh.
7. What is the most transformative conversation you have ever had on the subject of fashion or style?
This is a very common answer, but Jeanne Becker and Fashion Television was something I watched when I was a kid. It showed fashion as an art and designers as artists. It showed Paris and New York and London. I had that before I had Vogue or Harper’s Bazaar or W Magazine.
9. Are there any clothing (or related) items that you have in multiple? Why do you think you keep buying this thing?
I tend to buy the same socks over and over because I have problems losing socks. So if they are all the same, I don’t need to worry about pairs.
13. Have you stolen, borrowed or adapted any dressing ideas or actual items from friends or family?
I have some very stylish friends- I can’t think of a specific things they do and I try to think like them when I dress myself. But one did tell me to never pay full price, which I’ve adopted.
14. Was there a point in your life when your style changed dramatically? What happened?
I was quite a bit heavier when I was in my later years of high school and through university. I think I was very distant from my body and lived mostly in my head. I was also very depressed. When I turned 24, I started to get treated for my depression and ended up losing 60 lbs that I’ve mostly (give or take) kept off for just under a decade. I’ve stopped weighing myself, so I don’t really know how much I weigh. As long as my pants fit, I feel like I’m on track. As a result of this weight loss, it’s less of a struggle to find clothes that fit me and shopping is more fun. Of course, I can’t afford a lot of shopping, but the clothes are actually available. I tend to pay more attention to fashion magazines and blogs now that I can actually wear some of it. I also used to dress like a homeless person when I was a teenager. Not “cool” hipster homeless like kids now, but actual homeless. I don’t know why, but clearly I was going for something. I don’t dress like that anymore.
16. Please describe your body.
I’m 5’10” and I’ve got some curves. I think I’m thin enough, but I need to work out more to tone up.
19. What are you wearing on your body and face, and how is your hair done, right at this moment?
I am wearing black leggings and a long t-shirt with what looks like a fox mask on it. I am currently makeup free, and my hair is sort of twisted and tied with an elastic. I am barefoot. I usually wear nail polish, but nail polish steadily has done a drying number on my nails, so everything is naked at the moment. The black leggings are covered in dog hair. I’m not hanging out with people today.
25. Are there any dressing tricks you’ve invented or learned that make you feel like you’re getting away with something?
My legs aren’t my favourite body part, but heels actually do make calves look more shapely. I’m very tall, so heels can be tricky if I’m feeling gargantuan and I’ve yet to find a pair I find comfortable (do they exist?). I guess I feel like a tall person with nice legs when I wear them.
26. Do you have style in any areas of your life aside from fashion?
I have written a blog about baseball for 6 years, and I have a style of writing that combines humour and astute observation. I have a great sense of humour and I tend to look for the humour in situations.
37. What is your process getting dressed in the morning? What are you considering?
At the moment, a lot of what I wear depends on what is clean and where I am going. If I have a special occasion (job interview, a date, a party, seeing an ex), I tend to plan ahead and hang everything (including underwear) on a hanger so I can see where I’m at.
38. What are you trying to achieve when you dress?
I want to look good, even when I’m not feeling good. I don’t always achieve that, but it’s the goal.
42. What is your cultural background and how has that influenced how you dress?
I am English, Irish and Welsh on my mother’s side and Scottish on my father’s. So I’m about as Caucasian as it comes. The last of my family that could be considered immigrants came to Canada a 100 years ago, so I’m also thoroughly Canadian. I don’t know how it affects how I dress, other than I’m from a place that has a lot of different cultures to inspire me. And I dress for warmth a lot.
62. How does makeup fit into all this for you?
I love makeup. I bought eyeshadow in increments starting 4 years ago so I have a ton that I don’t really wear. But it’s pretty to look at. I usually wear mascara and blush, at the very least, and I think most women can get away with just that and look pretty good. I have a background in visual arts and I see makeup as an extension of that. Painting faces.
65. What is your favorite piece of clothing or jewelry that you own?
I have this giant ring that belonged to a very stylish grandmother who died before I was born. It might be costume, but it’s got a giant chartreuse stone in it and gold accents. I’ve got long fingers, and I wear it when I want to feel a little ostentatious.
74. What are your closet and drawers like? Do you keep things neat, etc?
I’m kind of mean to my clothes. I don’t hang things up consistently, so it’s a system of laundry baskets of clean (which is folded, for the most part), mostly clean (that can be worn again) and not at all clean (which shouldn’t be worn again, but sometimes is). I once had a makeup artist do my numerology, and she told me my numbers indicated that I needed to be more conscientious about putting things away (hanging up clothes, etc) so it doesn’t overwhelm my space (both physical and mental.) I do manage to separate my lights from my darks for laundry, though.
77. How and when do you shop for clothes?
I am pretty poor at the moment, so I don’t shop nearly as much as I would like. I have this fantasy that my friends with great style will act as my stylist when I finally have some money. I have been known to wander malls and shopping areas, even without money, and look and touch things I can’t buy. Sometimes it makes me feel good (look at all the beauty!) and sometimes not so much ( Water, water, everywhere, Nor any drop to drink.) I try not to buy anything that isn’t on sale. If I buy something full price and then see it later on sale, I feel a little ill.
81. Is there an article of clothing, a piece of make-up, or an accessory that you carry with you or wear every day?
I always try to put blush on. I am very, very pale, and it helps me look less like I’m a zombie. And mascara.
What’s your birth date? Where were you born and where do you live now?
Born: September 12, 1981 in Toronto, ON
Now: London, ON
What kind of work do you do?
Currently under employed, but I work in PR and writing, with some graphic design on the side. I’m doing charity work on a volunteer basis while I plan my next move.
Are you single, married, do you have kids, etc.?
I am not currently in a relationship. I have no children, but occasionally the urge is overwhelming to have a baby. I have to figure out the relationship part first.