I’m a big fan of form school feng shui, a branch of feng shui attuned to our natural tendency to seek safety and comfort at home. Form school is concerned mostly about the way we arrange furniture, but the same principles can be applied to almost anything, even clothes.

As I was folding laundry today, I realized that I had always been turned off by clothes with seams running down the middle of the front or back. Same goes for shoes. Ever notice a beautiful pair of boots from afar, only to become disappointed up close when you discover a seam running down to the tip? I could love everything about the silhouette, fabric, color, etc… but add a seam down the middle of it, and it’s ruined!

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Why do I feel this way? Well, seams represent a weak point don’t they? Clothing is most likely to rip at the seams. And where is the most vulnerable place on our bodies? Down the center! Down the center is where our vital organs reside. Our major blood vessels and spinal cord run down this path as well. And during fetal development, the two sides of the sac fold over and fuse together down the midline, forming our body’s natural seam, and natural weak spot. Along our legs, the most vital parts within them, major blood vessels and nerves, generally run down the posterior midline.  The torso and arms on the other hand, are more vulnerable anteriorly.

I once bought a pair of army green skinny jeans with a prominent seam running down the back of each leg. I wore it a couple times, and thought they were so cute, but for some reason, I never gravitated to them and eventually threw them in the donation pile. The psychological effect is subtle–almost imperceptible.  Just enough to turn me off but not enough to reach full consciousness.  On a rational level, a piece of fabric offers little protection, seam or no seam.  But our minds’ primitive reactions are almost never based on rational thoughts, or thoughts at all.  To honor these instincts I will steer away from midline seams and never make that shopping mistake ever again.

Maybe I’m the only one who feels this way?   Very possible 🌼