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Let’s talk STYLE! After all, that’s a lot of what this blog is about.
Before we jump in, I want to give a little disclaimer: it wasn’t until about 3 years ago that I really started to understand my sense of style. Between my teens to most of my twenties, my wardrobe was a hodge-podge of fast fashion, hand-me-downs, and random accessories I was gifted. I struggled to find clothes that fit when I went to the store, and had a daily panic about what to wear. When I finally got a job that didn’t require a uniform (Target is the reason I will never again wear khaki pants or red shirts), one of the biggest hurdles was finding professional-looking clothing that I truly felt good in. That all changed when I got my current job. I realized that my colleagues were much better dressed than I was, and decided early in that job that enough was enough. I needed to figure out what my style truly is, and get rid of the rest.
There were a few things I had to figure out, and it took time to really get to a point where I walk into my closet every day loving my clothing collection. Here’s what made a huge difference:
- Who’s style inspires you? When I started asking myself this question, I began to realize that I loved vintage fashion from the 30s through 60s, but my sweet spot was the 1940s and 50s. Though I went through a slight “hippie” phase in high school (I even got a Farrah cut!), I was always drawn to the classic pinup style. I also realized that I was drawn to prints and lots of color, so I started keeping mental notes of what drew my eye. Finally, I had an epiphany: my personal style is a combination of Lucille Ball and Miss Frizzle from Magic School Bus! Like me, both styles are modest, and walk the line between glamorous and humorous.
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I mean, isn’t she just so lovely?! Yet so funny!
- What do you feel most comfortable in? I am a huge believer that the biggest make-or-break of a successful outfit is proportion and fit. I’ve definitely got curves, and while I embrace them, I realized I feel most comfortable being pretty covered up. I like sleeves, necklines that are a little higher, and hems that hit below the knee. I also discovered that I preferred wearing skirts or dresses, and promptly got rid of most of my pants. This is when I really honed my eye for cuts and silhouettes that I knew flattered my shape and I could feel good in.
- Where do you want to start? My first place to get started was my clothes. I began ordering from eShakti (a site I strongly recommend), and slowly getting rid of pieces that didn’t bring me joy or didn’t fit. Once I began this process, something fascinating happened: I stopped buying clothes in stores! In fact, the only clothing pieces I’ve purchased in a physical store in the last year has been gym clothes and a shirt to wear to Harry Potter World. Once my clothing collection started to develop, I realized the next step was to get shoes that worked with my new lovely dresses. The final phase was hair and accessories. I got my middy haircut back in January and I’ve never felt more authentically myself! A friend even recently told me that she can’t remember what I looked like before because my new hairstyle is just so truly me.
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My hair was down to my waist for many years, and it was definitely more of a security blanket than a style.
- When do you want to start? Maybe you’ve been thinking about changing your style for a long time. Maybe this is a new revelation. Either way, timing is important. If you’re in a role that requires you to wear a uniform, that can be a real challenge, but it’s no reason not to start asking yourself these questions. Perhaps your budget is really tight. That’s okay too! Having a job that allows me to afford new clothes here and there made a significant difference, but I can see now what joy it brings me–so I make sure to be mindful of that in my budget.
- Why do you want to change your style? Okay, so this maybe should have gone at the top of the list. What prompted me to dress more professionally was my new job in a more conservative workplace. However, what spurred me to change my style was being sad every morning looking at my wardrobe. This is an important distinction. When I decided to start dressing in the ways I felt most myself (and still look professional), I started getting excited to get dressed in the mornings; which made starting each day on the right note a whole lot easier. I believe there are ways of incorporating nearly every style into a professional workplace, and yes, you may have to do a lot of editing. But I think understanding and defining your style is the first step in the right direction.
Final Thoughts: There’s a really great quote in the world of creative problem solving that says, “A problem well-stated is a problem half-solved”. My problem wasn’t that I wasn’t that I didn’t have good taste, or didn’t have the desire to dress nicely. My problem was that my sense of style wasn’t well defined. To my mind, style is just another way of expressing yourself (in all its facets), and I hope this post helps you begin to think about your style in a new and more creative way.
Love,
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