Wednesday, February 20, 2019

How I Figured Out My Style

Recently I decided I wanted to really nail down my style and figure out the things I love to wear and hate to wear. That way I can rid my closet of things I don't love and add to it things I feel great in! 

When it comes to clothes, I've always had a creative style. I wore some crazy things in high school and college, and now that I'm older I sometimes call my style "boring" even though it's definitely not! It's just not as crazy as it used to be, so I guess I feel like it got "boring" sometimes. 

I love to dress cute though! I know some people prefer to just wear comfy clothes out and about (I totally feel you) but I truly enjoy putting together an outfit before I leave the house. Even if it's something I've worn a thousand times but love, it just makes me feel better and gives me confidence to start my day! And now that I've figured out what I love to wear, I truly enjoy getting dressed every day.

One of the tools that helped me figure out my style was Jayde's free wardrobe workbook and e-course. (If you don't follow @jayde_archives on Instagram, you really must. Her feed is PINK!) She curates a capsule wardrobe each season and shares it on her blog. It's so inspiring! Since she does a capsule wardrobe, she makes sure to have a color palate so all her clothes can mix and match. She has a lot of pink in her wardrobe, so I love it!

Here are some things I learned about my style thanks to the exercises in the workbook!

Things I Love to Wear

  • Comfy A-line dresses that require no layering
  • High waisted A-line skirts (with a top tucked in)
  • Boots 
  • Hats (usually a beret) and hair feathers
  • Small vintage cross-body purses

Things I Don't Like to Wear

  • Pencil Skirts
  • Tunics (I love them, but I prefer the look of them with pencil skirts... which I don't like)
  • Blazers

Colors/Patterns

My Favorite Neutrals:
  • white/cream
  • cognac
  • denim
  • black
  • (not a big fan of brown, gray, or navy)
My Favorite Colors:
  • blush
  • burgundy
  • emerald
  • yellow and mustard yellow
  • olive
My Favorite Patterns:
  • stripes
  • plaid
  • floral

My Modesty Standards

I love to dress modest as a way to worship God. I also believe it is a way to honor both my husband and myself! So here are my personal standards:
  • skirts and dresses that come to the knee
  • nothing super tight (I love the quote: "Your clothing should be tight enough to show you're a woman and loose enough to show you're a lady.")
  • I like sleeves to be several inches long (I have a scar on my arm--if it's covered, my sleeves are the right length)
  • higher neckline (no further than maybe an inch and a half below my collarbone. I just know when the neckline is good for me.)
  • nothing see-through
  • cover neck to knee (i.e. no cut-outs)
  • no jewelry except rings or watches

My Look Book

I used Jayde's suggestion to make a Pinterest Look Book. These are outfits that I would completely, totally wear that fit my style. (It is also separate from my "Style" board, which is more like inspiration rather than specific outfits I would wear. However, many of the pins on this board are similar to outfits I would wear.)

How Has This Changed My Wardrobe?

Once I realized these things, I went into my closet and took out all the things I didn't really like. Blazers are so cute... on other people. Bye bye blazers! Bye bye tunics! (Okay I kept a few lol.) I even said goodbye to a few pairs of shoes. (None of my boots, of course.)

I have since been on the hunt for more high-waisted a-line skirts. I've decided to try to thrift them, and found three new (to me) skirts in the last two weeks (one maroon, one yellow, one multicolored patterned)! I also got a cute maroon dress. It's so much easier to shop knowing what colors and styles I like wearing! I've already worn all my new things--some a few times! (Except the yellow skirt, as it is more fitting for warm weather.)

Having a closet with items I love makes it easy to create outfits since most of the colors work well together. It also convinced me to go ahead and buy some pink boots! I wear them all the time!

I was also able to create a list of items that I'm searching for to add to my closet.

To Add to my Closet:

  • Perfect denim skirt (I had one, but it got stolen when I stayed in a public dorm. I'm still bitter about it!)
  • New black and white t-shirts
  • Tops that are comfy but look nice that I can tuck into my skirts
  • A cute LSU game day outfit
  • long sleeved cream colored top
  • skirts in my "colors" (I scored a maroon one at Goodwill!)

Conclusion

I feel like I'm writing a paper, ending it with a conclusion. haha. Anyhoo, ultimately it's been a fun adventure working on my closet. It's so nice to have a closet with pieces I really love that make me feel amazing. And I've been having so much fun putting together outfits! 

I think it's also been nice because I recently moved and I don't feel pressured to dress like the people around me. I used to often be around people who were very stylish, but I felt like the weirdo amongst them, so it was sometimes difficult to dress the way I wanted to with confidence. Being in a new town where people don't know me... I don't even mind sticking out! In fact it's kind of fun and I often get compliments on the way I'm dressed. 

At this point I just feel like I'm rambling, so I'll quit. But I definitely recommend using Jayde's workbook and checking out her blog if you'd like inspiration to figure out your style!

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