As December turned to January, I made a pact to up my style game. At the close of last year I felt that my wardrobe was just bleh, and bleh wardrobe morphed into bleh mindset. So I began my journey to style.
First off- it is really hard to add style to your life, especially if you are a minimalist, understated sort of person. Where do you start? How do I add a little flair while still retaining my personality? And how do I do all this when I hate shopping? I even wrote a follow up blog detailing my difficulty in working towards this goal.
Enter Stitchfix- the monthly service that sends you clothes. This was great for me: I was able to add some great pieces to my wardrobe with little personal fuss. I also tried things that I might not have tried otherwise. This step alone added something- I went a little out of my comfort zone- just enough to add a little zip.
Then I really began playing with accessories. As I normally start out with a neutral black palette, adding things really helps. I began playing with texture and shape and I daresay color. I started going a little bolder with my jewelry. And it helped. I felt better walking out of the door every day. Friends commented on my look and on my choices. I knew I was on the right track.
Then a few weeks ago I wrote about my favorite black dress, and I described how I accessorized it different ways for different occasions. My friend Cozy commented on how she like the styles I was able to create…and it was at that moment I realized that I had done it- I had worked my way towards creating a personal style that made me feel good about myself, made me feel unique, made me feel put together. Last year at this time I felt I was sort of hiding in my clothing. I don’t feel like that anymore.
So yesterday when I met up with my daughter for lunch, she looked at my slightly above the knee grey dress, knee length down vest, knee high boots (I have a thing for knees apparently) grey cuff bracelet and silver pendent and she said “Look at you Mom. I like the look. it’s totally you.”
And I smiled to myself. I wanted to switch up my wardrobe a little and I did it, but I’m still exactly who I am. Just a little more so.