Belted Floral
This dress always photographs so well. And this (relatively) recently purchased Aritzia belt is a perfect complement to it. And then the coat, well, it’s the cherry on top of the sundae, you know? As photogenic as this outfit is, it’s not quuuuuiiiite my style. Is “too polished” a permissible quibble in this context? Probably not, coming from somehow in my line of work but … oh well. On this blog, I am all about radical honesty or whatnot. I did enjoy wearing this outfit, though, insomuch as it’s hard to feel unhappy in an outfit that makes you look nice.
Rediscovered Jacket
Man, I used to love this jacket back in the day! I bought it in 2014, and wore it on my first day back to work after mat leave with my daughter. I will not forget that day; I was still carrying some extra weight, and was struggling with not fitting into many of my old professional clothes, but this jacket made me feel like a million bucks, which in turn made my return to work all the more comfortable – I felt ready to tackle the sky. As it turns out, it’s probably fair to say that period of my life was a turning point in my professional career. Anyway, recently dug this jacket out of my overflow closet and realized that it fits again. (Has my upper body Hulked up without me noticing? It’s a mystery but oh, well.) Again, I don’t think it’s perfectly aligned with my current style preferences, but I couldn’t bring myself to part with it permanently before giving it another spin (or two).
Ballerina Chic
I initially thought I would flip this Anthro-brand sweater, but then I tried it on and decided to keep it for a while. Looking at it again, I am having second thoughts. Don’t get me wrong; it’s a lovely sweater but I think the style will be difficult to match up with other pieces in my wardrobe in a way that adheres to my preferred aesthetic. To be honest, I’m not sure that, apart from this outfit, there are any other viable options. Which is not to say that it would work tremendously well in someone else’s closet. I should probably stop now, since I’m completely talking myself out of keeping this sweater. Anyway, the brand name is Ballerina and that seems apropos – there is a definite ballerina chic flavor to it.
To follow up on my post from last week, I think these outfits are a good illustration of my current style struggle. I love these outfits, but they also kinda feel like they belong on another woman. I may, in fact, have been that woman, two years ago. There are still a lot of pieces in my closet that properly belong to that woman; many of them are pieces I am having a hard time letting go. So far, my compromise has been to try to mesh them with my present aesthetic, but in most cases, I feel like I’m fighting against the very things that makes those clothes special in the first place. In the long run, I will need to come up with another strategy. More to come …
If the jacket in outfit #2 ends up on the thrift rats instagram, I would be all over it!
Not planned right now, but it’s possible so I will keep that in mind 🙂
Ditto! I’ve admired that jacket since back in the day
If style is about self-expression, what is it about these outfits that seems out of step with your current experience of yourself? That is, who is the woman you see wearing these outfits and why does that woman not feel like you?
(You obviously don’t have to answer this on the internet, since it’s a personal question!)
I’m in a sort of funny position where my life is a bit of a dumpster fire at the moment in ways I try to keep out of the office, so everything about my self-presentation feels at odds with what is actually going on with me. I think there’s something sort of reaffirming about putting on the wardrobe of a professional, successful woman. It’s not like armor, exactly, meant to keep stuff out – it’s more like an emotional corset, meant to keep stuff in, or hammer myself into an approximate shape. It does lead to a weird feeling of disconnect between the way I’m perceived and my inner experience, but it helps create an illusion of normalcy that is enough to keep everything functioning. So, if anything, I’ve been skewing more minimalist, form fitting, and neutral.
You know, that is a very interesting question – a different way of looking at the issue. I’ve been thinking a lot about what *does* feel like “me”, now, but not so much why the old stuff doesn’t anymore. What is it, exactly, that I am leaving behind.
I think I know the answer but I want to think about it some more. I will probably write about it at some point.
I do think that clothing can be like an armour for professional women but even so, it’s about what armour am I presenting to the world? Some just feel more comfortable. It’s like … I dunno … being Spider-Man but wearing Iron Man’s suit. It gets the job done in a pinch but it probably doesn’t feel quite right 😉
I think I finally understand how having a style-reference can help with acquiring new clothes (ie. shopping). If it doesn’t fit your overall aesthetic, don’t buy it, is that right? Some recent purchases of mine have remained NWT, I’m not sure if it is because in the end I don’t feel completely comfortable in those items b/c they are not me? I used always to blame just not having the right opportunity to wear ie. fancy skirt etc… But I don’t think that’s completely accurate.
Anyhow, it seems to me, from following your struggle is that you should just get rid of the clothes you don’t feel are you anymore. Sell them, donate them, or just pack them away for hoarding, whatever, just remove them from your closet. Wear the rest of your clothes. Then maybe… make a few non-thrift purchases that are basics that are missing from your evolving style aesthetic, then allow yourself to slowly thrift more pieces? I don’t know, just an idea!
Anything that doesn’t quite feel right, put it in a temporary tub. Within a couple of months, you’ll love your streamlined closet.
Hi, I’m a new reader via Looks Good from the Back. That floral dress looks stunning on you! Now if only there was a plus-size version 🙂
The dress is from ASOS, and I believe they have a plus size line. This is an older dress (I got it secondhand last year) but ASOS does cute floral prints all the time. So you may want to check it out if you haven’t yet.
Also, welcome!
There’s a blog that I sometimes read that I caught up with again, called District of Chic–some of her style is different from what I think you’re heading toward, but there were some outfits where I thought–I wonder if this is what Adina is looking for–some of the more spare, neutral colors and architectural or dramatic silhouettes. So I thought I would mention it.