Fashions fade, style is eternal. -Yves Saint-LaurentÂ
For the longest time I believed that having great style meant I had to jam my feet into uncomfortable heels every day, and generally wear things what were beautiful, but never really suited me. I maintained this idea of “personal style” for a long while, and even still sometimes I go back to that original basic model I had. But in recent years, I have realized there is more to personal style than can sometimes meet the eye. I have always been a “jeans and t-shirt” kind of gal, and I thought you could never do that sort of outfit with style. Well friends, I am here to tell you that is not true!
If you love something enough, you find a way to make it your own, and still exude style.
We have all seen those pins on Pinterest, and the books floating around about the essentials of what every gal should have in her closet to make her well dressed and classic. I am not here to say those lists are complete rubbish, but in a few ways they are. Those types of lists are so personal to the person writing them. While they may be inspired by some of our favorite timeless fashion and style icons, every gal sees style differently, and not everyone will agree on one style. But I still love the list concept. Making a list always helps me out, and its a great way to assess what you have in your wardrobe, but also where you might have some holes to fill!
So, where do I get off telling everyone I think the lists are rubbish, but that they are still incredibly useful? SAY WHAT?Â
So I know I kind of made a grand statement up there, and then retracted it. And now I’m even acknowledging what I did?? Well here’s how I go about it. Every 6 months to a year, I take some time, go over what I have in my current wardrobe, and look at what I wear all the time. Write down what I cannot live without. Scratch out items I thought I loved, but don’t really. Add things while thinking “how did I forget that?!” I add accessories, shoes, bags, shirts, pants, skirts, the works. If you can wear it on your body, it is a contender for “the list”.
Once I have this list that has been changed a million times, I set to revising and editing, looking at my own style, how it has grown, where it can still grow. Until recently, a simple black clutch always been high on my list. Just within the last year, Old Navy Flip Flops have been permanently removed from the list. A month ago, gold jewelry was never on there, now I have some beautiful gold color studs that I would be crazy not to include.
What I am really trying to say here, is that style changes.
We as people change. We all dream that we can work in a place where we can rock sky high heels every day, and that they won’t hurt our feet, but that may always be a dream. Evaluate your clothes from the point of view of your current circumstances. Personally, I work in a casual environment, and I am going to invest in those pieces, and not get too hung up on finding the perfect pencil skirt that I will not wear on a regular basis at the moment.
So where does this leave us?
Sit down, grab a piece of paper, and start writing the pieces in your closet you can’t live without. This will help you define your personal style. When you are real and honest about this piece of the puzzle, it makes shopping for clothes so much fun! By having a handle on what you actually wear, and what you need, you cut down on all the extra things you buy.
I took some time and wrote a list from the perspective of my summer wardrobe. What am I wearing and can’t live without? What is just sitting there? And this helped me define what my summer style is. I am still a jeans and t-shirt kind of gal, but with some classic twists, and every once in a while a funky piece thrown into the mix. This includes the recent additions of shirts that I call my “Coachella” inspired shirts.
I have my list in hand, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled– over the next few weeks I am going to be highlighting a few items  as current style favorites! Until then, I hope you write out your own list so we can compare notes! -T
brains. brawn. beauty. 