Seven Cheap Fashion Truths
I started this blog because I'm chatty by nature. I like stories; I like people. I also started this blog because I needed to connect. I needed something that allowed me to breathe outside the nostrils of a stay-at-home mom to boys whom I so, ummm, quasi un-strategically had with my husband just 21 months apart. I used to teach before child rearing. You know, touch the future? Yeah. I did that on a collective level. WITH A PAYCHECK. Fist bumps for the 401K, peeps.
Through the cluster child birthing and the W-2 leaving, I had no clue- NO CLUE- that my life would be home for 10 years {as of April 2015} and that I would homeschool. Or that I would teach myself how to sew, begin a custom design business, become a quirky ambassador for thrift store fashion and actively pursue my dream to write.
This is me. I'm 9 years old in this picture. It was taken exactly 30 years ago to this very day. I was at Girl Scout Camp. Does this look like the person you want to take fashion advice from? Of course it does. Your sound and quite emphatic YES came from my jelly shoes with the fold-down socks, didn't it?
I thought so.
My point? My point is this:
1. Life is not a one outfit deal
It's meant for wardrobe changes and accessory shifts. Adding a scarf of best judgement or perhaps taking off the excessive bulky boots of prudence in exchange for a carefree pair of Chuck Taylors is necessary. Humans need to feel different in order to know better.
2. Wear good undergarments
It's important to keep the core trump tight. However that works out best for you, make it happen. Be it the right brand, the right coverage or lack thereof, ridiculously succeed in the art of a good under, sisters. Life hits hard on the outside. Be ready with an inside layer that can withstand the runway of years. The underwire and stretchy spandex inside my lingerie drawer is Him, trusted friends & trusted friends, writing, creating, laughter and exercise.
3. Delight in your favorite pieces
Gotta bracelet that makes you smile every time you wear it? A favorite pair of earrings that tickle your ear lobes pink? Capitalize on those happy clutches you possess. Fashion and life is about becoming more in tune with your very signature self. These favorite pieces are proof of security. Proof that you can be super cool AND super you. Hang onto them with joy; don't leave them in the jewelry box for safe keeping.
4. Stick to your palette
We all have one. Some are harvest tones. Others are cool intergalactic princesses. Find yours. And rest in that color set. You will find such confidence in knowing what colors are in your wheelhouse. This online quiz is quick and easy to help assess your best hues. I am super pro-fanatical about living life with your best song playing. Colors are like songs to me.
5. Be seen
For the real you. Not the made-up, dolled up, never let them see you sweat version. Why? Because that person doesn't exist unless your photoshopped and on some glossy cover. Life IS the boring jacket sometimes. For me, it's the consta-exercise attire worn as REAL clothes all day long. It's equal parts one killer ensemble & um, maybe I can't remember the last time I washed my hair. And that's okay. If you concentrate on being you authentically on your inside, the outside scenery becomes secondary. Being authentic never goes out of style.
6. Choose color
It helps to opt for shades other than 3 levels up or down from burlap. Find a favorite color and splash it on your lips or handbag. Wear it on your toenails or in a fun, comfortable dress. Training your eyes to celebrate color differences is the first step to variegating your closet and style dimensions. Hues become more like pieces of clothing rather than just one dimensional attributes. Life throws neutrals at us enough.
7. Celebrate your style
Runways, trends and fads are in constant, constant change. Don't bind yourself to something that's transient. Wear what you love. Wear what honors your insides and brings happiness to your outs. The more you stay true to this cardinal life rule, the more confidence you will exude and the more you will inspire others to do the very same.
Fashion & life. Life & fashion. It's the same gig. And as much as I want to know what outfit I'll be wearing next from my dress up corner, I have to trust that there's a chance that 30 years from this date it MAY OR MAY NOT be jelly shoes with fold-down socks.
Cheers to life & fashion!
