worn{1.7.16}

sometimes i wonder if people who have met me in the past few years would recognize the old me.  there are so many things in my life that have changed in the last five or six years. some are much better. some are just different. and some. well, i long for those days. i've mentioned before that my style and self esteem have taken a major hit. i miss the days where i wore fancy dresses and heels just because it felt good! i'm challenging myself to get a little bit of that back this year. this means that i'm forcing myself to let go of my daily mom uniform and "dress up" at least one day a week. of course dress up is a relative term but i'm holding myself to no yoga pants, leggings or uggs on those days.

it's been a fairly mild winter in ohio. i only had a few errands to run with the little and none of them included sitting/playing/crawling around on the floor so i threw caution to the wind and wore a dress!

i love that this dress has enough weight to it that i can pair with tights and sweaters when it's cool but it's light enough that i can wear it with sandals in the warmer months.  i tend to layer over things and it never really occurred to me to use the dress as a top layer over this plaid shirt. don't know why i needed to see it on pinterest to make it click but thanks pinterest! here's to banishing the wardrobe blues in 2016!

 

worn{10.30}

 the weather in ohio is...the weather in ohio! mornings are downright cold, days are rainy and windy, then sunny, then cool again. this makes getting dressed complicated.  add in the fact that i only have two body temperatures freezing or burning up and it's a miracle i ever leave the house!

these black jeans i thrifted a few weeks ago have become a wardrobe staple. best money i've spent in a long time! i wear them at least twice a week. since the top is short sleeved i added this cute jacket. i must have an old lady spirit because i ADORE brocade! this little topper was found on the same thrift trip where i scored the jeans. i've been playing a bit with proportions and i really like the look of the cropped jacket over the longer blouse. this proved to be a perfect outfit for cool/warm/cool/rainy fall day.      

 

  

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worn{10.7}

i've really been taking the idea of building a conscious closet and the concept of a capsule wardrobe to heart. i'm slowly making my way through my closet. purging as i go. to be completely honest i'm at my heaviest non pregnant weight and it's tough. my self esteem has taken a huge hit so the thought of clearing my closet of all of the beautiful things that not only no longer suit my lifestyle but are several sizes too small is a bitter pill to swallow!

but, life moves on. i don't want to miss out on making memories with Rowan or going out with my husband because i feel like i have nothing to wear or i look terrible in the things i do have. the past few months i've been shopping and thrifting. putting together a fall wardrobe that is not only functional but also makes me feel good when i go out. 

i made a drastic change when i colored my hair gray! the new color has also affected my style choices. i've been drawn to a more subdued color palette{gray,navy,army green,black}  as well as more modern and sporty styles. i feel like my past affinity for embellishment and frill would age me a little and compete with the gray. instead of the "wow" pieces i've been searching for basics in nice fabrics with interesting details. also, i thrifted these jeans for $1.95 !!WHAT!!

these days my errand running style is more sporty spice than lady beckham and i'm actually ok with it.  

  

worn 8.18

while i've always loved clothes i've never been one of those people that worried too much about what to wear. thanks to a mom that has her own fearless sense of style i learned early that clothing was a fun way to express myself and i pretty much wore whatever i wanted. that's not to say i had a ton of self confidence because i didn't. i just always figured there were so many other reasons that people would dislike me and how i was dressed didn't even crack the top 5.

now, with a post baby body and a job that has me either chasing a super active toddler or cleaning buckets and hauling flowers i'm completely stumped by my wardrobe. dresses and heels used to be something i wore everyday. i'm not saying those things never make an appearance-they do-but for the most part i'm about 1000% more casual than i used to be.

this outfit is not something that would have ever seen the light of day a few years ago. other than the fact that i felt put together in a not trying too hard kind of way there isn't anything special about it. i'm wearing pieces that are now a requirement for everyday life. i have to be able to move easily, i don't have time to worry about staining(toddlers are a messy bunch!), it's long enough to cover what needs covering and it still looks decent if i'm wearing my kid in his sling. baby wearers hollaaaa!! 

      

also, i'm obsessed with this kimono! i want to wear it with everything! if you told me 25 years ago that i would be wearing birkenstocks or in my case "faux-kenstocks" i would have told you and that cloud of patchouli you rode in on to shut it! so to all of those hippies who hung out on short vine that i mocked in my snotty prep school way, my sincerest apologies. these shoes are comfy as hell and they're shiny. my favorite combination.

tshirt+kimono-forever21|| shorts-old navy|| sandals-target