Lifestyle Changes = Wardrobe Change

Brief background: I'm an ex-suburbanite "brick" rectangle, with a modern classic style. I love to wear tailored button-downs over a styled white tee and dark boot-cut jeans. I'll wear boots or loafers with those. I love to wear scarves or a string of beads when I'm going somewhere (or when I remember on other days) and my hair is always in a french twist or with curly (a little or a lot) long layers worn down. In summer I've always worn tan or stone-colored shorts and a styled tee over top with leather sport sandals for every day - nicer sandals and a skirt if I was going out (Sorry!!! I've always been a pretty horrible summer dresser - never could figure the 'every-day summer dressing thing' out). My signature colors are pink and blue, and my neutrals black, tan/stone, and white (summer). We've moved to a farm in a rural area where the closest mall is an hour and a half away. Still, I want to look good and feel good and stay true to my style.

The problem is that, on the farm, there are barn chores to do which can really get you grungy and be hard on the clothes (I keep ripping coats and shirts!), and we're kind of in and out of the barn all day long, with kids coming over to ride one or two days a week. This is a lifestyle and I don't really want to escape it - I want to dress adequate to the occasion but still be stylish. I'm clueless about how to adapt my wardrobe! In winter I can (mercifully) wear an ugly carharrt chore coat over my nicer clothes, and wear winter hiking boots in the snow (you need hard-toed shoes/boots to work around horses), but warm weather is coming! Does anyone have any practical ideas for how to tweak the wardrobe so it works -- *and* I love it?

18 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

You might want to consider styling your hair so that you don’t have to tie it up in a French twist to keep it out of the way. How do you need to protect your feet in Summer time? Your Summer farm outfits will really depend on the types of shoes that you can wear. Also, how short are your shorts?

ErinL

Active Member

Horses are big and very heavy. If they step on toes in sneakers or sandals, they'll probably break the toes - or at least give you horrible bruises and make it hard to walk or wear shoes. Western riders wear cowboy boots ... but that's not really my style. I'm more the Grace Kelly type. I generally wear about a 4-inch inseam with my shorts (I'm 5'3 with short legs), and have worn summer hikers when I needed more substance in my shoe. I just have a feeling it's not that cute! Definitely not classy. But we want something that *works* here! LOL! Changing shoes is definitely an option, as we're slipping boots on and off all the time, so if I head to town I can wear something cute. Still ...

I use to have my own horses Erin and being stepped on by a horse is NO joke. It’s rather sore.

No more shorts with 4 inch inseams unless you’re a teenager or in your early 20’s.This is not a great look especially with hiking boots. So I still don’t quite understand what you need. You’ll change when you go to town, which means that you can stay in the appropriate “gear“ at the farm. Wear riding boots over skinny jeans, or riding boots under a denim skirt or denim walk shorts/capris. This is what you need to wear when you’re with horses despite the heat. You can wear sleeveless tops though. I was either is jeans or jodhpurs, and short or long boots. Hope that helps.

Nicole

Veteran

It seems to me that people dress for their jobs accordingly. For example, I work in a law firm, but my job duties are varied. Today, I was kneeling on the floor because my desk wasn't big enough to lay out the chain of deeds I was working on. Yesterday, I had to walk thru a snowy path to get to the basement (which is 100 years old and dusty and dirty) to retreive some files. Tomorrow I'll be driving to the neighboring town and going into a municipal building to record some documents. Yes, I want to look nice, but I also don't want to ruin my clothing or have to wear something that makes doing my job uncomfortable or embarassing.

So, if you work and live on a farm, then you need to wear clothing that is appropriate for your job duties. You'd look silly working a farm in a skirt or suit. I'd stick with jeans and jean style cords, and washable colorful tops--layered when the weather is cooler. Wear steel toed boots when you're going to be working with the horses and maybe wellies when your going to be standing in mud. When you leave the farm to run errands then you can throw on something more true to your personal style. If you're going to be going from the farm to town during the day, a quick change of shoes and maybe a jacket or cardigan that you can throw on over your work gear would help?

Thanks Angie and Nicole. You're right about the importance of wearing appropriate clothing for the job. There's nothing as glamorous as horse goo on my favorite tailored pink button-down. LOL! I was just wishing there was some way to mesh my style with the grungy every-day needs, as I'm in front of people off and on most days, and I don't want my husband to start wishing he had a classier wife!

I do appreciate the suggestions about changing into something a little nicer before heading to town. Angie, thanks for the reminder that I needed to update my summer bottoms wardrobe! I'm 34. I do have a few above-the-knee skirts that I've liked to wear for going out. I'll have to remember to add a few pieces, and to wear those skirts more often! I have really been appreciating the tons of great style info you've so graciously shared here with all of us! And I appreciate the input from others, as well. It's nice to have some help from time to time!

You CAN look adorable in your horsie gear Erin. Get a fab haircut and maintain the polish and you'll be fine.

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