Quick background- Several kind commenters here have helped me hone in on my style moniker this week-
Gritty (grunge/safari/spiky, studded shoes)
Pretty (soft fabrics/floral/gingham)
Bold (animal print/strong lipstick/pattern and color mixing)

Adjectives are
Fresh: current, clean, wholesome
Floaty: fluttering skirts, wispy updos
Grounded: serious shoes, olive/denim/gray
Tropical: Caribbean brights, bold prints
Green: my best and happiest color, which I often forget to buy and wear.

I put Gritty first in the moniker because I naturally reach for items with pretty and bold vibes, but I forget to temper the look with some tough elements. I end up feeling too saccharine- all rose and no thorn! But too much grit and i feel bland and bored. I need all three elements in each look to truly feel happy.

Today I rearranged my closet to make it easier to include all three parts of the moniker in my outfits- I hope! I used masking tape to label one part of my closet “gritty”, another “pretty” and a third “bold”. Then I went through my wardrobe item by item, hanging each in the appropriate area. I did this quickly- guy reactions and no second-guessing or hard and fast rules. A grey suit jacket and pants felt “pretty” to me, while the the same suit in black felt “bold”, for example. Now everything I feel is gritty- pants, tops, jackets, dresses- are hung together, and the same for pretty and bold.

If an item didn’t fit one of the three categories, I put it in a separate pile- if it doesn’t support my style moniker, maybe it doesn’t belong in my wardrobe right now. Those items tended to be the ones I have trouble styling, I found, and now I know why they’ve never made me quite happy!

So now if I reach for a “pretty” blouse, I’ll remind myself to style it with items from the other categories- maybe “bold” trousers and “gritty” jewelry. I hung the gritty items front and center since that’s the theme I most often forget. I think pulling items from three different areas will make it easier for me to notice which elements I’m missing in the day’s outfit and remember to add a splash of all three each day.

Here’s what I wore today (weird pose- I was trying to get my shoes and sweater close enough to show the contrast). I feel good about the pretty elements- the floral blouse and my long hair- and the bold vibe- fuschia cardigan and orange shoes- but the camouflage shorts don’t provide enough grit to really please me. Next time I’ll add some spiky bracelets and maybe a black watch with a studded strap.

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