I would love some advice. Similar to Janet's recent post, I and doing some navel gazing and recognizing some looks are better on me. So, here's a long meandering post. That said: I would love your thoughts and feedback, if anyone has any!

Now, I take Angie's advice very much to heart: I am the boss, not the clothes. However, I'm also noting what looks good on me versus what looks KILLER on me. Maybe with weight shifts it will change. I'm not sure.

Also I have a broad range of clothing tastes. I love anything that's vintage, historic, interesting, thrifted, kooky, retro, dramatic, romantic, or handcrafted. (My Pinterest general style board has close to 6,000 images saved. I just love fashion and style.)

But in an effort to feel good about myself, I've also been wondering what is great on me and what is, perhaps, the style of my 20s clinging to me. (I was such a hipster in the mid 2010s!) Am I really that good in bohemian? Do I do better in slightly more refined retro with a bit more defined lines?

For comparison, I've been looking at this coral peplum top versus the new floral print blouse I purchased.

The coral top had issues, and was returned. The waistline was a bit above my natural waistline, just enough to be a pain. Nevertheless, I still wish I had kept it. On the flipside, a more retro style takes more energy to wear. It's not "slip this on and nap on the couch later" type clothes to me.

The print blouse is soft, and fluid, and just so comfy to wear. I love it. It takes minimal energy to wear. While I don't think it's horrific on me by any means, I don't know if it creates as much shape as the coral top.

In the end, I'm likely going to keep both styles in rotation. I do not like feeling boxed in or labeled necessarily. I dress by feeling most days.

The reason I'm exploring is I want to sew and knit more in 2024. I don't want to waste the time and materials sewing things that aren't necessarily my best.

I also have been considering the statement made to me about my coat: it's practical but not boring. What does practical but not boring look like for me? I am kind of feeling into that, though I don't have Ean exact answer for it. It's likely something I'll have to kind of feel out as I go along.

Something I have noted and an image consultant pointed out to me: I tend to favor a lot of juxtaposition. And that part is very true for me. I feel very stifled and fussy in a peplum top AND pencil skirt. But pair the peplum top with soft pants, or the pencil skirt with a poet blouse, and I'm happy camper.

maybe I just need more juxtaposition and mixing of pieces. (Which means I need to buy more bottoms, really and truly! 2 pairs of jeggings aren't doing it.)

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4 months ago