I planned last year to aim for more elegance in my style, and to purchase about 20 items. I ended up with 28- I said 26 on another thread but it was actually 28 when I included a couple of items I forgot about (bags, clothing and footwear) and achieved the elegance about 75% of the time. I have stopped wearing simple tees, upped my footwear game, and changed my hairstyle.
I am still aiming for Bold Elegance with a mix of classic (work), sporty (casual), boho (summer) and bombshell (evening).
In terms of percentages of time my ratios are appproximately:
- Work from home 45%
- Weekend casual/family 20%
- Work with clients 20%
- Exercising 10%
- Socialising dressy 5%
The disappointing thing about my shopping in 2016 was that I did have some misfires. One was quality related, three were style/fit related. There have been others that I have only worn lightly, but have added new colours and patterns to my closet. I found a HEWI - a new winter coat, and had four or five work horse pieces (navy sweater, white leather sneakers, black lululemon pants, black dress, red merino top).
I did add a new bikini and three pairs of shorts. The bikini and shorts were noteworthy in that I have not worn a bikini for some time, and strongly dislike shorts. But this summer I have had a bit of a "I do not care" approach to fashion. My legs are no thinner than last year, neither is my waist, and I am sure there are new lines on my face. I am probably fitter and more toned, but I have not gone down a size of clothing. I am not under too many illusions about how I look but I have come to the conclusion that I look just fine, and while on some days I would like my tummy to be more toned, or my thighs to be smaller, or my skin to be smoother and more youthful, realistically it might never happen. While healthy eating and living is important to me, I do not want my appearance to dominate my life and thoughts.
I am yet to develop a shopping list for the year, but know I will look at winter boots, knitwear and work wear. I also want to add a statement piece or two for winter - suitable for dinners at friends when I want to be at ease but elegant and classy, something quite luxurious. While percentage wise it is not a large part of my life, it is important to me to look good on these occasions. I am happy to repeat my work from home and work wear often, and in fact am happiest with a small tight wardrobe in this area.
My hair has gradually become shorter - but I want to grow it out a little more, especially the back. I like the style but can develop the shelf look where the neck is dark and the top is blonde, which I do not want. Naturally my hair is a dark blonde, and I prefer to be lighter, but I don't like the neck being so cropped that it becomes terribly obvious. I would love forum suggestions on my hair, as I am quite vain about it but also quite lazy. I have some gorgeous Bumble and Bumble products from Deb (Secret Santa) which I am experimenting with.
Thanks for reading. I appreciate the support and ideas from the forum very much. There are a few absent forum members I am missing right now, I think the end of 2016 was a tough one for many of us.
