Joy, ha! Thanks very much. I have been looking for a safe necklace now that my son has taken to yanking on my neckline as though leading a reluctant cow from pasture! Knotted scarf is a fab idea.

Ornella, I take your point. I am actually trying to be practical in my choices already but will add accessibility to my rubric. And try your method of reverse assessment to see what is more workable in what I have.

Have I ever painted myself into a fantasy corner ? Sweetie, I have dug myself into a fantasy ditch ! The two times in my life where it was really, really hard to grapple with was when I had my first child and when I quit my job to be a SAHM. I was really torn between the clothes I loved and the life I led. Two very different things. I was also brainwashed by Vogue. Women in ball gowns and rubber boots gardening and riding the horses while picking blueberries in Chanel. Then I read about a billionaire in Texas, a woman, who takes her furs to the theatre and rolls them up in a ball and puts them under her seat. She said, " Dahling, if something is too precious to wear, you shouldn't own it." I took her advice. One day my husband came home and found me scrubbing the bathroom in a lovely dress that he had given me. He said, "What are you doing ? " I said , " Dahling, I am scrubbing the tub !"
This is a true story. It will get better. But why not do as you say, pin wonderful, beautiful things. Then have an Outfit idea board. A reality one. Hang in there sweetie.

Moni I understand you. I am not very active on pinterest . But in my case I used to get frustrated whenever I had to wear salwar kameez while staying at home for extended period of time. Read at in laws:). I am not the susheel bahu types (the docile dil ) and acting the part got on my nerves. Just mixing it up makes me feel better.

I think you've got some really great insightful advice here. At the risk of
flooding you I wanted to add some more food for thought as I have recently been
transitioning into a more attainable style that is the right fit for me. Even
though I am probably on the other side of the world to you and I have not been
through the baby stage I had a few ideas that I have tried to implement to help
myself.

I am of the opinion that the "fantasy" board may be setting you back more
than helping, it's like looking at Vogue magazine but shopping at discount
department stores. I found myself looking for more realistic ideas that I could
acheive, even if it was with something I already had in the wardrobe. Sometimes
you may just need a new idea for how to wear something, rather than just new
items themselves. A good read and starting point is this blog post from Into
Mind

http://into-mind.com/2013/01/0.....be-revamp/

Has some really great ideas on there, even if her outfits or style do not
particularly appeal to you. Also I would suggest finding some blogs or images
with more every day style. Maybe you have also some favourite stores that you
would like to shop at, most of them have good websites and sometimes even have
lookbooks to put their outfits together.

I have also come to the conclusion that no matter how much advice you get,
blogs you read or pictures you see, sometimes the only thing that works is you
in your wardrobe trying things out.

For me the big struggle is finding that balance of being casual, comfortable
and still stylish and it's not something that I pretend to have even half way
conquered. Perhaps you could share your pinterest board to get some further feeback as well?

Puffenstuff, thanks for the very well-considered reply. I do like that blog and it has been useful studying her and a few others to make the most of my existing wardrobe and the few things I have bought recently.

I was hoping though to use pinterest to finally find the individual style I would feel most like 'me' in, if you see what I mean. I hope I don't end up having to 'make do' for the rest of my life but maybe that IS what is necessary...a psychological realignment.

Websites and lookbooks are pretty limited to non-existent in India, even for many global brands. But to an extent I do pin from some of my favourites.

This is my board: http://m.pinterest.com/manidipa_m/my-style/

I see a definite shift in images on your board Mandipa. You've started out
with some very arty eclectic looks (big flowy dresses, tunics and bold jewel
colors) and your more recent pins reflect a more refined modern classic vibe
(neutrals, skinny pants with fluid tops, geometric lines). I'm taking a wild
guess here but maybe you're having a style shift anyway and that's why you're
feeling a bit out of sorts with yourself. If even a small percentage of your
wardrobe reflected your older pins, if you're now favouring a different
aesthetic you will feel like you have nothing to wear.

If I have a look back on my older pins (my board is http://pinterest.com/puffenstu.....spiration/),
I see a different vibe going on than I favour now. Many more bold colors and
preppy type silhouettes, I tried to emulate these looks by going on advice of
buying what I thought I should buy only because I liked the look of the outfit.
I don't have many recent WIW's but if you want to have a look back on my past
ones you'll see the relation between my older pins and compare them to the more
recent pins with a recent outfit. I was busy slavishly following what I thought
I should wear because of what I read or what I saw. For instance, being an
hourglass you get told alot that you should accentuate your curves and wrap
dresses are your friend. I went buying a few of them and paraded around but
never really felt good in them. Same thing with pencil skirts and fitted shirts,
figure flattering yes but just not me. I have just recently learned that I can
admire those things from afar on other people while I will wear what makes me
happy.

I would start by having a good look through your Pinterest board, maybe
allocate a new board for Wish List items only which are just individual pieces.
Fill up your style board with outfits you would wear, I can see you've got a few
on there so start building on that and see if you can find a theme. From there I
think it's trial and error, if you can dedicate a good chunk of time to go to
the shops and try on items that fit in with your ideas from your pin board.
Easier said than done with a little bubba in tow so be easy on yourself in the
meantime.

Sorry for the long rambly post I hope you're not asleep with boredom by
now!

Thanks for taking the time to look and advise again, Puffenstuff.

Actually, the older pins are still there after the purge because they still speak to me... and sadly my wardrobe never actually included much of that, not enough to be satisfactory. But I hear you on the shift and also the wisdom of setting aside figure flattery goals for individual comfort. I think I need to figure out the middle zone between the more modern shapes and the earlier hectic stuff.

I have already got rid of the 'workable and possibly flattering but not me' set of pins as well as plain impractical for me (well except I left in brands I don't meet here and can't afford off international sites...or there would hardly be a board). And that is where panic wells. What's left seems hugely ambitious. It also feels like me. Not sure where to go from here. Hence, as others have suggested, might just need to start afresh with a new agenda. Hope I can reach a happy medium soon.

Mani - big hugs! I just want to pipe in and say that the times when I have felt most lost and desperate in my style journey (or have made the stupidest shopping mistakes) have also been the times right before a significant (and positive shift). It's like any creative work. You feel stuck before enlightenment.

Oh. And after enlightenment, the laundry.