Personal Style

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What Are Your Wardrobe Do’s and Don’ts?

This is the first post of the month, which is usually when I do my accountability update for the previous month (see previous months’ reports here).  However, those posts take me a while to put together and I’m still working on it, so I’m going to do a short post today that I’ve been meaning to do for a while.  Stay tuned for my April accountability update later this week and my LIWI Challenge update early next week.

When we are working to overhaul or refine our personal style, it can be helpful to take some time to consider and write about what we like and what we don’t like.   As you know, I’ve been honing my style for quite some time now.  My work with Bridgette Raes (see the series beginning with this post), as well as my outfit journal (see the two most recent posts here and here), have been integral parts of that journey.   I’ve become more and more aware of how I want to present myself to the world and what does and doesn’t feel right to me.

wardrobe do's and don'ts

Do you have lists of your wardrobe do’s and don’ts?

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Lessons from My Outfit Journal – Maxi Dresses

I didn’t think I would post another “Lessons from my Outfit Journal” installment so soon, but here’s another one right away.   I wanted to do a second post this week, but I’ve been going through a lot of physical and emotional challenges as of late and I just didn’t have it in me to write about anything else today.   But these outfit journal posts are relatively easy to write and seem to be popular with readers, so here goes.

Outfit journal entries

What percentage of your outfits do you absolutely love?

A few people mentioned that they like that I’m highlighting themes in these posts, so I will stick to that approach.   Since spring is upon us and it’s getting warmer outside, I decided to take a look at some of my maxi-dress outfits from last summer and fall (we have warm autumns where I live).

As in my last post, I will share the outfits in the order of my preference, from least favorite to most favorite today (which won’t necessarily reflect my original ratings).   I will highlight where I wore the ensemble, how I felt about it, and what I’d change (if anything) in the future, as well as any follow-on thoughts I’ve had since the outfit journal entry was made.

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Lessons from My Outfit Journal – Slimmer-Fitting Jeans

I can’t believe it’s been close to two months since I shared the last post in my “Lessons from my Outfit Journal” series (see the two previous installments here and here).   I have been keeping my outfit journal since July 2014 (more on why and how here) and have been learning a great deal about my wardrobe and style preferences since that time.

Style journal

Keeping an outfit journal has really helped me improve my style.

One of the things I’ve learned recently is that I now prefer wearing slimmer styles of jeans over the wider-legged jeans that were my mainstay for years.   In today’s post, I share four looks that feature boyfriend style and straight-legged jeans.   While I’m not a fan of true skinny jeans for comfort reasons (I have varicose veins and a painful nerve condition), I have embraced these two new styles in addition to my boot-cut stand-bys.   I show the outfits from least to most favorite and share my outfit ratings, where I went, my thoughts about each look, and what I would change in the future (if anything).

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More Thoughts on At-Home Wear

Terra Trevor’s guest post last week and the follow-on comments from readers really got me thinking about what I wear at home and how I feel about it.  I’ve written quite a bit about how our wardrobes should suit our actual lifestyles instead of imagined or wished for lives.   However, for some reason, when I’ve thought about my own wardrobe and lifestyle, I really only took my “out and about” activities into consideration.  I mostly left my at-home life out of the equation and have rarely addressed this topic on the blog thus far.

At home clothing

What do you wear when you’re at home?

Such an omission might make sense for someone who is rarely at home and spends the majority of her time at an office and engaging in after hours and weekend socializing.  This type of woman may not really need to give much attention to what she wears at home.   A few pairs of pajamas or nightgowns may be all she really needs.  But that is not my life at all.

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Lessons from My Outfit Journal – Pants and Coats

Last week, I started a new series in which I share some of the entries from my outfit journal.   The first installment elicited quite a few comments and seemed to be popular with readers, so I’m going to dive in to another post in the series today.   This time, I will be focusing on a theme, pants/jeans outfits with coats.   I was basically happy with three out of the four looks I feature below, but there were still things I would change about each outfit.

Outfit Journal

Do you keep an outfit journal and/or photograph what you wear? 

Keeping my outfit journal is helping me to fine-tune all of my ensembles and I’m happier with more of what I’m wearing as a result.   It’s very rare that I rate anything I wear below an “8” on a scale of one to ten these days, but my standards are also increasing.  I am no longer willing to settle for ill-fitting or uncomfortable clothing, especially since I now know that I can get by with much less.  If I don’t love – or at least strongly like – what I’m wearing, I’m perfectly happy to pass it on to someone else.

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