Dress Challenge

After losing over 40 pounds, getting pregnant, and gaining some back; my wardrobe has yet again been a struggle. None of my pants or shorts fit. Well, actually I did keep one pair of my “fat” shorts, but that is besides the point. Not only that, but it’s summer. It is wicked hot and I am not trying to wear a bunch of layers that make me sweat.

Luckily, I have always been a fan of dresses and skirts. So I did already have a handful to wear with this post partum body. I can be comfortable and feel stylish without feeling insecure about my belly. I decided to try to challenge myself and actually get dressed every morning. By getting dressed I mean not in lounge clothes. I want to wear things that make me feel good about myself, even if I am not going anywhere. It turned into me wearing dresses and skirts nearly every day.

I have always had my own weird ‘quirky’ style. Putting things together that others may not; using bright neon colors or bold patterns. In fact many of the trends now, are things I did in high school and got made fun of for (like high waisted pants, the top knots, and messy buns). I also like more of a retro or vintage feel to things. Putting all that together, I am not sure there is a technical term for my style. However I do own my quirkiness quite well.

During this week I began to get eager to add some new pieces to my closet. However, I have a really hard time justifying the cost of buying new clothes, especially right now with all the expenses going on. I decided to check the local thrift stores for some stuff. I only wound up finding a couple of tops and a belt. I was a little disappointed, but what can you expect from a thrift store? I decided to take a gander on Poshmark. I had been selling stuff in my closet and figured instead of transferring the money that I made, I would use that to buy myself something “new”. I wound up getting 4 dresses and 2 skirts for less than $60 total.

For the last, I don’t know 12 years? I have added a lot of floral to my closet. I still love my floral stuff, but lately I have been feeling the stripes. Maybe it is because I think stripes and florals look good together and separate? It gives me more choices.

If you notice I am not wearing shoes in any of my outfits it’s because I am not the biggest fan of shoes. If it was safe to be barefoot everywhere, I would rather do that than wear shoes. During the summer I have two different shoes to wear, flipflops and ballet flats. They pretty much go with anything. Plus, if I am at home, what is the point of wearing shoes at all?

I like feeling like I have a sense of what fashion is to me. It makes me feel good about who I am. It makes me forget about the “imperfections” underneath the clothes. It even helps me keep productive for the day.

I am thinking about doing style posts more often. I actually posted my first ever made for YouTube video the other day Get Ready With Me. We will see where that channel takes me. I have so many different avenues of ideas going on right now.

Anyway, what is your style? Do you dress to impress or dress for yourself? Do you like to thrift shop? Let me know down below in the comments!

💜Jenn