“I haven’t been drawn to this lately” I said to Ashley as we browsed that sad existence that is the Anthropologie sale room. I had a side of a burnt red tulle skirt in my hand and was scrunching in my fingers. The look on Ashley’s face said “I would slap you but I think you’re coming down with something”.
This led to a very lengthy lunch conversation at Ralph’s in downtown Chicago munching on french fries and wine and trying to dissect the situation at hand here. “It’s not that I don’t still love Tulle and sequins and all the fun girly stuff”, I said to Ashley. “It’s just lately I feel like I am in a creative rut waiting for Spring, being cold and tired in winter and nothing feels fresh to me. My personal style isn’t completely changing it’s just evolving a bit”.
Trying to find your personal style is challenging. We’re being sold synthetic fibers at outrageous prices (I refuse to pay $225 for a polyester dress) and everything is chasing the latest TikTok trend. It’s mob wife, no it’s brat, no it’s fisherman asthetic, no it’s coastal grandmother… and on and on it goes. While I love the new ideas that trends bring and I believe that you can pull elements of them in to your own style, it just seems that these trends make everyone abandon their true sense of style and follow what is being shown on their FYP (for you page in case my grandma is reading this).
I myself have been caught in this web and had to take a step back and ask myself… am I REALLY loving this? OR perhaps, do I want this because the videos building up the hype have been playing while I scroll my phone in bed before the kids wake up. This was the case when the Coach oversized kiss lock clutch came out. The hype had been building for months regarding the release date and images were leaked when it was shown by none other than Carrie Bradshaw carrying it on an episode of “And Just Like That”. That’s cute I thought to myself. As the month wore on…. Oh that’s really cute. Wait, how did they already get one? When is the release date. Cut to me sitting at my desk in my office taking my lunch break at exactly 11:30 so I wouldn’t miss the 12pm launch time on the site.
11:59….. the bag is live. I snagged one into my cart and navigated my way to the checkout. I had all but hit “Purchase” when I a thought went through my mind. HOLD IT. This bag is a lot of money. Why am I frantic to throw so much money on a bag I’ve never seen. Hold on… is this bag really practical for me? I have two kids with all of their crap to lug around, my work bag, groceries etc. Am I really going to carry an oversized leather clutch under my arm on top of all this. Where is this mindset coming from. In the words of the show that started all this hype around the bag… “And Just Like That” I exited out of Coach.com and went about my day. Truly curious about the bag still but never feeling like there was a handbag void in my life. (Trust me that’s my last problem).
I think this leads to a bigger question though. Are we losing our personal style at the hands of the aesthetic being served to us online?
That day at Ralph’s, I told Ashley that there was a day back in 2007/2008 where I got dressed for my big girl internship just for me. There was no Instagram, only facebook and posting your OOTD (Outfit of the Day) was not something universally shared at that point in time. I don’t even think pinterest was around at that time. You relied on E! News and hard copy magazines to see what trends were and it was up to you to interpret that for your own life. Every day I got dressed in what felt good to me. Not worrying if I needed to now part my hair down the middle (which absolutely not) or if I needed to toss my skinny jeans. There was no beautiful girl on my phone telling me that this is the summer of dressing like your Grandma from the cape. It was what you felt like on that exact day.
It wasn’t lost on me that we were having this lengthy ground breaking as some would call it (being sarcastic here) conversation about personal style in the house of a designer who has never really wavered since their career started in 1967. Ralph Lauren’s designs and style are iconic and have stayed true to their brand and aesthetic no matter what character we are supposed to be dressing like. And I really liked that.
So looping back to what in the world does this have to do with spring style? Flowers? For Spring? Groundbreaking.
My thoughts on styles for spring, and any season for that matter should be based on what is important to us yet also not holding ourselves to a specific guideline or style. You want to wear linen pants on Tuesday and a sequin dress on Friday? Great.
What I am being drawn to and focusing on this spring is;
REAL fabric. I am still learning if all poly is bad poly but I think it’s important to look at the price companies are trying to sell you pieces at. If you have a dress from H & M and you wash it on delicate and wear it for seasons to come, personally, I don’t think that counts as fast fashion. But me personally, I’m looking for 100% cotton and linen pieces. They’re easy to wash and ok to get dirty. At this point in my life there is no stopping the sticky little hands that somehow manage to get me before washing them after dinner every time. I need quality pieces that hold their shape and feel good. Some of my favorite places to shop for these lately have been Boden, J.Crew and Sezane. One of my go to’s from Sezane has been their Max shirt. It holds it’s shape and washes up SO well. It’s oversized and based on the pattern and weight, made of 100% cotton or linen (or both)
Another Piece I picked up lately that I love is this skirt from Boden. It’s 97% Cotton and 3% Elastane. It fit’s true to size and actually goes fantastic with my white Max shirt.
EASY to style pieces. When I am in a creative rut I find it best to keep things simple. I love a long button up dress belted with my gold heart necklace with my kiddos initials on it and a simple stack of bangles. I have been wearing jeans a lot lately because for work I’ve been moving things around and get dirty so jeans are just easy to wear and work in without everyone seeing my bits and bobs while I’m loading the back of a truck with branded coolers for giveaways.
ASKING myself this question.. “Is this piece worthy of finding a spot for in my closet” I am someone who really doesn’t get rid of a lot of their clothes. Once a year for the warehouse sale at the shop I will do a big clean out but for the most part, I hold on to pieces especially if they cost me more than I typically spend. The only exception is if it no longer fits. I used to come home with armloads of treasures from the anthropologie sales but two things have affected that lately. 1.) The styles at anthro have been completely bonkers and not made for me so that’s been easy to pass on (although lately, there is more and more cute things popping up. 2.) I am out of room. So if I am bringing something new in it better be worth giving up space for.
I’m curious what you think about this topic. Have you been finding your personal style getting wrapped up in the latest aesthetic trend or do you appreciate the inspiration they bring? Have you started to be more picky about the fabrics you purchase? Has someone done research on if all polyester is bad?
Comment below I would love to hear what you have to say about this topic.
Outfit Breakdown
Sweater: Anthropologie Older
Denim: Agolde old same style here
Shoes: Sezane
Button up: Sezane
Sunnies: Tom Ford Older similar style here (and on sale)
Loved this post. I am a women of a certain age (63) and i love looking at all the new styles/trends etc. I have pushed that buy button way too many times and then thought – really – this will be going back. I have a certain style and I will incorporate something “influenced” but at the end of the day, my style works for me, I feel good about myself and isn’t that what it is really all about –
You are SO right. I think that is the right balance. It’s not terrible to be influenced or even inspired to incorporate something new. I get caught up in just always wondering is this something I would wear if I didn’t see it as “the new this or new that”. At the end of the day we need to dress in a way that makes us all individually feel good.
Love these thoughts. Loved them better over wine at Ralph’s, but this works too 😉 your creativity and the way you consider things deeply are two of my favorite things about you, and this post is a perfect handshake of the two. It’s beautiful that fashion can evolve with us…and you look fabulous no matter what style(s) you’re being drawn to!
Thank pal 🙂 Wine at Ralph’s again to further this discussion?
I am also a woman of a certain age (63) and I am retired from my big girl job, so honestly my daily outfit is jeans and usually a sweatshirt. I have 2 booths, do garden work and need to be comfortable. I do find I am more picky about clothing. Absolutely with you on natural fibers ( it’s a menopause thing ) I stay much more comfortable in real fabric. I am influenced on some of my nicer clothes, the forever pieces, but I do find that I’m not quick to buy random “cheaper” things just because someone shared what a great “dupe” they are.