Life, Organization

What’s your fashion style?

Grateful Kae

I’ve had “clothes” on my mind since I cleaned out my closet this weekend.

And as tends to happen, now clothes and style topics are seemingly popping up everywhere.

I listened to several really good back episodes of The Lazy Genius while grocery shopping this weekend, all about style.

Here are a few:

  1. 7 Ways to Always Know What to Wear
  2. How to Find Your Personal Style
  3. How to Get Dressed Without Losing Your Mind

I am not someone who typically thinks about clothes a lot. I work from home, I exercise often, and I spend A LOT of time in workout clothing and/or some variation of my black Lululemon Align leggings.

But, as I organized my closet, I realized: I have a lot of clothes. And it’s silly to not really wear many of them!

So I’ve been feeling inspired to “shop my own closet” a bit more and try to actually WEAR things I have, mix and match, etc.

Fashion/style topics also came up in the BOBW Patreon group recently, too. People discussed if they have any unofficial “uniforms” (i.e. set outfit or styles they always default to, in order to not have to think about it). (For me, it’s my leggings + hoodie (non-work) or leggings + presentable sweater/top (work).)

Some people were also describing their general sense of style, which The Lazy Genius talks about a lot in her podcasts, too. She says it’s really key to identify what exactly your preferred style is. Then, you can more easily just automatically pass on clothes that don’t match up.

In her case, her key word is “cool”. She likes “cool” looking outfits. And she wants to “feel cool” in her clothes. (e.g. She likes oxford shoes, lots of black, funky glasses, etc.)

I am not cool.

When I consider my own style, I think I have two categories.

  • One would be “Sporty”. I like athletic wear, hoodies, etc.
  • The other, for regular clothes, would be…. Hmmm. I think I’d say some combo of “classic” or “preppy”, maybe. Haha.

I looked to the internet for some inspiration and circled a few that spoke to me.

I know what I’m not:

I am NOT super “feminine”- no frills, I don’t wear tons of floral, etc.

Bold or statement-making, no. Sophisticated? Maybe occasionally, but mostly no. Edgy? nah. Trend-driven?? I just try my best to kinda keep up. LOL! We already established I’m not cool. Elegant… sigh, I wish.

I think of this list, Simple, Classic, Relaxed, Comfortable and Straightforward would be the best options for me.

What’s your personal style word?

Photo evidence from today, of me NOT wearing leggings while I work from home!!! 🙌

P.S. I sat in a traffic jam on the UW-Madison campus yesterday. Saw at least 100 girls walk by. SKINNY JEANS ARE DEAD. DEAD. (At least in the college age range.) I specifically looked for them, and saw ZERO. 😱 Interesting! ALL wide/relaxed jeans.

Daily Gratitude:

I am grateful for caramel apple tea.

25 thoughts on “What’s your fashion style?”

  1. I’ve just warmed up to the point where I think that skinny jeans look flattering and now we’re going to reverse it again?? Ok, I still have some wide-legged jeans in my closet that I loved and haven’t work in like 5-6 years, so maybe they can be revived?

    I love your outfit in the picture – I would totally wear that. What top is that? I can identify with your style!

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    1. I know- it actually did take me a long time to think skinny jeans didn’t look really silly! I remember YEARS ago when they first came on the scene thinking they just looked so goofy. Eventually I came around and then it all changes! haha. I would say definitely see if you can revive your old jeans! That’d be perfect! The top is an old one! Not even sure where I got it!

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  2. I am still wearing skinny jeans. The idea of finding the right footwear to go with a whole new set of jeans is exhausting!

    Your style words are my style words (although from the photos you post you are definitely much more stylish in practice than I am). I am wearing that exact same outfit — shirt, jeans, cardigan. Your specific items are much cuter though (like, my shirt is a T from my alma mater, and the cardigan is a black handkerchief hem from Zapps), but the elements are the same.

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    1. Oh I know! Footwear is the part that makes everything harder. It’s a pet peeve of mine when ads show ridiculous footwear on the models, too. It’s like, come on. Most women do not walk around wearing heeled pumps with their jeans on a day to day basis. Or they will show all the new styles matched exclusively with real casual sneakers. Which is fine, but we can’t wear sneakers to everything either. It’s so annoying! I would like to see some of the cropped or wider legged styles paired with shoes that make sense in COLD CLIMATES also.

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  4. I love clothes!
    Listen, I know skinny jeans are dead with the young people. (the young people, listen to me). But I will not wear those giant jeans. I won’t. This is the privilege of being almost 50, I can wear whatever I want. So I will still wear my skinny jeans because nothing looks so good with tall boots. THE END! Also, come ON, those giant jeans look terrible and those girls are going to look back at their youth – just like I do myself – and think GOOD GOD WHAT WAS I THINKING. It’s like the more petite the girl, the bigger the jeans. It’s not a good look, even with the cute little crop tops!

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    1. I’m with you Nicole!!! It took me a looooong time to get on the skinny jean bandwagon because in my 20s era head they were only for “skinny” people. But now I only wear them and I do not have the energy or interest in switching them up. I’m also pretty short (I round up to 5’4”) so wide leg would drown me. And don’t get me started on crop tops. I have 2 elementary school aged girls and I am dreading that stage. It’s starting a bit already 😦

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      1. Kat, I totally know what you mean about not having the energy to switch everything up. It is rather exhausting especially when shoe styles are supposed to change to match the new pants styles…. ALSO, I think it’s really, really hard to pack for travel when you have lots of different styles like that. If you have certain tops that only go with certain style jeans, etc you can’t just pack like 1-2 pants and a smattering of shirts and call it good. You have to make sure that you have tops packed that will WORK with those jeans, and shoes, but then if you want some variety, maybe now the other style doesn’t work with the other shirts you brought….anyway, it’s just complicated.

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    2. Haha! “those giants jeans” LOL! I absolutely think people should just wear what they like. I mean, it’s not like if we dress like the college students people will think WE are 20 years old. I cannot see myself ever wearing those huge wide legged jeans, but I am on board with the slightly more relaxed, comfy style jeans.

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  5. Sigh. At the age of 57 I still feel like I need someone to come and tell me what my style is. And I need someone to take me shopping and tell me what to buy. I am very challenged!!! In my current phase of life, I wear a uniform to work, OH YES. This is my dream. And by “uniform” I mean, a specific work shirt and then black pants of my choosing- and I choose yoga pants. AND I CAN WEAR RUNNING SHOES. Every time I think “should I change jobs?” I remember this clothing situation and think, no, absolutely not.
    For the rest of my life… sweatpants… shorts… tshirts… tank tops. I have one nicer pair of pants and one skirt that I have worn for every single “dressy” occasion for the past five years.
    The most recent episode of The Girl Next Door podcast is all about their personal styles and how they find clothes to fit their bodies. I’m planning to listen to it, and I have big plans to clean out my closet today! We’ll see how that goes.
    Btw you always look cute and put-together, to me. But maybe after reading the rest of my comment you won’t think this is such a great compliment, considering the source : )

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  6. I aim for polished and comfortable. My uniform is a dress/tights/scarf or tunic/long top/pants/scarf. Makeup is done on every workday. I swear to you that the scarf makes me look more put together than I really am and it all comes off us intentional, but I am also comfortable.

    Also, my wardrobe is tiny. Like, I have three pairs of dress pants, one pair of leggings, and about a half a dozen dresses that are work appropriate (i.e., not sundresses that show too much skin). So I love everything in my closet and wear it all regularly. (Well…….I do have too many scarves. That I admit.)

    It’s a great topic for a blog post, though, and I might steal it!

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  7. Yeah I do feel like skinny jeans look pretty dated now!!! I have transitioned to straight leg. I just realized my one pair of ‘nice’ jeans is a skinny pair of AG jeans and I actually forgot I still owned them . . . I like straight and I also want some wide legs. I have also seen a resurgence of flares that remind me of the late 90s and am kind of into the idea!

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    1. I noticed this morning at school drop off here in town that skinny jeans are apparently still around… in the 40-something mom crowd around here. lol! So while I saw zero downtown with the students, I did NOT see as many wide legged jeans on moms in the school parking lot. haha. But, I also feel like many 40 something women are also embracing the more relaxed styles too. But it’s still more of a mix around here. You being in South Florida you guys probably have more trendier moms than we do up here in midwest, too.

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      1. it is trendy. Want to know the #1 trend I see in HS girls? Sweatshirts with just a bra under it. In Florida. Even in summer. I don’t get it. (#2 is crop tops but that seems more logical)

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  8. I work on a college campus but I do always feel like the students here are just not fashionable at all 🙂 Bless their hearts. (I’m at the U of MN Twin Cities) Lots of wide legged jeans but also I REGULARLY see many many many students wearing sweatpants and literal slippers…… and this is NOT a campus you can get to quickly – no matter where you live even the closest dorm is a solid half mile from anywhere, most likely far more. I have seen a few youths still wearing skinny jeans sometimes! I still have mine and wear them sometimes but prefer straight legged slightly cropped now. I gave up my tall boots many years ago so I think the chelsea boots (which I wear 6 months of the year because they are waterproof) work with any type of jean.

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    1. LOL that’s funny! I guess the girls on the UW campus seemed fairly fashionable to me, but yes, the “fashion” seems to be very casual. There were some wearing sweatpants or leggings, but a large majority were wearing the wider/ relaxed leg jeans with cute sweatshirts or jackets. I honestly didn’t see any skinny jeans around there, but I still see them in general around town especially on women more my age.

      Do your straight jeans cover the top of the chelsea boots? Sometimes I find the boots + straight jeans a little complicated if the length isn’t quite right, like if the boots are slightly too tall/ the pants aren’t quite short enough… know what I mean?

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      1. Okay since this post I’ve really been on the lookout around campus – I saw 3 pairs of skinny jeans on my (campus) bus ride in to work today. Couldn’t quite tell age really though – there are a lot of grad students/staff and I can’t always tell who is a student exactly. BUT SERIOUSLY SO MANY SWEATPANTS!!!!!!! Also it’s really warm here today so lots of shorts but that was mostly on men. (it’s not that warm – like 60 for the high) There are little pockets of fashionable people on campus of course – especially if I were to venture over to the business school 😛

        All of the straight legged jeans I have are cropped so there is a gap between my boots/the pants. If it’s super cold, I definitely wear different pants (skinny jeans/leggings/sweaterdress combo) because I want my ankles fully covered. The ankle gap is a real probelm!

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  9. Well I am team skinny jeans for life. I love the polished look and have gotten to the point where I really don’t care what is in fashion. I have never liked wide leg jeans so I will never wear them. I think they look clownish! So I will be over here wearing my out of style tailored skinny jeans and work pants.

    I would describe my style as polished and classic when at work. I definitely wear very comfortable clothes on weekends since I am with my kids and need to be comfortable and able to like crawl on the ground or change a diaper on the floor. But at work I like classic silhouettes and more tailored looks. My style is not feminine and I wear a lot of solids. For this NYC trip I packed 3 black dresses!

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    1. I think you should 100% wear whatever makes you feel your best! I think especially for work the skinnier/straight look does look more polished. Though I have seen some wide leg dress pants on some of our local news anchors and thought they actually looked cuter than expected, with the right tops. But I am sort of the type who doesn’t like to be the “trend setter” at all. Haha. Like even with skinny jeans, I think I waited several years before everyone else was wearing them before I really embraced them!! Right now I feel like in the 40 something crowd the skinnier or straight look is still most worn, with the wider leg definitely in the younger crowd and SLOWLY spreading into the more trendy, adventurous older women.

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  10. Skinny jeans are totally dead in high school, too. But I have two pairs (one with a hole on the knee LOL) and I am wearing them! Not when I work though. Trends be damned lol I can barely breathe in one of the pairs so may need to upgrade soon.

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