Fashion again....seriously. :)

Well, apparently my "fashion" (yes, I will continue with the quotes around that word) was not completely abhorrent to the general public.

Which is both encouraging, and completely shocking. 

Here are a couple more of my thoughts regarding how you clothe yourself:

(Not like anyone should/does care....but, I'm writing it anyway with a rather skeptical face)

1. Few people have limitless budgets. (And I am not one of them)
I am a HUGE fan of hand-me-downs. (This belt is one!) But, I'm picky.
If the choices are:
A) article of clothing I'm not die-hard about
or 
B) go naked
I'm gonna pick A.
(Unless it is a muu-muu. Or Leopard print. Sorry, just not my thing)
The key with hand me downs is this: Just because it is FREE - doesn't mean you have to keep it; AND  it doesn't mean you have to keep it the way it is.  :)  Free clothes that don't fit perfectly are an excellent place to attempt some re-fashioning!

But, much of the time the choices are:
A) Article of clothing I'm not die-hard about
or
B) Wear the clothes I have
I don't like digging through 10 shirts I don't like (but kept, because they were free) to find the 2 shirts I love. That is wasting my time. And energy. If it was too big/small/itchy/weird cut/showed my stomach/too short sleeves/made me uncomfortable the last time I tried it on....then why do I keep trying it on??? (and then putting it away)  There are some things I've kept because they were just too beautiful to pass up. And even though I couldn't zip them when they were given to me - I kept them as motivation items. :)  But those items are few and far between. (but more on that later)

2. Figure out what you like....in light of your life AND your body that you have now. 
Whew. I'm about to get real honest. Since 2004, my body has gone from size 2/maternity/post-partum/size 14/12/10/8/6/maternity/post-partum/size 14/12/10/6/4/maternity....(you get the picture). I've had quite the varied sizes and shapes (OH THE SHAPES!) over the past 8 years. During that crazy who-the-heck-knows-what-size-I-am time, I just wore whatever kept me covered.
Hard-core mom jeans? Yep.
Shirts totally the wrong size? Indeed.
Stuff that fit but I wasn't comfortable? Of course.
Stuff that I absolutely hated the look of? Unfortunately, quite often.
I tried to look nice - but I wasn't gonna go buying or hunting down a bunch of things until I knew I was gonna stay a size. (I hope this is making sense.) Now that I am done with that body roller coaster....I am looking for pieces to fill the holes in my current wardrobe. The body I have now - although the same number as long ago - doesn't fit things the same way as it used to. And that is okay. But that also means many of the clothes from long ago that I wishfully held onto....aren't gonna work. EVER. Again.

(I can't believe you are still reading)

3. Just because it is sold in a store doesn't mean you should wear it. 

Seriously. Sweater dresses look ridiculous on me - but many people look lovely.  You aren't a failure if you go through an ENTIRE MALL and don't see anything you love (or that loves you back.) That has happened to me a'plenty. I'm picky.  Don't buy something because someone else thinks you should or everyone is wearing it - if you put it on, and don't LOVE it...put it back. (Or try it with something else. Sometimes you just need to pair stuff differently.)  ;)  If you aren't 100% about an item in crappy dressing room lighting - you aren't gonna like it more in the real world. It doesn't matter HOW good of a deal it is...$3 is $3. If you spend that money on something you will never wear again - purely because you want to feel like you bought something...go get a coffee. Same amount spent - but you didn't clutter  your house or add to your laundry pile. 

side note - yes, I wore black and brown. TOGETHER. They are Neutrals. It's allowed. :)

Happy Hunting!

Jacket - Buckle (2010)
Necklace - Gift from a friend (2009)
Shirt - Target (Spring 2012)
Belt - (fave) hand-me-down (2008)
Jeans - Levi's skinnies on clearance (All my jeans are Levi's....Love them!) (Fall 2012)
Silver cuff - Thrift store ($1.50!!)  :) (2013)
Boots - Off Broadway...Steve Madden (Fall 2012)
(I'm putting the years to show - it takes a while to collect a wardrobe!)

~Whitney
 Copyright 2013