in my closet | pt. 4 personal style
In case you missed it, I've been sharing my closet overhaul on the blog this month. You can read the first three posts here, here and here. Okay, here's the disclaimer: I'm not a fashion blogger and I don't know a whole lot about what's trending right now. I'm far more interested in style that fits me rather than style that fits the latest and greatest. And, oh by the way, I just had a baby, so I'm particularly out of the loop. Prior to doing this closet experiment, I'd have said that I don't really have a specific personal style. Over the last month, I started following my first fashion blog (this one) and paying attention to the things I love in my current wardrobe and the new things that appeal to me. It turns out I absolutely have a pretty specific personal style. I really wanted to try to define it so I could be more thoughtful about things I buy in the future.
So, I'd say my style is definitely west-coast casual (think shorts and flip-flops), a little sporty and tomboyish (distressed jeans, mens watches, schoolboy blazers in the winter), with feminine details, colors and accessories. There's also a mix of high and low, from Old Navy to Tory Burch and everything in-between.
I've realized there are things I love (like, love-love) and buy over and over. Denim is my first love: dark and distressed skinny jeans in the fall and winter, Gap white jeans and white cut-off shorts in the summer. I love chambray shirts and popovers and lots of neutrals: white, ivory, navy blue and grey. My summer uniform consists of shorts (either white or in a bright color or print), metallic flip-flops, and a top with sleeves. If it's cool in the evening, substitute white jeans for the shorts. I love a little texture, usually in the form of lace or a bold necklace. And I like tailoring: button-downs, slim-fitting jeans, even a crisply pleated short.
Even my summer pool uniform adheres to my sporty-feminine-tomboy aesthetic. You can usually find me covered up in my favorite striped cotton sleeveless dress from JCrew (no longer available), a baseball hat and the ubiquitous flip-flops. There are a lot of stripes in my closet.
I didn't realize how much I liked gold, but every outfit I came up with included something metallic. Even my Sperry's (similar pair) and my favorite ballet flats are gold metallic. I also love a pop of neon: yellow, pink, aqua (okay, maybe aqua doesn't count as neon). Something "dressy" for me might look like this: heather grey t-shirt from the Gap, a JCrew pencil skirt in bright yellow, gold ballet flats and a flashy and fun necklace (also from JCrew - no longer available).
As for the update on my selling-spree: it's still going. I gave myself one week to get rid of my giveaway pile, but I need more time. I've sold several things and plan to continue! I'll post an update when it's time to purchase some new things, but for now, I'm content to get back into my "old" clothes. When you've been wearing maternity stuff for months, everything old seems new again, so I'm not itching to get out there and buy a bunch of new stuff (yet!). This whole experiment has been really eye-opening, and I look forward to doing it again this fall right before we move!
In case you missed the first three parts of this series, you can find them here: one, two and three.
What about you? I'm curious about whether you've ever considered your personal style. How would you define it?