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| top on mannequin // top in collage // jeans // necklace // belt // shoes |
Last weekend I went up to Cleveland with my mom and my sister, and we stopped at the mall just to look around (and buy lipstick). We walked around Madewell, mostly admiring their totes (mine is now five years old and has seen much better days). As we were walking out of the store, I saw the outfit on top, and immediately stopped to snap a picture of it because I loved the look - high waisted skinny jeans, a loose half tucked top, an open neckline. It was just so cool.
I uploaded the picture to instastories to share, and said I wish I could pull of the look. In my mind, that look only looks good on the thinner, straighter body typed girls. A bunch of fellow hourglass women shared my sentiment...and one said, why the hell can't you?
That's right, why can't I? Of course I can. But I've been spending years finding "the most flattering" way of dressing, and not just trying to make looks and trends work on my body. High waisted skinny jeans that showcase my size 10-12 hips, and a shirt that doesn't cover them has never really been something I've considered. I feel like about once a year I come to the conclusion that I should "stop playing by the rules" and just wear the outfits I think are cute without being so so SO concerned that it's not THE MOST FLATTERING ever. I don't really actively discuss how every outfit I show on here is about "finding clothes that flatter your body" because sometimes I fail (hard), but I do try to find clothes that look good on me and that I actually want to wear. That's why I order so many clothes and review them - because for every one piece of clothing I keep, I try on at least five that didn't work at all on me. But then you start figuring out what looks good on you, and you keep just buying variations of that same thing. Over. And over. And over again.
Maybe sometimes being in a clothing rut is because we don't feel comfortable trying new things, so you keep wearing the old ones, and then the rut continues. And continues. And continues. Until you have five years worth of pictures that document the same kind of style, just in different patterns and colors. I look through my closet, full of clothes that fit me and am just so bored. I see outfits like the one above and just wish I felt comfortable enough with my body and bold enough to just put it on and not care that maybe there are pant styles that are more flattering or that a top that goes in at the waist may be better for my frame. Maybe I just want someone to look at my outfit and think "wow, good for her for wearing something she loves, she really seems confident in that outfit" rather than "that girl sure found a way to minimize her larger bust and show off her waist without showing off her love handles". Doesn't that statement make me sound like a crazy person? Because I bet you that not a single one of you thinks that...but that's what I think every day when I get dressed.
So... I bought the damn jeans and the shirt. Because I loved the look and it's been a long time since I saw a whole outfit and just wanted it immediately. Maybe I'll try it on and go dammmmnnn I look good, won't this be fun to wear on a date sometime or to dinner with a girlfriend or just for an afternoon walking around Home Depot.
Or maybe they just really won't suit me and I'll try something else.
But I'll never know until I actually try.
