Thursday, February 27, 2014

Outfit of the Month: My New Experiment


Okay, time for some honesty. On the weekdays, I wake up exactly an hour before I have to be at work. Usually my morning routine includes a shower, blow drying my hair, throwing some clothes on, making tea in my Keurig while making Mike's lunch [You think I'm lame for doing that? It makes him smile so much and he appreciates it, so I'm happy to do it.], and running out the door. I don't spend time on makeup, I don't spend time matching the perfect outfit, and I usually just wear what's comfortable and warm [In the winter, my office is like 60 degrees and in the summer, my office is like...60 degrees. Not to mention, at least a few times a week in any season of the year, I'm teaching golf, so I'm in all golf attire.  Even for "Skirtember" half of my outfits were golf outfits!]. 

Yes, I'm basically a train wreck when it comes to "fashion" and being put together.

Here's the deal: I don't spend money on "real" clothes.  I think it stems back to being the same height I am now [5' 0"] since 5th grade.  I never really had to buy clothes because I wasn't growing out of any.  Now, on the other side of things, I have the most awesome golf wardrobe. I have tons of plaid pants, polos and sweaters in every color of the rainbow, and at least 15 pairs of golf shoes [In comparison, for real life clothes, I have like 5 pairs of Uggs, a pair of navy flats, a pair of black flats, some black leather boots, and tons of flip flops.]. Now, the reason I bring up the golf wardrobe is because for men, this wardrobe would be so fantastic and acceptable for everyday life. Mike had something crazy like 80 golf polos.  He wears one to his office job, out to dinner, to the grocery store, and even just around the house. He always looks great and always looks dressed appropriately. Me, on the other hand? I wear my typical golf outfit of a polo and golf pants out on a date, and I look so out of place!
Left is my "regular clothes" closet [with about a third of that being formal dresses] and both closets on the right are for my golf clothes: outerwear and polos

Now here's where I'm going with this. Every year for Christmas, I ask my parents for clothes. Usually I'll buy them online and have them shipped to their house. Well, this Christmas, I got two great shirts. I love how they look, feel, and especially the confidence I feel when I wear them. I never really thought about clothes before, but now I see how great they can make me feel.  I've decided to make a change; each month I'm going to go out and buy one whole outfit. I'm really bad at spending money on clothes, so I hope to keep each month's purchases around $50 or $60. I want to buy pieces that I can mix and match as well as wear in different settings [obviously other than on the golf course]. I plan to shop at Target, Old Navy, maybe American Eagle or Forever 21 [don't judge me, I said I was going to buy new clothes, but completely change my style].

My goal is that I'll gradually begin to care more about what I wear as well as feel more confident in my own skin.  I want to get out of the mid 2000s and look more like a 25 year old soon-to-be newlywed.

Wow, that was a long rant.  So, here is my first outfit.
Dress: Xhilaration Junior's Textured Knit Dress [Ugh, that's embarrassing! There isn't a "junior's" section in Target, so I swear, I was shopping in the women's section!!]
Belt: Already owned, but this Mossimo belt is very similar
Necklace: Already owned - everyone has a gold necklace, right?

Here's the outfit on me.  I wore it a couple of weekends back to our wedding tasting, and I loved it!
#pale

So, there you have it!  Any tips or suggestions for future months?  As you can tell, I need all the help I can get!

24 comments:

Carly said...

Love those flats from target! Perfect color to go with the dress! I'm the same way (minus the golf clothes haha) sometimes I'll find a picture of myself from a looong time ago and be like I STILL have that top. Sometimes I don't think you realize how good new clothes that fit you really well can make you feel!

Julie said...

You're not lame for making Mike's lunch. If I'm not teaching, I still wake up daily with Keith and we eat breakfast together, then I make his lunch and dinner. He's spoiled, ha!

As for clothes, check out NY&Co. They have the type of clothing style you are looking for at prices that won't break the bank. They are one of my favorite stores. They have everything and its all cute. If you're a AAA member, you get 10-15% off your purchase and there's other perks.

SMD @ lifeaccordingtosteph said...

I really love that dress. You look great!

I'm the same, never a care about what I wear. I've always been like that and I think I always will be like that.

Christine said...

I love that dress! I don't know if you shop at Kohl's but I really like that store, I'm actually heading there in about an hour, haha. They can get kind of pricey (well, pricey to someone like me who doesn't like to spend a ton on clothes) but they always seem to have some kind of sale going on :) And I'm kind of obsessed with their kitchen section, too.

Kelly said...

I totally hear ya on the pale tag! I am totally feeling the same way. Most of the clothes that I buy are for work so I've been trying to be better lately about buying things that can transition from day to night. However, I have also been feeling more like I need to dress like a lady with our upcoming wedding, too!

Rebecca Jo said...

very cute!!! I love easy dresses. Loved Skirtember to wear my easy skirts too :)
I love Old Navy for their cute skirts & dresses.
But I'm the same as you - don't really give much thought to my clothes. Basic stuff.

Unknown said...

Great outfit! Love the pop of color with the shoes! I've been trying to pay more attention to what I wear as well. It's not easy but it can be fun!

Jen said...

The outfit is perfect on you!!!!! :) I love it.

Kristina said...

Perfect outfit.The length of the dress and color are perfect for you. The pops of color are great. You're doing better than you think

Kerry @ Till Then Smile Often said...

I love that outfit! The Navy and coral accents are really cute together.

Karen said...

That outfit looks awesome. I love the gold belt. I generally shop online (because taking two kids shopping with me sucks lol) and I always love Old Navy and Gap, I also like Zulily, but you have to know your sizes pretty well to order from there.

Jamie said...

That outfit is perfect!

Lisa C said...

Cute! I'm going to shamelessly plug my own store here. Ann Taylor (and Loft) have great basic pieces. I would suggest investing in a few (like 1-2 pairs of pants) items each month or each season to give yourself a good base to build from.

Hope @ Hope in a Blog said...

That dress looks so cozy and comfy! I love that you can dress it up or down...always a plus!!! Xx.

Mandy @ Mandy's Money said...

I love that dress and I love your idea to buy an outfit a month! So much better than buying random pieces here and there. I've never had a job where I got to wear my own clothes so all I had when I started my job was jeans and tshirts so I've had to start something similar.

Meredith @ Barbell Wardrobe said...

I think you're on the right track! All of these pieces are extremely versatile which is important when building a wardrobe! I love target, express, old navy, and online shopping! Keep photos on your phone of the new outfits so you don't purchase duplicate items when out shopping, its easy to get in a rut picking out items that are all similar!

Patty said...

I LOVE everything about this outfit!! The dress is adorable and you look great :D. I have to admit that when I'm pregnant, I get so frustrated about not being able to fit in clothes that I just wear sweatshirts all the time :p

Janice @ a dash of LEOPARD said...

That's such a cute outfit and a great challenge! Pinterest is great for providing outfit inspiration so that could give you some ideas of potential outfits to try to re-create! Excited to see next month's creation!

Unknown said...

Super cute! Good idea too. I always have luck at Marshall's and Ross as well for affordable pieces.

Heather @ From Here to There said...

Oh my gosh, I love this idea!!!!! I'm terrible at buying myself clothes too!! You look adorable! I miss you.... :( Not sure why this post made me want to give you a big huge hug, but it did, it must be how darn cute you look in your "real" clothes! I should try this though.... my mind just told me not too because it cost money lol. This may be a mental battle for a few months. ha I can't wait to see you... hopefully sometime within the next year! :)

Kristin said...

I love this outfit! And I really like the idea of what you're doing. My advice is to buy things you can wear with anything. I know people say to go with quality and I agree with that to an extent, but I usually go with mid-range. $80 boots will work for me just fine while some people insist you must spend $300 to get good ones. Most of my favorite tops have come from Target.

Brenda @ Chatting Over Chocolate said...

I so don't think you're lame for preparing Mike's lunch for him! I get up with my hubby each morning and make his breakfast and lunch for the day. He appreciates it and it's just another way to show I care -- sometimes it's the little things! ;) ... I adore your outfit!!! So cute!!! You look beautiful, Meg! :)

Megan @ Chicago Girl said...

Love the outfit! I have the same problems with outfits. I wear cammo every day, so figuring out what to wear is a bit daunting. I always use the personal shoppers at JCrew. They make date night a little more bearable:)

Annalee said...

Very Cute! Maybe I should go see what treasures I can find in my closet to spruce things up!

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