Hi Imogen
Thank you so much for the free e-book and BTW, I love your blog! I have spent every evening trawling through for your inspiring pearls of wisdom as the washing piles up and floors remain unmoppped! As a mum of three little girls, it’s very important to me to look good and be a positive role model for them but it isn’t easy. When you get up and there’s a nappy to change here, a drink there and unfinished homework over there, it’s very easy to not bother with the blow drier and make up brush.
I’ve got a pretty good idea on what I can wear having had colours done (cool summer) and shape determined (short legged, small busted H), but I still manage to look the same every day in my uniform of jeans (usually cropped – very bad for short legs I know!!), t-shirt and ballet flats…B-O-R-I-N-G…even though I have lots of other options in my wardrobe. Why is this do you think!? I’m guessing it’s something to do with my clothing personality – I think I’m a natural/sporty (albeit not athletic!) with maybe a classic lean -interestingly, in winter I dress more classic and summer more sporty but always with the obligatory jeans. Do you think our clothing personality changes as our lifestyle changes (i.e. uni, career, motherhood etc) as I’m sure I used to dress better when I worked full time.
I’m approaching 40 and I feel like I need to look a bit more mature…no, sophisticated is a better word but how? Do you think we can manipulate our clothing personality by wearing things out of our comfort zone or do we just have to accept and work with what we are so we don’t end up looking…well, ridiculous? I can look elegant and glamorous for an evening out but style seems to elude me when dressing for the day with the kids even though I love clothes, especially shoes and handbags. I would love to achieve a look that’s polished, effortless and chic and yet is still comfortable and practical enough for getting down on the floor to play!
In any case, consider me a work in progress, always battling to fight the frump! No Mom jeans or Birkenstocks in sight!
Keep those style gems coming,
Karyn
The reality of life is that our current lifestyle will dictate to a certain extent what we wear each day. Sure when you were working you dressed up more. There was an expectation that you’d dress professionally at work, now that you’re a mum at home, and have small kids who require you to get down on to the floor to play, you need practical and comfortable clothing.
- Jeans can still be dressed up to look sophisticated – check out the jeans styling of Jennifer Aniston, who will add a scarf, a pair of boots, a blazer or leather jacket to her jeans. Also, one of the keys to her look is that her hair is always well groomed. Want to look sophisticated? Spend some time on your grooming each day. Check out this post on 16 ways to wear jeans too!
- To ensure you continue to look modern and don’t end up looking frumpy, make sure your jeans fit well and are a current cut.
- Accessories are key to styling up your outfit. Whether it’s a scarf, necklace, stack of bracelets, belt, even a cocktail ring can be fun ways of adding some style to your otherwise bland outfit. More tips on how to take an outfit from casual to dressy here.
- Think about finding tops in fabrics (that are still wash and wear) but look more elegant, such as a chiffon, which will look more dressed up than a plain t-shirt.
- Cropped jeans can be a practical option for warmer weather, and yes they are leg-shortening, so why not wear a top in a similar colour to create and elongating column of colour.
- Blend your shoe colour to either your jeans (if they are full length) or legs (for cropped pants).
- You will probably find as your youngest gets older, and there is less need to get down on the floor, no more nappies or banana hands, you may think about dressing up a little more. There are great wash and wear dresses that may appeal and will make you look and feel more elegant and dressed up.
- And yes, your clothing personality will have a huge impact on the clothes you choose. If you’re more relaxed and natural in your personality, you will not feel comfortable getting too dressed up day to day. But I’m guessing if you wear ballet flats you also have a feminine element to your personality, which wants you to look more feminine and elegant than just a t-shirt, jeans and sneakers (as the really relaxed personality will choose).
- Practicality may be your current driver, but it’s amazing how grooming yourself (hair and a touch of makeup), plus an accessory or two can take an otherwise boring outfit and make it stylish.
Why not do set yourself a mini style challenge and accessorize your jeans in a different way each day for a week. You could take some photos of yourself and see how changing up what you’re wearing alters the appearance of your ‘mum uniform’.
If you really want to push yourself out of your style rut, this is exactly what I designed my Evolve Your Style 31 day challenge to do. Not only does it give you a framework to assess your style each day, but also a mini-challenge – nothing too hard, but a little nudge each day to get out of your standard style rut and within a few weeks your style will have evolved into something better!
More Tips on Casual and Stylish Dressing
How to Add a Touch of Glamour to Your Everyday Casual Outfits
How to Be Contemporary and Casual in Classic Clothing Styles
I like Aniston’s look in the bottom right picture. It give me an idea on what to do with an old black blazer of mine. I want to start using it as a causual jacket since I found that it’s doesn’t work for me anymore as an interview jacket. Her outfit is a great way for me to casual it up but not have the jacket look completely out of place.
I love this post, these tips are easy to find and to apply, wonderful work, congratulation!! Francesca from Viña del Mar Chile