On Casual Style (or the Lack Thereof)

I didn't post yesterday. I'm barely mustering up enough motivation to post today. I know no one is breathing down my neck to post daily - I'm keeping this blog for me after all - but I think that's the most important reason to post, anyway.

What is comes down to is the fact that I haven't loved my ensembles these past couple of days, let alone have I wanted to broadcast them. But making myself write this post (and looking critically at my outfit pictures) has made me realize where I need the most room for improvement in my personal style: my casual wardrobe. I do dressy really well. Sexy secretary? You bet. Elegant cocktail dress? Bring it. Stylish work/event-wear? Easy. Friday night out at high-end bar? I can do that, too. But give me a regular old day that I want to look put-together but still dressed-down? Muddy waters. These are the days when my closet throws up on my floor and I come out of my room depressed and frustrated with my body. I just don't seem to have a middle-ground in my style vocabulary. I can't seem to dress casually AND stylishly.

I guess that's why I've always preferred to overdress for jobs/events/outings in my adult life - I just don't know how to do anything else! Last week's "Dressed-up Denim" challenge started opening my eyes up to that fact, and these past few days have solidified it. The whole wide world of casual dressing is a big black hole in my personal style.

Maybe it's my body type; maybe it's my preference for femininity and elegance; maybe it's my handicap when it comes to layering; maybe (and probably) it's some strange restriction I've seemed to impose on matching colors (something I've just recently realized). I MUST BRANCH OUT! Thanks to this blog, I know I'm trying - and I'm proud of a number of outfits featured here where I felt like I did it successfully - but I want to do better. In the end, it is the one area of my style that I truly want to change. It's important that I do it, however, in a way that doesn't involve spending (more) money at the mall. When I say I want to shop in my closet, that's exactly what I want (need) to shop in my closet for.

It's becoming painfully obvious that this is something I cannot do the morning before I go to work. I think it's time to spend a weekend in my closet, and really looking through my favorite blogs for inspiration that still speaks to my personal style and existing wardrobe. I know this is what all the successful bloggers say to do. I just need to find some time, the frame of mind, a good drink, and maybe even a good friend, to do it with.

Do any of you experience similar woes, or have similar desires to change something about your personal style? Do you even have or want a "personal style"? Where do you go or what do you do for inspiration?

Pin It