Style Profile // Me

 

This is a photo of my from Snapchat. Why do I like it? I really liked the way my striped shirt looked with the lipstick. Get ready for a Dani photo overload!  

It was about time I did this. The pictures aren't anything new. You've probably seen them on my Instagram, but hey, they are all depictions of what I actually wear every week, so it's better to be real, right? 

Anyway, what am I sharing with you today? Wisdom? Beauty? Grace? I'm Miss United States? Nope, just sharing my thoughts and feelings about style, because you all inspire me and I want to say thanks and I am so glad I got to share this with all of you. Thanks for being a part of my style journey. 

Here's another one. This shirt I'm wearing is probably the best t-shirt of all time. I have it in two other colors. Grey and black, of course. #SorryNotSorry

Q. How would you describe your personal style? 

A. One word. Casual. Or in the fashion world, #NormCore, but I'm a slightly more turned down form of normcore, because my mom and dad always taught me to be well-dressed even if you're dressed casually. So...I would say I'm basic. Yep, pretty much basic and that's okay with me. Gap is basic, and I love Gap. Psst. I would also like to think that I will one day dress like all of the Madewell girls, so I try to dress like them. 

Q. How did you “find” your personal style?

A. Oh boy, it took me quite the long time. Like, a really long time. Without getting into a looooong story about my style journey, just know that it's okay if you haven't found your personal style. When you do though, it makes all the difference. My personal style would always change with the trends. My senior year of high school though, I think I "blossomed". I stopped caring what other people were wearing. I would layer lace dresses with long, ratty cardigans. I chopped my hair to my chin. I wore funky headbands. I think I was a tom-boy Blair Waldorf if that's even possible. I had a pair of Nine West oxfords that I wore to their death. I did a lot of fashion magazine studying. My mom got me a copy of Vogue's Best Dressed, with Blake Lively on the cover, and I was hooked. This was before Pinterest, too! My dad was also a big influence to me. He's always liked clothes and I would go shopping with him. Oh there were hit and misses though. Lime green cable-knit sweaters, track suits, fringe boots. Ack! 

Lastly (Remember how I said I didn't want to get into a big story?), I think I've found my foundation of style, but I just add variation. I am a t-shirt and jeans gal for sure, but you can't wear that all the time so you need variation. So I'll buy something out of the ordinary that I would actually wear and I incorporate it into my personal style. That doesn't mean my style has completely changed, it just means that I'm trying new things, and you can too! If your style must change, let it change to something that makes you feel the most "you." If you want to follow trends, make sure they're trends you won't be embarrassed to be seen in 5 years from now. Just so you know, that's not a lot.

The end. 

Q. How do you plan your outfits or put them together? 

A. In the beginning, I would cry and pout and say that I have nothing to wear. Now I have key pieces. Now, as a college student/poor married student, I NEED key pieces. I can't waste time in my closet saying "I have nothing to wear." So I have my go-tos. I have black or grey skinny jeans that I always reach for and I have a tops all in the same shape or silhouette so they are easy to throw on and go. I always make sure everything can go together with everything. The same goes for shoes. I try to buy shoes that can be mixed and matched out. 

Oh and we can't discount Pinterest, Pinterest really helps. The style I have now is because of Pinterest and blogging and I'm totally fine with that. 

Q. Do you have any style “splurges”? 

A. My Sam Edelman booties and my Rag&Bone Camden tee. If I'm planning to spend a lot of money on something, I do my research, relentlessly. I research, research, and research some more. Reviews are my friend for any purchase, but especially for splurges. I don't splurge often, especially now, but my most recents ones were these booties, and this tee. AND THEY ARE SO WORTH THE MONEY, SO THANKS EBAY! Just so you know...I didn't pay the full retail price, so you can close your mouth. Hehe. Shoes and casual designer tops or anything Madewell are my weaknesses. 

Q. How does wearing your uniform/favorite outfit make you feel? 

A. When I am in my "uniform" I feel comfortable. I feel confident. I feel like myself, because I'm not trying to dress in a certain way to impress people. When Erika Wynn did her Style Profile she said that her favorite outfit makes her feel like she deserves a bouquet of flowers every day and I feel the same way. 

There is something about wearing your favorite tee or favorite pair of jeans that makes your rear look nice that makes you feel really good about yourself. And don't we all need to feel really good about ourselves? A little more often? Yes. 

Q. What do you like about your sense of style?

A. I like that I don't have to apologize for it. I can wear what I want to wear and it's fine by me. I don't have to say sorry for wearing florals with stripes. I don't have to say sorry for pairing an oversized sweater with a fancy dress, I can just wear what I want and people are okay with that. 

I also like that I've tailored it to my lifestyle. It works for my lifestyle. I'm not trying to be something I'm not. I'm a girl who has to wake up early and get stuff done and run around to 12 places a day, I ain't wearing heels for that. 

Q. Any style secrets we should know about? 

A. CAPSULE WARDROBES! So they aren't for everyone, but you can totally cater them to your budget, your lifestyle, your style preference and they are amazing. I'm doing one right now and it's basically helping me save money and not spend a ton on fast fashion or pieces that I rarely wear. It's also helping me find quality pieces even if they are unexpensive. Read up on wardrobe capsules, this is my all-time favorite inspo blog when it comes to capsules. 

Oh and clothing items that have saved my life, these jeans (on sale), this top (old navy had a $15 version of this and it's not there anymore, but it was amazing), and these shoes. They basically make up my most worn outfit. 

Okay, and a lot of people know about these stores, but H&M and Target are awesome for those girls looking to inexpensively build their wardrobe with cute basics or professional office wear. 

Q. What is your signature piece? 

A. Many would say stripes or grey tops, but I will say lipstick (Milani Sangria) and black skinny jeans. And probably oversized t-shirts. Those are the best. Maybe they're grey and striped, or maybe they're not. ;) 

Perfume too. I always wear perfume. Daisy by Marc Jacobs is my main squeeze right now. 

Q. What's a trend you tried and regretted?

A. THERE ARE SO MANY! Probably when I tried  to wear Hot Topic anime shirts, but I don't really regret it too much because those were some good and awkward times. 

But I have always regretted trying to dress like everyone else around me. In Junior High, everyone had Aeropostale polos and I hated it when my mom told me not to get them because everyone had them and I wouldn't be unique. So thank you mom. Sorry I didn't listen. Oh and DownEast Basics everything. Yes, I still shop there, but there was a  time where that was the only place I shopped. I was straight out of a cheesy LDS movie or Seagull Book catalog.  Which is okay??? (I guess???) 

Q. Anything you absolutely won’t wear? 

A. Overalls? Not because they are so yesterday, but because they don't look good on me. Other than that, I'll take it into the dressing room, try it on, if it's "meh" I'm not forcing myself to like it or buy it.

Q. What is your overall fashion philosophy? 

A. "Fashion fades, style is eternal." - my bae Yves and when I say Yves I mean Yves Saint Laurent. 

But really, style is within you. I know, that sounds so cliche or cheesy, but it's true. Style is who you are. Don't get lost in what everyone thinks about you or wants from you. What do you want? What do you think? Try something new and run with it. It might work, it might not, and that's okay. Try again. Because you're beautiful in a thousand dollar gown and you're beautiful in an old t-shirt with ripped jeans. 

The fashion world may roll on, and we may love it, but don't think that it's the law. Your style is your own. Never forget it.