A change would do you good

 

  

 

  

 

Listening to: Sheryl Crow.

Dress, tights, boots: Target;

Plaid shirt: Arizona Jeans Co., thrifted;

Necklace: Caiem, lovely giveaway gift from Lizzypunch;

Belt: Fossil;

Cougar bracelet: Finder's Keepers, vintage.

How I've worn the dress: here.

How I've worn the shirt: here.

How I've worn the necklace: here.

I've been getting cheap thrills from cleaning out my closet. I have three bags of clothes that are going to find a new home soon through the Salvation Army. I go thrifting often enough now that I sometimes bump into items that were once mine. I think it's funny running into items that I personally donated at the Salvation Army -- first I'll feel guilty, because my old dress will see me holding a new shirt that I intend to buy. Like I got caught having a sartorial affair. I silently reassure the old item and tell it that someone will adopt it soon. Does anyone else feel this way? Maybe I should stop personifying my clothes.

 About this outfit. One of the hardest things for me is figuring out how to wear black dresses, because I'm pretty addicted to color. I know --- the LBD is akin to the invention of the wheel in the fashion world --- it's versatile, neutral and can work in pretty much every situation. The cult of allure surrounding its timelessness has caused me to buy multiple LBDs, but I hardly wear them. I have a hard time accessorizing black without feeling like I'm trying to cover up its neutral-ness. I plan on pulling out some of those dresses soon and figuring out how to wear them, or if need be, figure out whether I really still love them.

This was my attempt at more pattern mixing and making the dress wearable for me. I have other solid-colored button shirts that I could have paired this with, but the plaid one just spoke to me. I added neutral pieces -- the necklace, boots and bracelet -- to make the plaid, browns and blacks appear like a natural happening,  and I ended up liking the way it turned out. 

This pattern mixing is a bit subtle, but a year ago, I wouldn't have been brave enough to try something like this combination. Back then, I was just getting into reading more fashion blogs and expanding my tastes. Sometimes I'll run into someone and he or she will comment on how I'm wearing an "interesting" outfit, aka something that seems weird for whatever is mainstream at the moment, and I'll think how in the fashion blogging world, whatever I happen to be wearing isn't that "out there." I like breaking rules -- and while sartorial change isn't for everyone, it can be refreshing. There are people still out there who adamantly believe black and brown can't mix and white is unacceptable after Labor Day, and to that I say have fun with your clothes -- evolve, adapt and re-style. What's the point of having an item if you can't make full use of it?

Pin It