Fit for Omelettes

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh...I think this is the tee-shirt of a grown woman. Yes? Yeah. Ok. So, I have been shopping and keeping an eye out for classic, chic pieces that are a step forward in sophistication, but are still me. And as classy goes, it doesn't get much more classy-sassy-cash (<---"casual"?) than a black and white striped tee. 

I went to breakfast to breakfast with some lovely friends of mine today, and this look felt like it was dressed up plenty for 9:00 in the morning, yet still was comfy while I munched my omelette and chatted with the gals. What makes the outfit shine though, is the styling and accessories, because when you get down to the bones of it, all it is is jeans and a tee-shirt. The necklaces, both from Therapy (tee-shirt as well) make it shine. I favor gold, because it works best with my skin, but I also love mixing metals. 

The game is a foot, the rebuilding is underway! What is your favorite laid-back, yet spruced up look? 

Working Things Out

 T-shirt Target, blazer Urban Outfitters, jeans American Eagle, earrings F21, sandals Therapy.

Last week I pulled together my ten favorite pieces in my closet so see if I could identify some kind direction or particular style. All I saw was a lot of dark grey and...dark. To see what these pieces would look like in action, I put together some looks that were new and some that are familiar, to gage where I'm at with my look. The good news: not as lost as I thought, I just need some style development. 

Above is my favorite T-shirt with the henna-like elephant. I wear these jeans and sandals weekly (or quad-weekly, but who's counting), and spiced it up with my blazer. I took a cue from my style muse Kellye, and went for the blazer to make this basic outfit pop without any effort. 

T-shirt Delia's, kimono Prim, necklace Therapy. 

This colorful kimono made it into my favorites not because I wear it ALL the time, but because it makes me feel like some kind of boho garden fairy. The drape is lovely, and sort of floats around me and hangs so nicely. Again, it is a jeans and T-shirt combo, wooo whooo. 

tank Prim, jeans American Eagle

I love this tank top with it's unique detail at the waist. I typically tie or tuck in the front of my T-shirts, so this is a cute alternative. This purple jersey knit is super soft so it's great against the skin. This quenches my comfort thirst. And basically jeans and a T-shirt...I'm sensing a pattern. 

Ok. Moral of the story is that I need to find some casual alternatives to add to the rotation. I love these above looks, but I feel like I wear them allllllll the time. If I am going to wear something all day everyday, it needs to be stellar, not just, eh. Something to think about. 

- Shelby 

Cleaning Out the Closet

Today I purged, and oh did I need it. I took a solid look at everything I own and thought, do I like this? Does this look good on me? or Why am I holding onto this? The result was a collection of pieces that I feel good in, and are practical. 

The first thing I did was to pull out my ten favorite items in my closet. I wear these pieces weekly, and I love the way they fit and feel. 

I love this elephant tee-shirt mainly because of the whimsical and intricate print. It is slightly big, so it drapes nicely on my body; not too tight. The tank is simple with the cool gather detail to make it a little different. Next, the sweater I wear almost everyday...no joke. It's baggy and soft, one step up from a blanket. The sweatshirt, is the same story, super soft and the classic logo let's me believe it's alright to wear for any occasion. These dresses are just as comfortable as they are sweet. Both are flattering and emphasize my natural waist, my smallest point. Then of course, a couple pairs of jeans. I like skinny jeans the best for my body, (both from American Eagle) and in my essentials is a dark wash skinny for any occasion, and a distressed skinny for a casual look. 

So with knowing what sort of things I wanted to keep, based on my ten favorites, I had a better idea of what sort of things I didn't want to keep. Here's what I got rid of: 

Juvenile These pieces to me look junior. Don't get me wrong, I actually like all of these pieces, in fact I wore the blue tank last night.  However, in my look I want to project an image of a capable young professional, and these pieces do the opposite of that.  The colors are too sugary, the prints are too loud, and there is no structure or flattering shape to any of them. 

I still have that? All of these items have been in my closet for so long, I hardly know why we're still together. So I made the choice to stop settling because I know I can do better, and move on. I know they're cute, but there are other shirts in the store. (Shelby and Her Early-Highschool-wordrobe: A Breakup Story) 

Fit Issues Each of these pieces had something slightly off. The top on the left is a looser, baggy shirt that is just too baggy. The maxi-shirt required a pair of Spanx, which contradicted the whole "look-at-me-in-this-comfy-jersey-maxi-skirt-all-cool-and-chill" vibe it deserved to have. The black and quite top and red dress each have a boxy fit problem and the contradicting issue of being structured, but not structured enough. 

Wait for me? These items I am keeping, just not in my closet. I share a closet with my sister, so real estate is precious. These cozies and plaids will be packed away for the summer months until it is chilly enough to enjoy them. 

Why? I bought these heels for Prom and they looked great in pictures, but never made it to the dance. Twice. Why? Because they weren't practical for a long night and dancing. Also, they just didn't quite agree with my feet. Although I will we could have made it work. I feel it would have been a beautiful relationship. The flats served me well, yet it is time to move on. Why? Because I bought them for freshman homecoming, and I just finished freshman year of college. It's time. And again, they just weren't working with my feet anymore and walking in them was not comfortable. Next! 

Jewelry I tend to hoard my jewelry and never really get rid of things. Today, I only kept what I have been wearing the last few months, and a couple pieces that I wear less often but truly love. I ended up with lots of stud earrings and friendship-style bracelets.  

Well, here it is, the pile of pieces that didn't make the cut. They will be dispersed amongst my friends, mom, and sister 

I feel so free and excited to have an edited closet, because it's filled with things I love that I already own. Wonderful!

- Shelby 

Time For A Reboot

The Problem

For the last few months, I have been feeling drained of my style and really, my whole look. My freshman year of college is coming to a close and has left me tired, yet inspired, and eager to find a look that is truly me. I used to love to get dressed and put looks together, but now I’m all about those jeans and sweatshirt. I am plagued with the task of waking up early for school when it is about 10 degrees colder than it will be the rest of the day, and I dress for the hour I will be cold rather than the 8 hours I will be at school. This has made me realize that my style, at the moment, has no direction or purpose. What I do in the morning is just put on clothes, and not dress for who I am or who I want to be. I am ready to get excited again, to express myself again, and discover a bit of myself in the process. 

Goals 

I have always admired a vast range of styles from a sweet, pulled together, Kate Spade lady to a fresh off the beach, easy going gal. I want pieces that are comfortable and easy to wear. When I say easy, I mean pieces that don’t require too much for them to look how they are supposed to, like they don’t need cami’s or bandeaus. It is time to add a little sophistication to my look, to show that I am a young professional. Dress for success!  I love mentality of effortless cool that a lot of men and French women have. It’s the elements of masculine + feminine, and “woke up like this, flawless” that draws me in. On the other hand, as mentioned, I do love the girlish whimsy of Kate Spade, so working in cute collars is on my wish-list. Even though there are a lot of different signals I’m giving off, I am going to do my best to incorporate everything into the final product (the Fresh Me!) 

Solution 

To fix my style blues, I will be taking what I have learned from the great style gurus (Tim Gunn and the What Not to Wear team are a couple of my favorites), personal style bloggers, and the lovely women around me, to give myself a makeover. Here I will document my progress, from purging, to shopping, to my new look. 

I love that on the Cloud10 you can see how my style has changed since I started when I was 16, up to now. I want this project to continue do that, but breath new life into the Cloud10 and into me. 

So here's to the new! Let's do this. 

- Shelby