Reflection On My Style... and finding a camel coat
My first job out of college was at an advertising agency. From a career standpoint, it was enriching in that I was able to work with folks from account management, creative, strategy and analytics. So many different types of thinking, and it was a valuable learning experience coming out of school with a very left-brain education (statistics). From a style standpoint, I remember feeling so frumpy all the time, compared to the chic agency women I'd see in the elevators. Coming out of school into my first real job, I had no idea what to wear - but noticed that everyone in the building had their own very defined sense of style. I, on the other hand, did not -- and teetered between wanting so badly to look OLDER, and wanting to look COOL.
In the years that have passed, I've settled on a pretty basic-b sense of style. There aren't many patterns in my closet these days, except for maybe a striped shirt, polka dot, and the 1 plaid shirt I kept when I packed all my clothes up for the move. My winter uniform this year was a jacket, skinny jeans, a merino wool turtleneck (from Uniqlo), and ankle boots or my black Nike Roshes. If you've been a long time reader, you'll realize that this is no different than what I wore four years ago, with some upgrades in quality and silhouettes.
I remember feeling back then that my style wasn't final yet, and still feeling unhappy with my wardrobe. This is going to start sounding motivation/inspirational as fuck, but I think the reason I felt that way was because I was always shopping and dressing with clothes thinking and prioritizing how others would perceive me, whereas now, I dress for myself. A couple drivers:
⦾ Now that I'm settled into my career and matured a little bit, I don't feel the need to look older since I AM older (lol).
⦾ My jobs have changed. I'm no longer client facing, I'm working at places with different cultures, etc.
⦾ My income has risen since I started working, and I can now afford the pieces I want at the quality I'd like. Oddly, I actually buy WAY fewer items now.
Anyway, not sure where I'm going with this. I started writing this post to talk about FINALLY finding a perfect camel coat, in the right shade of camel (one that would not wash me out), with the right look - not TOO basic, but not too structurally out there that it would be unwearable.
It's from Aritzia and runs small. I take it in an XS.
In the years that have passed, I've settled on a pretty basic-b sense of style. There aren't many patterns in my closet these days, except for maybe a striped shirt, polka dot, and the 1 plaid shirt I kept when I packed all my clothes up for the move. My winter uniform this year was a jacket, skinny jeans, a merino wool turtleneck (from Uniqlo), and ankle boots or my black Nike Roshes. If you've been a long time reader, you'll realize that this is no different than what I wore four years ago, with some upgrades in quality and silhouettes.
I remember feeling back then that my style wasn't final yet, and still feeling unhappy with my wardrobe. This is going to start sounding motivation/inspirational as fuck, but I think the reason I felt that way was because I was always shopping and dressing with clothes thinking and prioritizing how others would perceive me, whereas now, I dress for myself. A couple drivers:
⦾ Now that I'm settled into my career and matured a little bit, I don't feel the need to look older since I AM older (lol).
⦾ My jobs have changed. I'm no longer client facing, I'm working at places with different cultures, etc.
⦾ My income has risen since I started working, and I can now afford the pieces I want at the quality I'd like. Oddly, I actually buy WAY fewer items now.
Anyway, not sure where I'm going with this. I started writing this post to talk about FINALLY finding a perfect camel coat, in the right shade of camel (one that would not wash me out), with the right look - not TOO basic, but not too structurally out there that it would be unwearable.
It's from Aritzia and runs small. I take it in an XS.
I've gone through some of the same changes as you over the years! In particular, it's really nice to have built into a stronger financial spot, where I can afford just about anything I want if I make room for it and prioritize it in my larger budget. (And when I am spending on the slightly more expensive pieces that I really want, I also find that I buy less in terms of total items. Though now that some of the things I really want are jewelry, I will generally still be spending more than I used to!)
ReplyDeleteI wear a lot of the same items now as I used to, though some things about my overall style have shifted. My casual style is still very similar to what it was before, but my work style has changed a bit. (I've given up on blazers except on business formal-necessary days, and prefer dresses a lot more than I used to because they require less outfit assembly effort.)