Wednesday, September 30, 2015

What I Wore Wednesday (September 30)

Over the years, I have made several attempts to plan out my outfits for the week ahead of time. But usually, it did not last very long, and sooner or later I fell back into just grabbing “whatever” in the morning.

I really hope I’ll stick with “outfit planning" this time because planning (and actually trying on the entire outfit - including accessories, shoes, etc. - ahead of time!) can really make a difference. For one, it makes getting dressed in the morning so much quicker and enjoyable. Plus, if you know you look good, you feel good and your day is likely to go much better. There is nothing worse than feeling uncomfortable in your clothes all day long…

Here are a few of my recent outfits and some comments about what I liked and didn’t like about them.

The first dress is Missoni for Target, and I got it five years ago. In all that time, I only wore it once or twice. While I never wore it, I couldn’t get myself to get rid of it whenever I cleaned out my closet. And I’m really glad I didn’t because I now really like it, and I can see myself wearing it with boots and a black turtleneck underneath when it’s getting cooler.  
Missoni for Target Dress

I got the next dress also about five years ago at Banana Republic. I wish it was a bit longer. It’s also cut very low in the back and not work-appropriate without something on top. I feel the outfit is okay, but it’s not my favorite.  
Striped Banana Republic Dress
 
The next outfit shows why it’s a good idea to plan (and actually try on!) outfits ahead of time. I bought the blue dress in Germany in the summer, and I really like it by itself. In my head, it looked great with my Chanel-inspired blue/white jacket from Banana Republic, but in reality it looks way too matronly. Talk about instantly looking OLDER. While the jacket works great with jeans, heels, and a white shirt, it just doesn’t work with the dress! It adds weird volume around the middle and looks frumpy. Even the red necklace couldn’t help that outfit! 
What Not to Wear
I therefore thought about what to pair it with instead and chose a bright pop of color and some heels. The bright yellow cardigan is an unusual choice for this time of year and brighter than what I usually wear, but I like the result much better than my first idea.
Yellow Cardigan
I got the last dress when a Macy’s near us closed a few months ago. It’s Calvin Klein and was $18. I really like that outfit, and I can see myself wearing it a lot in the next months with boots and and a jacket on top.

Calvin Klein Dress

Questions: Do you plan your outfits? Any outfit fails you’d like to share? What’s your favorite piece of clothing at the moment? 

Be well,
Andrea