Just Say No To Mom Jeans

I mentioned a couple of days ago that my closet has undergone a transformation.  A makeover, if you will.  It began back in late August when I decided that none of my clothes were worthy of wearing during my trip to Ireland.  Those Europeans are so trendy and fashion-forward, my 10 year old bootcuts and hoodies wouldn’t do, at all.  So I started, little by little, replacing one worn out item with a fresher, updated version.  I bought accessories, accessories!, and footwear that weren’t made by Doc Marten or sold at Walmart.  Not that there’s anything wrong with Doc, or shoes sold at Walmart, for that matter, but mine were all worn and out of style and way past their expiry.

In Ireland, I bought from the locals.  I got a new coat, some new shoes, a few tops.  When I got home, I bought boots.  Boots that weren’t just functional, but were also gorgeous.  I bought skinny jeans, not because I think I’m 15 and 40 lbs lighter than I am, but because in order to tie the boots into the outfit, the jeans must tuck inside.  For Christmas, I asked for work clothes.  New, stylish work clothes, to replace the abundance of turtleneck sweaters and button-up cardigans. 

With much work and more money than I’ve ever spent on clothes in my life, I’ve completely renovated my clothing situation.  For once, I’d be hard-pressed to say “But I’ve got nothing to wear!”  I can, for the first time ever, say that how I dress (90% of the time)(you will tear my after-work track pants from my cold, dead hands) is actually fashionable.  I have a personal style of which I can be proud.

For once, I like getting dressed in the morning.

Thanks to Polyvore, my new OBSESSION, I can show you what I wore this week.  Each board shows my outfits for each day, almost exactly.  It’s like dress up dolls, for grown ups.

Monday

The jeans were darker, almost black, my knee-high riding boots are all black (no brown), my red stripey shirt is longer (to the bottom of my bum), and the feather necklace is a real feather.

Tuesday

So close.  The only differences are that my necklace has a star in the lead role, instead of a wing, and my shoes are nearly exact to these, but matte.  That is the cardigan I own, from Old Navy, if you’re interested.

Wednesday

Again, nearly exact.  My feather necklace, the same one I wore on Monday, is a lariat style, and my shoes are leather(ish).  That’s the sweater I own, from American Outfitters.

Thursday

Thursday was the hardest to duplicate, so bear with me.  My sweater dress is very, very similar to this one, but it has short sleeves, so I wore a brown, long-sleeved t-shirt underneath (my office is cold).  My necklace is one, long strand, and my cross-body bag is much smaller than this one (but I liked this one, and it is a similar colour, so I went with it).  My boots are very similar to these in colour and slouchiness and buckliness, but aren’t exact.  Very, very close.

Friday

Today, I’m wearing a long-sleeved white t-shirt, worn skinny jeans, my brown boots (the same ones from Thurdsday; I chose to use these because, again, similar colour, slouchiness, and they’re buckly), and a green scarf.  I actually like my coat better than this one, but it has the same feel to it.  Dark gray and dressy-ish, but mine is double-breasted with slightly poufy shoulders and a very interesting, wide bottom.  Almost like a skirt.  I’d show you, but then you’d want it and that’s cruel.  I got it in Ireland.

So there we are.  This is how I dress now and I actually, for once, feel confident when I leave my house that I look good.  It took way too long to get to this point, and I recommend you start right now.  Throw away the mom jeans and anything you’ve own for too long.  You don’t need to spend a lot (I got everything, including what I bought overseas, on sale or in discount clothing stores or with gift cards I asked for for Christmas), and you don’t need to do it all at once (this has been a six-month process for me).  And, certainly, you don’t need to discard your comfy clothes.  I am a BIG supporter of comfort – I wouldn’t wear it if I wasn’t comfortable – and have a vast collection of yoga/track/lounge pants I will never part with.  But there is nothing wrong with looking good and pulling an outfit together.  Doing so gives me a different kind of comfort, one I hadn’t known until I invested in a few accessories.