My style: 2012
Posted on | January 30, 2012 | 44 Comments
this little blog turned 3 years old last week. and in the span of it, i’ve gone from a first time stay at home mom just trying to put on a bra once a week, to a mom who lost (most of) the babyweight and started to love getting dressed again, to a toddler mom who has a weekly style feature on her blog. while i’m well (well well well) aware that i know virtually nothing about fashion and the true art of it, i do know one thing.
wearing clothes that i love make me feel amazing.
it doesn’t matter how much they cost or where they came from – if i like it, wearing it makes me happy and feel more confident. every time.
one of my goals for this year is to overhaul my closet. no, i’m not planning on buying a ton of clothes (in fact quite the opposite), but instead making my closet a place where i enjoy the things hanging in it. the past few weeks i have been organizing and getting anything out of there that i haven’t worn and don’t love (oh hello gray synthetic “suit” from junior high DECA that had ELASTIC WAIST pants – what in the bloody heck are you still doing in there?!). my plan for this year is to make thoughtful purchases – something i haven’t always done. let’s be real – i have a small budget and i have zero qualms about buying from target, forever 21, h & m, and of course, second hand stores. i realize all those places aren’t for everyone, but they are for me. but girl, you don’t need to buy that top just because it’s on clearance. stop it now.
that was me talking to myself, btw.
so along with using my brainparts more often when i am thinking about buying something instead of only my heart (but it has horses on it!), i’m also vowing to step out of my comfort zone and have more fun. i’m 30, not dead. NEON IT IS.
here are some things that i am going to work into my wardrobe this spring (when i see them on the clearance rack, natch).
last week i bought a polka top blouse that i am pretty stoked on. i would like a basic solid color one at some point. i always look when i’m thrifting but have yet to find the perfect one. this one from j crew is gorgeous, but way out of my price range for something that would likely end up with apple juice on it.
i am head over heels (see what i did there) for these target pumps. i saw them at my local store, didn’t buy them, and weeks later when i went back to do so, they essentially told me i was crazy and they aren’t available in stores. don’t do me like that, target.
TOMS is coming out with ballet flats this spring! ::jig of joy::
ok, so i own the green ones. they were on the clearance rack and i had been eying them for weeks anywho (adoring all things emerald green lately). wouldn’t mind adding a yellow or mint green pair to my closet at some point. color! fun!
i don’t even care that i wore these colors on spandex bike shorts in 1991. i’m back in love with neon and i don’t care who knows it. luckily so is everyone else, so it’s not even that embarrassing.
i’m one of those people (tell me i’m not alone here) who knows what i like when i see it in catalogs or pinterest, etc, but once i get into a store and see ALL THE THINGS my mind kind of short circuits and stops working, i forget what i like, and the ultimate impromptu case of style ADD ensues. hence why i’m trying this year to only go into stores with a plan. yep, even at target, i’ve been trying to bypass the clothing section unless i specifically set out to look for an item. it works 50% of the time which means i’ve saved money already. trust.
i know it’s easy to get overwhelmed in an internet sea of impeccably stylish people. i love blogs and pinterest for inspiration, but it’s true sometimes they can make you feel less than. the final part of my style goal for 2012 is to remember that my style is just that: mine. this year i’m following my own instincts when it comes to my clothes and it’s already happening and i love it.
i’ll keep you guys updated as my closet transforms. harper has lofty goals of more tutus and more sparkly shoes in her 2012 closet, so we’ll keep you updated on that as well.
what is something you’d like to buy for your closet this year?
red polkadot blouse // gray silk blouse // leopard pumps // TOMS // yellow jeans // green jeans // neon stripe sweater // neon pink sweater
Comments
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http://www.bungalow960.com
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Mandy, I’ve been reading your blog for just about ever and I totally and completely LOVE everything you wear. My fashion goal for this year? To step out of the department store box and spend more time in thrift and second hand stores. It’s hard to find the really cool items at the mall on my budget (aka pretty much $0) so I’ll be following your lead from here on out! Keep it up
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http://www.pecklife.com/
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http://asortafairytaleblog.com
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http://www.jacquelynclark.com/
I love the idea of a closet overhaul! I’ve tried to adopt the rule: when you try it on, does it make you want to do a happy dance? More often than not it works – but sometimes my brain chimes in and is all this USED to be $200 and now it’s $10 and that’s equivalent to 2 starbucks chai lattes and therefore it doesn’t matter if its 8 sizes too big.
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I’m 100% in the same boat! I’m getting overwhelemed with the lack of consistency in my wardrobe. I feel like now is the perfect time for me to do a total style overhaul as well. I’m 37 weeks pregnant (hello, get this baby out of me!) and I’m going to have to embrace my new role as a mom in so many ways but I’m terrified of LOOKING like a mom. I cant wait to have a defined style!
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http://rainysaturday.blogspot.com/
I get 100% distracted when I go shopping, too. I usually come home with four or five sale items, and then I realize I didn’t get the one thing I initially went shopping for. And the sale things end up getting worn once or twice and then falling in a sad crumpled pile at the bottom of the closet. Sad face.
I’m trying not to buy any clothes until spring, but there are a few things I already have in mind: coloured jeans in either cobalt blue or red, a wrap dress (easy to feed the bebe and a no-brainer for getting dressed for work), a long, light gray cardigan, and some solid coloured, short sleeve tops with fun details, like ruffles or ruching, that I can layer.
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http://www.joyfullyabby.blogspot.com/
I’m hoping to add some prettier things to my closet. Before motherhood, I managed a darling little boutique and never went a day without wearing pretty clothes. Since motherhood, my style has changed a lot and I find myself wearing less than pretty clothes far too often. Also, I need to fancy myself up a bit if I want to keep up with Harper, who also loves tutus and ballet flats and insists on wearing them every single day.
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http://www.marthametzler.com/
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target has some great neon accessories out right now! wish I was out of college and wasn’t broke so I could look like something other than a cat lady.
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http://profiles.google.com/lindseyst
I made a list of staple items for last fall & surprisingly stuck to the list. I only invested in 5 new pieces which included a pair of shoes & a purse, which is UH-MAZING for a shopaholic like myself! I also have a huge problem buying items just because they’re marked down.
You’ve inspired me to make another list for spring! Pretty blouses are definitely on my list as well.
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I am counting down the days until I can purchase the toms ballet flats. So cute. Last year I stopped buying whatever just because it was on sale…and only bought what I really, really loved. I purchased a lot less, but I always feel like I have a ton of options.
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http://littlegraypixel.blogspot.com
The Toms ballet flats are on my list for sure. The jury’s still out on the neon for me, though. I really abused neon in the early 1990s, and it’s just not flattering on me. Maybe a bracelet or a headband. I just don’t think I can bring myself to wear a large amount of it again.
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I do the same thing when I get to stores. I get all confused and can’t remember what I was after, or what I even like. I blame it on the fact that I don’t go shopping very much anymore (live too far away from shops, sigh).
Bettina @ http://lovelylittleone.blogspot.com
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http://www.stoopmama.com/
The Toms ballet flats are on my “OMG Can’t WAIT!” list, and I already love me some colored jeans and pants. I need a new bag, though. A gorgeous, fancy, everyday bag that i can snuggle with and wear with everything for years and years: I have my eye on a gray Marc Jacobs one and I’m trying to rationalize it. I deserve it. Maybe. (Not really.)
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http://twitter.com/alyciagrayce
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Fun post! I’m trying to track down a striped shirt that doesn’t make me look too…wide.
and I would love some flat-ish brown loafers to wear with jeans & a trench coat! [Reply]
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http://twitter.com/erin_lucy_loves
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http://www.ThriftyVintageKitten.com/
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http://www.novarella.blogspot.com
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http://twitter.com/ConceivedNotion
I have those Target leopard shoes. They were just delivered 2 days ago and I’m dying for Saturday night to come. The hubby is watching Savannah, and I will strut my stuff — well, hobble — around town
http://staycationmama.blogspot.com/
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http://anetkakudasik.blogspot.com/
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Mandy Reply:
January 30th, 2012 at 4:55 pm
HA! exactttly.
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