My Inner "Fashionista"

So, as of late I have become a crazy style Pinterest user...you know, the kind that posts 30 different varieties of the same sweater in a fifteen-minute time span.  The kind that puts up fifteen different chili recipes.  The kind that makes you go, "Gee, I wish I had that kind of time on my hands." The kind that all of a sudden realizes she wishes she looked a little more hip.  You know I'm only 33...there's no reason I shouldn't look age appropriately cool and fashionable.

The only problem is I was never that girl. My grandmother was that girl. My mother is that girl.  My sister is that girl. I think that gene skipped me. For six years of my school career, I lived across the street from the school.  As I became older and valued sleep above almost everything else in the early hours of the morning, I would get up with just enough time to jump in the shower, throw on a t-shirt and jeans and dash across the street, often squeaking through my classroom door just as the bell ceased ringing, wet hair dripping down my back. I rarely even took the time to glance in a mirror, let alone think about the clothes I was wearing or how my makeup looked. (what, women wear makeup every day too?!?!?)

It's not that I am still in my t-shirt and jeans rut from school. I have nice things that I commonly wear.  And sometimes I put together a top and shoes that make me feel really good about my ability to dress myself. (I think I should clarify, I'm not a slob. I've never looked slovenly...sometimes less polished but always presentable.) But suddenly I find myself wishing I could throw together layers of fashion and really look good.  Maybe it's because I'm aging and I feel I need to do something to stay relevant. Maybe it's because I've lost a little weight this year and I'm starting to feel better about my body and the way I look.  Maybe it's because now I'm a mommy and this is one area of my life where I can concentrate just on me.

Whatever the reason, I find myself delving into the fashion blogs and beauty tips that flood the internet.  I suddenly care about my accessories and how they play off of one another and complement my clothes.  I finally understand that things don't have to match to go together.  In fact, they usually look better if they don't. I am actually proud that a lot of the things I've added to my closet in the last few years are actually still usable. Some things need to be up-cycled and reworked but they are still usable.  I was so ridiculously proud of myself for reworking an old t-shirt that was shapeless and revolting into an infinity scarf.  And I got comments.  Positive ones. :)

So now I'm armed with new knowledge about clothes and fashion and how to work my closet.  And I'm armed with a strict guideline for shopping for new clothes. They have to work with at least three things in my closet, and I don't mean three different pairs of jeans.  Now I am looking at my closet as a functional tool that I can use to really accentuate the person I am instead of just covering me up to try and blend in with the crowd.