Hey hey! I asked on IG awhile back what y’all would like to see me blog about and overwhelmingly the response was on my clothes and advice when shopping – some of my FAVORITE topics! Ha! So I thought I would share a few faves of mine and yours, and my secrets to looking put together and feeling confident!
First – Spend more on accessories :)….Ok this one is something I have done FOREVER. Here is the deal – I don’t spend a ton on clothes. Old Navy is the majority brand in my closet (or clothes hamper, who has time to hang stuff up!) and has been for years. I find staple items I like, like solid shirts and tanks, shorts, dresses, etc. that I am good with wearing every day. If I find a shirt I like – like a lot and it washes up nice – I will buy every damn color. NO shame in my game. If it looks good and I feel confident, I am not going to fix what ain’t broke HA! BUT, I can make every look different by changing up the accessories – earrings, necklaces, belts, shoes, bags etc. In all honesty, looking at a great outfit of mine – my v-neck may have been $5 at Old Navy, but my earrings were $30, my belt is expensive, and I have designer shoes on my feet. This is just my thing – I love nice things, but I would rather spend on things that will fit no matter what size I am. AND I personally cannot tell a single difference in my Old Navy cute tank and one from a designer. Also, I am more likely to ruin a shirt before my shoes – make sense? The key is to find staple items that you like – ones that you know you can pull out of the dryer, look good, and just add some fun jewelry and shoes fast and look great! Don’t be afraid to spend money on great earrings or necklaces – you will have them forever (make sure you have a good place to keep them, I have a hanging earring organizer), season to season, no matter what size you are! Vnecks, plain tees, tanks, cardigans – all solids and or stripes are great staples to always have. My favorite fits are not tight, but not a tent, and long enough that my stomach is covered, preferably my butt.
Shorts – oh all the messages I get about shorts. Ok first – buy the damn shorts. Its freaking hot and you need them. Your legs will look fine -pinky swear :). My favorites come from, you guessed, Old Navy! Here is my trick – I buy a size too big. This is the only time I will do this. I don’t like tight, short shorts PERIOD. I will not wear them. I like a good length (3.5-4in) and I buy a size 14 even though I am 10/12. They hang lower on my hips, and are not tight. I like distressed denim and I like the chinos. Old Navy is by far my favorite place for shorts – I probably wash them once a week and they stay in shape and feel great. Now you know 🙂
Find some inspiration, but don’t try to be her! This is a biggie. I have a fashion blogger sister that is gorgeous and has a rockin bod – and she has amazing fashion sense (DUH – check her out). She inspires me everyday – but no matter how much weight I lose, I will not be her. I LOVE to look at her outfits and then find similar things and make them my own. That is key. I am not going to come down on myself because I am not as small as her – but I will take her inspiration. Here is the deal – there is tons of inspiration out there on IG and blogs – it can be very healthy for you! These girls do this for a living – they know what they are doing and are super cute – check them out and get ideas. BUT do not try to BE THEM. That is NOT HEALTHY. I can find myself starting to feel bad about my body (and income HA!) if I am following too many of them, but I love me some cute outfits. My advice (and what I do) is follow only a few (like 2-3) that you really like and use them for inspiration. That’s it. If your whole feed is making you feel fat, ugly, and broke, change it. This could be the best thing you ever do, trust me!
Everyone needs two bags – a big everyday bag and a crossbody – love them both! This is big for me! I love purses and handbags! I have so many it’s embarrassing. I also have expensive taste when it comes to bags (ridiculous, but true) so I try to buy staple ones that I will carry A LOT! Also, a good crossbody is key! There is nothing better sometimes than to not have to carry your big bag and throw your little one on- you could use it for years if you get the right one. A good camel/light brown one is always a winner :). There are so many good dupes and knock offs these days – Target even has awesome ones – treat yourself and you will be so happy you did!
Good leggings are EVERYTHING. This is short and sweet – I didn’t believe it until I tried it. The expensive leggings (ahem LULULEMON) are worth every dime! We wear leggings year round and a lot. Cheap leggings stretch, fade, get holes and just don’t hold up. You have no idea how great the pricey ones if you have not tried – and they make you look and feel like a million bucks. For something you wear practically every day when it gets cool – go ahead and buy yourself one pair and take good care of them. Trust me. TRUST ME!
CHEAP sunnies. I lose sunglasses. I tear them up. I scratch the hell out of them. I refuse to buy expensive ones. Y’all – you don’t have to spend tons of cash to get fabulous ones! Amazon is my go to and I will share my faves below. I like to have many options too – so buying expensive is ridiculous for me :).
Ok – here are a bunch of links to some of my faves that I have been talking about above – happy shopping! Send me questions or anything I missed!
I love these tees – they are not solid, but great fit!
Great v-neck – there are lots of colors – this is just a link to a few!
FAVORITE DENIM DISTRESSED #1 – they are short, key is buying one size big!
And FAVORITE #2 – same thing, short buy big!
My sister – the amazing fashion blogger and great inspo!
One of my FAVORITE earring IG accounts!
My monogrammed crossbody that y’all LOVE!
Sunnies from Amazon!
Like the idea of sizing up on the shorts. Five inch shorts are too long, three inch too short. This could work. My question though is do they keep their shape ok? The butt always stretches out in my pants and shorts. I’m afraid a size bigger would make that area look bigger if they stretch out too much.