Have you ever thought about the pieces that you should wear as opposed to the pieces that you actually want to wear…
THE STORY
…When I say should I don’t mean following the rules on one of those ridiculous lists. You know the lists that I’m talking about. “Don’t wear this over 40” or “Only wear these things if you’re petite” or “Things curvy girls shouldn’t wear”…screw that nonsense. Nobody needs that kind of negativity in their life.
I’m talking about wearing pieces that are flattering to your body type as opposed to wearing things that you love just because you love them. In my opinion those two ideas aren’t mutually exclusive. When Jennie chose “Dressing For Your Body Type” as the September Ageless Style Link Up theme, I felt like this was the perfect opportunity to explore this topic in more detail.
The entire premise of this blog & how I live my own life is to be fully who you are…in all areas of life, and that includes personal style. I’ve never followed style rules & for the sake of your own self-love & confidence, I suggest that you don’t either. I always purchase & wear things that I love simply because I love them & they enhance how I feel about myself. That last part is the key. Even if I love a piece to death, the pants I’m wearing today for example, I’m not going to feel like my most badass fabulous self if the piece isn’t styled in a way that makes me feel good. Had I styled these with an oversized top as opposed to a cropped tee, I would have felt more barn-like than badass.
But with a few simple tweaks a piece can be both flattering and speak to your truest self…
- To rein in a piece with a lot of volume or no shape, try tying a cute shirt just above your hips or add a cool belt.
- Over the knee boots are an easy way to add the illusion of legs for days.
- A good front tuck is your style BFF. A front tuck is one of the quickest easiest ways to add some shape to an outfit.
- Add a heel, whatever height is comfortable for you. Your whole body & thus your outfit is aligned differently with even a little bit of lift.
How about you…do you have any little styling tricks that you use when you’re putting together an outfit?
THE OUTFIT
I’m a fan of loose fitting slouchiness to begin with so these Aerie oversized joggers are right up my alley. Obviously they aren’t something that everyone will love, and that’s okay. Given the choice I prefer comfort over confinement every single time, so whenever possible I go for slouchy, loose & drapey whether we’re talking work pants, denim, tops or dresses. Over the years I’ve found that I can make most joggers work acceptable with the right pieces. For example, a dressier top, sweater or a blazer. The most important key to making joggers into fashion is the footwear. Sneakers paired with joggers give off a too relaxed vibe for work, but add anything with even a slight heel whether it be sandals, pumps or boots, & you’ve elevated your joggers to real world ready style.
With that being said, in order to avoid looking like I’m dressed in a circus tent, if I’m wearing pants this billowy I stick to a more fitted top, a knotted top or in this case, a crop top. The cropped length of my graphic tee gives the added bonus of showing off the cute yoked detail on the pants.
Since I have quite literally worn nothing but Birks or Bearpaw boots for the last six months, I added actual real sandals. I could have gone with any number of colors, but chose my leopard sandals since the colors looked fabulous with the pants & they added a subtle nod to print mixing with the graphic tee.
THE TIP
If you want to style a super laid back piece i.e. joggers, for the real world, always add a heel of some sort. High, low, platform…whatever you prefer, a dressier shoe with some lift instantly elevates the more casual vibes.
THE LINK UPS
Check out the weekly link ups I participate in for even more fashion and style ideas… BE SURE TO SCROLL DOWN AND LINK UP WITH MYSELF AND MY LOVELY CO-HOSTS FOR THIS MONTHS AGELESS STYLE LINK UP!!
Pants: American Eagle; Tee: Nordstrom (Similar); Sandals: Amazon
