Happy Tuesday Rags to Stitches readers! I’m Andrea from Four Flights of Fancy and I’m so happy Alissa asked me to guest post for her today. I always get a little nervous when preparing a guest post, but I know Alissa has lovely readers so that helps me be a little less anxious 🙂 Four Flights of Fancy is a lifestyle blog, primarily focusing on fun accessory DIY’s, easy and simple original family recipes, family life, and a lot of style.
I worked all of my professional life in the fashion industry, and now as a mother of two young children, the main thing I emphasize in my life as it comes to style is that when you look good, you feel good. Style should be above all else though, approachable, simple and fun. I spent too many years professionally obsessing over fashion, and now it’s time to enjoy just how fun it can be.
Lifestyle Dressing –
It took me a while to build a wardrobe that I truly love. A wardrobe that I can go to and always find something to wear. A wardrobe that I can feel good about and not look at items and think “why did I waste my money on that?” I think becoming a mother on a limited budget forced me to really define my style and bring only items into my closet that I truly love and that can work together seamlessly in many different facets of my life. Items I could wear to work (when I was still working), to school drop off and pick up, and even out to date night with my husband. This concept of all the items in your closet working together for you is called lifestyle dressing and it’s really how you can make the most out of your wardrobe.
Questions to Ask –
So now when I am shopping for a new piece I always ask myself a few questions before I make the purchase: Can I wear this to multiple functions? Can I mix it with other items in my wardrobe? Will I see myself wearing this in a year? Is the quality good enough that it will even last a year? Am I sacrificing quality for price and should I just wait (this is something I have to ask myself a lot when tempted with deals as good as Old Navy and Forever 21)?
This dress and sweater are a perfect example of lifestyle dressing. The babydoll dress is made up of a nice quality cotton, lending itself to a very casual vibe. I’ve worn it as a swimsuit cover up with flip flops in the summer, but I’ve also worn it with leggings, boots and a leather jacket during winter. I’ve worn it with cute wedges and a denim jacket, paired with a statement necklace for a night out with friends. The pull on sweater works over tanks, t-shirts, dresses and even workout clothes to the gym. It’s comfortable, soft, simple and casual, but interesting enough to be very versatile. The shoes are just a fun addition to give the outfit a little pop.
The start of a new year is always a good opportunity to set some time aside for yourself and think about your wardrobe goals for the year. Are you on a no-spend budget in 2012? If so really you need to do a through closet organization and inventory so you can see what you’ve got on hand and start experimenting with ways to restyle things. Maybe you feel like you’re on your way to building a closet you love, but you need some help really defining your style. I found this personal style quiz on Real Simple that I found to be fun and could be useful in helping direct your wardrobe choices going forward. Whatever your goals may be, I hope you just have fun with it and remember to keep it simple and approachable. No one should ever get a headache in the morning putting together an outfit. 🙂 Please come visit me and feel free to ask me any style related questions. It’s my favorite thing to do!
ALISSA HERE:
Please, please, please check out Andrea’s blog and follow along. She is my fashion guru and in 2011 encouraged me to take greater fashion risks than I ever thought I would. And she’s an amazing woman with a big heart.
Don’t forget to enter the giveaway with Royal Daughter Designs.
Melissa nochbauer says
I was wondering what your idea of limited budget is? I see all these fashion bloggers talk about budgets and yet all I read is what they bought, have of are coveting to buy and I am curious as to what their realistic idea is of what most people spend.
Andrea Howe says
Hi Melissa – that’s a great question! I wrote a whole year long series last year about buying less and giving more because after spending years in the fashion industry I was so tired of wasting time and energy. My budget encompasses my entire family of 4 and we usually spend anywhere from $0 to max $200/month if kids need new shoes or coats/etc. For instance last year I bought the kids each 3 (my son) and 5 (my daughter) pairs of shoes for the entire year, but they were each $25-$40 each. I believe in buying quality footwear that lasts a long time for kids, I got tired of wasting money on Target shoes that my kids hated wearing because they said they were uncomfortable or wore out too quickly. As a mom style blogger I think the hardest thing is seeing all the other young style bloggers constantly tweet about wanting/needing/buying designer bags and clothes all day and they can buy them because they don’t have to save up for college! I try to be very aware of that and write about it a lot – pairing down my want list and just being happy with what I have. In this ensemble, the bag is 9 years old and I bought it before kids and when I had a good job 🙂 I took care of it and can still use it 9 yrs later. The dress and top were purchased at a deep discount from the last company I worked for, and the shoes were $20. I believe in buying less and wanting.needing less. As you can see this is a topic I am VERY passionate about and write about it all the time. Thanks for your question.
jen says
I’m just commenting here too, because the first thing I noticed wasn’t that you have my shoes on, but that you were next to a train track! Way to keep your goals, girl!
Melissa nochbauer says
Thanks for replying! I realize reality isn’t always easily conveyed in blog posts. Your budget sounds similar to our monthy spending as well for three of us. I think, from living in l.a. so long (not anymore) I see how different southern California standards are of spending than other areas of the country. It’s kind of interesting.
Andrea Howe says
Yes Melissa, California and I’m sure other metropolitan areas like NY, DC and SF are similar in that we usually spend a bit more on clothes. I stopped putting actual amounts on my monthly spend recap because it’s all relative to your own budget, where you live, etc. I try to stress that it’s not really about the $$ spent, but more if it works w/in your budget and are you and your partner comfortable with what you’re spending. Is there guilt involved, are you going into debt because of your spending, etc. All things to consider…where do you live now if you don’t mind me asking?