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I'm stuck in a fashion rut
Nana
Fuzzy Little YetiRegistered User regular
Fuzzy Little YetiRegistered User regular
First off I want to say thank you for taking the time to read about my ridiculous and superficial first world problem.
I'm a 26 year old woman and I pretty much wear the same types of clothes every day. My day to day wardrobe consists of:
A solid colored tank top (I'm estimating I have between 20-30 tank tops)
A zip up hoodie (I have way too many of these as well)
Boot cut jeans (Blue of course)
Casual slip on shoes (or sneakers if I am going to be doing a lot of walking)
No make-up
I kid you not, I wear the same type of outfit everyday. I will only wear something different (dress up) for industry events, weddings, funerals, etc.
For the most part I have always been more of a tom-boy and never put much thought into my appearance. When buying and wearing clothes my #1 priority has always been comfort.
I struggle to pick out something to wear when my husband and I are going to moderately-dressy events (holiday parties, baby showers, etc.) since my closet has only super casual or business formal attire. I usually give up and end up wearing my normal outfit.
I want to put some variety into my day to day outfits, but I'm not sure where to start. I've been watching what other women are wearing recently to try and get ideas, so far I think I want to try dressier tops with jeans.
Where do women in their mid-20s shop for clothes? I've been finding that the clothes I look at tend to either look too young, or too old. All I really know is I want to look a little dressier, feminine, and mature. I don't like flashy or overly revealing clothing.
I would describe my figure as "average" or "medium", I'm not heavy, and I'm not super skinny. I'm 5'5" tall, which I think is also pretty average. I don't quite understand which cuts of clothes work better for different body types. Here is a lame facebook-esque picture of my body shape & what I'm wearing today everyday:
My budget for clothing is: $50.00 or less for tops $100.00 or less for bottoms. Do you have any suggestions of stores or designers I should look at?
I'm a 26 year old woman and I pretty much wear the same types of clothes every day. My day to day wardrobe consists of:
A solid colored tank top (I'm estimating I have between 20-30 tank tops)
A zip up hoodie (I have way too many of these as well)
Boot cut jeans (Blue of course)
Casual slip on shoes (or sneakers if I am going to be doing a lot of walking)
No make-up
I kid you not, I wear the same type of outfit everyday. I will only wear something different (dress up) for industry events, weddings, funerals, etc.
For the most part I have always been more of a tom-boy and never put much thought into my appearance. When buying and wearing clothes my #1 priority has always been comfort.
I struggle to pick out something to wear when my husband and I are going to moderately-dressy events (holiday parties, baby showers, etc.) since my closet has only super casual or business formal attire. I usually give up and end up wearing my normal outfit.
I want to put some variety into my day to day outfits, but I'm not sure where to start. I've been watching what other women are wearing recently to try and get ideas, so far I think I want to try dressier tops with jeans.
Where do women in their mid-20s shop for clothes? I've been finding that the clothes I look at tend to either look too young, or too old. All I really know is I want to look a little dressier, feminine, and mature. I don't like flashy or overly revealing clothing.
I would describe my figure as "average" or "medium", I'm not heavy, and I'm not super skinny. I'm 5'5" tall, which I think is also pretty average. I don't quite understand which cuts of clothes work better for different body types. Here is a lame facebook-esque picture of my body shape & what I'm wearing today everyday:
My budget for clothing is: $50.00 or less for tops $100.00 or less for bottoms. Do you have any suggestions of stores or designers I should look at?
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the same will apply for a lot of establishments. people who work in clothes shops generally do it because they like fashion. some will not want to be there, sure. if you're feeling that, move along.
edit: jeans can go far, but a hoodie can't. my first advice would be to get a blazer or a peacoat, since (i'm assuming) you're heading into winter
I would say 60% of her clothing now comes from Anthropologie. It can often be out of the price range you mentioned, but she watches sales like a hawk. Often she gets things 50-70% off.
Another shop she gets some stuff at is modcloth.com but says it swings from just right to costume-y
I like a lot of fashion too and follow svpply.com fairly reguarly. It ranges from very wearable to only wearable in new york to fashion as art rather than daily wear. It also ranges from affordable to howthefuh...
One thing I would suggest against is binge buying. Get to know the style you want over time. Buy clothing with looks/whole outfits in mind. But buy the right clothing pieces rather than thinking you have to replace your whole wardrobe immediately.
I do a lot of my shopping online on Korean/Japanese fashion sites. It's what I'm used to, and I've been unable to find anything similar in stores. The stuff is fairly reasonably priced, ranges from tom boy to full on girly girl, and would fit your body shape.
But since online shopping isn't for most people, the stores I go to most are Forever XXI, American Eagle, and H&M. They've got the best price for fashionable clothing I've yet to find, and a huge range of stuff. Forever XXI and H&M should have the dressier stuff you're looking for. American Eagle won't, but they will have trendy casual wear.
If you're trying to look more feminine, coats are a great place to start. You might have to pay a bit more than you would for a top, but you can wear it more frequently, and the right coat will make your entire outfit look more feminine regardless of what you're wearing. I'd also say the coats I own are the most mature looking clothes I have.
You should check this thread out. You'll get tons of ideas, and could get some more -and probably better- advice.
http://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/24817162#Comment_24817162
For pants, I like Kenneth Cole and Banana Republic. They have nice slacks.
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Like TokyoV mentioned, Forever 21, American Eagle, and H&M are good places to look, IMO. I've also found some really nice clothes at Express...and although they can be a bit pricey sometimes, their stuff usually fits me very well, and every now and then they have sales. Macy's sometimes has nice things on sale, but it can be harder to find age-appropriate items that don't feel too old or too young for me. Might just take some looking.
One of the things that helped me be a bit more feminine was not to immediately go 180 from my comfy/casual/notsuperfeminine look, but to slowly introduce more feminine clothing into my wardrobe. I still like things to be comfortable, within that same price range, and easy and no-fuss. You can try to aim for clothing that's similar to what you already have, but has a more feminine/dressy feel to it (like a top with draped/"frilly" elements, or a bit of lace, or crochet, or beaded detailing, or whathaveyou)...or rather than a hoodie, you can try finding a nice fitted sweater/blazer/cardigan. Fitted tops and coats are awesome.
Boots can be a really nice [comfortable] addition to your closet and come in a variety of "types" - for snow, for fall, for spring, for a slightly more dressy occasion, etc. I have black suede heel'd boots for dressier occasions, short heel'd leather boots for fall/early spring, and mid-high brown suede that are faux fur-lined for the snow. Also black rain boots, but those are hard to make particularly feminine. :P
I don't wear makeup very often either, and when I do it's usually not a lot. Eye shadow and eyeliner, sometimes with a bit of concealer under my eyes, or to hide blemishes. If you want to start wearing makeup, just remember it doesn't have to be a lot, or very involved. Sometimes I intentionally make it really subtle, so it looks natural and isn't immediately apparent I'm wearing any. You can start small and see what you feel comfortable with.
Accessories are also nice, because they can help dress up or dress down outfits. Bracelets, necklaces, earrings. Belts, headbands. It's not a big [or expensive] jump into those, either - and they can be casually-styled or dressy. Pretty versatile.
You ain't medium. You slim. Be proud!
Nice coats are worth putting the extra cash down on, and if you buy a good brand in a classic style, it can be a lifetime purchase. A nice pea coat over jeans is always a step above a hoodie.
I recommend going into the slightly more expensive stores and milking the friendly service. Express, Banana Republic, Aldo (for shoes), Nordstroms, and those other mid range to high end stores will bend over backwards to help you, will hold clothes for you so you can keep shopping and come back, and generally be a very positive experience. Avoid most department stores because they tend to have very generic sizes, you'll find a lot of ill-fitting clothes there.
On the female side, watch out for buying an large expensive, in-style seasonal wardrobe. Girls fashion turns over fast, so build up a base of classic cuts and timeless items (Button up shirts, sweaters, well fitting well constructed items) and then get one or two seasonal outfits if something you like comes along.
Hoodies, while comfy, aren't usually an out-of-the-house sort of outfit for anyone other than teenagers, amongst the decently dressed. Not to knock it, it can work well! but the baseline is much less casual.
To keep with your usual style of shirt+coverup, I'd suggest looking into blouses. That's pretty wide open, but a decent blouse can be the biggest difference between casual and semi-respectable :P Trade the tank in for something with a bit more personality and you have the same effect. Again, the same applies for the hoodie. Find some outerwear that works (usually, these days, a cardigan).
Here's a good tanktop replacement and here's a good example of an another. For outerwear, look at cardigans: here are a few examples.
I took all my examples from Nordstrom Rack, which is pretty affordable for the quality. It should give you ideas.
Also, you're not a medium. While petite clothes may not fit you best, you're very much in the smaller scale of clothing. Better to get a tighter-fitting garment tailored than to swim in your clothing (see: Paul Ryan -- ick!).
@bsjezz - Thank you for the suggestion, I'm going to give the Gap a try this weekend, It looks like they are having a 30% off sale. I've never asked a person working in a clothing store for help before, I don't know why I never thought to try something so obvious. :P
@TokyoV - I've never been in a H&M or American Eagle, It looks like a mall near me has both stores so I'm going to pop in soon and check them out. Thank you for the link, it is very helpful.
@minirhyder - There is a Banana Republic at the mall I go to, but I've never been in. I just assumed it would be out of my price range, but it looks like they have pretty nice stuff in the range I was looking for. Thank you!
@NightDragon - It's nice to know that I'm not alone in this. I think you are right that it would be easier to take it slow and work a few new pieces in at a time. I'm so used to wearing tank tops all the time, that moving to more dressy sleeveless shirts would probably be the easy way to start. Boots are a good suggestion too, I think I could do comfortable low heeled boots. I didn't even think about accessories at all, but you are right they are a really easy way to dress up or down outfits. Thank you for all your suggestions!
@The Crowing One- Thank you for the suggestions, the tops in the links you posted are adorable (especially the first one), Everyone is knocking on the hoodies and I agree they are more for teenagers, so I think the first things I should get is are cardigans/sweaters to replace them. There is a Nordstrom Rack not too far from my home, the prices on the pieces you linked to were pretty reasonable so I'll definitely check it out.
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Good for you, for wanting to try something different! Firstly, I agree with The Crowing One. Hoodies, are for teens, lounging about or working out. Sneakers are for running and the gym. No where else.
Before you go out and start randomly buying pieces of clothing, you need to know how to dress yourself. You should start looking at other women who you think look really well put together (which you have). Magazines, mannequins in stores, shows. etc, etc. Notice things that are common in them. For example, since it's fall, a lot of women are wearing blazers or cardigans, leggings with flow-y dresses, skinny jeans, brown/cognac coloured boots.
I know it might sound silly, but honestly, try watching a few episodes of "What Not To Wear" on TLC. I know some people say the hosts are mean, but what advice they do offer is quite true and do-able for the average woman.
You have a wonderful figure! You are slim, and have a classic figure 8 figure! Which is marvellous to dress! As The Crowing One said, trade in some of your tank tops for more feminine tops, that have some patterns, or ruching, or subtle embellishments.
To get the more polished look, it comes in the details. The shoes, the accessories, subtle jewelry. A belt that matches a colour you are wearing.
For stores I don't know where you are, but Banana Republic is on the more dressier and expensive side of clothes. Think dressy work clothes. Forever 21 is a bit more for the teens and younger 20s. But there are some good pieces at times and cheap accessories. H&M is very similar to Forever 21.
Look to your department stores. It doesn't really matter brands or specific designers, its what really fits into your style.
Here are a few books that can be helpful or provide some inspiration:
- What to wear, where
- This one leans a bit more to the trendier styles
Those semi-formal events I would avoid it sure, but the mood I'm getting here is that you've got to dress up even when doing something like grabbing a bite and the local McD or hanging out at a friends house playing some vidya games.
This.
Also, especially for your feet - don't feel pressured into wearing things all the time, if the alternative is uncomfortable. I wear sneakers/flip-flops most of the time because they don't hurt my feet, and my movement is unrestricted by them. Heels + flats don't tend to work out with me, but I'd rather have healthy feet than broken and fashionable feet. Obviously this isn't everyone - lots of women can wear both and never have a problem...but just remember to give your body a break once in awhile (like when you come home) and switch to something that doesn't strain your feet/legs/joints/whathaveyou. That's more for heels than flats, of course.
Including cold-weather stuff...clothing manufacturers tend to make women's winter clothing slim-fitting and thin, even though it's more for look than function at that point (and meanwhile, the same brands will use heavy materials for the men). I have hilariously bulky gloves that I wear in [Northeast] winter that are not at all "fashion forward", but they keep my hands from freezing off. It was incredibly hard for me to find gloves like this, anywhere, for lady-sized hands (women's gloves that are warm were almost nonexistant...there were PLENTY of men's gloves like this everywhere, but even the small sizes were a little too big for me). That might just be something to keep in mind - try to be very aware of the thinness and durability of materials when buying any clothing item that is supposed to be both "fashionable" and protect you from the elements.
Correct me if I'm wrong.
I semi agree, semi disagree. Not that wearing hoodies is wrong, I wear hoodies all the time, and my wife often wears my hoodies, but theres a lot of room after hoodies before you step into formal, work clothes, or dressing up territory. Correct me if I'm wrong because I don't want to speak for her, but from what I read in the OP its this 'dressed nicer/more fashion aware but not necessarily formal or older' territory that Nana wants to explore.
Banana Republic definitely edges more towards what I would call work clothing/older. Its generally flattering and cut nicely, but more of a conservative work attire thing.
I found the biggest change of my overall look was when I 1) exchanged wearing hoodies & sweatshirts for cardigans and other knitwear, 2) bought a bunch of very comfortable but attractive flats, 3) bought darker dyed jeans and pants, and 4) got a haircut
Good, slightly more expensive flats can be just as comfortable and supportive as a pair of sneakers but look a helluva lot better. I found Born and Kenneth Cole to be good brands for that, but whatever works for you.
And seriously, having a structured haircut on the regular is like 90% of me feeling good about my appearance