Dressing For Your Real Life

Plus people who inspire me to do that

10 days ago I had a crisis of conscience and I’m using this platform as some sort of confessional booth.

The reality of my life is this;

• I am a mom of three little kids

• I work part-time from home (one day in a corporate office setting with a causal dress code)

• I live in the suburbs of Denver (a mid-sized city) that, blessedly, experiences all seasons

• I travel annually to Mexico and, usually, one trip to Europe (which, in my opinion, is a privilege and not the norm in my group of friends)

Preschool pick up

Outside the library (not pictured, my three year old climbing on the bike rack)

Target run (one of the three I made this week- cringe)

@ Hobby Lobby begging my girls to let me have my own mirror

I feel the need to lay it out there because here is what my life is NOT;

• Based in a bustling city

• Jet-setting to frequent exotic locations

• Working in a high-powered environment a la The Devil Wears Prada

• Chock full of events that require me to dress up

Whew, I feel better now that is out there. Influencing culture has me believing that any and everyone who loves and appreciates fashion falls into the second list I wrote. And while I find the New York fashion scene incredibly inspiring, there are plenty of looks that exist there that I would never bring to my day-to-day routine.

@subwaysessions on TikTok/ bless this girl but it’s not my style

And I had a real epiphany the other night scrolling through TheRealReal when I found this dress that I *just had to have*!

I am notoriously bad at pulling the trigger on purchases and usually need- at least- a day or two (usually a week or two) to think about something before I buy. That is a dangerous quality to mix with TheRealReal because good stuff just doesn’t last long, but that’s my burden to bear.

Anyways, I went to bed and when I woke up the next morning, said dress was SOLD. I was lamenting to my sweet, practical husband when he sweetly and practically said “that’s pretty, but where would you have worn it?”

And it’s like, for the first time, I was confronted by the reality of my day-to-day. Crushing was it to realize that I likely won’t wear a sexy Christopher Esber dress anytime soon. BUT I also freeing that I can love and adore a trend but still know it’s not coming into my closet anytime soon.

My favorite places to look for honest-to-goodness day-to-day style inspiration include; Irene Kim (In Moda Veritas) and Gabriella Gofis (Gift of Gabs). Both women have clear visions for their closets and you will see them *gasp* repeating their clothes often. The true sign of a good purchase is how frequently you wear it, and yet, we also seem to glorify someone putting together an entirely new outfit every day.

@gabrigofis recent instagram posts

In light of this, am I rethinking my most recent post about what I want for my fall wardrobe. As if it’s not clear from my posts so far, I am still finding my way. I hesitated to share this because, who wants to read about someone’s wishy-washy thoughts about their closet? Alas, I have to be true to myself.

Do I still love shorty-shorts and want riding boots? Of course! But I have to seriously consider if I will ever wear them together or if that’s the NYC alt-version of myself speaking.