Feel Like Yourself No Matter Where You Go

Don't lose yourself just because you got invited to a wedding

Happy Memorial Day to my US friends! For me, Memorial Day always kicks off the start of summer so it’s a perfect time for my notes about dressing for summer events.

A couple weeks ago my friend,

Hey Mrs. Solomon on Style

, and I hopped on a Substack live video to talk about how we build our “In Case of Emergency Outfits” for all the events that pop up over the summer. From spontaneous cookouts in someone’s backyard to a formal wedding where it’s oh-so-tempting to buy a new dress; we thought it would be fun to talk through how to get dressed for those events and still feel really grounded in your own personal style.

As we talked through how we approached events, we agreed that we don’t want to feel pressured to go buy something specifically for one event. Not only will that item carry the mental residue of the event (cue me having a dress in the my closet that I rarely wear because it reminds me of a wedding I wore it to ONCE) BUT sometimes when we go shopping for a specific event we wind up with items that don’t feel like they fit with the rest of our wardrobe.

So before I get into this, my encouragement is that you should buy items that you like when you see them. If you see a gorgeous dress, buy it even if you don’t have an occasion. That way when you get an invite, a gorgeous piece is already there.

If you’ve been here long, you know I love a little formula to keep in your back pocket so here’s the formula

Hey Mrs. Solomon on Style

and I came up with when approaching all your events;

1 part event specific (what does your GUT say fits the vibe of the event)

+ 1 part safety blanket (something that makes you feel at home in the outfit)

+ 1 part “of the moment” fashion item (to ground you in this space/time)

I thought I’d include the visuals for the 6 imaginary events that

Hey Mrs. Solomon on Style

and I talked about and the full video of our conversation (with her amazing outfit concepts) is below.

Event 1: Book Reading

1 part event specific (a sweater over the shoulder feels academic for the event)

+ 1 part safety blanket (linen pull on pants; comfy + elevated)

+ 1 part “of the moment” fashion item (a brooch pinned to the tank or knit)

brooch ($122) // tank ($45) // cardigan ($47) // linen pants ($168) // wedge shoe ($138)

Event 2: Outdoor Concert

1 part event specific (I can’t be a millennial unless I have a going-out top)

+ 1 part safety blanket (denim 4eva)

+ 1 part “of the moment” fashion item (leather flip flops, Rachel said these were of the moment and I’m relieved because I’m just flattly obsessed)

earrings ($148, use MIDIMALIST20 for 20% off) // tank ($88) // denim ($240) // purse ($95) // flip flop ($170)

Event 3: Beachy Clam Bake

1 part event specific (A swimsuit that doubles as a body suit since we are near the beach)

+ 1 part safety blanket (no surprise here, an oversized button down)

+ 1 part “of the moment” fashion item (paracord necklace)

paracord necklace ($48) // swimsuit ($138) // denim shorts ($70) // button down ($98) // flip flops ($170)

Event 4: Evening Wedding

1 part event specific (strappy heels you’ll remove while dancing)

+ 1 part safety blanket (trousers, even

laura reilly

agrees these are very good)

+ 1 part “of the moment” fashion item (I might go buy whatever top feel exciting at the moment, this one mixes summer black with polka dot motifs!)

earrings ($248, use MIDIMALIST20 for 20% off) // top ($330) // trousers ($148) // strappy heel ($565) // clutch ($20)

Event 5: Country Club Lunch

1 part event specific (a white linen dress that is giving Wimbledon)

+ 1 part safety blanket (I love my loafers)

+ 1 part “of the moment” fashion item (a wicker, raffia or otherwise summer leaning bag)

white dress ($300) // necklace ($195) // purse ($40) // loafer mules ($140)

Event 6: Backyard Party

1 part event specific (I’m going to be wearing some variety of red, white & blue since we are in Memorial Day, July 4 and Labor Day season)

+ 1 part safety blanket (Ribbed tank)

+ 1 part “of the moment” fashion item (lots of fun jewelry, probably touching on whatever is trendy at the moment)

sunglasses ($70) // earrings ($50) // tank ($98) // skirt ($128) // flip flops ($170)

And, as promised, here’s the video recording of Rachel and I on Substack Live if you are so inclined!

I hope you think of our little formula as you are faced with the many fun events you have this summer!

Links for all products featured can be found here