Put a little prep in your step

In college, I hated that people would tell me "this ___ looks like something you would wear".
I had friends whose style I felt was so unpredictable and they could literally wear anything they wanted; I wanted so badly to be that person.
I went through phases of wearing baggy clothes, clothes that were too short for me, lots of dark clothes- all in efforts to keep a "well-balanced" closet.

The problem was, I never felt comfortable in most of the clothes I wore.
I was so caught up with trying to be trendy and stylish that I sacrificed my confidence.
I would try to wear those baggy, aztec-type sweaters and I just felt lost inside of clothes- I had no control over my style and certainly didn't felt comfortable with myself.

At 25, I am finally ok with being the preppy person I am.
In fact, I now fully embrace it- bring on the stripes, glitter, and hearts.
This "style crisis" was one of the reasons I started Real Life Dress Up- I have experienced how it feels to not feel comfortable with yourself and I have taken control back from my clothes.
I now wear clothes that I feel confident in and sometimes that means "skipping" on certain trends.


My tip to you- identify what you feel comfortable & confident with and embrace it.

& if your style happens to be more on the preppy side, then this is the blog for you :)

Sweater: F21 (old)

Shirt under sweater: Ross (old)

Jeans: F21 (old)

Shoes: GoJane

What is your personal style? Has anyone else experienced this shift?

Xoxo,

Nicole

Linking up: Penniless Socialite// Style Elixir

Comfy work pants.

Yesterday I spent the best $11 I have ever spent on these "work" pants.
The quotation marks exist because I felt like I was doing something wrong all day by wearing them.
I was sure I was breaking a dress code, somewhere.

I literally tried to hide as I walked in the office behind the director, but was surprised when she noted how much she loved them.
Work pants that are fashionable, comfy, and outside-of-work wearable?
Yep, best $11 ever.

Shirt: Old Navy (similar here)

Pants: Target (in stores, on sale) (similar here)

Heels: GoJane 

Necklace: Forever 21 (find here) (& similar here)

Would your dress code allow for these pants? 

Getting ready in a hurry

If I don't plan my outfit the night before, mornings can be somewhat rough.
I love my sleep. And I eliminate things so that I can hit snooze.
For example: "I will just put my hair in a bun... Snooze." Alarm goes back off 5 minutes later: "I will wear a necklace and a tee shirt... Snooze."
Once again, this Kohls elbow tee saved the day (my last post I talked about how much I love it).

Recipe for lazy morning dressing= statement necklace, tee shirt, simple skirt, and any shoes you can grab on the way out the door.

Linked up here: