New Years' Style Resolutions - How Did I Do in 2015?

Last year, I made a few style resolutions for myself.  Today, I wanted to look back to see how I did!

I Resolve To...Wear More Color!
I really love wearing black and neutrals in general, but wearing color can make me feel really good, and color projects confidence and personality in a way that neutrals can't always do.

So, last year, I resolved to wear more color.  I think I did pretty well with this resolution as I implemented more color into my wardrobe over the last year.  Even though most of these outfits still incorporate black, I was much more likely to add colorful tops accessories, shoes, and other rainbow-hued pieces.

Top, left to right: Manic Monday:  Fall Colors; Hustle & Flow;
Black Pants for Work:  Sailor Stripes; To Belt or Not To Belt
Bottom, left to right: Keep It Classic; Color and Confidence 2:  Seeing Red;
Bringing A Little Color To The Workplace; Red Hot

Top, left to right: Prints Charming; Color and Confidence 2:  Mellow Yellow;
Weekend Natural + JORD Wood Watch Feature; Ruffles & Lace-Ups
Bottom, left to right:  Imitation Game:  Simply Cyn; Midi & Crop Tops;
Drapey Blazers & Python Clutches; Yellow & Red

Top, left to right:  Manic Monday:  Daytime Office Holiday Party;
Color and Confidence 2:  Green Queen; Wild Card Wednesday:  Artsy Print;
Manic Monday: Military Inspiration
Bottom, left to right:  Unconditional Body Beautiful - Part 3: My Journey On My Legs; 
'Tis the Season; Black & White & Green Florals; Imitation Game:  Eloquii Fall 2015

Top, left to right:  Easy Spring Weekend;  Black Pants for Work 2:  The Jumpsuit;
I Resolve To...Wear More Color; The Summer Maxi
Bottom, left to right:  Weekend Ready; Color and Confidence 2:  True Blue with eShakti;
The Temptress; Go Blog Social

Clockwise, from top left corner:  Color and Confidence 2:  Purple Haze; Blueprint;
Manic Monday:  Wide Legs and Long Lines;  Reverse It; Imitation Game:  Curvy Girl Chic; Brighten The Day; I Resolve To...Show More Leg; Desk To Drinks; Playing with Proportions

Left, top to bottom: Professional in Faux Leather; Punky Sexy Day-Glo Lady
Middle:  Chasing Rainbows
Right:  Summer Crush

I Resolve To...Show More Leg!!
With a new-found love of my legs, I resolved last year to wear shorter skirts and dresses and flaunt those gams.  I made a decision to feel great about my legs and to show them off as much as I wanted.  Another successful resolution!! :-D

Top row, left to right:  Casual In Vogue; Fun With Zippers and Antiquarian Couture;
Call of the Wild; Saint Louis Fashion Week:  My Experience, My Fashion
Bottom row, left to right:  Wild Card Wednesday:  Leather & Lace; The Shorts Alternative; Beachy Bohemian; Unconditional Body Beautiful - Part 6:  Body Hair

Left, top to bottom:  Spring Berries & An Eyewear Feature From Firmoo.com;  I Resolve To...Show More Leg; Reader's Choice:  Casual Wear
Middle:  The Temptress
Right, top to bottom:  Unconditional Body Beautiful - Part 3:  My Journey on My Legs; Snowy Whites

I Resolve To...Stay on Budget!!
Budgeting does NOT coming easy to me, especially when it comes to my fashion purchasing.  I'm most definitely a shopaholic, and I hate to say it, but I blew my budget constantly in 2015.  The hubby and I are still in the process of trying to buy a house and getting our credit in line to do so, so even though I am horrible at it, I must continue to work on being better at sticking to a shopping budget.  As I also have a lot of clothes I'd like to get rid of, selling my clothes on eBay may be a way to increase my disposable clothing budget.

I Resolve To...Stay True To My Style!!
I think that in 2015, I became more attuned to what my style actually was.  I got better at purchasing clothing that was truly my personal style, especially when it came to work clothes.  While I incorporated more color last year, I also accepted that I just love to wear black (and white), and I put less pressure on myself to wear the variety of colors that I thought I should wear.    When I did wear color, I opted for a lot of greens, my favorite color.  I looked for sleek/architectural shapes and flowy maxi skirts and dresses.

Top, left to right:  Saint Louis Fashion Week:  My Experience, My Fashion;
Black for Summer:  The Culotte Jumpsuit; Skirt Week 2:  All White Everything;
Wild Card Wednesday:  Smart Glamour Fall 2015
Bottom, left to right:  Midi & Croptops; Imitation Game:  Kim Kardashian West;
Manic Monday:  Day to Night; Imitation Game:  Eloquii Fall 2015

Left, top to bottom:  Unconditional Body Beautiful - Part 4:  My Belly and Me;
Fun With Zippers and Antiquarian Couture; Edgy Formal
Middle:  I Resolve To...Stay True to My Style
Right, top to bottom:  Gilding the Lily; Blueprint

I Resolve To...Have More Fun With Fashion!!
I overcame some of my fashion fears and took more risks this past year.  Overcoming some of my body image issues and fears allowed me to have more fun with fashion.  Becoming bolder with my fashion choices, I played with more texture, daring necklines, fun prints, and whimsical clutches.  I definitely had more fun with fashion in 2015 and hope to do the same in 2016!!!

Left, top to bottom:  Wild Card Wednesday:  Faux Fur & Velvet;
If the Apocalypse Comes, Beep Me
Middle:  Reverse It
Right, top to bottom:  Imitation Game:  Rosie the Riveter; Snowy Whites

Left:  Imitation Game:  The Je Ne Sais Quoi
Middle:  Winter Bites
Right, top to bottom:  Imitation Game:  Nadia Aboulhosn;
Bringing A Little Color To The Workplace; Wild Card Wednesday:  Leather & Lace

All in all, I am quite happy with how I met my style goals for 2015.  I didn't really make any resolutions for 2016, but I'd like to continue to have fun with fashion, while staying true to my style and getting even more in tune with what's "me."  I definitely feel like I failed myself when it came to my budget, and I plan to try harder this year to stay on top of my fashion expenditures.  It's the most important of my style goals, and success in this arena means more money for my family.

Do you have any style resolutions for 2016?  How do you think I did with my 2015 resolutions?

I Resolve To...Stay True To My Style!!

Hi everyone!  Hope your week is off to a great start.  I am finishing up my style resolutions this week - a bit delayed due to health and photography issues!

Dress:  LOFT Petites (Available here)

Today, I am talking about my resolve to stay true to my personal style.  It seems like it would be easy to stay true to one's style, but sometimes I have a hard time.  I like a variety of clothes, and sometimes I get confused between fashion that I appreciate (for other people or as a style) and fashion that is really "me." 

When new arrivals come into my favorite stores, sometimes I just feel the urge to buy.  Everything is pretty and shiny and new - it seems better somehow than everything I have in my closet. 

But, in paying closer attention, I realize how often the same styles are simply re-hashed.  I don't have to go out and get something new.  I've learned that the first arrivals for spring (usually releasing now or within the next month) are usually not as desirable to me as pieces that come later. 

In recent years, I've developed a habit of only shopping from a handful of stores.  Knowing what fits my personality, lifestyle, body, and budget helps in narrowing down choices, which is good.  At the same time, I have limited myself from the opportunity to spend my fashion dollars on pieces that are really truer to my personal style.

So, as I have honed in much more to my personal style over the last year (discussed previously here), I have a better grasp on the image I'd like to present and am working on sticking to pieces that really enhance that image.

If I'm sticking to my other style resolutions, then I think staying true to my own style will be much easier!!


As I try to stick to my budget, I am working on choosing pieces that most reflect my current style and the direction I'd like to take it.  I am trying to be much more careful with my choices, choosing only pieces that I love and selecting items that help complete or round-out my wardrobe more.

Knowing what I like, and ultimately what works best for me and my lifestyle, means that I can be more satisfied with buying less.

As I try to incorporate more color into my wardrobe and to take a few more risks with fashion, I will do so with the acknowledgement that modern classics in easy silhouettes are my go-to for everyday wear.  

Blazer:  New York & Company (old)
Tights:  New York & Company

Budgeting for my fashion means figuring out more ways to re-work pieces for different types of occasions that all stay true to my personal style.  

Subtle changes to looks can give a piece a different feel.  Case in point?  The dress I'm wearing today.

I previously wore this leopard print dress with a tuxedo blazer and strappy heels for a dressy holiday party.

I played around with adding a plum blazer, but I didn't love the look (wrong cut, not quite the right shade).  I think adding a deep burgundy or another color to this dress could work really well, but I just didn't feel like I had the right pieces to make it work. 

So, I stuck with black additions, but I wanted to dress the look down for work.

Satchel:  Express

I added a black faux leather sleeve blazer, black tights, and black booties to help beat the cold.  To change the look up more, I wanted to give the dress more of the feel of a skirt.  To do this, I tied a scarf into a floppy bow-tie which covered most of my top half while wearing the blazer.

The look was layered enough to keep me warm for the cold temps, but it was bordering on being too heavy.  I'm wearing a lot of clothes and covering a lot of skin.  Pushing up the sleeves on the blazer and choosing a not-quite-opaque tight helped to lighten the look up.

If you're in warmer climates, you can lose the tights altogether.

Booties:  Target

Scarf:  LOFT

And, I actually like the look best without the blazer.  I'll have to keep this one in my memory bank as a transitional look from summer to fall.

Bracelet:  Ann Taylor

Earrings:  trendylittlepieces (Available here)



Glasses Frames:  Valentino

How do you change up similar looks?  Any tricks for getting more wear out of less versatile pieces like dresses?  Do you feel like you stay true to your style while shopping, or do you get sucked in by trends or the "pretty" and "shiny"?!

For the blazer in other looks, see here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

I Resolve To...Stay on Budget!!

Hope you've been enjoying my style resolutions for 2015.  You can click on the text links to catch up with my resolutions to wear more color and show more leg.

Today's resolution is the least fun of my five style resolutions, but it's the most important to achieve.  This year, I resolve to stick to my style budget.  While budgeting is not fun for me, reducing how much I spend on clothes each month frees up my income for more important things - like buying a house, getting married, and taking trips.  Which actually sound like pretty fun things!!

I am very much a shopaholic, but I'm working on reducing my monthly clothing expenditures.  I did really well with my November budget as I discussed here.  

In December, I got off track - between Christmas gifts of cash and gift cards, lots of sales, purchases and returns (I returned a few pieces from my November budget), rewards and other coupons, I'm honestly not sure how much I spent.  I very well may have stayed within budget - I'm just not sure!! 

But, I need to be sure.  It's important that I stay on top of what I'm spending to avoid my tendency towards overspending.

I'm not doing a round-up of my December purchases this month, since I'm not sure of my budget, but last month I did get the red dress, leopard print cami, clutch, and boyfriend jeans from my December wish list, as well as the Dior-inspired earrings from my November wish list, among other things.

For January, I resolve to stay on top of my expenditures better.  On my wish list for this month?

1.  Shoes - always on the lookout for pairs that fit my small, wide feet, shoes are sort of a permanent wish list inclusion.

2.  Preppy Sweater - I'm not usually one to like preppy or sporty styles, but I love this sweater.  It reminds me of tennis looks from the 1920s, which I really enjoy!

3.  Lace cami - I am all about black lace all the time.  Add a black and white palette, and I'm sold!!

4.  Pink faux leather - I'm currently having a love affair with reds and pinks.  With Valentine's Day around the corner, these colors seem especially fitting.  Soft pinks in faux leather feel a little girly, a little edgy.  And, I am loving the idea of mixing soft pink with red!  I might achieve that resolution to wear more color, after all!! :-)

5.  Nautical-inspired resort pieces - It might be freezing cold right now, but my mind is on the spring.  I love sailor pants and nautical stripes. 

* Silky Stripe Dress

* Sailor Pants

Do you budget for fashion?  What's on your shopping radar for the next month or so?

I Resolve To...Wear More Color!

I didn't make any serious resolutions for 2015, but I've been thinking about my style evolution and the direction I want to take it in the coming year.

In 2014, I feel like I really solidified my sartorial point of view, so 2015 is all about taking this vision to the next level.

Camisole:  The Limited (Available here)

Pants:  The Limited (Similar here and here)

In that vein, I thought it would be fun to come up with some style resolutions and share them with you.

The first of my resolutions is to wear more color.

Blazer:  The Limited (Similar here)

Boots:  Fergalicious by Fergie

Don't get me confused...black is an always will be the chicest, easiest, and hands-down best color to wear. In recognizing my fashion preferences, I have come to realize that I greatly prefer neutrals, especially black.  I generally find them to be chicer, more sophisticated, and more expensive looking.

BUT, I'm finding that mixing in more non-black neutrals and pops of color into my wardrobe creates a more nuanced look that feels much more interesting.  Other neutrals can be just as flattering as black, if not more so.  Color, if done well, can be just as chic as black.  It's also a surefire mood booster!

Clutch:  The Limited

Cuff:  Express

Earrings:  The Limited

I probably won't typically be wearing as much color as I am today.  It's a little too colorful for my more conservative workplace and I don't have many other places to wear a look like this, but it's fun to go bold with color every now and then.

Are you a fan of wearing color, or do you tend to opt mostly for neutrals?

For these pants in another look, see here.
For this blazer in other looks, see here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.