Friday, November 30, 2012

A Change in Style

I am not what you would call a fashionable person. Sure,
 I watch Project Runway, adore Tim Gunn, and know what I like in terms of clothing, but my regular day to day look is generally jeans and a tank top. I've never really been the kind of girl who puts a lot of time into her appearance. I figure if you don't like me in my natural state, then you're not going to change your opinion just because of some makeup and a fancy hairdo, but lately I have been thinking that while I want an effortless style, effortless doesn't have to mean sloppy. My inner girl is convinced that if I just buy enough high heels and skirts that eventually I will start wearing them. She is horribly horribly wrong, but there is no reason I can't class up my jeans with a minimum of effort. I think a good place to start is with layering. That way I can still wear my beloved tank tops, but look a bit classier. Also, tanktops are nearly useless in winter. I've pretty much worn the same sweater over every tank top I own every time I leave the house. I think a good start to dressing up my everyday look is a nice jacket. A great jacket can make your look, plus they are usually versatile in that you can wear them nearly year round. I have a heavier coat that I can wear when it's cold/snowing, but it's not flattering at all. A dressier coat would also be a great addition to my wardrobe. I can look fabulous and dressed up in a skirt, but once I put on my coat, I get lost in it. The problem here is that clothes, nice clothes, are very expensive. These are a few of my favorite jackets from one of my favorite shows, Once Upon a Time. I wish I could afford jackets like these ones. They're custom jackets, so I don't even want to think about how much they would cost. 
 

They're all from Oceandrive Leather. I also really like this one. 

I'll never own one of these, but a girl can dream. The closest I've seen to any of these that I've actually liked and was willing to pay for is at Hot Topic: Royal Bones Slim Moto Jacket 
Charlotte Russe had some cute ones, but I didn't find any I really liked. I'm open to suggestions if anyone has found any nice motorcycle jackets anywhere for a decent price. 

Hot Topic also had a few awesome dressy coats. I especially like this one: Royal Bones Black Twill Trench and this one: Black Zip Lace Up Back 
I found a few more coats in a style I like at Maurice's. I end up buying quite a lot of clothes at the Maurice's. They're not super spendy, but their stuff is usually fairly good quality and I like the styles available. 
I really liked this one from Maurices. It's more feminine than a lot of the trenchcoats or peacoats this season so it would give me that girly edge without a lot of effort. 

And this one was also one of the coats I liked. At the store they had this one in a deep blue color that was really pretty, but I can't find it on the website in any color other than black. 

I was hoping to find a coat in a houndstooth pattern, but they didn't seem to have any available when I was looking. These are just the things I was able to find when half-asleep on Black Friday. 

These are a few of the things I found at Charlotte Russe when I was shopping online. They are nice, but I'm not in love with them, like I am with Emma's coats. Part of my worry is that they will get dirty really quickly, or wear quickly and lose their charm. It's just a fact of life when you live with a 1 year old and two cats. There was a white denim motorcycle jacket, a metallic blue pleather jacket, and another white quilted zip front pleather jacket.

Simple classic style is what I'm looking for, I want to have something that is a little bit feminine, but a little bit edgy and above all easy and simple. And if anyone wants to take pity on me and buy me one of these awesome jackets or coats I'm probably a medium.