Style Wednesday: Dressing for Home and a New, More Creative, Life....

Wowza - this has been a lot of navel-gazing about style!

Interesting to see the comments on colour - I know that most of you know this stuff, but for some of us, it is helpful to review!

I truly feel this has been a long process of self-discovery (you have probably been thinking it is pretty long, too!) as I embrace this next chapter in my life. 

I have been taking you all with me because a) you are pretty damn helpful! and b) because someone else might be going through a similar thing in their life and find it helpful.

The real turning point for me was the realization of how little of my spring/summer clothing that I actually wore.  This was reiterated to me when I went back and started working with Polyvore again - so much of  what I had saved is no longer here in the house with me.  As well, looking at my images over the past year here in the blog is like seeing a long-lost friend, a ghost from a different life...

But as they say - when you know better, you do better, right?

Sure there are always reasons why we don't wear our clothes - weight changes, weather realities, laziness. 

In my case, it was all of these reasons but for the most part: that was a style for a different, working life, and for a different, 40-something woman.  They were also clothes for someone who wasn't sure of their style anymore as their life and their body changed with age.

Having revisited my style and truly embracing the quirkiness that is me, I am finally able to make style choices that make sense for the life I have now, not some imaginary life or some previous life.

So how does one build a fall/winter wardrobe for working/staying at home?

In my case, my uniform is going to be pretty basic:

Bottoms

• knits skirts
• Café capris in black and natural in September
• jeans - straight and bootleg
• Ponte knit trousers

In fact, I have almost everything I need here.  I could use one or two more skirts, but that's it.

Tops

• t shirts - plain, but also fun and funky
• a (very) few button downs and blouses
• flow-y cardigans and a few fitted ones (lighter in fall transitioning to cashmere in late Fall)

I recently acquired 3 identical Tahari cardigans in 100% merino wool.  I bought them in heather grey, true navy and oatmeal.  They are comfortable and chic.  I can see wearing these with longer tees over leggings and boots or jeans and loafers, ballets.

This year I will have fun with tshirts - they are cheap, disposable and paired with a neutral cardigan, can add the dash of whimsy I am looking for.  My recent J Crew floral tee, and my Paris tee, along with my yet-to-be-revealed David Bowie t-shirt, are how I will get my fun on!

Jackets

• a few blazers for meetings or outings to "dress" up my bottoms
• pea coats
• my trench coat
• my H&M khaki coat and H&M faux leather jacket

Dresses

• Knit - lightweight wool and jerseys only, worn with leggings and boots or tights and ballet flats. I am looking for ones like the shapes below, but for every day...Am waiting to see more casual Nougat and Anthropologie wear...

I did order this little one from Gap to see if it could fit the "hanging around the house" bill..

Footwear (flat - under 2"!)

• ballet flats
• loafers
• boots

Am good here.  But shoes are your friend and one must never think it is a bad idea to invite more home with you....

"Dress-up" Clothes

• several fancier skirts and party dresses
• heels - black, brown, nude, navy, fancy
• 2 suits - one navy pin stripe, one black, in case I have to go to meetings or something of a similar ilk.

I am SO set here - honestly, I have been shopping as if I was living in a Jenna Lyons sitcom!

M inspired me this morning to try Polyvore and here are a couple of rudimentary sets showing my at home style:

 

 

 

 

The key to at-home style for me is COMFORT.  And I am not talking yoga pants.  You need to be able to bend, lift, stretch, sit at the computer, walk the dog, run for coffee with a friend.

In this case, the comfort is both physical and psychological.

If you can't breath or if the look is not "you", you leave it in the closet...I speak from experience here...

One thing that also helped me was to winnow down my Pinterest picks into a work-from-home style board (where you can see the links for all of the pictures below, plus more as I add them) that is designed to inspire me:

 

 

 

 

 

 This fall I will be simplicity and comfort, but with a twist. 

I will pull out my funky jewelry - antique pins, old bracelets, my earrings. 

I will not wear Spanx (unless George calls!)

 

The pictures above are my beginnings of a stay-at-home/work from home style.  I will take lots of pictures this fall as I put this into action.

However, this is only one style.  If you want some other real-life inspiration from others who work at home I suggest you:

Visit Dani to learn about how a classic dresses at home.  Most exquisite!

Tabs is classic too, but with the European je ne sais quoi and a dash of bourbon that can make her style quite salty!  She says she lives in sweats whilst working at home, and likely she does, but when she goes out - oh la la!  Watch out.  My sartorial and body dream!

Visit M to learn how a chic dresses at home.  Her post yesterday on fall neutral styles is to weep about!

Visit Ina to see a classic-preppy chic at home.

Visit Dina who is the epitome of Whimsical style, so elegantly achieved!

Ema at My Closet, My Baby and I.  Ema is 100% Chic with a dash of avant-garde.  For some reason, I keep getting tossed off her blog tonight, so no link!

A Bigger Closet is Classic-Chic to me!

Visit Blue Booby to see a classic-bohemian wardrobe. (BB are you working from home - why do I think so?)

Those are only a few of the inspirational folk I know!

I am really loving my fall wardrobe and feeling very happy with my new Style.  Here is the funny thing - at 50, I find myself returning to dress like I did when I was 20, only in nicer fabrics and cleaner lines.  Full circle moment!

Thanks for reading his long-winded post.  Oh and one more thing - I am actually wearing sweats while I write this (my cleaning uniform that I didn't change out of!).  Oh irony, thy name is Wendy!

Have an awesome day and stay safe out there!