Style Tips from Debbie:Be Yourself

Being Yourself With Style

Hi Friends! How was your Easter weekend? I hope you had a lovely Easter filled with joy and good times. Ours was very nice although Easter Day itself was a bit cold and gloomy. I have to admit I would have preferred blue skies and sunshine but we take what we get, right?! There is always joy in the resurrection no matter the weather! 

Today, will be the fifth and final entry in my "Style Tips from Debbie" series. If you missed the other style tips posts don't worry. I am doing a recap today and will link to the other posts for you so you can catch up. It's been fun doing this series because it has helped me to really think about my own style preferences and what I like and don't like about style. Today's tip may seem obvious, but I feel that it is the most important of all the tips I have given so far and in fact, it pretty much sums up all my other tips. Here it is.....Be Yourself with style. Sounds too simple? Let me repeat it.....Be Yourself with style. Now, really think about that for a few minutes, OK? Because as simple as this tip may sound, I feel that being yourself with style can be really challenging. 

You see, in our culture we are constantly being bombarded with images of fashion. Commercials, magazines, stores and, of course, blogs are always showing the latest and greatest styles. And, most of these views are advertisements for selling something. As women, we are encouraged to stay on top of the latest styles all the time and the styles seem to change every few months (and sometimes weeks)! Of course, the goal is to keep us buying. It's no secret we live in a consumer oriented culture and I'm as guilty as the next person when it comes to shopping. And it's not only about style when it comes to fashion but also color and accessories and shoes and it goes on and on! There is a reason that some bloggers are called "influencers" and that is because they influence folks who read their blogs (or view their ads) to buy something! Now, I'm not doing this post to knock bloggers who sell things on their blogs. I'm simply pointing out the obvious which is we are encouraged to buy things when we see lovely models wearing a gorgeous outfit. I picture myself in the outfit and think how good I will look in it. So I buy it and bring it home (or have it delivered to my house) and.....woops....it doesn't look and/or feel good on me at all! What happened? It looked so good on that other woman. Bingo! The outfit doesn't look or feel good because it is not my style. I forgot to be myself with style! Has that ever happened to you? It surely has happened to me on several occasions. 

When I first started blogging almost four years ago, I was heavily influenced by other bloggers. Sometimes, I would find myself purchasing a particular style because I thought it looked so good on "Blogger X, Y or Z." What I discovered, however, was that I ended up not wearing the outfit because it just wasn't a good fit for me. It either didn't look right on my body or didn't feel comfortable. This has happened on several occasions throughout my life when I have been "influenced" by outfits worn by friends or movie stars or models in magazine ads I have seen. Sometimes the outfits worked, but not always. I have a feeling that this may have happened to you sometimes, as well. Am I right? What I have discovered about myself, is that if I really think through an article of clothing I am about to buy and ask myself some questions before buying, I am more likely to make a "good buy" and will enjoy and wear the purchase. What questions do I ask myself? Here are some examples:

 Is this outfit comfortable on my body? 

Would I feel good wearing this outfit all day? (In other words is it tight, irritating to my skin, painful to walk in, etc.)

Is it easy to put on and remove? 

Do the colors compliment me? 

Does it look like Debbie? 

Now, I wonder if some of you are thinking the following: "But Debbie, you are 60 years old! Why would you need to remind yourself to 'be yourself' with style? Haven't you figured this all out long ago?"

Hmmmm, I thought I had. But, I find that being myself with style needs some reminders from time to time. After all, we live in a society that makes it a bit hard to be ourselves. Because we are always being "influenced" by what we see and read and hear. That's why it is so important to be yourself no matter what! 

The outfit you see me wearing in this post is very much "me style." It ticks off all the boxes for comfort, ease in putting on and taking off, complimenting colors and I definitely have worn it all day! (In fact, as I write this I am still wearing the same outfit). If you read any of my earlier style tips posts you will know that I like my clothing to have something in the style that is a bit "unique." The scalloped edges on the sweater top ticks that box. You know I like "thrifting." The pretty pink infinity scarf is a Dollar Store find. The periwinkle blue and pink are two of my "happy colors." And, the pictures speak for themselves that this outfit fits my body type. 

So, as I bring this series to a close, here's a recap of my Five Style Tips:

• Take A Picture
• Make A List
• Find Your Happy Color(s)
• Make Friends With Thrifting
• Be Yourself With Style

Be sure to stop by on Wednesday when our Match Made in Seven international blogger's group will be showcasing a new theme challenge. I think you will really enjoy this month's theme! 

Until Next Time,

Debbie