Style Buzz: Biased Beliefs on Comfort + Anatomy of a Checked Blazer Outfit

Ideas to Inspire Your Head-to-Toe Style

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"I have to get completely dressed in a whole outfit for even a Zoom call. My brain knows if my feet are phoning it in."

Your brain is smarter than you think! It knows if you're ready from head to toe, or if you're only professional from the waist up. I mean, no one can see what's going on below the camera, right? But your subconscious does! It knows if you're put together or there's some part of you that's still got one foot in bed. By dressing for the occasion, you'll be much more engaged in it, not just because you look the part but because you're taking the occasion seriously and giving it the respect it deserves. Yes, even a Zoom call. (And no, don't switch into your slippers immediately afterward.) Find the clothes that are comfy AND polished. They might just make you look forward to your next meeting!

 xxx rachel

As much as I love these slippers from NEXT in England, I only wear them in my dressing room, (even if they do match my outfit perfectly!)

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WHAT DO WE MEAN BY "COMFY"?

Two weeks ago, I talked about being stylish in a style desert and ignoring what other people think about how you dress. We're trained to think that when someone offers a not-so-kind comment that we need to believe it. Nope. Not at all.

True, there are comments that you might not want to hear, like, "You've got some fluff on your bum," or "I think your shirt might be on inside out." Those are awkward but helpful. Like I said in the previous newsletter, it's the comments like, "That looks uncomfortable,” and the passive-aggressive “I could never pull that off,” that don't do you any favors.

I heard these types of comments when I worked at a non-profit in town. The standard dress code was a lot more casual than my daily style, and I clearly remember one afternoon I was in the kitchen, wearing a blouse, a pencil skirt, and stilettos. A colleague looked me up and down and said, "I could never wear what you're wearing. It's just so uncomfortable." I know that stilettos get a bad rap, but these were so comfortable that I could ride my bike in them and walk around all day, no problem.

My initial reaction was, "Do you really think I spend over 8 hours of my day being uncomfortable??", but I've since realized that what she really meant was, "I've created beliefs based on assumptions of something I know nothing about because I don't have the courage to try." She'd obviously never considered that style could actually be comfortable.

Comfort is two-fold. Primarily, it's the physical comfort of how a garment fits you. Does it pinch, bunch, ride up, or scratch, or does it feel like a warm hug, all supportive and cozy, and you almost don't notice you're wearing it? The moment you put the right piece of clothing on, you should only be aware of it in very positive terms - it fits, it looks good, it's flattering. The second part of comfort is how does it make you feel in yourself? Are you smiling when you put it on? Standing a little straighter and with more confidence? Seeing yourself as you've always hoped or wanted to - whether you openly admit it or not? (Oh go on. We all do it!)

So this colleague was missing the point of clothes on so many levels. While her beige, pleated, polyester pants and athletic shoes may have been physically comfortable, she hadn't realized that they could make her feel negatively about herself, blending into the background and not demonstrating her self-worth through clothes. And that kind of makes me sad. She was self-limiting based on biases of something she'd not even tried.

So if you catch yourself thinking, "I could never wear that...." stop and reframe it with, "I hadn't considered wearing that before, but why couldn't I?" Maybe not that exact piece, but take the essence of it and make it your own. You might be pleasantly surprised (and very, very comfy, inside and out!)

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ANATOMY OF AN OUTFIT

This is a peek into my favorite outfit of the week where I break it down for you: why I've put it together and why it works, what elements could be swapped out, things to consider, etc.

I keep the majority of my clothes out and visible in my wardrobe all year round. Partly because I don't have much storage space, but mostly because I love finding ways to wear pieces all year round. This outfit is based around a faux doubled-breasted checkered blazer I wear in all but the truly hot months. I drew inspiration from it for the coordinating colors by adding a lovely navy t-shirt underneath. The tee would be too cold by itself so I've got a long sleeve thermal underneath. (I just don't plan on removing my blazer at any point!) The blazer pattern has brown stripes in it, so the tone-on-tone brown denim flares and suede booties provide color cohesion without battling for attention with the navy, and they make my legs look longer. While silver jewelry would go well with the grey tones, I've used gold jewelry as an accent to warm up the palette, and the gold bees on the scarf tie it all together nicely while keeping me toasty in this cold snap.

Blazer: Jones New York from Macy's

Blouse: Liverpool Los Angeles from Poppy On Main (Klamath Falls, OR)

Jeans: St John's Bay from JC Penney

Shoes: Eric Michael from Miss Meers

Scarf: Gift

Earrings: Tai from NewTw!st