Style Buzz: Wearing "Fancy" Clothes + Styling a Cream Pleated Skirt

Eugene Stylist
Jun 26
3 min read

Updated: Aug 14

Three Ideas to Inspire Your Style This Week

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"Wear it on a Tuesday!

Wear it to Safeway!"

*Wearing my "fancy" skirt while working at a photoshoot!*

For a change, I'm quoting myself! But this concept comes up frequently when I'm with a client - they'll look at a piece of clothing that they deem "fancy" and ask, "But when would I wear that?" Any time you want, my darling! And anywhere you want, too! A thoughtful client forwarded this article to me and it's wonderful to hear more people are reconsidering wearing their special occasion clothes every day, making the mundane just a little more joyful.

xxx rachel

WEARING YOUR "FANCY" CLOTHING

I really do encourage my clients (or anyone I talk to about style!) to not save their nicer pieces for a special occasion, but I understand the resistance. It's not just about wearing something that might not be appropriate for the occasion; it's deeper than that. They're also thinking:

What if I damage it?

Won't people judge me for being overdressed?

I'll probably be uncomfortable!

To the first two points, I answer honestly, "Yes." There's a risk that you'll spill something on it or rip it, but you take that risk with everything you wear. Happily, most clothing is repairable, so it's unlikely that you'd damage it beyond repair just by wearing it to the post office. As for people who judge others for being overdressed, I firmly believe that they're actually projecting their own insecurities about their style. How on earth does it affect their life if someone is dressing in a way that they wouldn't or haven't allowed themselves to? Perhaps the judgey person is a little envious that others have the confidence to, as Stacy and Clinton say, wear whatever the F they want and are so boldly going about their day being stylish and happy?

To the third point about being uncomfortable, I give a resounding "no!" because they shouldn't be wearing clothes that make them uncomfortable - no pinching, riding up, digging in, or ill-fitting clothing allowed! But I also point out that when they classify a piece of clothing as "fancy", they're also imagining it in a formal setting, which requires different styling. Wearing a dress to a wedding does require higher styling, but just swapping out the shoes with that same dress - from stilettos to sandals - changes the look as well as the wearability and how comfortable an outfit is.

So this is the key to wearing fancier clothes every day:

You simply pair it with items that tone it down and make it a little more casual.

When I talk about versatility of clothing, I'm not just thinking how you can dress a garment up, but also how you can dress it down! Two very simple pieces - a denim jacket and white tennis shoes - can go a long way to making a dress you'd wear to a wedding something that you'd wear just to run errands. How you style the fancy pieces with more casual shoes, cardigans, and jewelry makes them much more wearable, even on a Tuesday when you're just headed to Safeway.

Challenge yourself to try this with one of your "special" pieces this week and see not only how you get much more use out of your wardrobe, but how it elevates a normal day.

You deserve that.

(And of course, send me pics!!)

3 WAYS TO WEAR IT: Cream Pleated Skirt

I found this skirt at Reds Boutique, a new little gem at 5th Street Market. I have nothing like it in my wardrobe and up until the moment I put it on, didn't think I ever would! Because it's so pretty but also pretty distinct, I took it as a challenge to style it as many ways as possible and get a lot of use out if it. And yes, there's a lot of twirling.