I was gonna say I've never been a fan of singular outfits, except that's not true. I am a passive enjoyer of stylish outfits, just not someone who could ever wear them. I like clothes to have practicality, which is a tremendous conflict at times with the pretty part of my brain.
not quite right. all parts of the brain are pretty in different ways. even the ones that aren't.
What do I mean by singular outfits?
Well, kinda just outfits you can only wear once. One-piece suits, or that killer dress/hat combo. See, I'm all for those, I just can't manage them. That's always impacted my way of packing a great deal. See, it doesn't matter if I'm gonna be away for six days or six months. I want clothes I can mix and match, or wear multiple times.
I know girls who go on holiday with each outfit for each day prepped out beforehand. They pack the hat that goes with the Tuesday dress, and the shoes for the Wednesday outfit, and so on and so forth. And true enough, they end up looking extremely stylish.
Me, about half the photos of myself I have from my Europe trip are in the same hoodie and the same leggings. What can I say? They're practical.
Summer, fortunately, is a very friendly season for practical outfits, if you want it to be.
This makes it into most trips, as it's a great little summer outfit. It's actually about seven great summer outfits in one easy go. It's also a great autumn, spring, and, at a stretch, winter outfit, too. But that's the magic of denim, I guess. It's just light enough to seem summery, but also thick enough not to seem goofy if worn over leggings or a cozy jumper in the cold months. See what I mean by practical outfits?
Pack this little thing, and you've got a few outfits for every season guaranteed.
Much for the same reason, I lean heavily towards overalls. Ironically, not denim ones, for some reason. They're too everywhere at the moment to appeal, maybe. I don't know. But fabric overalls are a passion.
I'm very comfortable in my dressing habits. Which is funny because I didn't always use to be. I was a fan of tight jeans, and tight leather. To be fair, my leather jacket (probably older than the dress) is a special one, still. But now, I find myself leaning towards practical, comfy wear more than tight, look-at-me numbers. I suppose there was a part of me that enjoyed the attention, but now, I favor more the comfort of these looser, chill outfits, and you know what? It doesn't take away the attention at all. I guess it's true what they say, feeling comfortable and confident in yourself is the best accessory.
I guess I still like the appearance of a fancy one-time dress. But at the end of the day, I'm always gonna choose this sort of outfit.
A psychological comfort?
There is, obviously, a great comfort to be found in repetition. Psychologically, without meaning to, we ascribe our clothes and accessories certain protective powers. It's why we feel so alienated in hospital settings where our clothes are taken from us (in part).
I know for me, there is a bizarre comfort in wearing similar outfits. If I'm feeling fragile, I'll turn to an outfit I wore a few days before when I felt safer, or more confident. It's a very interesting, yet strange thought, that we could be made safer by something as unrelated as an overall, but it seems to work for me when I need it to. So I'll take it.
Between the psychological effect and the sheer practicality, I'm sticking with clothes I can wear two days in a row, yet look like a completely different person. I consider it an exercise in creativity.
I saw the #StylishSaturday tag in the Minimalist community, and couldn't resist with this post. :)
