I never thought I would feel this way about getting dressed. Back in March when quarantine began, I kept telling myself that I wouldn't miss an opportunity to put on actual clothing—instead of plus size sweatpants. I longed for the days where I could get dressed for work or to go out to dinner with friends, but now that I am doing those things regularly, I rarely ever have a good time putting outfits together—let alone getting dressed. I am not sure exactly why I now hate getting dressed and become so discouraged as I get ready for almost every occasion, but I have a couple of theories:
- I got so used to the convenience and comfort of sweatpants and plus size yoga pants, and now nothing else feels quite as comfortable—obviously.
- My body has changed. I have gained weight, which means that my clothes fit a little tighter than usual. I am totally okay with this and I accept these changes. But when clothing doesn't fit right, it can be discouraging.
- I find myself in a constant battle with wanting to wear fashion-forward styles or new and bold trends, but I think my over optimism about how these trends will translate on my body leave my confidence suffering.
Being someone who relies on clothing to boost my confidence, I knew that I had to really sit with these feelings and come up with a game plan to get myself excited about getting dressed again. While I have spent years cultivating confidence and breaking away from the mindset and boundaries that told me what I could and couldn't wear, I realized that I may have to re-build that confidence to get back to the fearless relationship I had with clothing. How would I do this? I went back to the basics. Instead of trying to shoot for the stars with every look I created, I reached for the basics and foundation pieces that made me feel good. For me, that was a pair of stretchy skinny jeans, a loose-fitting sweater, and a pair of knee high wide calf boots. Like every girl ever, I love fall specifically for the fashion. I mean, what's not to love about plus size sweaters and wide calf boots?
Before I put on the outfit you're looking at right now, I was so worried about creating the perfect look. I was trying on skirts with tights and ankle boots and sneakers, and I kept piecing together outfits that I hated, which lead to a huge pile of clothes scattered across my bed. I was feeling so uninspired and my confidence plunged. But then, I saw this color-blocked plus size sweater that I got last fall from Chic Soul. To keep things simple, I went for a pair of black plus size skinny jeans—rather than a blue wash denim (if you are feeling overwhelmed when you're creating an outfit or you feel like nothing is looking good, try opting for a monochromatic look). And to top off the look, I added my favorite knee high boots. Side note: I always worry about how to keep knee high boots up as I wear them throughout the day, but these Riko knee high boots from Eloquii stay put!
And just like that, I finally had on an outfit that was so easy to create, but still did wonders for my confidence. Moral of the story: Sometimes it's all about simplifying things (creating a monochromatic look) and bring it back down to the basics (like jeans, a sweater, and some boots). Try not to over-complicate things, especially if you have noticed that you have been hard on yourself lately.
SIZING INFO: I am wearing Torrid's Bombshell Skinny Jean in a size 18, which is my usual size, and it fits perfectly! I am also wearing a sweater from Chic Soul that is no longer in stock, but I have included some similar style of sweaters in the shop widget below!
