#WAChallenge2015 : Defining my Style

The first step in the #WAChallenge2015 is to define your core style. In order to define your style there wear some helpful worksheets. Theses worksheets asked questions to identify why you make the clothing choices you make.

Personally, I’ve always been a bit of an outcast when it comes to my wardrobe. When I was six my mother took me to Sears to buy a dress for my first day of kindergarten. They kept suggesting a lovely pink dress but I choose the suit dress. Yes, I went to my first day of kindergarten in a blazer.

I’ve always loved suits and suit dresses wear a popular staple in my wardrobe. It must have been influenced by Alex Keaton, from Family Ties. I’m not sure, neither of my parents wore suits but I felt like they made me look professional.

On the flip side I also loved sailor dresses and big skirts. The parent trap was one of favorite movies growing up and I could only wish for a wardrobe like Haile Milles.

By the time I became a teenager I was starting to rebel and find my self. I wanted to stand out , so I ended up doing the whole goth thing. I had purple hair and long black dresses from Hot Topic.

Looking back though, while dresses may have been marketed as goth, they were really just dresses with long circle skirts, ie. vintage in style and silhouette.

As a professional I moved back into my routine suit wearing. My work dress code is pretty lax, but as a university professor I figure I need to look the part so suits it is.

While I wear suits I kind of add a vintage twist. Most of my suits are midi length in the skirt and I always wear a brooch on the lapel of the jacket. Occasionally I even wear a vintage hat with my suits.

Suits will probably always be a staple of my wardrobe on my days off I enjoy the casual vintage day dress. Something made of cotton and with a big skirt.

The keywords I’d use to describe how my ideal wardrobe would make me feel are:

• Professional
• Confident
• Comfortable
• Happy
• Vintage

Why a vintage style? Probably goes back to my core values. I could never wear a mini-skirt, that is those small skirts that come with suits in the teen department. And no low-rise jeans, I don’t want people to see my but crack if I happen to bend over.

Vintage clothes by nature are a bit more modest by nature. Of course it depends on the decade, but in general, more modest.

Also, modern clothes seem to lack style. Consider the number of people you see wearing yoga pants, when they aren’t doing yoga. When I dress up in my suits or a nice day dress I feel more confident about my appearance and thereby project a more comfortable and happy me.

After going through this exercise, I realized I know the kind of wardrobe I want, I’ve really always know what like to wear since I was six. So, what’s stopping me from my ideal wardrobe?

My weight! The problem isn’t my weight as much as the fact that it doesn’t stay the same. Because of my schedule and work habits my weight can vary between 50 pounds from summer to winter. I feel like it’s a losing battle.

During the summer I lose weight and end up fitting a size 8-10. Mid fall my weight begins to rise that by January I’m back in a size 14. Then the cycle begins all over again.

This means nothing my closet ever fits right, it’s either too small or big depending on the time of year.

While I’m not sure how to address my weight issues, I can share with you my style inspiration board.

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