Monday, April 18, 2011

I bought this all new



Something amazing happened today. And it also made me realize something: when I feel like I should be dressing more "professionally" I don't gravitate toward thrifted items as much. I had a presentation in my Architecture History class that was worth 40% of my overall grade. I don't know what it is about Architecture as a profession/study that makes me feel like I need to dress more from-the-mall (for lack of better word)?





In the two years that Architecture was my major, I definitely changed the way I dressed. I started wearing pants everyday--and sweaters/shirts that screamed minimalism and "I don't care about how I dress, I'm too busy with Architecture." I'm not completely sure why. I know I felt like I should dress that way--like how dare I spend time caring about my clothes. I know I wanted to be taken seriously as a girl; the girl to guy ratio was probably somewhere around 1:6.

I realize now, that I was trying to mold myself into a major that wasn't wholly right for me. Plus, on top of all that, i've always struggled with how to dress, since I look so young.

( For those of you who don't know, part of the reason I started blogging was to get back in touch with my personal style after sort of pushing it away.)



I didn't actively decide to wear all non-thrifted items and it's odd that it happened that way, since most of closet is second hand. And it's not like this is even super professional. The skirt is far too short to be. But I did want to look a little bit polished.

None of the things I do buy new are usually ever very expensive. I love stores that have take addition _% off clearance items. That's basically how I come to own any clothing from more expensive brands.





skirt: Gap
sweater: Gap
tights/belt/jacket/headband/necklace: F21
booties: Sam & Libby

Have you ever lost touch with your personal style? Why? How did you reconnect?

28 comments:

  1. I'm in the same boat! I almost ALWAYS buy all my in store items on sale. If I buy anything that isn't on sale it's after much deliberation with my wallet, head, and heart haha. But it doesn't matter where it comes from as long as you can make it your own and you like it right? =) Anyway, your outfit and pictures scream fun and girly which is the perfect outfit for the upcoming spring.

    And I'm glad that you are blogging in order to figure out your personal style. That's also one of the reasons why Caroline and I started one. And I think it's working (for you and us both!!)

    -Erin (http://keepcalmandstyleon.blogspot.com)

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  2. I think you have a very distinct personal style. And I think it's really fun like this outfit. Polka dots, mixed prints, and funky colors. I am 97 percent sure I have that same exact gap sweater in the same color =O I have no idea where it is though. Anyway, love the purple paired with the mixed prints. The tights and skirt are so cute!!

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  3. Same here, I mostly buy new stuff if discounted. Or if it's already very cheap. Or if it's seriously perfect and I have some money I could save by not eating that much that month. :P

    I love the chequered skirt and the polka dotted tights together! How did the presentation go?

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  4. Your post about your style vs you major was very much the same of a friend of mine's dilemma. She is already graduated with a degree in architecture and she would find it a bit difficult to balance professionalism, feminism, and stylishness all the while teaching middle age men how to use CAD. So you're not alone:)

    And your outfit today is quite the picture of pretty. I love the skirt!

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  5. This outfit definitely does not look straight "from-the-mall". It's still very unique and very you, I think it's great! I have the same problem, I look very young so sometimes it's hard for me to wear certain looks I like without looking like I'm 12. It's incredibly frustrating because I do want to be take seriously but I also want to wear what I like.

    Lidi @ Eclectic Flair

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  6. That's funny, I always think of architects as dressing all in black and a bit pretentiously! But that could just be the architects I know! ; D

    Thrifted or not, you look nice. Particularly like the skirt!

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  7. your tights are absolutely adorable!

    <3 steffy
    Steffys Pros and Cons

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  8. Love your outfit! You put this outfit together very well! I always wanted to be an architect when I was younger, but that clearly changed. I still think it looks like a fun job. Haha!

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  9. well thank you! what a cute pattern on your skirt!

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  10. I like your dotty tights! They look cute with the boots. Haha, architects always remind me of the book The Fountainhead.

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  11. you are way too cute :) I lost touch before. Now I am trying to get it back !

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  12. I think we all go through those fazes when we loose our sense of style and fight to gain it back. I think it takes a little bit of caring and soul searching to get it all back!

    Cute tights and booties!

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  13. I totally relate to everything in this post. I often have to "dress professionally" for school/work presentations. Especially in the field of academia, professors and fellow students often judge you based on your dress. This totally sucks and makes me angry! My performance should be based on my work not my dress. I think your outfit looks very professional but true to your personal style Lovely! xoxo

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  14. cute!cute!&cute! i <3 portland, oregonnn~~so beautiful!!i am having a giveaway on my blog, that is perfect for spring&summer! a RAD BIKINI by a young Mexican designeer! check it out, you wont be disappointed <3 i promise!

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  15. I sometimes lose my sense of style when I'm dressing for work. I tend to be super bland but I'm working on that :)

    You have adorable bangs! I love your hair and the polka dotted stockings :)

    Also, the cleanse I did DOES seem a bit OCD, but I generally ate lesser because I was so full from the water :p But in general, you can still eat the same way but it's probably preferred if you also ate healthier in conjunction to the cleanse.

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  16. I don't know if it is necessarily considered losing touch with our individual personal styles or if it is just a slump or a glitch in the system. Maybe our personal style was going through a transitional period.
    I have experienced similar things. It happens to everyone, I think. Sooner or later, we all found our little niche where we feel comfortable and normal.
    I love your style. It is so unique!

    http://www.glamkittenslitterbox.com/
    Twitter: @GlamKitten88

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  17. I definitely see where your coming from. Sometimes I, too, find myself dressing for other things besides myself or how I'm feeling.

    I must say though, the pattern of your skirt looks very architecturally-inspired to me :) I like it.

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  18. Thank you so much for your really sweet comment! I love your blog (and you are really cute :P) and I just love how you paired the skirt with the polka-dotted tights. I also like that the skirt falls "foufily" and doesn't just lie flat :D

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  19. Well, I see Erin pretty much said what I was going to say, hahah. But we also started our fashion blog almost solely to define our own senses of style. :)

    So ... since our blog is relatively new, I still haven't experienced a detour away from my sense of style yet... but experimenting and trying out different things (like wearing all new pieces) isn't a bad thing! :)

    Plus, your outfit is insanely cute! :D

    - Caroline (keepcalmandstyleon.blogspot.com)

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  20. Don't worry about it, you didn't have to do the Kreative thing!

    Your job sounds fun, i LOVE hello kitty, you should totally do like...giveaways with HK stuffs :P hehe just an idea.

    Btw i love your glasses, they are cute on you, pink would never suit me.

    Oh well, have a great day dear! xoxo

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  21. love your boots girl! You look great :)

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  22. I love this ENTIRE outfit! I love your shoes and how you mixed the patterns of the skirt and tights. So cute!!

    And yes, I've lost touch with my personal style a couple times. I think I go through phases of what my style is, and the whole reason I started my blog was to find my particular "style." I think it's a mish-mash of everythinggg. Ha. But I like it. And I like yours!! :)

    P.S. Thanks for the sweet comment you left me! :)

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  23. I love that gap skirt! I so tried it on and was waiting for it to go on sale... but then my size was gone.

    Chic on the Cheap

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  24. That skirt and those tights are AMAZING! And I was the same way in college. I was a business major and whenever we had to do presentations, we had to dress in stuffy business suits. I hated it.

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  25. Lea! gorgeous tights! (and skirt and top) AND BOOTS!!! :) And your glasses are pretty sweet with the pink color on the inside! And when I was a chem major in undergrad, I totally lost touch of my personal sense of style especially because a lot of my professors really disapproved. It was a sad time in my life. But, bygones!
    ♥ laura

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  26. Hey, I have those boots! I haven't worn them yet though because I haven't had the right outfit yet... seeing them on you makes me want to wear them now, though! haha

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  27. Love the plaid and dots combo - it's perfect!

    xo,

    Sarah

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