Finding Fashion Outside My Comfort Zone

Confession: My wardrobe consists of pretty much the same few items on rotation. There isn't much variety and each of the pieces looks a lot like the next one.

Fashion has never been something I was super interested in or on top of trends. I generally grabbed something that looked cute and comfortable. As I got older, and especially after babies, I became especially critical of the types of clothes I would wear.

My typical outfits usually involved boring, black tops that were great at hiding my midsection paired with jeans, leggings, or dress pants that I deemed comfortable.

I tried a few different subscription boxes to see what some professional stylists would dress me in. I definitely enjoyed it but found I still picked out the same items to keep and send back that I would in a store.

Now that I've gone past the baby-growing stage and am trying to accept this new body of mine, I've struggled to find my style.

Recently, I decided that I would take a trip to my favorite place, Target, for some clothes. I told myself that I would grab anything that caught my eye that was not something I usually would wear. Worse case, I wouldn't like any of it and no harm done.

What happened instead surprised even me. Each of the items made me feel stylish, young, and fun. The clothes were very flattering in very different ways so much so that I had to put some items back that I liked but didn't want to totally break the bank!

In addition, I didn't want to have to increase my budget just because I was trying new things. I tried to keep the price range where I would normally stay when buying everyday clothes.

Tops

Each top I selected and tried on was under $20. This is why I love Target! I ventured into the tie-dye realm with some of these really cute tops. I also threw in some animal print tops that I wouldn't normally wear often.

I ended up keeping some but not all just simply by comfort and material. I worried some of the tops would shrink and were already a bit on the tighter side. I stuck with a typical cut of shirt for me but with some different designs.

Bottoms

Next, I moved on to bottoms that would pair with anything. Each of those two items were under $25. I actually loved the pants. They were comfortable, light-weight, and pretty flattering. However, as short as I am, I would either trash the bottom or spend more getting the pants tailored than the cost of the pants themselves.

The skirt, however, I felt a bit less flattering. It didn't really sit right either wearing it high-waisted or lower on my hips. It ballooned out a bit too much, giving a larger look than I would have liked. In the end, I didn't end up purchasing either the pants or skirt but they were still very cute items.

Dresses/Jumpsuits

I'm not usually one to love wearing dresses, so when I saw this one on clearance for $14, I had to at least try it on. I actually liked the look of it but felt it was a bit too short for me. It would require me to wear leggings in order to feel comfortable so I put it aside. Being such a steal, I can't promise I won't go back and look for it again soon.

Finally, I tried on three jumpsuits. I actually have come to love these in the last year. I have found them to be very flattering for my figure and incredibly comfortable. But, even the jumpsuits I currently have all seem to look the same. So, I decided to grab a few that weren't normally my style but could be fun.

I ended up LOVING all three! Each were flattering and unique in their own way. These are each items I would wear for different occasions in different ways.

In the end, I was extremely happy and surprised with the results of my little experiment. Going forward I'm going to try my best to make my wardrobe work for me but in new and exciting ways! You never know what you can find when you explore outside your comfort zone.