I flew from Miami to London a little more than two months ago with two suitcases and a backpack in tow. I tried to pack like a wannabe travel veteran on the fly -- good walking shoes, jeans, sweaters, a few jackets and coats of varying warmth, and enough underwear to avoid doing laundry for a decent length of time. Ya know, the essentials, or at least my version of them.
I knew I wanted to continue blogging regularly while studying abroad, and I knew it would be difficult to maintain a steady stream of NEW AND EXCITING outfit posts considering my limited wardrobe. I'm used to having more stuff around to mess with. Especially when I'm home and I have my mom's closet to pilfer. Yay moms.
So yeah, I knew it would be difficult, and SURPRISE IT WAS. My brain particles were put to the test, cue the violins. Basically, I had to reinvent the intended purposes of many items of clothing like oh hey, shirt, you are now a belt, mmkay?
But, in the end, this experience was perhaps to my benefit, as are all confrontations with battles of the uphill nature. Except maybe puberty. Or dentists appointments. Or bikini waxes. It's TBD you guys.
Anyways, the point is, I LUUURNED from this experienced. That's learned, for your information. I learned how to take a limited number of clothes and stretch them as far as humanly possible in the figurative sense, yo, don't get ideas.
And now, like a wise old granny with many a trick up my sleeve and many a crotchety remark in my arsenal, I am going to share my learnings with you, WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT (please don't leave, you're so so pretty).
Still here? Keep scrollin' for ma tipz involving life, love, happiness, and how to squeeze every last drop of potential out of the items in your closet:
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1) A shirt/sweater can easily become a belt or belt-like layer, ergo providing an unexpected source for color-poppage and dimension. (Do not slay me for that sentence).
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2) Put your skirt over your pants and clap your hands. You know the drill, and the tune. The fact is, the same skirt can look completely different when layered over a pair of pants. It's scientifically proven. By my pelvis. And the above photographic evidence.
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3) Wear lipstick. Lipstick! It changes everything. It can make the sweater you wore last week look like a brand new thang, I promise. IT'S ALL AN ILLUSION, but the best kind of illusion.
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4) If you only have one pair of remotely exciting shoes, WEAR THEM UNTIL THE COWS COME HOME, which is to say, wear them repeatedly and shamelessly.
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5) Wear socks with your shoes, especially if you've worn said shoes repeatedly and shamelessly because the socks will add variety and give you a whole new look and that's what this is all about. Boom. Check out the before and afters like it's a Saturday night and all you wanna see is a good rom com makeover.
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6) When layered, two shirts = new shirt. Sometimes variety emerges from redundancy. Yes you can quote me.
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7) Add a small accessory like a hat or some gloves. So simple, yet so powerful. Like a very tiny brownie.
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8) Wear glasses sometimes. Even if they are fake. Which mine are, unconditionally. 20/20 4 lyfe. The fact remains that they transform you from regular into nerd regular, and I can't be more grateful than I already am for this boon of existence.
So now we've done a lot of me time. How do you feel? Want some space? A cupcake? A nap?
I can provide all three but only if you leave a comment expressing your undying love and your mattress preference-- soft? firm? bamboo? just right?
So now we've done a lot of me time. How do you feel? Want some space? A cupcake? A nap?
I can provide all three but only if you leave a comment expressing your undying love and your mattress preference-- soft? firm? bamboo? just right?
I love questions and their corresponding punctuation, don't you?? Okay mama's out.