Grace and (No) Style

I dunno, Spongebob. He might cramp our style.

STYLE!

–“Born Again Crustacean.” Spongebob Squarepants. Nickelodeon. 24 Jan. 2003. Television.

This morning I put on pretty lovely makeup, my hair looked nice, and a cute top with some grey jeans. However, my jeans are loose along the leg, so against my boots, they look baggy and unkempt.

With that in mind, I think it’s time I get started on that New Years Resolution to get some StYLe. I have over 1K pins saved on my Pinterest board for “Fashion”. However, I feel like a lot of the styles I pick look great on skinnier girls, and those looks may not flatter my figure. I can at least try, right? Try and size up on styles.

When I look at this Pinterest board, I definitely see a pattern:

• Ankle (or just-above ankle) length skinny jeans (varying from mid length to high-rise) with either a loose-flowing tucked in shirt, or a tightly tucked in shirt, and some kind of long sweater or jacket. The ensemble is tucked in with boots or, if the pants fall above the ankle, they are paired with sneakers (typically white) or occasionally booties. There are some work-friendly ensembles that match this description that are paired with heels or wedges:

• What I’m calling the “Modriana Grande.” There’s lots of blouses tucked into high waisted skirts, paired with either leggings and boots or thigh high boots. The latter is a favorite style with Ariana Grande, though I’ve seen her pair the thigh-high boots with just a dress. I’m scared to try this look in particular, because as on-trend as it is, I’m certain my legs in a thigh-high would shock and horrify. But, worst case scenario, I try it once and hate it, I never wear it again. Best case scenario is I rock it, feel like a new woman, and reach a new level of #CrushingIt:
  
  

  

  

  

  

  

• The “Cindy Crawford Minimalist.” The former supermodel recently did a “73 Questions” video with Vogue, in which she lounged casually in her beachside mansion wearing a simple flowing white button down and blue jeans. This bears similarities to the first frequency noted, but that’s more of an autumn look. Depending on the fabric this is great for spring and summer (and looking a bit more polished on casual Fridays at work).
  
  

  

  

  

  

  

• Athleisure Wear. This tends to be my go-to on most casual days, but that’s really just me wearing gym clothes. I can do better than that. However, because I wear this regularly, the only real distinction is that I need to update it to be a bit more stylish. My workout pants are worn from years of wear. I just bought two new pairs of joggers, but unfortunately, the sizing isn’t great. It looks loose in the front half, making for a very sloppy look suitable only for hanging out in my house in something other than my pajamas. My “athleisure” shirts can always be a bit more flattering, too. I could do with a new pair of sneakers (or two):
  
  

  

  

  

  

  

• • The “Stylish Girl”. In an almost inverted version of the first feature, the tops are snug and the bottoms are loose. I don’t know the name of this type of pant (maybe it’s culottes? I THINK it’s culottes), but when paired with a form fitting shirt and either sneakers or sandals, this is a LOOK. I have only seen Instagram “influencers” wear this, and I’m nervous to try it. I’m scared I’m going to look silly! That said, I think that means I have no choice but to go for it:
    
    

    

    

    

    

    

  Those were the big patterns I noticed, though there were a few “wild cards” that I would love to wear at least once, but I want to build a wardrobe of clothes to wear, not a few pieces that will make up one day’s worth of clothes.

  On top of that, I’m a little bored of my consistent “shades of black” look, so I want to add more colors. I do like the rose gold and amber “culottes,” as well as the sparkly rose gold sneakers seen in the “athleisure” wear. The A-line skirts will be new for me, since I tend to gravitate towards tulip skirts. I need to get both loose fitting and well fitted neutral shirts, maybe white, black, grey, light blue and blush/light pink.

  “Clothing” to Buy:

  • • • Grey Skinny Jeans
      • Blue Rinse High Rise Jeans
      • White loose-flowing button down or casual blouse
      • 2 Longer cardigans (I have four cute jackets now, I don’t need to buy another).
      • White Sneakers (Sooner Rather than Later)
      • Black Sneakers (A luxury at this point)
      • Pair of well-fitted joggers
      • 2 A-Line Skirts
      • 1 Pair of Culottes
      • 1 Loose White Tee Shirt
      • 1 Loose Black Tee Shirt
      • 1 Loose Grey Tee Shirt
      • 1 Loose Light Blue Shirt
      • 1 Loose Pale Pink Shirt
      • 1 Fitted White Tee Shirt
      • 1 Fitted Black Tee Shirt
      • 1 Fitted Grey Tee Shirt
      • 1 Fitted Light Blue Shirt
      • 1 Fitted Pale Pink Shirt
      • 1 Black Blouse
      • 1 Pink Blouse
      • 1 Light Blue Blouse

  That’s 24 clothing items to start. I think that is a great start! Now the question is, where do I go to get the clothes? My sister says H&M makes stylish, cute clothes, and I know Forever 21 does too. I’m also on a budget, so I need a place that’s wallet friendly. There are Youtube videos on how to be “bougie on a budget,” so I will continue my journey there. Baby steps to fashion success!