Making Some Changes

Every time I see some title like this on someone’s blog, my brain always screams, “THEY’RE GETTING OUT OF HORSES, OH MY GOD WHYYYYYYYYY,” so be assured immediately that this is not the case. 

My handsome Stu has my heart forever <3

Instead, I’m talking about a different kind of change – personal changes. I’m always trying to improve myself, as I think everyone should, really. I don’t think anyone should be content with the status quo, I think everyone should always try to be the best version of themselves. So this is me, thinking about how I should improve.

In this case, it was triggered by two things, the first being the boxes of junk that my parents made me take to my own house. There was so much stuff, and looking through it make me really nostalgic for my childhood…but at the same time, it stressed me out thinking about what I was going to do with this junk. I could clearly go without it, as I’ve been living the last ten years of my life without it… But, what if something came up in the future where I really needed a clay model of a castle?!

I got rid of a lot of it (not the clay castle, because duh, I need that). I donated, and I threw away. I don’t need more junk. And that got me looking around my own house, at the amount of junk I have just sitting around doing nothing, but yet I am hanging on to it for some reason. It feels almost like hoarding to keep this stuff. 

I haven’t fully gone through everything, but staring at my closet one day, I just plunged in, and start yanking out clothes. Some of these things were a size two, something I haven’t been in years. Some of it was ten years old. Some of it was never even worn, with the tags still on. Why on earth did I still have this?

In case you forgot, he’s the most handsome yearling in existence. And such a gentleman too! If he was a human, and definitely a bit older, he’s be the perfect man. Sadly the technology doesn’t exist yet.

It made me start thinking about the way I wear my clothes – I have several ratty t-shirts that I end up wearing on repeat to the gym, but the fancy shirt I actually bought for the gym says in drawer, I guess waiting for a special occasion to go to the gym? 

I have tons of nice dresses to wear to work, but I got into a routine of rotating between three different pairs of black pants. I have a closet full of shoes, but I end up wearing sneakers every day. This begs two questions, why did I even buy this stuff, and alternately, why aren’t I wearing it? 

I didn’t get rid of the black pants (let’s face it, they are a classic), but I had four black trash bags full of clothes. I briefly thought about selling it, but that seemed like so much effort, so to Good Will they went. There was a moment it stung, as I thought about how much money I had spent on those clothes (likely about $5,000 worth of clothes, as it there was a lot of designer brands in there), but it wasn’t like it was giving me any value by sitting in my closet, taking up room. It wasn’t my style anymore for whatever reason, and I literally wasn’t going to wear it. I don’t need 5 pairs of Rock and Republic jeans I’ll never wear again – I’m not going to pretend that either I’ll be a size 2 again, or that jeans that cut into your hip bone would be cool for someone my age.

I left the nice clothes, that clothes that I feel like I’ve been saving for some special day. That day is now here, and they will be worn.

The second thing that triggered this… and I really hate to say this because I am very anti-celebrity… but the Royal Wedding. I love beautiful clothes, and watching everyone arriving to the wedding was so inspiring. They clothes were so lovely and classy, and I wish wearing hats and fascinators are normal and accepted here. Now, granted, these people are going to probably one of the biggest events of their lifetime, so they’re going to dress nice. But I want to be able to show up places looking that nice! Why shouldn’t I put in the effort to dress nice like that?

So, that fell down a rabbit hole, and now I’ve been looking up royal style:

Quite possibly the best hat I have ever seen. The jacket’s not too bad either!

Also, the best hat I have ever seen. This outfit is perfection and I love it

America needs way more garden parties. Why isn’t this a thing here?!

I’m not saying I’m obsessed with Meghan Markle, but I’m also not going to pretend that she’s not great at dressing herself. I’m obviously not attending royal garden parties, but it is an inspiration to step it up a little bit, and present myself better. I usually go with the easiest option because I’m lazy, but I want to put in the effort now, and present myself a bit better.

Moving forward, my plan is to put in some effort, and wear the clothes I own, not keep them for some obscure occasion in the future. I will ruthlessly elimate the clothes that I don’t end up wearing, and only buy classic pieces that will last years and years. No more trendy pieces that are great for one season, and then feel uncomfortable to wear afterward. No more contributing to the world of “fast fashion,” and having a landfill of last season’s clothes. I will be way more thoughtful about my purchases. I hate waste, and I hate wasting money, so it’s a mystery to me why I even did this to began with.

I want to share some of my outfits, although I’m a little cautious about coming off as a huge dork. Those who have been with me a very long time may remember the beginnings of my blog that showed some pretty terrible fashion. Honestly, it’s kind of embarrassing now, and I never want it to see the light of day. But, hopefully this will be a different time. And I really don’t expect it to come up much, as it annoys me when someone dresses up for the sole purpose of taking pictures, but isn’t actually wearing the outfit anywhere. So basically, I need to find some garden parties to attend.

Another part of improving myself is a newly rekindled interest in millinery. It seems so obscure that I feel weird bringing it up, but I really REALLY love hates. A few years ago I made some fascinators and they were pretty cute, but I put it on the backburner. Now is the time to bring it up again. I want people to wear hats, DAMNNIT. I don’t know the plan on this going forward, but if something comes up, I will mention it!

I’m curious – have you ever had some trigger that makes you want to grow yourself? What is your inspiration?