OOTD: Self-Expression Through Style

One of my favorite parts about my job is being a member of the INSIDER Spirit Squad. Every 2 weeks, my office dresses according to a particular theme. We take a group photo and give awards to those who best embodied the day's theme. The Spirit Squad takes the office's suggestions for themes and organizes when and what each theme day will be. I actually wore this jacket for our 2nd theme day – Millennial Pink Day (a theme which was chosen based on an article I wrote a while back).

A couple weeks ago, the Spirit Squad was talking about what it means to best embody a theme, and the concept of the definition of style came up. Kyle, another Spirit Squad member and the person behind the camera for the photos in this post, said that fashion is about trends, while style is about wearing things in new and unexpected ways. This definition places emphasis on how something is being worn as opposed to what is being worn. Josie said that one's sense of style depends on wearing what makes them feel best. Personal style, then, could prioritize fashion trends, comfort, making a statement, emanating a particular persona, etc.

I've always regarded style as a form of self-expression, while fashion refers to the industry which chooses and advertises trends each season. That's why I consider myself a "style blogger" instead of a "fashion blogger". My definition of style, then, is a mix between Kyle and Josie's definitions.

For me, self-expression entails a number of different things. First and foremost, dressing to express myself means dressing to show the world who I am. I'm creative, thoughtful, intelligent, and witty. My creativity shows in the unique pieces and combinations I wear. I'm thoughtful in how I put together my outfits, paying attention to detail and dressing appropriately for the weather and whatever environment I'm going to be in. I like to be smart about what I wear, keeping in mind where my clothes and favorite fashion trends come from. I often throw a little bit of whimsy into my outfits, like the dog socks I'm wearing under these boots.

Self-expression also means wearing things that say something about me. This jacket is an obvious example, as it displays my blog name in my own handwriting. You can't tell in these photos, but I'm also wearing a necklace with a scorpion on it, because I'm a Scorpio. Pink is my favorite color, so I wore an outfit composed almost entirely of it. 

While I don't prioritize following trends by any means, I do like being inspired by what's "in" in fashion, and choosing to wear trends that I like outside of their importance in fashion. This slip dress, for example, is a huge street style trend right now. When I saw shots of celebrities walking around in slip dresses, I remembered being in middle school and finding a silk slip (like, the kind you wear under a dress) in a box of hand-me-downs. I tried it on and modeled it for my mom, declaring that I wanted to wear this dress to my Bat Mitzvah. I genuinely don't remember if my mom was horrified or amused, but I can tell you I wore a real dress to synagogue for my Bat Mitzvah. So, learning that this was now an appropriate style to wear in public inspired me to purchase a slip dress for myself.

Comfort and aesthetics play a huge role in my sense of style. I love this shirt because I can wear it without a bra. Wearing a bra always makes me just a little more uncomfortable, whether due to the underwire or the straps. This dress kind of feels like wearing nothing, an ideal bodily sensation. I've been big on leather (well, faux leather) jackets since high school. I couldn't tell you what it is I like about them, but I find them aesthetically pleasing enough to have 2 of them. I've already mentioned that pink is my favorite color, so I've been figuring out how to wear pink since before millennial pink became a ~thing~. 

Finally, I'd be lying if I said my style was completely unique to me, uninspired by others. I've wanted a personalized jacket with my blog name on it since seeing Payton of Hustle + Halcyon and Dani of Mermaid Waves rock theirs. I had originally intended to embroider a denim jacket with Broke & Fabulous, but I have much more experience painting, and this jacket is just such a perfect representation of my blog.

How do you find and define your sense of style? Comment below to let me know!

OOTD: Spring Layers

Before I moved here, I was so excited for spring in NYC. Blossoming trees and flowers! Walking my dog through Central Park! Finally putting my winter coats away! Spoiler alert: spring in NYC doesn't exist. It's nearly May and there have been a grand total of 7 nice days so far in 2017. I even had to drag one of my winter coats out last week. It was incredibly soul-crushing.

This spring, I've been relying on layers almost every day. This outfit has a grand total of 4 layers, not including the sweater I packed in my sister's backpack. The trickiest part about layering is doing it without all the wrinkles and bulges. My trick there is to layer thin, relatively well-fitting pieces. You'll still get a little bit of a bulge where everything meets, but it's not so bad.

OOTD: Golden Afternoon

Next stop on my Seattle Bucket List tour: Golden Gardens park. Sure, it's a little late in the season for a beach day, but I grew up on the Oregon coast and have spent most of my days at the beach in pants and a jacket. Hence, the leggings and long-sleeves. I've worn this outfit a number of times: it's exceptionally comfortable and makes it look like I put more effort into my look than I actually did. This dress is such a fantastic multi-purpose piece, and I've worn it everywhere from class to work to, now, the beach.

OOTD: Urban Safari

I wore this outfit to the Woodland Park Zoo. I've been disappointed with the cold-ish weather we've been having in Seattle this summer, but I loved having an excuse to wear this dress. Olive green is one of my favorite colors to wear, and I appreciate that I can wear it with both brown and black. I obviously had to wear my leopard print boots to see a leopard in real life!

OOTD: Green Lake

It's one of my favorite times of year: the weather is warm enough that I can wear a dress without tights, but not so warm that I get overheated wearing a light jacket. We took the dogs on a walk around Green Lake, which was especially beautiful in the light of the setting sun.

OOTD: Urban Wonderland

I've been waiting to wear this outfit for at least a month, and it's finally warm enough outside for me to go without tights or a jacket! This green dress is one of my favorite layering pieces: I wear it over pants, dresses, and leggings. It's also one of my favorite semi-neutral colors to wear; I have so much olive green in my closet.

What to Wear: to the Airport

Of all the occasions I dress for, dressing to travel is one of the most difficult. Balancing style with comfort and practicality is a hard line to walk. Luckily, I've been flying since I was 13 days old, and have picked up a couple of tricks to doing so in the appropriate clothing. 

Photos via: Vanilla Extract, Cara Loren, Thirty Something Fashion, Seeking Sunshine, and The Teacher Diva.

Whoever said leggings can't be pants just didn't want you to be comfortable. Leggings are ideal to wear when traveling because they're the perfect layering item and are simply comfortable enough to spend an otherwise uncomfortable day in.

Photos via: FIGTNY, Southern Curls & Pearls, Fashion Me Now, and CollegeFashionista. 

If you're traveling somewhere a little chillier, a scarf is a must-pack. Save room in your suitcase and give yourself a built-in pillow by wearing a scarf on the plane.

Photos via: The Fox & She, Creators of Desire, The Quarter Life Closet, My Style Vita, and Prosecco & Plaid.

No one likes airport security. Make the process a little easier on yourself by wearing shoes that are easy to slip on and off. Just don't forget to pair them with socks: you definitely don't want to walk barefoot through the metal detector!

Photo via: By Olina, Creators of Desire, Looks by Lau, Lindsay Marcella, and Somewhere, Lately.

Layering is essential when traveling for two reasons. First of all, wearing as much as possible leaves that much more room in your suitcase. Second of all, layering will help you adjust to the temperature changes from one place to the next; especially if you're traveling somewhere cold or if you get chilly on airplanes.

Photos via: Natalie Dressed, Mimosas and Manhattan, Lucitisima, Brooklyn Blonde, and Sweet, Short & Stylish.

This is essential when dressing comfortably to travel. Lightweight and loose-fitting clothes let you look cute without sitting in a seat for hours on end with your clothes digging into you.

OOTD: Ivy Green

In case you couldn't have guessed, the Ivy League architecture of Harvard is the perfect backdrop. I wore a lot of layers when I was in Boston, and this was one of my favorite layered looks. I'm actually selling this collared top on Poshmark if you want to steal my look!