Target boyfriend tee and boots (similar); Kohl’s faux leather pants, old (similar); Lemons and Lace headband; Ray ban sunglasses; E Moore Store long necklace, old (love this!); Laonato heart necklace; Anjolee diamond necklace.
I’ve mentioned this before, but I don’t have a whole lot of time to get ready in the mornings. I have two kids, one of which goes to school full time, and the other one goes a couple of days a week. We have T ball and gymnastics and all the other things that go along with begin a mama and keeping a home clean and feeding all these folks that insist on calling me ‘mom.’ Ha.
I have a couple of things I do to make getting dressed easier for myself, given that I have a ten minute or so window to pull myself together on a daily basis (though not alone, this girl is rarely alone in my own home without little people popping up under my feet;) Here goes!
1) About once a month or so, when the mood strikes me, I head into my closet and do a huge try on. I try to come up with about five to ten looks and hang them together in one spot in my closet. This helps eliminate the rush in the morning of finding pieces that look good together (beyond my yoga pants and zip up hoodie, obvi), and I end up being more pulled together this way. I am also not above repeating looks a lot during the month, because why waste a good outfit on just a one day wear?
How do I come up with looks? I find a ton of inspiration on Pinterest, as well as in the magazines I subscribe to every month. I love to rip out pages when I see a great idea, or jot down looks as they come to me in my day planner. This way I tend to have some looks I’d like to experiment with and have some new ideas when I want to try something new. Then when I do my mass try on, I have an idea of things I’d like to try, and I also have more time (typically after my kids go to bed) to experiment.
2) This may sound boring, but I love taking a super simple outfit (all black, gray tee and jeans, etc), and making it fun and funky with accessories. This is how I pack for vacations a lot, and it carries on into my regular life, too. Headbands, hats, necklaces, an armful of bracelets, little midi rings, eclectic earrings; I use a lot of inexpensive add ons to jazz up otherwise boring looks. It’s easy for me to wear all black on most days, I just feel like ME in it, you know? I feel comfortable doing this because I can throw on a fun headband (love floral ones for Spring!) and head out the door FAST.
Something I love wearing a lot of are different lengths and types of necklaces. I get aggravated by bracelets and earrings a lot, so necklaces are a great way for me to add in some FUN to a look. I love mixing different metals and lengths, as I think it adds some dimension and interest. Anjolee recently sent me a CZ version of their three stone diamond necklace and I have not taken it off. I haven’t been a fan of wearing fine jewelry for the past couple of years because I’ve felt that it seems a little boring for me on it’s own, but by adding in other necklaces with it I find that I love the concept. Funny enough, I was wary of how I would style this necklace when it was offered to me, yet I haven’t found a look that doesn’t look with it, so I was proven wrong;)
> If you are in the market for a diamond necklace, I have to say I’ve been pleased with the quality of the one Anjolee sent me. As I mentioned, mine is a CZ version of one of their real three stone necklaces, and I cannot tell the difference. While they don’t offer faux ones on their site, I think anyone who would (and can) afford the REAL DEAL, they should check them out.
As for the other necklaces I like to layer with? Laonato, a great shop I found on Etsy last year, has a ton of fun and dainty options for everyday wear. I have this heart shaped pendant (worn above), and this bar necklace that I wear almost every day. I love mixing different metals a lot, because for me, having something be a little off about a look is what makes it interesting. It’s the little touches that add up sometimes, and throwing on different metal colors and lengths is what I love to do. As for my longer necklaces, I love Target (of course), because they have inexpensive and trendy options, always. I really enjoy a daintier looking, longer pendant look for everyday wear. I happened to win the necklace I’m wearing above (and adore), in a giveaway last year. It is painted wood and is in the shape of a bear claw or something like that (?), I find I go back to it often, though the shop doesn’t offer them right now. I’m hoping she brings them back!
3) You may have guessed this already, but I love wearing either a hat or some type of headband, especially when I have a very basic look going on. Lemons and Lace is where I’ve bought the majority of my cloth headbands. They are the simplest way to look cool in two seconds flat. My friend Dawnelle also has a great shop where she creates amazing floral headbands, they are such good quality and I wear mine often. Wearing a headband, either floral or cotton like above, is my go to look this time of year. It also hides hair that may not be looking so awesome on day four or five of no washing;)
Tell me, do you have any tips for getting dressed and looking good in a hurry?
