Box? What Box?

I’ve been working on moving farther and farther out of the box, sartorially speaking.

Ever since I left my 9-5 to work at Nordstrom earlier this year, I’ve enjoyed playing around with my style and image (much to the chagrin of some on-lookers, haha).

I have been blessed with a style confidant, my husband Lon. He’s usually there for my most fashion forward looks and is always ready to offer a “yes”, “no”, or “add a belt”. How lucky am I!?!

Now that I’m on my own as a wardrobe stylist, I’ve found even more freedom to express my inner-mismatchedness.

Recently, this has been expressed through a favorite mismatched print outfit. A blue and yellow floral blouse tucked into a black and off-white printed midi-skirt, accented with a gold belt. Yes, it does work.

Pardon the low-res. photo. Here’s the outfit after a day’s worth of wearing (brunch, drinks, shopping, more drinks):

My obsession with Anthropologie adds to this freedom. As I buy most of my clothes and LOVE bringing clients there, finding prints is pretty easy. The sales girls are now friends and are normally my first judges of a new look. They encourage me to mix and match pieces and voila – a fun new outfit.

This, combined with my “why not” attitude, has created some ingenious looks.

Please do this, next time you are putting together an outfit or shopping, employ the “why not” tactic. If some pieces seem to match in the slightest, try them together. Take a picture on your phone to test it. Then, add some accessories and go for it. Testing on a friend or loved one helps, but honestly, a bit of confidence goes a long way!

An example – I just got this dress from Anthro for my 30th b-day dinner and found some jackets also from Antropologie to go with it.

I’m dying to try it with this jacket for dinner:

And this for drinks downtown after!

Honestly, that dress can be paired with anything.

How fun styling can be – even when it’s just dressing yourself!