Do you ever wonder if you’ll ever find your style or if you are just regurgitating what everyone else is posting or buying? This is something I grapple with not just with clothing but with books. It took me too long to find my style so I thought I would share mine as well as how I found it (both clothing and books).
Why not start with my clothing style? This has evolved and changed over time and it’s something that I have so struggled with. I have gone from sporting event shirts and jeans, to dresses, to dELIA’S catalogues, to fast fashion and to everything in between! I finally in the last 2-3 years have come to my own in my clothes. I feel comfortable and confident in my clothes which is something that I haven’t felt until recently. I love a flowy pant as much as I love a graphic tee. If I had to label my style as anything I would probably call it “Hobbit Chic” because I am all about looking cute and being comfortable!
How did I get to the point where I found clothing I like though? Well, it was A LOT of trial and error. Two issues I had when shopping and choosing outfits in the past were picking cheap clothing or just copying what I saw other people wearing. That didn’t work for me. I have a 5’2″ athletic build and a lot of what I was seeing was on models close to 6′ tall, their body proportions are vastly different then mine! When it came to cheap clothing, I have nothing against finding a deal, but picking quality pieces makes a difference. Instead of cycling through clothes that were constantly falling apart or incredibly thin, I started by investing in some quality basics and that’s what made the difference. Almost all of my shopping happens at https://jeanmaries.com/ (and their app), but honestly you can’t beat going into a small boutique and getting some custom help! Jean Maries does an amazing job of helping me find things that fit my body and personality, so I would highly recommend finding a small boutique near you and asking the sales associate for some help. They’ll love helping you and you’ll feel so good by the time you leave!
I thought I would share a few inspiration pieces and things I actually have in my own closet below. But this is my general closet make-up/style. I definitely have some bright colors thrown in, but I love earth tones and burnt orange/mustard colors as well!
My reading style has definitely changed and evolved over time as well. It honestly was very similar to the process I went through with clothing, but with books. I actually grew up hating books, similar to hating clothes. My hate of books was based in my dyslexia, so I feel like I had a good reason when I was younger! As I grew up I started to develop more and more of an interest in reading. This interest started with the Trixie Belden series and grew through high school with the Twilight books. Throughout college I devoured dystopian novels and by the end of college I had discovered Bookstagram!
Now, I love Bookstagram and all book themed social media, but I found myself reading and buying everything that everyone else was. I muddled through this stage of my reading for the last 6 years, until this year. This year I took at 4 months hiatus from bookish social media and bought and read what I felt like buying and reading. This has forever changed me! Now I am reading and loving the things I actually enjoy!
So what’s my reading style then? Well, I am a mood reader through and through, but I have found historical fiction, adult sci-fi and fantasy are my go tos! Bookstagram (and bookish social media) pushes a lot of Romance and YA and those are things I thought I enjoyed until I started to branch out and find my bookish “style”. Now, don’t get me wrong, I still think those are great genres, but they are not my bookish style. I think it’s important for us to know ourselves and not just follow the crowd. Sure, experiment, read things outside of your comfort zone, but it’s always nice to have your own bookish flare!
Here’s a look at my bookish style:
There we go – that’s all! This might be interesting to you, or you might find it a useless read. Either way, it was fun to write and share my journey as a person!
Joyfully Jacquie 