30 Days of Denim – An Experiment In Everyday Style

Look, I am no fashionista. And WHOA, would I never claim to be. Honestly, I’m almost exactly the opposite. You see I’ve realized that after losing almost 100 lbs this year that I am completely out of touch with what looks good on my body. Everyone knows the up sides of losing weight, but no one talks about the weird parts like being unable to pick up an article of clothing and determine, in your mind, if it is going to fit.  Or look good.  My body has changed so rapidly over the last year that it is a constant guessing game.

Truth be told, even when my size and shape were more static, I always struggled a bit with defining my own personal style.  I don’t want to subscribe to Vogue and break the bank buying looks right off the runway.  I don’t generally DIE, Rachel Zoe-style, over fashion. But I do like to look put together, you know?  I envy those folks who have the innate ability to throw on a few items they have lying about and look super stylish.

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But I feel that style can’t be much different then anything else in life:  If you want to get better at it, you need to work at it, right?  So I’ve decided to do a little experiment and I thought if you are feeling courageous, or perhaps in a bit of a style slump, it might be an experiment you want to play along with.

Let me break it down for you.

Quick Backstory: Throughout the month of September my company does a fundraiser for United Way where we can “purchase” days of Casual Dress. 5 days a week we can show up looking like it is Friday — for a fee! In years past I generally use it as an opportunity to set my alarm for a little bit later since I’m just “throwing on jeans and a tee.”

This year that is going to change.

For the month of September I’m going to challenge myself — SHOCKING, I know —  to get dressed every morning in a way that looks pulled together.  And because it only involves styling with jeans or a denim skirt/shirt/dress — I feel like the challenge is possible.  You know what else makes it feel possible? Pinterest! I’ve been pinning Everyday Denim looks for a while now, so there is sure to be some serious copying in the beginning. It’s like Fashion For Dummies and I’m not ashamed about how much I love that.  Sometimes you just need a little push.  But for each outfit that is inspired by Pinterest, I will link back to the original pin so you can see what I was working with.  And hopefully by the end of 30 days, the training wheels will come off!

So starting tomorrow, for 30 days (along with my regularly scheduled posting – I’m not going to all of a sudden only talk about clothes!) I’ll be popping in to show you What I Wore. 30 Days of Denim — get it?  Okey dokey then, glad we are on the same page.

If you want to play along, please do. I created the 30 Days of Denim Flickr Group in case you are feeling brave and want to upload your own pictures. (Do It!) Maybe you can find a trend in your own style, or workshop an outfit that you can’t quite figure out (don’t you have those? the outfits where you know something is missing, BUT WHAT IS IT?) Or if you want, you can even just join to see what others are wearing. No voyeurism judgment here…you know this!

There are no rules as long as you are wearing denim (DST shirt/pants/skirt/dress/whatevs) and they don’t only have to be blue jeans — bring on the colors! Black jeggings!  White denim! Get creative. If snapbacks are your style, check out the yupoong 6006. Bonus Points if you also scored your inspiration from Pinterest and you can link to the inspiring pin for all the rest of us. And you don’t have to be going to work. Snap a pic when you are going to the grocery store, or running errands — if you are anything like me, when I snap a pic I make the tiniest bit more of an effort with my appearance.

Don’t wait until you are thinner, or less pregnant, or have lost the baby weight, or get some new clothes — challenge yourself now to make the best of what you’ve got going on. Style isn’t about looking like a supermodel with a million dollar wardrobe, anyone can do that right? The intention of this is not to be a giant vanity project. The photos don’t have to be professional looking (iPhones, AHOY!), there is no body type requirement and you don’t need to be sporting runway looks. The point for me (and hopefully for you) is to get a better feel for what I look like, a better feel for my own personal tastes, and of course practice putting together a great look with regular clothes.

I recently read this post on Kendi Everyday and the style maven herself said:

I had a moment today. Well, my red heels and I, we had a moment. Two years ago I would have never worn this outfit. I would have never picked up these heels and paired it with these shirts. I would have never posed in a park at lunch with husband snapping photos. All of a sudden I was overwhelmed with gratitude and I wanted to say thank you. For the last year or so, you have visited my blog for one reason or another. And because of you, I have confidence to dress in the outfits that I do, to write what I write and to generally be a very happy person. You have become friends to me, even though we’ve never even met. And for no other reason than that, I am SO very grateful for you.

So…let’s pretend we’re super fashionable for a month and see what happens, shall we?

*Let’s fake it until we make it!
*Let’s pretend we are the most confident models ever (in our closets, in our backyards, in the reflection of our office bathroom mirror — take pictures anywhere!)
*And then let’s see how we feel in 30 days.

Maybe I will still feel like getting dressed is hard. But I hope with a little effort, I won’t.

If you don’t want to participate yourself, tell a friend or share the link. The more the merrier! It will be an experiment in body confidence. Where personal style meets everyday life.

So come join me would ya: Join the Group! Save me the embarrassment of doing this alone.

And besides, you are looking mighty fine in those jeans! Somebody should see it, right?