Challenges

Top - F21, Jeans - just usa, Necklace - Target

Again, sorry for the graininess of the photos...I think I just hit a stretch of bad lighting and for some reason, Blogger is making it worse. Bear with me! I'll figure this out eventually, I promise.

This outfit is a total departure from my normal style and really brought me out of my comfort zone, which I loved. It's a new year, and one of my style resolutions is to not be afraid to try looks that I'm not completely comfortable with. How often do you say something like, "That's a really cute look, but I could never wear it"? I say this all. the. time. I wanted to try and challenge myself this year by saying, "that's a really cute look, I think I'll try it." I'm also trying to challenge myself in 2012 by saying things like, "I'm going to wake up on time for work" and "I'm going to sleep at a decent hour instead of staying up all night watching Mad Men on Netflix," but those are another story.

Here are the reasons why it was hard for me to wear this outfit: a) I hate buttoning things up to my neck. I'm a curvy girl, and button ups tend to make me look a bit busty and kind of uncomfortable. I also hate having things rubbing against my neck if I can help it. b) I'm a tucker. That's right, I admitted it. I like to tuck feminine tops like this one in, and it was excruciating mildly difficult to keep it untucked all day. c) I have never been one to wear necklaces over my clothes. It's not my fashion rule, per se...just a custom that I've adhered to. Necklaces (except long ones) aren't worn over clothes for me. But I wanted to challenge myself, so I put this outfit on...and I loved it! The fact that it was a bit different made it exciting, and wearing a different style made me feel fresh and a little sassy. I think I'm going to keep challenging myself to try different styles that I like, despite how (un)comfortable I feel with them. How is your style supposed to evolve if you don't give it a little room to grow? 

Boyfriend and I are headed down to the Central Coast with the pup for a little weekend getaway to fight off the post-Holiday blues. Most of our dating actually happened down there while he was still in school, so it will be fun to go back and visit our old haunts, feast on delicious clam chowder, and relax at the beach. The weather will be in the 70s down there (yay!) which makes it a bit challenging to figure out what is appropriate warm winter wear, but I think it will be totally worth it.

What do you think, open toes appropriate for January if it's warm?