I decided to take a renewed interest in my ‘Retirement Style’ beginning late summer of 2023. This winter I started intentionally purchasing clothes that were out of my usual comfort zone, and experimenting with piecing together new looks. And not every new look is going to look good!
I’m writing this blog post to encourage you to try some new looks yourself. Yeah, I thought twice about posting something out in internet land that looks terrible, but this is real life. And I learned a few things.
Inspiration
Being enamored with the Cozy vibe and adding in my adoration of Gudrun Sjoden clothing, I decided to try layering pieces to give me a cozy, casual look.
This is what I aspired to (from Pinterest):
A loose dress, chunky sweater, and flat, casual booties.
Time to shop the closet.
The Outfit
I purchased a pair of casual booties (Born) this fall, and this dress (Gudrun). The sweater, thrifted last winter, is a few shades darker than the dress, and I liked the contrast between the simple cotton/model fabric of the dress and the chunky, cable knit of the sweater.
I love these booties so much!
Here’s the outfit on me:
Oh, dear.
I’m not thrilled (as you can tell from my face LOL) and first what really bugged me was the neckline. So I got out a scarf and that was better.
Still not great, and it took me a few minutes to realize the proportions were waaay off and the sweater was too long. So I folded the sweater under and safety-pinned it.
The end result. Not the success I anticipated. 😞
What Went Wrong
First thing I realized is the sweater needs to a) fit well and b) be short enough to hit the waist, either by design or ability to be cinched up without adding too much bulk to the middle. This sweater did neither of those! It is too big for me and was so long even when I folded it up it wasn’t short enough.
I think the dress would work if I tried again, of course you can’t see the lovely smocking but that’s not the point here.
Socks should not have been worn. The dress is too long. Call me stumpy-leg woman, haha.
Scarf did not really work, although it has an aqua stripe, it reads gray. Plus, I cannot wear a scarf around my neck and shoulder like that, it’s just a fact of life.
Proportions were a hot mess! Proportions should be either thirds or fifths. I did have fifths (2/5 length of sweater, 2/5 dress, 1/5 leg, had I not been wearing socks). BUT 2/5 line hit me at the widest point of my body, so I look, well, round. Having my hands in my pockets didn’t help either.
The Takeaway
Should I try this look again, my proportion needs to be 1/5 top, 3/5 dress, and 1/5 leg. The sweater needs to fit properly through the shoulders and chest and stop at my waist.
The Reboot
Now THIS look I loved!
This sweater is fitted to my body (without looking like a sausage) and is a flattering V-neck. I turned under a few inches at the waist and since the bottom is ribbed, it stayed put without pinning. A plus on the details- 3 buttons showed, which is pleasing to the eye.
I ditched the socks and booties for chocolate brown knee-highs. No stumpy legs now!
I’m glad I tried something new. It didn’t look great on me (the first time around), and I felt uncomfortable as I went about my day. It’s very possible that the bulky, oversized, Cozy aesthetic I admire isn’t something that works on my body and that’s okay!
Hooray for me, giving this look more thought and tweaking until the outfit looked great! This experiment helped me to understand I look and feel ‘myself’ with a sleeker silhouette.
Thanks for coming along on this little adventure. I hope I encouraged you to try on a new look or pick up a little something that’s out of your usual comfort zone. You might find something you really like!
‘Til next time! ♥Pam
