Fashionable Fridays?

Fashion. Oh fashion. What can I say about fashion?

My absolute favorite thing about fashion can be summed up in a quote from Pirates of the Caribbean actually. "The code is more what you'd call "guidelines" than actual rules." (I don't know why I think of this quote from Barbosa every time but it works.) Fashion rules really are more of a guideline. With that being said; I love clothes.
So.
Much.
And I haven't always been like this. For most of my childhood I never thought about fashion. It was never something I worried too much about. We would wear hand me downs, shop at the consignment store in town, and head straight towards the sales rack at any major store. And of course Mom was buying the clothes so she had to approve of them (and afford them). For the majority of my school years I wore nothing but graphic tees and jeans. And there is nothing wrong with graphic tees and jeans! At all. If that’s what you like then go for it. But after a while I started to get tired of the same old, same old and I didn’t feel like I was being entirely myself.

I'm still gradually building up my wardrobe and finding my 'style.' I am, however, leaning toward a certain style. For example; cardigans. I have so many cardigans, guys.
So.
Many.
I have outfits that I can pull together out of clothes that I already have. Let’s say I’m going to the movies with friends. I’m can wear a cardigan, tank top/shirt, shorts, and sandals. I have several different variations of this outfit. I also follow a lot of fashion blogs and I save outfits they put together and try to mimic them to the best of my abilities. I think I look good; I don't look like a slob by any means; but some days I do feel like an outfit is off or I’ll buy something then bring it home and have no idea how or when to wear it. Or worse, I think it will go exactly with this outfit I have put together in my head only to have my soul crushed when it doesn’t work. At all.

I'm starting to take how I look very seriously. I know what looks good on me and what doesn't. I'm beginning to accept me for me. I know that there are some things that will not look good on me and that’s okay. There are things that I’m going to want to wear but will not work for my body type. I'm looking at you backless dresses! I want to be fashionable but I also want to be logical.  What's the point of wearing one shirt for only one season? I'll forget about it before that season comes around again and then it won’t be ‘in style’ so I won’t want to wear it.

So next time I go shopping I’m going to think of how I can incorporate that item into all four seasons or at least three out of four seasons. This whole ‘building up my wardrobe’ is one of those could-be-expensive projects that I like to take on. I do suffer from "Fill-up-the-cart-itice." If I like something; I'm going to buy it. But I have plans my friends! I plan to learn from my momma and look straight back to the discount rack and hit up sales and such.  So hopefully this isn't a horrible catastrophe and I end up with things I like that won't break the bank or break my heart when they don't come in my size. And I'll eventually be able to describe my 'style' that I so desperately want to define.

Also! I’m thinking that some Fridays I might have a “Is this Fashion? Friday”. I’ll show an outfit that was a little off or has potential but I’m not sure where to take it from there. Or maybe I’ll just find some absurd designer dress and ponder how anyone could function in it. Anyway; it’s good to get some opinions from the outside world. It’s a thought. What do you think?

Bye bye Butterflies!