5 Style Takeaways from 2022

Whew!

Happy day and HAPPY NEW YEAR, Reader Dearest! (Yes. A little late.)

What a ride! To quote Hunter S. Thompson–

Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, “Wow what a ride!

Although I appreciate the sentiment about living life to the full, I’m simply hoping 2023 will be a ride in a more roadworthy vehicle. This one felt like a cartoon car. Ahooogah. Beep, beep!

It’s hard to get back into a routine. Writing feels brand new. To complicate matters, they’ve made changes to the interface I use to write, so the bike is wobbly. I’ll eventually get the hang of this, although–No promises about how often I’ll be able to post!

So without ado. 5 Style Lessons Learned from a brutal 2022.

One: Simple is good.

After Mama’s health adventures that kicked off last July, I went under the radar. Not only with social media and tending the blog, but also in my closet. I was absolutely exhausted, both physically and mentally, which meant dressing (And taking selfies!) fell to the bottom of the pile. Yes, I got dressed every day; if you find me in jammies (or yoga gear) it means I’m sick. Sick as a dog sick. Dressing is one small way I can exert control on out of control days. (I OWN my control issues!) Even so, imagination requires sleep, so my daily uniform of Jeans + Blouse + Flats kept me covered. A scarf and some jewelry here and there on the days I felt inspired. (Read: Got more than 1.5 hours of sleep in a stretch.)

Remember: Simple means different things to different people!

Two: Color will change your day.

Even if it’s only nail polish! Not that there was much time for allowing nail polish to dry… (Thank you, Essie Expressie.) If I have one complaint about the capsule I pulled together for Fall 2022–It was too dark and neutral. Without my go-to fun accessories (Noted above.) to create color and interest, dressing was a bit grim for the two and half months we were in just-holding-on mode.

Here are 5 Ways Color Will Improve Your Day!

Is color scary? Need some tips to start adding color to your life?

Three: When necessary, put on your armor!

What’s your armor? By that I mean what outfit makes you feel large-and-in-charge? Or ready to take on whatever the world (Read: Doctor or patient) throws at you? In my case that’s a suit style jacket or blazer. So, although it was the Jeans + Blouse + Flats Outfit Recipe almost every day, throwing on a jacket or blazer for the trips to the MD was how I gave myself the boost needed to advocate for Mama and get the information we needed.

Four: Flats rock!

I’ve always been a heels (and boots) kind of woman. Don’t get me wrong; I’ve always got a good pair of flats around. This season, though, were times when heels just don’t work. For the heavy lifting of caregiving, heels were not only impractical, they would have been downright dangerous. So I shoved my heels into the out-of-season closet and ordered two new flats to keep me safely shod. (Because wearing running shoes is not in sync with my Style Cocktail!)

Here are the flats I’ve been wearing non-stop for the past 5 months. I would be happy to own these in every color they make!

Five: There’s a fine line between a Rut and a Groove.

Long ago (25+ years), our boys were small. We were living overseas and my husband deployed 6-10 months of the year. It was good AND sometimes it was hard. I got into the habit of wearing the same thing every Monday. Monday AM I would put on my black turtleneck, monk-strap booties and denim overalls in the cold months and black tee, black flats and denim shorts in the warm months. The boys knew it was Monday by what I was wearing. Yup. Was it a rut? You might think so, but I was happy, it expressed my style AND it felt easy, breezy. Call it a uni-groove?

Flash forward to summer 2022 and after the 6th or 7th time I reached for a white top and blue jeans on a Monday, I realized I was back in a uni-groove. I fought it for a while and then thought, It makes my life more simple. I love it. AND I can change it up as I wish. Why fight? So I stopped and now Monday equals jeans + white top. Last Monday it was a white-ish sweater. Today it’s a linen-top. It’s infinitely adaptable and that makes me happy.

Here’s some Jeans + White Tee/Top style ideas.

On that note: It’s time to apologize to my first husband. Mark, I am sorry. I never should have made fun of you all those years ago for your jeans plus white tee and sneakers uniform. I was wrong. You were doing you. (Although… In hindsight, a dark tee would have worked better for your coloring…)

(Just couldn’t leave well enough alone, could I?)

How About You?

Did 2022 teach you any style lessons? Please do tell! Do you have a favorite Outfit Recipe? Or a uniform that you repeat? What is it?

Stylishly yours,