Style Evolution

I had made a promise to myself that I would never wear skinny jeans and I would never purchase jeans or pants with holes in them.  Never.  Ever.  Skinny jeans could never possibly look good on me.  How could they? I am not a stick bug, size 0 celebrity.  I have hips and thighs and a flabby stomach (TMI? Sorry, it's the truth!).  So there was no way in the world that I could ever "work" skinny jeans.  I wanted no part of looking like a sausage coming out of its casing.  So I vowed to myself that I would only stick to bootcut, trousers, and wide-leg pant styles.

But then a funny thing happened.  First off, I went to Mississippi about a month ago and the thing about visiting my Mississippi relatives is that I get an instant confidence boost.  My aunt, who is shaped like me, constantly pushes my style boundaries by making me try on things that I don't think I could ever wear.  So when I made the statement to my mom and aunt whilst shopping one day during our visit that I could never wear skinny jeans, they both were like "Oh Lauren, of course you can!"  They both caught me off guard with that one, and planted this little bug in my head that said "You need to try on a pair".  My aunt gave me a great tip and said to try straight leg jeans first, which was echoed by Madeline at Uber-Chic for Cheap.  Then the next day I wore these straight leg distressed jeans that both my mom and I had gotten from the Gap, and I loved how they fit.

During this whole time I also have obsessively become fascinated with fashion & style blogs and how these ordinary, everyday girls rock my socks off with their awesome outfits.  And they are real and honest, both celebrating and criticizing different aspects of their bodies.  And all of this reading has helped me want to be adventurous and bold with my style choices, while also gaining more confidence in my body, and particularly celebrating my legs.  They are actually kind of cute when they get the chance to show off.

All this to say, I ordered not only my first pair of real skinny jeans but also pants last weekend and when I put them on, I couldn't believe what my mirror was echoing back to me.  And I couldn't believe that I actually liked the image I was seeing.  I don't feel like an overstuffed sausage.  I feel confident!  And that is amazing to me.  A month ago I would have NEVER even attempted to put my legs through a pant leg of a jean labeled "skinny".  30 days later, here I am, the proud owner of a pair.

PS - Of the actual thought behind above outfit - I again had to dress to transition from office to nighttime baseball game.  Hence, sleeveless top + cardigan + jeans = multi-tasking outfit :). I love these colors and the zebra pattern in the sandals adds that extra "oomph" and touch that I love.

Cardigan, Tank, Belt - J.Crew
SKINNY jeans - Gap
Sandals - Steve Madden via TJMaxx
Sunglasses - Target