Weekly Retro // #003
It's f****** cold here but I'm sharing my weekly outfits anyway.
First of all, for anyone affected by the LA fires this week, my heart goes out to you. It feels so odd to be writing about my outfits with everything going on, but I hope that Substack can be a place of escapism and normalcy in what is an incredibly painful time. xx
RETRO:
Wishlist adds: A pair of neutral (not black) Mary Janes that are flat or have a minimal heel (like these ones here), a sheer dress to wear over jeans, this wool biker jacket from Dissh, and more oversized warm sweaters.
Purchases: 0 (!!)
Reading: Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov and loving it. If you’re a fan of Lolita or any other literary fiction, I would highly recommend this (you will need to read a 999 line poem though).
Feeling: cold and uninspired for most of the week, but finally getting more clarity after this weekend.
THE GOOD
Things that inspired me or worked really well this week
One belt to rule them all…I finally got my new belt from Brave Leather in the mail and it’s everything I’ve dreamed of and more! I’ve worn it every single day since I got it so I guess that’s a good sign! Would 100% purchase another from them if I ever felt the need, but right now I’m happy with this one.
Closet organization for the win! When we moved into our condo a couple years ago, I went from having a half of a tiny closet to having a small walk-in closet. It’s been great but I haven’t had a dresser or set of drawers so have been living with a bunch of my stuff in bins for about 1.5 years. I finally purchased a small dresser for inside the closet and it feels amazing! Feeling much more refreshed with a more organized space tbh.
When in doubt, analyze the shit out of it. After feeling a bit bleh with my wardrobe this week, I decided to try to cut through the noise and distraction of scrolling Instagram, and really try to understand what I was drawn to and why. I wrote about it here, but it was actually pretty helpful!
Analyzing my saved photos to find my style
Like all growth journeys, I feel like my style journey is characterized by highs and lows. There are weeks where I feel like I really understand my style and am obsessed with my outfits, and then weeks where I feel like I’m struggling to even understand what I like for me versus what I like on other people.
THE OUTFITS
In an effort to share more of the actual outfits that I’m wearing and the thought process behind them, I’m going to try introducing a quick rating system - from 1-5, with 5 being “hell yes can’t wait to wear this again!” and 1 being a “this needs to be out of rotation permanently”
This week was a cold one. I think that affected me a lot because I couldn’t fathom wearing anything except a thicker knit that I could layer heat tech under.
Monday:
Rating: 4.5/5
Apologies for the bathroom selfie at work—I forgot to take a picture in the morning, and it was too dark by the time I got home.
My new sweater! I got this in the mail after purchasing in December and was immediately in love! This was my first time taking it for a spin and I loved it! It’s very oversized for me, but is kind of what I’ve always been looking for.
Tuesday:
Rating: 4/5
I promise that eventually I’ll start taking photos in my shoes and not my house slippers!
I wasn’t sure about this outfit when I was putting it together, but looking back I think I like it? I think I’m just so not used to seeing myself in an actual colour that it’s jarring…but I would wear it again!
Wednesday:
Rating: 2.5/5
I don’t know what it is about this outfit but I feel like it leaned too masculine for me. After my recent exercise where I analyzed my instagram saves, I realized my love for that juxtaposition of masculine & feminine, and this one maybe leans too far one way. I tried my hair in a few different ways to fix it but nothing felt exactly right.
I’m starting to reconsider this sweater since I really struggle to style it in outfits I love.
Thursday:
Rating: 3/5
This one has a very similar problem as the last one in that it just feels off to me. I tried layering it with lace underneath which helped immensely but I’m certainly not dying to put this on again.
This sweater has always been tricky for me to style, and seeing it with lighter wash denim confirms that it’s not my favorite pairing.
Friday:
Rating: 5/5
I was pretty much waiting all week to wear this sweater again and I felt like after not wearing it for 3 whole days it was perfectly acceptable to repeat it. All of my other jeans were in the wash so while I didn’t really get to “choose” these per se, I love how it turned out. I actually think the brown + blue combination is my favourite.
Saturday:
Rating: 3.5/5
This was my comfortable outfit for heading out to the library to get some work done. Casual but I still feel like myself. I wanted to pair my new belt with this but was honestly just maximizing comfort and a belt didn’t feel right.
Bonus: Saturday Night
5/5
I sadly didn’t manage to snap a photo but I tried out one of the outfits from my recent post and loved it! I paired my oversized chocolate brown sweater (yes this is wear #3 this week) with my pleated black mini skirt and it worked really well!
THE BAD
Things that no longer feel right for me.
Existential style crisis - I’ve not been on Substack for a long time yet, but I absolutely love it here. That being said, it’s kicked my obsession with style and fashion into overdrive, and I’ve found myself scrolling here and on Instagram more than ever. The endless “inspiration” had me feeling a little lost this week, and frankly questioning if I really do even know my style after all?!
Skipping my Sunday night outfit planning = confusion during the week: for the first time in a while I didn’t sit down on Sunday and plan my outfits. I think this left me feeling a little lost and unsure throughout the week. I need to remember this!
Outfit duds of the week: not so much duds maybe as…uninspired? Misaligned with what I perceive to be my personal style? I need to think a bit more about how to add that feminine balance to some of my outfits, but in my defence, I was just trying to keep warm.
GOING INTO NEXT WEEK
After getting some clarity on why I’m liking what I like on instagram (See here to read more about that), I’m feeling more engaged with style and in touch with what I like.
Stop putting pressure on myself to have the same style as [insert influencer name here] - my style is mine and that’s great!
Mindfully shopping for pieces I love. If there’s anything my last two purchases taught me, it’s that waiting and being thoughtful sure as hell pays off! This week I’m shopping for a midi skirt that I love and MAYBE a new pair of pants.
Considering a possible modified Project 333…watch this space for more…
GRATEFUL FOR:
Friends, family, and this amazing community
That’s it, that’s all! As always, thank you so much for being here and let me know if there’s anything you think I should add to this weekly round-up! xx
Funnily enough Wednesday's outfit was one of my favourites. Have you tried making it more feminine with the choice of jewellery and shoes? Totally fine if it just isn't your style😊
As a huge fan of feminine-masculine juxtaposition, I relate to your thoughts on Wed's outfit. One of the things I've been doing lately is to use skin to juxtapose masculinity in my clothes. Understandably much easier for me to do so because I live in the tropics!