Wearing Sparkle After the Holidays

Wearing sparkle after the holidays

It used to be that holiday attire was put away and stored after the New Year, but this seems to have changed recently. As a matter of fact, the “rules” of how to dress transformed immensely since my early twenties. Back then, everything matched, your purse matched your shoes, if you wore a suit then the jacket matched exactly. Nail polish on your fingers was always matched to the polish on your toes.

Fast forward to today, you will see that shoes often stand out and are a different color than your outfit. Fingers and toes are painted differently. And, two-piece outfits are often in contrasting patterns and color. Do you have all that? It sure is a lot to think about when getting dressed….or is it?

Just when you thought you knew how to dress yourself now you must learn how to not match.

I remember watching an interview with Cyndi Lauper and they asked her about her unique wardrobe, she commented that she didn’t have money to spend on clothes so the fact that her outfits were a little out there and didn’t match was because she just needed to be creative with what she already owned.

Let’s get back to sparkle and making it work for spring and summer. A few key things to think about.                                  

#1 get comfortable with not matching

You no longer have to rummage through your things to precisely coordinate. Look at Iris Apfel, she was surprised to find out that the fashion industry not only recognized her as a stye icon in her 90’s (!!) but also wanted to showcase her unique outfits.              

#2 How do you put outfits together that don’t match if Bohemian isn’t your style?

The answer is you balance the look. Start with one piece that you are fond of and don’t want to put away for the season. For me it was this metallic sequin maxi skirt. I found this skirt on sale at Nordstrom, (similar skirt found here) it fit nicely, I liked it, and I wasn’t going to wait until next December to wear it. My husband and I were going out with friends and I had the perfect opportunity to give it a try.

Since the sequin metallic skirt is pretty much a statement piece, I knew I needed to keep the rest simple.  I had this tee shirt which I purchased a while ago in Naples at a store called Simply Natural. Wear the tee how you prefer, tucked in, outside the skirt, or knotted. Throw on a pair of flats, and your good to go.

Another popular look is to wear gym shoes with skirts. There are a lot of fun canvas and leather gym shoes that are comfortable as well as trendy selling in stores right now.   

Glitter or metallic skirt, + casual or graphic tee + flats or gym shoes = Balanced outfit
Add (sunglasses + purse)

Glitter or metallic top + cropped denim pants + slides or sandals = Balanced outfit
Add (purse + sandals)

Do not let yourself stress over not matching as it’s easier than you think. The other day I was getting dressed and thought to myself “oh what the heck, this really doesn’t match but I’ll just wear it with confidence.” Guess what? I actually had many compliments on what I wore that day. I’m taking more risks with dressing than I did in my twenties and I’m having fun with the creativity. When I was younger, I worried more about what people thought now…I get dressed for me.