As I was putting together this month’s My Style post, I thought it might be fun to also pull in some photos from the last few July’s to look at how my style has changed over the years.
Let’s first take a look at my outfits from July 2023 for work and play:
Out of the 11 looks, 5 of them are simple tank tops + skirt combos. Then 2 easy dresses (one of them was worn 2x this month) and a couple cute linen top/sweater + skirt combos. So, all in all a pretty easy formula that I just keep following over and over. I keep it feeling like “me” and not too boring by working in fun colors and patterns. Also, at a quick count at least 14 of the items you see were purchased secondhand.
So let’s take a look back at a few outfits from July 2022:
Pretty similar to 2023, with easy fitting skirts and a mix of solids and some fun patterns. I still own all these items and mix them in with my wardrobe and will probably re-wear these exact outfits at some point again.
Now, let’s see July 2021:
Still a similar outfit combo of dresses and cardigans, but looking back I feel that the styling can be improved. The middle outfit is too dreary and the 3/4 sleeves combined with that particular skirt length just don’t look as great on me. And as much as I love that rainbow dress, I now style it with a cute top knotted over it which breaks up the pattern a bit and also looks more flattering on my body type.
Let’s skip 2020 because I apparently didn’t get dressed during the pandemic, so here is July 2019:
Okay, we can see some differences in my style here by going back just 4 years. All four dresses were secondhand, which is great. However, each of these looks is just kind of blah. It’s like I’m trying to fade into the office woodwork, rather than dress in a way that makes me happy.
If you enjoy reading about evolving style over the years, I also have a series on my style evolution over the years: My Style Evolution: The Early Years , My Style Evolution: My 20’s and My Style Evolution: My 30’s. I plan to add to it, but I’m currently 45… so I feel like I should see what the next few years look like first!