Accessories are a great way to add structure. I like sometimes doing that through belts and shoes. Different glasses could maybe also be a way to go. Bags I find a little more difficult - I don't particularly like when an outfit only works if I'm carrying a specific bag, as I would leave it at my desk at work.
Yes, I echo this, Sigrid 🙌🏻😌in the most kind way possible. Try adding a belt to your two initial outfits and let the shirt only be tucked up at the front. Another thing could be that your lose, wide leg pants could tolerate being even loser and even more wide legged.
I can relate, Sigrid! Since I’ve begun taking outfit selfies, sometimes I look back on a picture of an outfit I felt great it and feel the photo does fall into that “frumpy” category and does not at all reflect the energy I felt.
Love the vests on you! Does the v neck come in another color? Perhaps that’s another route if you feel strongly about keeping both. ❤️
The difference in the photo and how we felt is so strange!
Unfortunately none of the vests come in another colour otherwise I would definitely have gone for that 😊 The colours are a bit more different in real life than the appear in the photos. The round neck is a cream/yellowish beige, where the v-neck is a more neutral and a bit darker. In general I find light coloured tops easy to style and wear with the rest of my wardrobe which makes it more tempting to keep both 🙈
Great piece and Sigrid I often have it the same way, but what I’ve learnt from Allison Bornstein is to try and change one thing first before ditching an entire outfit, vibe or styling formula. And the second thing I practice is what I’ve learned from Rachel from Hey Mrs Solomon and that is to try and rework and fix an outfit that you feel is not working immediately upon arriving home. These two guidelines have helped me improve my style a lot 🙌🏻😌
I loved this Sigrid! I feel like it's the natural evolution - you have a formula that works, something changes (can be your body, lifestyle, preferences etc.) but then it sort of causes the formula to "break" or not work for you anymore. I loved all the outfits with the vests as well! It's so interesting how even though they are similar in colour and overall structure, the round-neck vs v-neck does change the vibe of the look! I wonder if it's worth just keeping the tags on the v-neck and styling the round-neck vest frequently and see how many times you wish you could swap it for the v-neck version. I did that recently with a couple pairs of jeans and it ended up really showing me whether or not I really wanted both vs only keeping one!
I like the idea of it being a natural evolution! Hadn't thought of it that way, but it totally makes sense.
Keeping the v-neck around for a little while and seeing when I would prefer that to the round nack is a great idea. Not gonna lie, now I've style the tonal look with the brown long sleeeve underneath I kind of want to wear that next week... But I'll give it some time.
I can't remember, what did you end up deciding regarding the jeans?
I ended up only keeping one! And not because I was trying to limit myself or anything, after the excitement settled I realized that I actually felt MORE overwhelmed by having two very similar choices, and the ones I kept worked for the vast majority of situations anyway
Sigrid! You are not the only one who feels that way, trust me! When negative/frumpy thoughts pop up for me, I imagine swatting them away with a fly swatter and I imagine what I wish my daughter will think about herself someday, like “I am beautiful no matter what and my clothes don’t determine that” or something to that effect! You are beautiful and I would never in a million years think you look how you say you sometimes feel. Can I make a recommendation? This has helped me so much. Every time I look in the mirror, I smile really big and say “I love you!” I wish this experience for everyone!!
What a great way to handle those emotions - swatting those annoying thoughts away 😂 Saying kind things to ourselves can be really helpful- thank you for the reminder.
Love this post! This just unlocked for me exactly why I’ve been struggling to dress postpartum! I always opted for the structured bottom-flowy top also and now that structured bottoms aren’t comfortable I am stuck in that flowy-flowy state that leaves me feeling sloppy.
This made my day! So happy that you were able to see what isn't working for you. Are there ways you could see yourself adding structure or something else back into your outfit, so you don't feel sloppy?
P.S. I assume you already read Anna Newton's recent piece on postpartum dressing? If not, then I would recommend it.
I haven’t actually read it, headed there now! So far I have used clothing rental to try out styles I wouldn’t normally consider like barrel jeans, uniquely cut tops, etc. I’ve also found layering to be helpful in providing enough interest to help the outfit feel more intentional overall.
Oh my gosh I really loved this - feels like I'm right there with you in your bedroom as you're trying things on! I actually have a theory that you're doing classic + sophisticated but could lean a little more into relaxed? I know maybe the garments in the first outfits read "relaxed" to you because they're a little looser, but the pieces are all highly classic and the styling feels sophisticated in that you button the shirt, tuck it in, style a light top with light shoes/dark top with dark shoes, etc.
I see what you mean, and I might need to lean into relaxed in different ways. Relaxed for me is more about the silhouette and not relaxed as in casual. But the outfits might be styled (if you can called them styled!) in a too classic way and be a little too much one note and not have enough friction to make them interesting. I did wear the outfit with black shirt untucked on a different day and liked it better.
Second comment, but I wanted to ask: do you follow Melissa Munro on YouTube? She reworks classic blazers and shirts so they have a little extra interest, retain the structure but honor the female form. I love her stuff so much and it’s not quite my aesthetic, but it might align with yours.
Thank you so much. It's also more about how I feel than how it actually looks. You know when you just don't feel good in an outfit and something just is off. It might not appear like that to other people, but you just don't feel like yourself.
That round neck vest is so good! Thank you for sharing the article on fitting rooms - I've felt the lighting effect. Give me trying on clothes at home over one of the poorly designed fitting rooms any day.
Wow! You voiced how I feel almost exactly. I wore a new outfit to the office which I felt amazing in. When I looked at the selfie I took from the morning later, it looked so much worse. Basically for the reasons you stated - it was too fluid on top and bottom and the sneakers didn’t help.
Another thing I’m realizing is that medium weight fabrics seem to be most flattering on me? Fluid fabrics make me look too soft, and overly stiff fabrics make me look heavier.
So interested about the fabric weight. I think I need to pay more attention to that.
Sometimes I don't know wether we should go with how we FEEL vs how we LOOK in a photo? Because what is actually true? In a perfect world where I always felt the best version of myself I would love to go with how I FEEL. Because if I feel great I exude confidence and that shows in the way I meet the world. But the world is not perfect, and outfit photos can teach us things about what works and what doesn't. That maybe the outfit were too fkuid or needed a different shoe. I just do my best to remember that it's just a 2D photo and therefore only reflects a part of the truth with lightning, angles playing a huge role.
This really resonated with me - I need to ‘play’ with outfit formulas that inspire me until I feel that they ‘sing’ on me - I love the oversized look but need to expose some skin somewhere to prevent the fabric drowning my short frame. I would love to try Dacey’s Substack!
Love that it resonated with you. Showing some skin is a great tool - and easier now we are moving into spring and summer. I find it a bit hard in wintertime. I need to play with layering in a way that still feels like me and where don't need to fiddle with them throughout the day.
So many good ideas in this, Sigrid! Love your thought process! Thanks for the shoutout as well, it was so much fun to do the Style Notes post on Maria because she has this effortless balance you mention! xx
I hear you! Could you also add structure through accessories - sharp belt, shoes, bag?
Accessories are a great way to add structure. I like sometimes doing that through belts and shoes. Different glasses could maybe also be a way to go. Bags I find a little more difficult - I don't particularly like when an outfit only works if I'm carrying a specific bag, as I would leave it at my desk at work.
Good point on bags! I hope you have fun experimenting
Yes, I echo this, Sigrid 🙌🏻😌in the most kind way possible. Try adding a belt to your two initial outfits and let the shirt only be tucked up at the front. Another thing could be that your lose, wide leg pants could tolerate being even loser and even more wide legged.
Thank you for the ideas - something to play around with. It could be fun to go even more wide legged with the pants.
I can relate, Sigrid! Since I’ve begun taking outfit selfies, sometimes I look back on a picture of an outfit I felt great it and feel the photo does fall into that “frumpy” category and does not at all reflect the energy I felt.
Love the vests on you! Does the v neck come in another color? Perhaps that’s another route if you feel strongly about keeping both. ❤️
The difference in the photo and how we felt is so strange!
Unfortunately none of the vests come in another colour otherwise I would definitely have gone for that 😊 The colours are a bit more different in real life than the appear in the photos. The round neck is a cream/yellowish beige, where the v-neck is a more neutral and a bit darker. In general I find light coloured tops easy to style and wear with the rest of my wardrobe which makes it more tempting to keep both 🙈
Great piece and Sigrid I often have it the same way, but what I’ve learnt from Allison Bornstein is to try and change one thing first before ditching an entire outfit, vibe or styling formula. And the second thing I practice is what I’ve learned from Rachel from Hey Mrs Solomon and that is to try and rework and fix an outfit that you feel is not working immediately upon arriving home. These two guidelines have helped me improve my style a lot 🙌🏻😌
Those are good guidelines to keep in mind :) Playing around with the outfits might improve them.
I loved this Sigrid! I feel like it's the natural evolution - you have a formula that works, something changes (can be your body, lifestyle, preferences etc.) but then it sort of causes the formula to "break" or not work for you anymore. I loved all the outfits with the vests as well! It's so interesting how even though they are similar in colour and overall structure, the round-neck vs v-neck does change the vibe of the look! I wonder if it's worth just keeping the tags on the v-neck and styling the round-neck vest frequently and see how many times you wish you could swap it for the v-neck version. I did that recently with a couple pairs of jeans and it ended up really showing me whether or not I really wanted both vs only keeping one!
I like the idea of it being a natural evolution! Hadn't thought of it that way, but it totally makes sense.
Keeping the v-neck around for a little while and seeing when I would prefer that to the round nack is a great idea. Not gonna lie, now I've style the tonal look with the brown long sleeeve underneath I kind of want to wear that next week... But I'll give it some time.
I can't remember, what did you end up deciding regarding the jeans?
I ended up only keeping one! And not because I was trying to limit myself or anything, after the excitement settled I realized that I actually felt MORE overwhelmed by having two very similar choices, and the ones I kept worked for the vast majority of situations anyway
So great you gave yourself time to come to that decision.
Sigrid! You are not the only one who feels that way, trust me! When negative/frumpy thoughts pop up for me, I imagine swatting them away with a fly swatter and I imagine what I wish my daughter will think about herself someday, like “I am beautiful no matter what and my clothes don’t determine that” or something to that effect! You are beautiful and I would never in a million years think you look how you say you sometimes feel. Can I make a recommendation? This has helped me so much. Every time I look in the mirror, I smile really big and say “I love you!” I wish this experience for everyone!!
What a great way to handle those emotions - swatting those annoying thoughts away 😂 Saying kind things to ourselves can be really helpful- thank you for the reminder.
Love this post! This just unlocked for me exactly why I’ve been struggling to dress postpartum! I always opted for the structured bottom-flowy top also and now that structured bottoms aren’t comfortable I am stuck in that flowy-flowy state that leaves me feeling sloppy.
This made my day! So happy that you were able to see what isn't working for you. Are there ways you could see yourself adding structure or something else back into your outfit, so you don't feel sloppy?
P.S. I assume you already read Anna Newton's recent piece on postpartum dressing? If not, then I would recommend it.
I haven’t actually read it, headed there now! So far I have used clothing rental to try out styles I wouldn’t normally consider like barrel jeans, uniquely cut tops, etc. I’ve also found layering to be helpful in providing enough interest to help the outfit feel more intentional overall.
I need to play more around with layering, but in way that still feels like me and where I don't have to fiddle with them during the day.
Oh my gosh I really loved this - feels like I'm right there with you in your bedroom as you're trying things on! I actually have a theory that you're doing classic + sophisticated but could lean a little more into relaxed? I know maybe the garments in the first outfits read "relaxed" to you because they're a little looser, but the pieces are all highly classic and the styling feels sophisticated in that you button the shirt, tuck it in, style a light top with light shoes/dark top with dark shoes, etc.
Do you see what I mean?
I see what you mean, and I might need to lean into relaxed in different ways. Relaxed for me is more about the silhouette and not relaxed as in casual. But the outfits might be styled (if you can called them styled!) in a too classic way and be a little too much one note and not have enough friction to make them interesting. I did wear the outfit with black shirt untucked on a different day and liked it better.
Second comment, but I wanted to ask: do you follow Melissa Munro on YouTube? She reworks classic blazers and shirts so they have a little extra interest, retain the structure but honor the female form. I love her stuff so much and it’s not quite my aesthetic, but it might align with yours.
www.melissamunrodesign.com
I don't know her, but I'm going to check her out. Thank you for the recommendation!
I stand in solidarity with you re: catching sight of yourself out and about—different angles result in different feelings for me sometimes 🙈
It's such a weird feeeling! It can really mess with one's head.
No frump detected – and that round-neck vest looks like a really good buy!
Thank you so much. It's also more about how I feel than how it actually looks. You know when you just don't feel good in an outfit and something just is off. It might not appear like that to other people, but you just don't feel like yourself.
That round neck vest is so good! Thank you for sharing the article on fitting rooms - I've felt the lighting effect. Give me trying on clothes at home over one of the poorly designed fitting rooms any day.
I love that vest! Fitting rooms are the reasons why I sometimes prefer shopping online so I can try things at home!
Wow! You voiced how I feel almost exactly. I wore a new outfit to the office which I felt amazing in. When I looked at the selfie I took from the morning later, it looked so much worse. Basically for the reasons you stated - it was too fluid on top and bottom and the sneakers didn’t help.
Another thing I’m realizing is that medium weight fabrics seem to be most flattering on me? Fluid fabrics make me look too soft, and overly stiff fabrics make me look heavier.
So interested about the fabric weight. I think I need to pay more attention to that.
Sometimes I don't know wether we should go with how we FEEL vs how we LOOK in a photo? Because what is actually true? In a perfect world where I always felt the best version of myself I would love to go with how I FEEL. Because if I feel great I exude confidence and that shows in the way I meet the world. But the world is not perfect, and outfit photos can teach us things about what works and what doesn't. That maybe the outfit were too fkuid or needed a different shoe. I just do my best to remember that it's just a 2D photo and therefore only reflects a part of the truth with lightning, angles playing a huge role.
This really resonated with me - I need to ‘play’ with outfit formulas that inspire me until I feel that they ‘sing’ on me - I love the oversized look but need to expose some skin somewhere to prevent the fabric drowning my short frame. I would love to try Dacey’s Substack!
Love that it resonated with you. Showing some skin is a great tool - and easier now we are moving into spring and summer. I find it a bit hard in wintertime. I need to play with layering in a way that still feels like me and where don't need to fiddle with them throughout the day.
I'll send you a subscription to Dacy's substack 😊
Definitely more difficult in winter! Also harder to fit oversized clothing under coats. The journey continues! Thank you so much xx
I love the round neck jacket and the v neck may well be just what you need now.
You might be right 🙈
So many good ideas in this, Sigrid! Love your thought process! Thanks for the shoutout as well, it was so much fun to do the Style Notes post on Maria because she has this effortless balance you mention! xx
You are welcome 😊 She really has such a great style that sparked loads of ideas. And your analysis made it so easy to pinpoint what she's doing.