Making It Easy

Things in our life will not always look the way we want them to. Even the things that we have ultimate control of, like our physical condition, can easily get away from us when we innocently stop paying attention. I’ve been struggling with that myself for almost a year now, hating what I see in the mirror after gaining the ‘freshman-15’ at my new job. Recently, I’ve decided that while not everything is what I want it to be, that I won’t deny myself one of my greatest pleasures by denying that the body I have today is my body.

All of us deal with our changing shape and weight differently. I’ve personally had my denial take two different forms. The first is to go on an all-out assault against the things that led me where I am: “I’ll walk to work every day, work out 5 times a week, always eat breakfast, and never drink again!” I’ll say to myself. Obviously, this doesn’t work for me long-term. Not only because it is too much change to manage all at once, but also because I enjoy many of the things I would be demonizing (like alcohol and dining out). The second way I’ve dealt with my denial is by changing my shopping habits: “This fat new person doesn’t deserve nice clothes and you don’t get to buy anything nice until you’ve lost this weight”, I’ll tell myself. This also hasn’t worked for me because I find that I go buy cheap, often unflattering, brands just to cover up my new body. So then on top of not loving my body, I’m also not getting confidence from my outfit and wardrobe.

My current plan is something that is new to me, and that is acceptance + balance (not resignation). I have long identified as someone who gets tremendous confidence from the way that I dress and what I’m wearing. So rather than depriving myself of that, I am shopping for the body that I have today while also making other changes in my life to get my body to a more balanced place. If I happen to drop the 1-2 sizes I’ve tacked on, then I’ll either sell or tailor things that no longer fit. But until that day comes, I’m going to make it easy on myself to feel better in my clothes.

I’ve added a uniform to my wardrobe since coming to terms with my new body, one that makes me feel modern, polished, and comfortable: softly structured wide-leg crops paired with a simple tee. This new uniform flatters my waist without emphasizing my curves. I’ll throw a long vest or duster on over it and pair with feminine heels for the office. On weekends I’ll wear it with slip-on sneakers. I plan to keep this uniform in the rotation no matter why my size is since I find the long, loose layers to be imminently flattering and lengthening. 

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Today I'm wearing: Marni silk trousers, Acne tee, Crescioni necklace, Francesca bracelet. 

A mom-pants look for Mother’s Day. Happy Mother’s Day all you badass mommas out there! 

OUTFIT DETAILS: J. Crew jacket; Vince tank; Dylan Lex necklace; RetroSuperFuture sunglasses; Gap pants; Kate Spade shoes; Celine bag; Alexis Bittar bracelets

Back to Basics

I’ve been going through a bit of change in my on-duty life over the past few weeks. I started a new job that is full of opportunity, but in typical startup-fashion that opportunity comes with a bit of growing pain and discomfort. I know that the “juice will be worth the squeeze” when it comes down to it, though.

When I have disruptions in my life, I have this awful tendency to forget the discipline and order that I need to keep me healthy. So some of the great habits I had been working towards earlier in the year have fallen off a bit in the past two months in favor of working late nights and weekends.  

As I’ve been searching to get more equilibrium back in my life, I’ve sort of rediscovered a great, reliable old friend in The Gap. When I was growing up, The Gap was THE cool place to shop.  At the time, Austin didn’t have major department stores or high-end boutiques, so mid-market darlings like Abercrombie, Old Navy, and The Gap were our venues. Somehow, in recent years I’ve completely forgotten about my bread-and-butter brands in favor of building my closet up with high-end labels.

When I popped into the store to pick up these joggers, I did a bit of browsing and found so many other great items (which will all be making appearances later), including a really nice oxblood leather skirt. I put together a Pinterest board of some of the women’s items that I snagged recently. Here, I’m just putting a bit of polish on the sporty joggers by wearing them with mesh shoe-booties and simple jewelry.

OUTFIT DETAILS – T by Alexander Wang Pocket T, Gap twill joggers, Renvy booties, Givenchy Pandora bag, Gillian Julius bracelet; NARS Cruela lip pencil; Ray Ban sunnies

Follow Designer Off Duty’s board Spring Picks from Gap on Pinterest.

Feeling Spring

I’ve been really ‘feeling Spring’ over the past week while the sun has been shining bright in San Francisco. The temperature hasn’t quite caught up to the sun’s enthusiasm, though. So I’ve been searching for outfits that will keep me warm when I venture outside but also be light enough that I don’t feel too swaddled. 

Layering my Everlane sleeveless turtlenecks over tunics and jogger pants has been the perfect option for me. To get just a bit of polish, here I’ve chosen a silk jogger with leather striping and paired them with a high-heeled bootie. 

OUTFIT DETAILS - Velvet by Graham & Spencer Tunic; Everlane Chunky Knit Sleeveless; Vince Joggers; Calvin Klein Platform Booties; Jewelmint Rings; & Other Stories Clutch; NARS Roman Holiday Lipstick

Shiny Shoe Sunday

One of the great benefits of California weather is that you can pretty much wear everything in your closet year round. Lately, I’ve been experimenting with daytime looks that incorporate cropped sweaters and crop-tops, making them more appropriate by wearing over a dress or tunic.

Here, I’ve worn an AYR shirtdress over my favorite Chimala jeans and added a crop top to define the waist. I put this look together specifically to wear with my new Sophia Webster x J. Crew sandals, which I just scored on super sale at J. Crew. Since the sandals are really reflective, I wanted a simpler, more relaxed look everywhere else. Also pictured, one of my favorite color combos of late: navy and coral (on the lips). 

OUTFIT DETAILS - AYR tunic; Nasy Gal Sweater; Chimala Denim; Sophia Webster x J. Crew Sandals; Everlane Petra Bag; NARS Niagara Lipstick

Have a badass 2015!

A few weeks ago, as I was walking back to my office from getting a coffee I had a realization that I was wearing an “outfit”, that I had a “look”, and that I felt awesome! I’m not a supremely self-confident person on a regular basis, so I actually like to stop and acknowledge moments in my life when I DO feel good about myself. This particular moment really solidified for me the notion that fashion, styling, and creative self-expression can sometimes be the most powerful tool for us to develop our most confident and successful selves. When the clothes that you wear are making you feel your best, you can take the mental space that was making you feel fat or self-conscious or [insert your perceived flaw here] and focus on other things that you REALLY want to be thinking about. So, yes, I believe that the clothes do make the wo/man 

One of the main reasons I finally started posting content a few months ago (after nearly 10 years of false starts) was precisely because I was at a low point and felt like I just needed some accountability to dress better and be better. The supporting goal in making that statement was to help other people find their best, most badass selves that will make them kill it every day. I’m looking forward to the chance to connect with more people in 2015 and go on this journey together. 

Here’s hoping everyone has an extremely badass 2015!

OUTFIT DETAILS - American Apparel Turtleneck Dress; AYR Pants; Helmut Lang Vest; J Crew Necklace; Luv AJ x Jewelmint Rings; Express Mules; NARS Roman Holiday Lipstick