For real, this year has got to stop. Does anyone else feel like they just have nothing left to give? I am depleted and defeated and I keep seeing posts about how there are 3 more months left of the decade and there’s so much urgency in that, but I cannot even summon the creativity to dress in the morning. Yep, I’m finally here to address the blue elephant in the room: my jeans, which I sometimes live in.
Let me start by saying that I love my jeans. For a long time I felt like I didn’t have the kind of body that suited jeans, which is kind of insane because they’re just denim tubes hugging your legs, but you, we build these crazy narratives in our mind about what suits us and what’s appropriate and it’s all bullshit. Anyway, a few years ago I finally found a pair of jeans that worked for me. I think they were from Ackermans, I remember they were R99 and I was floored by how affordable they were and how well they fitted. These R99 jeans lased for about 3 years before the ass split and ja, I got my monies worth. But then this magical thing happened. I discovered Cotton On and at the time I was a size 18 and I bought a pair of high waisted jeggings and my God, my world was rocked. I never knew my buns could look that delicious. And because they made me feel good, because they made me look good, I lived in them. I wore them to death.
And then I got to a point, somewhere near the middle of winter, where I thought, “good grief Nikki, jeans again??”
I was finally well and truly stuck in a jeans rut. And I have only just come out of it. You might be wondering how I did it? How I broke free and stepped away from my trusty pieces of denim? Well, I’m going to tell you. Before I shopped for new clothes, I did 5 things differently:
Find a muse
Whether it’s an actual person or an entire platform, I cannot overstate the importance of looking at outside influence. For me, Pinterest is the best. I’ll search for things I already own, like “yellow skirt outfits” and find fun and interesting ways to style an item I am not wearing often. Usually, clothes gather dust in my wardrobe because I don’t know how to style them properly so this helps. Would you guys be keen to see a list of people we love and draw constant inspiration from on Instagram?
Make small changes
If you’re in a jeans rut, it’s reasonable to assume that you’re probably going through a phase where you’re more comfortable in pants, so instead of scrapping it all, just try another style of pants. Whether it’s linen or printed joggers or wide-leg jeans instead of skinnies, making a small change like this can sometimes be the catalyst for bigger shifts down the line.
Experiment
You know that bright top you have that you never wear? Why not give it go? Find a new way to wear it and even if you’re rocking it at home, there’s no harm in experimenting and testing your creativity.
Create a new uniform
You guys know that having a personal uniform is incredibly important to me and it changes seasonally and even though it sounds boring it’s not really. When you’re in a bit of a style rut, reimagining what your day to day personal uniform could be can help. So in my case, I knew I wanted to get away from all this denim, so I started putting together different top and bottom combos – skirts and tops that worked well together – and before I knew it, weeks had passed and I hadn’t worn jeans once.
Dare dare dare
We all have outfits we’re dying to wear but lack the confidence to even purchase. For me, it’s sequins. I am obsessed. But there is no better time to be daring and bold than when you’re stuck in the depths of a rut. Smash the boundaries, embrace the colours and textures and prints and just go for it.
Once I took all of the steps above, I realised that there were certain kinds of clothes I wanted to wear, but I didn’t own. So I made a little list and bought a few items, some of the things I bought were budget, and some of them were more expensive key pieces from brands I’ve cherished for quite some time. I am a huge planner and I believe that when it comes to shopping for clothing, you need to put in the time to look at your existing wardrobe, think about the kind of outfits you’d like to wear and then plan to fill the gaps with what you purchase.
I hope this has been helpful and if you find yourself in a style rut of any kind, let us know! We’d love to help you navigate your way back to fabulous!
Nikki
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