Serious Saturday: Getting Dressed Vs. Dressing Up

dress: COS - sandals: H&M - sunglasses: gift - ring: Diamanti Per Tutti

Yep, simplicity once again. I might be completely done with outfits that are too "styled", with layering and hats and purses and print mixing, all of that typical blogger fare. All of it just feels so forced to me. It might sound super asshole-y, but at 26 I feel like I might be getting too old to have fun playing dress up everyday. Right now, I want to simply get dressed for the sake of getting dressed. I look at blogs of people "performing" fashion so to speak, and it does not inspire me as much as it used to (except for some of my long time favourites, like Jane who will always be an icon).

It's been a long time coming, I remember feeling just the same when I wrote this. I still stand by everything I said at the time but somehow I feel like I've gotten even MORE basic in my outfits since then? Like I said: where once I would pick items to create a look, going back and forth adding and removing details, now I really just Get. Dressed. It makes me remember how I was before I started blogging: I did have a major love for pretty things and a clear taste, but the stakes weren't quite so high. I didn't have to think about whether this went with that, if it didn't make me look too much of x or too little of y or if I hadn't already worn that piece too recently. Style was more natural, organic and intuitive. It feels liberating to be able to go back to that, back to me.

I also feel like that effortlessly chic ideal is less out of reach for me than it once was. Case in point: this COS dress which was my first sales buy this season. I was going back and forth in my mind on whether or not to bring it home, but the simple yet beautifully unconventional cut convinced me. It's the midi length and the loose, burlap sack-like fit that really make this dress. Totally unsexualized, but still breezy enough for heatwaves. Rudimentary yet elegant in its minimalism. And the tie-able straps make it possible to make this garment fit just how you want it too, or convert it to a back-less dress.

A piece like this needs nothing but some nice sandals. Chunky black ones to make the combination even more "unpretty", or something like these strappy babies to emphasize the Grecian feel of the dress. Nothing more. Maybe my current style doesn't make me stand out in a crowd as much anymore and I won't make people turn their heads going either "wtf is she wearing" or "wow, look at that!". However, I feel like a flower that might not be the most vibrant of the garden, but makes up for it with an essence that is richer than it ever was.

I've been sort of introspective and raw lately after an hours long, beautifully vulnerable night time conversation with my boyfriend, leaving us more connected than ever before. Totally TMI, but I still wanted to share.

How do you feel about simplicity and getting dressed vs. dressing up?