It Should Have Stayed at the Store

Don’t get me wrong…I still love
my jeggings and the Chico’s
travelers V neck!

Women usually love what they buy, yet hate two-thirds of what is in their closets. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic’s Notebook, 1960


In the last year, there have been many moments of re-evaluation. As I have lost weight, begun to find some new role models, and also begun to ask (finally) the right questions, I have started to look at my closet with a much more critical eye. As you know, refining and reinventing me since I turned 50 seven years ago has been quite a process. But, I believe it is growing into something wonderful and I am anxious to get my thoughts down in the blog and hopefully have some thought-provoking discussions.

I also still love the sandals from Ross!

 In the next month, I will celebrate the one year blogoversery of over50feeling40 and I’ll also turn 58! Between now and then, I plan to launch some different ideas and hope that you will enjoy coming along with me.


As with most things, in order to advance forward, I need to understand where I have been. Today’s look portrays one of the pitfalls many of us jump into….attempting to follow a trend whether it is right for us or not. I purchased this long jacket last year when bright pink was coming back with a vengeance. I remember thinking, “I must have something hot pink! I like the flowy long jacket! I will get this.” That was the extent of my purchasing thought process. Now, it is comfortable and isn’t all that bad…but I wished I had saved the money!  It is oversized and a little too much color coming down the street!  With that said, there is nothing wrong with the shirt, or me…but I have learned it is not the right shirt for the style I desire for me!


The only good news here is that the bright colors remind me of our rehearsal dinner in The Market Square of San Antonio at La Margarita….(when I get through discussing bad decisions I have made in some of these posts….I made need a margarita!)Enjoy some of the pictures and would anyone like to confess if they have purchased a trend they regretted and why?????

18 Comments

  1. Oh yes, sister, we have all done it! : > I like the bright pink on you, but I know what you mean. I've bought a couple of very pretty and pricey vintage dresses that I only wore once, because they felt too "costumey" on me — I got caught up in the fever of the moment!

    We get smarter as we get older, right . . . right???? Margaritas are always in style.

  2. Yes to margaritas. It is curious what you say about trends. Because all of my clothing tends to come from thrifts, I tend to be on the trailing end of trends. I do catch myself buying things that I noticed on other women…so I can try it myself. Sometimes it works, sometimes not, but the price is right.

  3. I have purchased so many trends I should have forgot that I can't count them all. I think this comes with turning 50 in September (yay!!!) and hanging out with 16 yr old twins. However, I have a different problem, I sell on Ebay, then go back and look at the pictures and say, OMG why did I sell that? It was so pretty. Have to stop looking at those pictures. As for colors, I wrestle with them all the time. I tend to have spells when I gravitate towards certain colors for a while with no thought as to if they look good on me such as Margarita green, however, they look great when your drinking them…lol

  4. I seldom follow trends. If I absolutely love an item at an estate sale, consignment shop, or thrift store, it's in my closet. I have become very discerning in this process, but it's something I love to do. So why not do more of it? I just need to figure out how to downsize what doesn't fit or no longer serves me.

  5. you can never have too much color coming down the street if it is done right and this is a great piece. i do agree that it should be in a smaller size though.
    trends…the downfall of polite society 🙂
    brett

  6. I can't wait to follow your blog's journey. I am intrigued. I, too, am working on my own style. I think making mistakes is part of the process. I have always been extremely conservative in my dress and am trying to take more risks. Sometimes they work…and sometimes they don't.

    I personally love that you choose the pink. It shows great spirit.

  7. If anything, I don't buy enough trends! But I still make the mistake of not thinking carefully enough before buying. For me, this takes the form of buying something blah because a) it's cheap, and b) I think it will be "practical." But guess what? If it makes me feel blah, I won't wear it. Not practical at all, and money wasted.

  8. It probably wasn't so big and flowy last year when you were bigger.

    There isn't a thing wrong with wanting an up-to-the-minute color in your closet.

    Every inch of the retailers environment is geared towards you walking out with the biggest most costly item in the latest color. So it takes some skill to navigate what they're expending so much energy to sell you in favor of what it right for you.

  9. I can so relate to the hoards of clothing I got when trying too hard to be a super blogger LOL!
    I don't do color well and sequins, well let's just say, i have way too many………..
    It has taken me almost 2 years to be ok with the real me and i am looking foreward to your changes.
    I love it when other's experience the need for change. it makes me feel like i'm not so alone :0)
    xXX
    Reva

  10. I agree with many here… I think you look great in the pix.

    As for trends – I keep trying to find a maxi dress and it just doesn't seem to work. I buy the dress and attempt to wear it and end up taking it off after an hour or two.

  11. I love your blog and your thoughtful analysis of your fashion journey. I have recently lost 30 lbs. and am struggling to stay modern but not too "young". It will be great to follow your blog!

    One trend I just cannot go with is the whole scarf thing. While I think they look great on others, to me a scarf is something you wear in the winter to keep your neck warm! LOL! It doesn't help that I live in California and it really is too warm most of the year to wear a scarf.

  12. I had a strange thing happen this week. A woman from the professional world I used to belong to was interviewed on our local news. And I just sat watching – entranced. There it was……"THE" look I had tried to copy and blend myself into for a couple of years.

    I eventually became so physically ill and mentally exhausted that I got out of that world. Then I spent two years purging my closet and starting over. It was so freaky to have it pop up in front of me again on tv. It really reinforced my choice to stay on a much healthier (and true to myself) path now. Thank you for sharing your stories!

  13. I think many of us fall into the trap of wearing what we feel we are expected to wear for our age group. If you feel comfortable in something that brings out the frivolous in you, then you should go ahead and wear it in my opinion. You look fabulous by the way.

    Found you on the Finding New Friends weekend blog hop.
    CJ

  14. you do look great in that photo, although maybe the jacket is too big for you…you look so tiny. Just the other day I put on one of those long, open, flowy sweaters that is just too big for me…it does nothing for me. It will have to go to the consignment shop along with a plaid shirt that has totally wrong colors for me.

  15. I know how you feel! Never give into trends you don't actually like….Thanks for stopping by my blog, following you back!

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