Style Refresh 2021: From frustration to fun

Style refresh 2021: from frustration to fun

Happy Monday and I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!  Today I want to return to my Style Refresh 2021: from frustration to fun.

The lasts four years before and after the pandemic were so frustrating to me….I just was not sure of my style and how I wanted to dress.

Walking into my closet and even into stores had lost a little of its joy for me because I did not know where I was headed with my look in a new phase of life.

I was confident in my professional wardrobe…but, I also looked like everyone else…and not the best of me. 

I think I was dressing more for the job and not for me.  Enter frustration…..

Style Refresh 2021: from frustration to fun

So, the new Style Refresh with completely different colors and style personality direction has been liberating and so much fun.

When I went shopping with Leigh Ann last week, I selected from my wardrobe a Ming Wang jacket which I had only worn previously with nice black Eileen Fisher pants and tank. 

But, now I can pair it with my jeans and dress it down a bit and it becomes more earthy, joyful, approachable, artistic and fun (the new adjectives I want to communicate with my style).

It is interesting… when I previously wore the jacket with black, it looked very dark gray to me.  

But, when I wore it with the blue denim, an earthy green tank, and sandals, Leigh Ann pointed out that the jacket background is definitely navy blue.

Sometimes when we pair things differently we can see them differently and really see the garment as it was designed to be!

I love how the Style Refresh is leading me to take time to look at my wardrobe with new lenses and take me on a journey to true Pamela-style!

Style Refresh 2021: From Frustration to fun

Style Refresh 2021: from frustration to fun

I know there are some that believe color palettes and style personalities are restrictive and boring.

So far, I have experienced the exact opposite.  I now find shopping to be more fun, and liberating.  For me, it actually means less rules…replaced by guidelines which make good sense.

I have always enjoyed a good treasure hunt…so shopping now is hunting for the new style!

It was frustrating in the past to see so much volume that might work and not know how to pare it down and make it unique to me. 

While my adjectives helped to sharpen the professional me, they became blurry when I left that world.

Style Refresh 2021: from frustration to fun

So, on this shopping day, I walked into Nordstrom and looked over the top of the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale racks… we were not allowed to go past yellow tape yet.

But, it was easier to see a few colors and prints that are me and not be compelled to look at other pieces.  I think that is much easier and saves time and money!

Then we can go down to the Nordstrom cafe and lunch with friends…with the saved time and money…and leave behind past frustration for fun!

Style Refresh 2021: from frustration to fun

As I have said recently, it is the first time I am committed to following what a stylist has told me to do. 

But the longer I go into the process, the more I see the value of being teachable and open to listening to what Annie Castano, online stylist,  has told me….right down to necklines and shapes of garments.

It really is fun and helping me to look my best at this time.  The colors and the styling has made a huge difference for me.

There are many mixed messages about style online…sort carefully through what you read, even here, and think about what makes the most sense for you. 

As promised, I have a slideshow for you today of pieces in the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale which might be of interest to other color palettes and styles …..

Thank you to everyone who takes the time to read, shop with my links, and even send a donation through the coffee app….every reader and follower is so important to me and your support financially keeps me here.  Thank you so much.

I hope everyone has left wardrobe frustration behind and is having more fun with your style.  If not, please let me know how I can help.

KEEP SMILING, EVERYONE!!

By Pamela Lutrell

SANDALS ARE ON SALE!!…..

12 Comments

  1. I’m looking forward to your autumn palette picks for the Nordstrom sale.
    It sounds promising! Yes, once you know your best colors, you can scan the racks first for color and then for your style. Focusing on those objectives saves time and frustration. You have to be able to walk away empty handed too!
    I love your new adjectives, especially earthy, artistic, and fun. Those resonate with me too!

  2. Good morning, Pamela. Great post for Monday morning. I respect everyone’s opinion, but no one will convince me that shopping in my palette is restrictive. For me, it is exciting and liberating. Your comment about how pairing different colors and garments with a piece may let us see how it was designed to work is excellent food for thought. Since my entire closet is now in my palette, (I am a natural classic, autumn bold and deep), it is so easy to experiment. I am wearing combinations of colors and styles that I had never thought about two years ago. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and clothing adventures.

  3. My thoughts were immediately like Cancan’s above. When you are comfortable with your correct colors, it’s so much easier to view clothing especially in a store where they often are smushed together on racks. Being able to quickly eliminate items is relieving and time-saving. I’ve only been physically shopping inside our local Belk store since the pandemic, and they have just now opened a very few dressing rooms so still difficult to try on. Have not been to Tallahassee which has my closest larger stores , but sadly, no Nordstrom’s . Their sale certainly looks awesome, and I like many products you’ve highlighted.

  4. Soaked up every word! I totally agree on the colors (not sure on the personalities yet). When working, I would obsessively comb through Red Hanger and other big sales, because I needed quantity for work and my clothes often got dirty or torn. I knew I needed to stop this in retirement, but I was still buying too much, and buying too many work-appropriate clothes, as I couldn’t get into the right mindset. This time, because I truly knew what I was looking for (besides “sweaters”), I enjoyed looking for “bridge pieces” from my old wardrobe to my new one. I bought just 3 pieces, and I love and have a purpose for each one.

  5. I think everyone who retires from the corporate world is a bit adrift with deciding what their style is now. I know that was certainly true for me. I worked in the financial world, & though our dress was business casual for several years prior to my retirement, I can tell you that business casual for that world is much different than business casual for a more creative arena. I still love my classic pieces, but many of my work clothes were very structured & did not translate well into my more casual lifestyle. It has taken me about ten years to hone my style, & it is still a work in progress. My thanks to you for the guidance you have provided over the years & continue to provide. Your style refresh is opening my mind to new ideas & possibilities.

  6. So glad to have you hear, Cancan…love to hear from fellow Autumns. I plan to have those autumn Nordstrom picks for autumns on Thursday.

  7. Thanks for sharing, Deborah. I hope to be able to give inspiration for new ideas regularly!

  8. This is so true Linda. I now see the possibilities for each piece within my wardrobe in a better way than before. It was just muddled and uninspiring. That has changed!

  9. Now, that I work for me, I can style myself any way I wish and I am feeling more confident to go to local fashion events. I think I will always be a work in progress but with much more direction now. I am so glad that my journey is helping with yours. Thanks Becky!

  10. You look like a million bucks in your shopping outfit. You and your friends look like you are having so much fun! It does make me a little sad when women say they can’t wear “x” color. Are they sure? Did someone else tell them that? Have they even tried anything on in their “can’t wear” color? My two cents.

  11. Hi Lily, I was able to see and then experience what wearing the wrong colors was doing to me. Black was making my complexion look tired and puffy. Then I saw the demonstrations that showed the same thing. When I started wearing the autumn color palette my face lit up and I looked healthier, rested and younger! It was refreshing! When you witness it first hand, then it is hard to go back to something that wasn’t my best look!! I used to think it doesn’t matter that much…but it really does. Thanks for bringing it up!

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