Hear Me Roar

 

Sweater: H&M (similar save, similar spend); Skirt: Nordstrom (similar save, similar splurge); Tights: c/o No Nonsense; Heels: BCBG

Animal prints always make me feel like a powerhouse. I'm motivated, stand tall, and feel like roaring all day long. I think that's a major testament to what fashion can do for a person's self esteem and sense of worth. 

I'm always blown away at how I feel in different outfits. A slip under a dress makes me feel like I'm an older woman. A pair of high heels makes me feel sexy. A pair of short-shorts make me feel unattractive and exposed. A pair of slacks? All business. A floaty skirt? Flirty. A structured jacket - stylish. There are a million ways to dress up and down your personality and finding those things that make you look perfect for any given situation is key.

My mom called to tell me that my recent "Sheathed" post showed "my length." That's how my mom gently tells me that outfits that fall higher on the thigh are not flattering and I should cease with the short dresses and skirts. Thanks, mom! It's actually true - that dress hits me at the right length and probably contributes to why I feel so fabulous in it all day. 

The other day I put on a shirt that's horribly prone to wrinkles and wore it to work with some more masculine slacks (they're a plaid, cropped slack). By mid-day I was a wrinkled mess, my shirt was pulling out of my pants, I needed a belt, and the pants were making me look like a squat gremlin. I felt, in a word, ugly. And I realized in that bathroom-mirror-moment that to feel like I could stand tall and command a room, I needed to never wear the wrinkle shirt again. There's no excuse for feeling really ugly for the entire day unless you're suffering from some kind of severe allergic reaction to a bee sting that's causing hideous face swelling. Just not a necessary emotion to feel about yourself.

So back to the starting point - this skirt is one of those items in my closet that makes me feel great. It fits perfect and while prone to wrinkles, holds it shape through the day and hits me at a thin point on my legs (right below the knee). It's the kind of piece I need to wear to feel like I am an important person in the midst of a sea of people. 

What's your go-to powerful style piece?