hi guys today I am going to post to my
podcast again and I just love doing
these video podcasts where you can find
like the video version here on YouTube
but then also I've got the audio version
through different podcast platforms so
I'm sure that whatever is sort of like
podcast platform that you listen to is
where you can find me and it's called
only looking up because I mainly talk
about petite things but yeah it's been a
few months since I posted there and time
has just flown so I'm really excited to
start today with a series maybe just
like a mini series that I want to put
together ideas for called adulting
basically anything that i've started
doing as an adult that has really
transformed the way that I look in my
fashion or beauty or whatever that is so
today I wanted to talk about five
fashion items that I've invested in
recently so that's kind of what I'm
going to be discussing today it's gonna
be really chatty I've got my coffee so
hopefully you can just sit back and let
this roll and I don't know it's just
gonna be a really fun topic it's close
to my heart for those of you who maybe
are new to my channel or new to me I
just started a couple years ago on my
personal style journey meaning I found
myself in a place where I was really
just strapped on my budget I really
didn't want to put a lot of money into
things like clothes or anything like
that I wanted to just focus in on my
finances and that worked for the time
especially and it's always important and
I never want to say anything that would
be a reflection of what you should do
with your finances is very personal but
for me I found that clothing it was just
last on the list as I was also faced
with this career of being a designer I
found that I wasn't at a point in my
career where I should be making those
cuts on my wardrobe because I wanted to
be taken
seriously in things like meetings or you
know I've talked to other people who are
faced with kind of the same thing in
their career if you maybe are taking
care of someone's children I know some
person some one of my friends that she
was faced with that too and she wanted
to be respected by the parents so
instead of dressing to take care of the
small children she started dressing to
impress the parents and give trust to
the parents so that was just one example
of how clothing can impact that so I
approach this topic delicately because I
I find that it's super important and it
will have a big return on investment but
I know that not everybody is at a place
where they want to invest in their
wardrobe at the time so that's kind of
where I'm at today is discussing where
you're gonna find the biggest impact on
your higher-end purchases of your
wardrobe so if I was just completely
starting over again day one you know
that's where I found myself a couple
years ago I ended up investing in just a
few small things to build rebuild my
wardrobe from the ground up instead of
having everything that was kind of
mismatched or just bought out of maybe
an impulse even though it was more on
clearance or whatever I I wanted to
invest in just a few items that would
give me the longest impact meaning it
was more quality than I was used to
paying for and then also it just had a
big impact on the versatility of the
pieces that's pretty much it I'm gonna
just gonna go into it but again I think
that this really will have impact for
anybody who wants to be taken more
seriously and maybe it's just for a few
key moments in your life like maybe
you're buying a car selling a car maybe
you're going in for a job interview I've
been on both sides of the table for that
I've been the one being interviewed I've
given interviews so this is my jam I
love talking about this I love talking
about how to dress to impress
and then do
doing that with versatility okay without
further ado these are the five things
that I would say to invest in as an
adult one is the right fabrics so to me
that means high-quality neutrals I find
that that really goes the furthest like
when I first started I looked for what's
a button-down that I can wear like a
white button-down would be such a
classic piece maybe a black dress so
these are neutrals these are things that
you could blindly go into your closet
maybe with the lights off and it's you
know really early in the morning and you
could just pick out a couple of things
from your closet and they match that was
my goal with when I first started it's
still my goal I've built my closet which
is no bigger than it was when I first
started but I can still reach into my
closet and things match like I can mix
and match anything really and it works
so doing that intentionally especially
just with neutrals if you want to look
more mature this is a great way to do
that is just to find you know black
white brown neutrals as far as like
maybe a linen without any dyes is so
pretty it's like the prettiest color in
the world I think but then also I really
like things like a good pair of jeans
like a good pair of blue jeans so blue
is in essence still a neutral jeans you
might need to dress up a little bit for
the sake of this conversation but that
would definitely be something to do but
then also if you're going to buy
something that you're gonna wear
frequently it's helped me to be able to
buy higher quality fabrics so instead of
buying five shirts like you know I just
did a video on white t-shirts it might
be better to buy something that is a
higher quality that you take care of and
that will last longer than if you bought
you know eventually five of them
throughout the year and because they
keep getting dirty or whatever and so
there's things that you can do to
protect white garments for that
conversation as well but
I think that when I have bought
something from Elisabeth Suzanne which
is much more high-end than a lot of the
other things that I buy then her fabrics
have lasted so much longer than a lot of
the other fabrics that I just like it
so in line with that silks high quality
fabric you can't really buy that cheaply
and if you do buy it cheaply it tends to
kind of pick and not last as long maybe
rip it the seams a little bit but when
you do buy quality it will last longer
and you really do get what you pay for
if you're looking for the right fabrics
another one is linen I love linen
especially for this time of year where
it's kind of warmer out where I am and
just having something super breathable
and I've had all sorts of different
linens from different companies and I
would say that some are perhaps a little
bit more see-through than others some
might have a little bit more wear and
tear and the weave might come a little
bit looser so that that's something to
consider especially around the seams I
find the most use the most like
deterioration if I'm not buying quality
so those are things to consider if you
are going to invest in something that's
a pure basic like a button-down shirt or
a black dress a black dress could be
something that's hanging in your closet
for years and so instead of buying
several throughout those years you could
buy one really good one that you feel
confident in and when you go in for that
handshake when you're about to have some
sort of like car sale for instance or a
job interview is super important then
you're gonna feel so much more confident
knowing that what you are wearing I
don't know it's like wearing a cape you
know we just feel empowered like a
little kid who's wearing a superhero
cape and so that's kind of the idea
behind this high quality neutral fabrics
they go forever you'll use them forever
and that is definitely something that
has gone the longest for my personal
style journey and being more mature in
what I wear so one last note on
I literally have some pieces that have
lasted three years and they're still
going they're not going to go out of
style
they're higher-end as far as the fabrics
and they're neutrals so you know there's
some times where a teal or whatever
might be so on-trend for the moment and
that might be better on a statement
piece or a more affordable piece that
you can add on top of a basic but when
it comes to basics man I am so
particular about getting quality and
something neutral and timeless the next
thing that I did when going through my
personal style journey almost right away
I started adding jewelry and
specifically gold jewelry can be
something that will give you the biggest
impact on how elevated your style is and
day one for me you know I wasn't out
there buying Lintin gold jewelry
necklaces or anything I built my
collection of jewelry over time and I'm
still working on that I don't have just
you know treasure troves of jewelry or
anything but one thing that I started
with was brass jewelry and of course you
might find if you're getting brass rings
or anything that might have a little bit
of green around your fingers and stuff
like that but if you're careful with
them if you take off the Rings before
you're washing your hands doing dishes
whatever then that could be something
where you're going to find that it's
going to elevate your style and make you
feel more confident as well like it
right now I'm not wearing many of my
rings and it's kind of driving me batty
because I just love to stack jewelry and
have my rings on I don't know it's just
something that makes me feel really
comfortable you know I think that one of
the first things I did was add a couple
of brass necklaces and my friend she
runs a company called windblown jewelry
she is a powerhouse like she runs her
whole business out of a closet and her
pieces are just perfectly crafted by her
and she's got a small team and it's just
fun to take part in that and I also just
really liked her design so I'll leave a
link down am I just
option where you can find her jewelry
and her pieces are very affordable too
so that is where I would definitely go
to to begin my jewelry collection I also
really like to now work I like to work
with pamela card because I love her
pieces so much they're very artistic
they're inspired by art history that
each one is uniquely handmade by really
old ancient practices and so when I wear
her jewelry I just feel like I'm part of
that craft so her pieces are a bit more
expensive but they are gold-plated
and so they aren't going to cost as much
as it would cost if they were pure gold
so that's kind of how I make amends on
wearing gold jewelry is that they might
be sterling silver underneath the gold
and otherwise I really like to wear like
bracelets that are very small and those
ones will be pure gold but they are
dainty so anything that is pure gold I
wear usually is just you know very small
or like very thin rings otherwise I like
the gold-plated effect for that as well
for rings the signet ring is really
beautiful so that's kind of my idea for
jewelry and maybe gold isn't your
preference I know some people just
absolutely love silver and that might
actually be more affordable too if
that's what you're drawn to if maybe you
have like cool tones to your skin I know
a lot of people who do love silver and
that might just be a preference but I
think that whenever you imagine someone
who's just wearing a black outfit with
jewelry that's something you could wear
when you're 20 that's something you
could wear when you're 80 and there's
just a timelessness to that and really
you don't have to invest very much in
your wardrobe if you're wearing very
neutral like black or chic colors that
are just elevated by everyday jewelry
and the beauty of having jewelry and
accessories is that you're not going to
get sick of them you're not going to get
sick of wearing them
as much or maybe you feel like other
people are sick of seeing you in
something that's not gonna happen with
jewelry as much as it would for you know
I've got a pink sweater that I
absolutely love to wear but I can't
always wear it because I'm thinking well
they're just gonna say the girl that
wears the pink sweater so that's kind of
my thinking is wear something every day
especially if you're gonna see the same
people every day that is timeless that
maybe won't define you as much as you
define you
maybe you should shine through more than
the clothing so that's kind of my
thought there okay this next one's a bit
spicy but I just absolutely feel like it
is so true to thinking about how to
mature your outfit how to adult and what
I really think is true is wearing
higher-end lingerie has made a more of
an impact on my everyday style on my
confidence on knowing that my whole
outfit is put together well and this is
kind of a tangent I actually had someone
just recently thank me fervently for
recommending nippies skin adhesives so
it's not really lingerie but it will
make you feel more confident in what
you're wearing and you don't necessarily
have to think about that particular bra
that will work just right for the outfit
that you're wearing so I had to briefly
mention that because I do think that
investing in something just like that
has made an everyday impact not only on
me but other people so I had to throw
that in there but also just wearing
higher-end lingerie I really like
Florida Mall and I'm probably butchering
how to say that but I just love the idea
of having confidence with the things
that I'm wearing so if I was to wear
something beautiful on top that I
invested in and then I went to like the
bargain bin and got a bra that didn't
fit me just right maybe wasn't quite my
size those are things they consider and
I've got a video that more explains
lingerie and
my thoughts they are so I will link you
guys over that way but in a nutshell
wearing higher-end lingerie that I'm
confident in that makes me feel like I
look my best when I'm wearing clothes or
without is just what I think builds a
confidence in me and there's nothing
that I've found that's given me more
immediate confidence than when I go into
my closet in the morning and I'm like
yes this is what I'm gonna wear and I
don't know I just feel like I've got my
life under control when I feel like from
top to bottom from inside out that my
outfit is put together well and there's
a sexiness to that there's a beauty to
that and so investing in that was
something that I didn't do day one of
building my personal style but afterward
I'm like oh my gosh this has made such
an impact on me and even my marriage so
there you go
so higher-end lingerie was number three
and number four is wearing versatile
shoes so the first thing that I did was
I bought a pair of mules and they were
basically my one pair of shoes when I
first started they were from the solo
and I actually did a video in back in
the day just about that which was about
how versatile they are and how they go
with everything so I can link you guys
to that video but what I liked about
this one pair of versatile shoes was
that they were a neutral color
they were seasonally appropriate for the
next couple of see maybe three seasons I
would say like starting early spring was
a good time to begin my personal style
journey where I live because I could
wear the same pair of shoes every day
through spring summer and fall and I
know that's not necessarily the case for
where everybody lives but a good pair of
clothes toe neutral like sand colored
his mules was absolutely perfect for
starting my personal style journey and I
still own a pair of those I wore the
first pair to death and I just loved
getting to wear a pair of shoes out
enough to where I had to go repurchase
them like that's a sign of a really good
pair of shoes and I also think that
adding a pair of shoes to my collection
that had a very unique look that could
go with anything was another win and so
that's why I would say to invest in when
you're going to invest in shoes you know
people can pay a lot of money for shoes
and they might not be the most versatile
things in the world they might not be
the most practical if you have to walk a
lot or go to different things maybe in
office I keep using the office example
for this because I do think that it's
where you find yourself needing to look
the most mature and be taken seriously
and wearing something that's not
completely a practical shoe is a good
idea as well for that environment and so
finding a good pair of shoes that you
feel confident in that elevates your
personal style every day is an
absolutely great idea and there's been a
few different pairs of shoes that I've
worn just for fun and they are super fun
to wear but they might not get me as far
as I want to in my return on investment
of what I'm buying I feel like when I
say things like return on investment
that I'm totally killing the vibe of
what I'm trying to say it might sound
like completely nerdy but that's really
what I want to communicate to you guys
today is if you're going to invest in a
few key pieces in your wardrobe what are
the ones that have the biggest return on
what you've actually spent money on and
in my experience buying things like a
good versatile pair of shoes or jewelry
or you know lingerie that you feel most
confident in or just high-quality
fabrics that maybe you know they aren't
even high quality but ones that are more
neutral or toned down can make you feel
more mature I want to also just briefly
mention when I did work at Starbucks you
guys know that I worked at Starbucks
when I was like 19 and I just loved
having the the uniform that they made us
wear it was like back then it was like
just blacks whites and khakis that was
it like you could not wear anything one
time
I actually had to go home like my
manager was like no you can't wear those
scared pants they were a little bit
velvety so they looked gray I had to go
home and change my pants
it was super embarrassing don't be like
me wear a good pair of like black pants
anyways that's the tangent for anyone
who wonders if my necklaces ever get
tangled yes they do all the time
I just like to untangle them it's kind
of a hobby
anyways the last one that I wanted to
discuss with you guys today number five
of the things to invest in in your
wardrobe is high quality purses and this
is something very recent to me I really
went as long as I could and without
investing in purses because I just felt
like they were so much of an accessory
maybe something I could get by without
maybe I could just you know carry
something small or you know my outfit
was doing good enough I don't need to
actually invest in a purse too but since
I've done that I found that it has been
a really great thing so some of them
have been gifted to because I waited so
long in my career as somebody who talks
about fashion online that I was able to
actually reach out to companies and be
like please sir can I have a purse so
that is kind of where I'm at now
but I have to say that I now get more
compliments on my whole outfit by
wearing one purse than I ever did before
and it's just because I feel like if I
wore the most basic t-shirt pair of
jeans flip-flops and then I added an
absolutely amazing purse with it it
would be like completely acceptable and
impressive just by adding the purse so
just like adding jewelry really had an
impact on my personal style I feel the
same way about purses now and I don't
really have a large collection of purses
especially compared to some other people
possibly but I really just feel like
adding one good black purse and one
small beige purse is really all I need
to get by and I feel like those pieces I
could wear them every day and again it's
not something that I'm gonna get sick of
wearing it's not something that other
people will get sick of seeing and
everybody's happy
and so I think that that's really a
great thing because I could invest in
just the most basic outfit and then
again like jewelry purses will get you
there they will make your outfit look so
elevated you will look so chic and I
think that's why a lot of people do
invest in things like Louie Vuitton I
mean those bags are everywhere and
people can be on vacation and wearing
completely like gym clothes would
they've got their Louis Vuitton bag and
I think that the thought behind that is
that it is luxury and you can be more
casual in your everyday life but having
that one thing that is more luxury
elevates your style
I personally don't wear a lot of bags
that have logos on them or anything like
that I like them to be a little bit more
understated and that's my personal
preference but I also think that by
making decisions on my purse choices I
am trying to make them like intentional
so ones that I can wear with anything
that will be timeless that I could pass
down even like purses are something you
could pass down and they're vintage at
that point they're just absolutely
amazing like oh this was my aunt's
lovely person name brand whatever but I
do think that wearing something that is
more understated even with your purses
that are chic will make them look more
mature so again I think a lot of that is
preference but whenever I'm going to
make a decision on what I'm gonna get
for my closet I am thinking about does
that actually look intentional is that
an intentional design decision or am I
just checking the box me and my friend
were discussing that because I came from
a place where everybody in the town had
their boxes checked meaning you know
they had this type of car they had this
type of purse
and you know I came from a place where I
mean my family definitely could not
check any of the boxes so to me I was
more like I when I got to a point where
I could buy a box then what that meant
to me was I want it to be something
super intentional something super
timeless something classic and so that's
kind of the box that I check is not one
that everyone else is checking because
what happens is they find that that one
box that they checked is now out of
style and they throw the Box away and
then you're left with this box that you
spent a lot of money on and it just
doesn't it doesn't get you as far in
your investment as it could and so
that's kind of my discussion today is
talking about pieces in conclusion that
will give you the most impact on your
investment and the longest the longest
amount of time as well so if I bought a
purse today I wanted to look amazing you
know in 20 years when I give it to my
niece like that's kind of what I'm
thinking and I want to look amazing
today without having to spend a lot of
money on an outfit and so that's kind of
where I found myself a couple of years
ago it's something that I'm very
passionate about talking about because I
love even now as I've in del endeavoured
into all of these different things
involving fashion I can have a little
bit more fun now I can buy a few other
pieces that are perhaps more fun in the
lowest timeless and sometimes they're
not always timeless but they're always
something that it's going to blend well
with the closet that I've built I was
reading a blog post a couple of years
ago that was about how there's one girl
she was in college she really didn't
have a budget at all for her clothes but
one thing that she did do is and her
clothes were all just like neutrals her
you know he's actually what I've
described today but then she bought one
purse and one
pair of shoes that could work for
everyday use and she got compliments
everyday she was able to go out and feel
confident and these pieces weren't
something that anyone got tired of and
that was an inspiration to me I don't
know if you guys can hear that it's a
car alarm but anyways that was just such
an inspiration to me and that has really
been my goal I even as a little kid used
to love when Oprah would talk about
stuff like this where she would say
these are the things that everybody
needs in your closet and she would go
through each one like the little black
dress is obviously something that you'll
always need or a white button-down or a
good pair of jeans like one pair of
flip-flops one pair of heels one pair of
sneakers and I used to always have that
up in my closet and make sure that like
it listed out that I had each one of
those things that were essential to my
closet so that I wouldn't feel lost you
know that feeling when you wake up in
the morning and you just are looking at
your closet and you're like I have
nothing to wear today
ever since building my personal style I
haven't felt that feeling and it's so
refreshing to be able to think I've
built a closet that meets my needs and
I've talked about this a little bit but
I think that my major key with this is
to build a color scheme and I won't
completely make a whole nother video
segment to this video podcast but I was
saying building on a color scheme has
been the most important thing to do so
when I say things like finding fabrics
that are neutrals I really do mean it
like if you can find your color scheme
maybe it's not neutrals although that
one is the most timeless the most mature
then you will be able to extend the life
of your clothes you're going to be able
to build on that so much in your own
capsule wardrobe which can be a capital
of maybe a larger size I don't have any
definition there I don't have a capsule
wardrobe necessarily I never really did
except for when I first was starting
over on my style but I like the idea of
everything
just blending together working having a
purpose and I hope that that's that my
heart of this conversation is coming
through because that's really my goal is
to set you up for success and to be able
to have the best impact on what you're
investing in so that was a really chatty
video but I really hope that you like it
so much if you're listening here on the
podcast please rate it and do all those
things I am NOT the most experienced
podcaster in the world but I absolutely
love to be able to post these out for
you guys hopefully you are I don't know
maybe stuck in traffic or something and
this has just made your life a little
bit more peaceful maybe it's given you
some insights that perhaps you hadn't
had before and I just love being able to
talk with you guys
so doing these chatty videos I mean
having a podcast is just an excuse for
me to be able to just like completely go
off the rails and speak my mind about
these things so I hope that you're able
to get something out of it so again the
five things that I would invest in in
fashion number one high-quality neutrals
number two gold jewelry number three
higher-end lingerie that I'm confident
in number four is versatile shoes and
the fifth was high quality purses so I
will leave you guys with that I hope
you're having an awesome day don't
forget to Like subscribe rate whatever
it is wherever you're listening and I'll
see you guys next time
the way
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