#9

personal style

Hey Merbabes! Remember that greeting? If yes, you’ve been around for a minute. If not, welcome to the reboot of Mermaid Waves, the fashion blog. For one day only we’re throwing it back to when I was serving daily OOTDs, like to know it links and a side of teenage Dani attitude. 

I’ve been reading mermaidwavess.blogspot.com tapping back into my fashion blogging teen-self to prepare for writing this post. It’s so comforting to reflect back on what an icon I was as a teen and remind myself to continue to honor her now. Nurture your inner child or whatever.

Ok back to fashion! Getting dressed is something I’ve loved my entire life but it wasn’t until a few years ago I really started to find my personal style. If you scroll back on my instagram, you’ll see I’ve tried it all. I’ve done boho, I had the J. Crew phase, I even wore skirts for an entire year straight, but I always felt like I was wearing a costume. It never felt like Dani in an outfit, but Dani dressed as [fill in the blank] today.

Now, I look like I’m in costume half the time but really feel like my clothes are an outward portrayal of me, my mood and who I want to present to the world. Libra rising things. 

Let’s talk about it.

find your thing

I’m not going to tell you to dress like a rainbow, although I highly recommend it. It’s really hard to have a shitty day if you’re in head to toe color and smiley faces. BUT I am going to tell you to find your version of rainbow and smiley faces. Take some risks to experiment with different looks and find where you feel most like yourself, then repeat it! Create your ideal outfit recipe and re-work it in a million ways.  It could be a signature color a la Aubrey Black, a favorite pair of jeans or completing each look with a pair of sneakers. 

the purge

Marie Kondo asks us ‘Does it spark joy?’. Go through your closet and find out. Get rid of anything that fits a past version of yourself or the person you think you should be. Stick to what sparks joy and inspires you.

stop shopping

Shopping is not the move to finding the wardrobe you want. Let things come up in your feed or in your day to day life. The pressure of scrolling or wandering through a store makes you feel like you have to make a purchase when you don’t! Only buy shit that really fits the vision.

You’ll slowly but surely start to build the closet of your dreams this way. Full of meaningful pieces that found their way into your life.

getting dressed

Once your closet matches your ideal version of you, getting dressed everyday will become a lot simpler. 

I typically start with one piece I want to wear and go from there, whether it fits the theme of the day that’s ahead of me or my newest online purchase. Build the outfit around the focal point but remember it doesn’t have to perfectly ‘go’. Play with textures, pull out a color to highlight or add an additional layer like a half-open button-up or an over the shoulder ‘preppy-tied’ sweatshirt to give the look more dimension. The look can always shift or change, the main piece may not even end up in the final look. I’m very often a one and done kind of outfit girl, typically I pack a look to change into after Pilates and hope for the best but that’s my posi sag energy coming through. You can re-work the look as many times as you need.

Teenage Dani was very anti-outfit repeating but I’m less pressed about it these days. Recently, I’ve been wearing my Staud x New Balance shorts and sneakers every Monday and switching up the top. I like to give my go-to outfits a quick refresh with different accessories like a new hat, fresh stack of jewelry or switch out my sneakers for a pair of Crocs. Re-wearing is sustainable. That’s hot! 

Don’t forget to finish the look with some signatures. For me that’s a pair of sneakers, a fat stack of #mermmade jewelry and my square pink sunnies. This will make any look feel right at home on you. 

Ok! Go get dressed! Tag me in your OOTDs!