How to: Get Out of a Style Rut

My husband and I were just talking about how when we first got married in 2003, I lived in my baby tees and low-slung jeans and bought things like colored sneakers and thought they were amazing. I still have a pair of red sneakers from my newlywed days, but really, where does one wear red sneakers? A Ronald McDonald convention? (Hahahaha kill me.)


(Me in my favorite newlywed outfit, featuring my Liger shirt. Yes. Liger. It says "Liger - Bred for its skills in magic.)

I love change. Love it love it love it. I'm constantly looking for ways to change up what I have, much to my husband's chagrin. I always want a new paint color or a new wall hanging or what if we put that over there? So it's no biggie for me to head out and buy clothes and accessories that may not be "me." I'll give just about anything a shot. But not jumpsuits. Never jumpsuits.

Still, I understand that if you've looked a certain way for a long period of time, changing your style and getting out of a rut can be a little nerve wracking. You don't want to end up looking stupid or like you're trying hard and then you have piles of acid wash jeans that you're worried will come back in style in like five years (Hint: If you wore a a style the first time around, you don't get to do it again.)

We all have our comfort zones. For some, that happens to be sweatpants, while others find comfort in five inch heels. Guess which one I am. The problem with a comfort zone is that if you stay too long, you might get a little too comfortable. And I mean that in a puffy 80s bangs kind of way. The sad truth is that it's all too easy to get stuck in a style rut. After a while, you can begin to look like a caricature of yourself in another era, and that's sad. Might I suggest some ways that you could spruce up and get out of a style rut?

1) Get a haircut, hippie.

It doesn't have to even be something drastic. Just a little trim, a few swingy layers or a different color always helps me feel a little more fashion forward. There's nothing like the feeling of new hair. I get my haircut and immediately want to go shopping to buy things that match said hair. Is that weird?

(Short hair? Don't mind if I do!)

2) Start with accessories.

Changing your style is scary, I get it. But if you have a classic and traditional style you can totally keep it. Just play with your accessories. They're cheaper and they always fit. Buying a big pair of colorful earrings, a chunky cuff bracelet or a new pair of heels can be the key to more fashion-forward style and if you purchase them in abundance from a store like F21, your husband won't be mad. He'll just be happy you got rid of the snap bracelets and mousy necklaces.

(Turtle shells... they're so hot right now.)

3) Shop with a friend (preferably me.)

I thought about this the other day when shopping with a friend. She needed a new outfit for family pictures and I knew some of the things I picked out for her weren't things she would normally pick for herself. In fact, she may have had a slight anxiety attack when I loaded her up with pencil skirts and wrap shirts and wedge heels. But you know what? She looked totally hot. Sometimes you need to go shopping with someone who isn't YOU. Because YOU always pick the same stuff and end up with a closet full of khaki.

4) Put your own spin on things.

If you see a trend that you love but think would never work on you, the Tim Gunn that bad boy and MAKE IT WORK. I had a friend comment the other day that I must be "pretty tall." I'm 5'4" and she had just never seen me sans heels. I'm very realistic about my body and know what will and won't work on me, but I also don't allow that to sideline me from trying new things. My best tip is to find someone whose style you admire and who has a similar body type and shape as yours. Stop wishing that you could wear summer scarves/oversized sunglasses/skinny jeans and see how others have made it work for them.

5) Just try.

Unless it's a swan dress or a lace mask or a dress made entirely out of Kermit the Frogs, you don't know until you try. Go shopping with a good friends and get ready to laugh at yourself. Last Memorial Day I was shopping at Guess with my sister in law and I picked out a REALLY flamboyant shirt. It was cute, but not really my style but I thought what the heck. I disappeared into the fitting room, telling my sister in law that for some reason, Guess shirts always make me look like a prostitute. Something about the way they fit. When I came out, I laughed hysterically because I most certainly did look like a prostitute. Try things on. If they don't work, laugh and move on.

(This just in: I look like an idiot in jumpsuits. Laugh and learn, people!)

I hope all of my style misadventures are enough to make you want to try something new. I think you'll 100 percent surprise yourself. Nothing quite beats the feeling of slipping on an item that you totally rock without realizing that you could.

Except for jumpsuits.

Never, ever.