outfits worn during my glow up
includes a solo from my daughter’s recorder
I had a funny moment with some youngins this week that sent me into full meta reflection mode. I showed them my high school lacrosse photo. Not exactly my most glamorous moment, but they very sweetly informed me that I’ve experienced quite the ✨glow up✨ since the early 2000s. Honestly, I think most of it comes down to getting Invisalign as an adult — a journey I enjoyed wayyy more than the average person.1
But it did make me wonder: what exactly is making me “glow,” per se? It’s certainly NOT a pregnancy glow, I’ll tell ya that much. I think it’s finally reaching a point in life where I understand myself on a deeply authentic level.
In middle school, I wanted to blend in. No bling, no risks, just wanted to be like everyone else.
In high school, I wanted to be comfortable. I usually had practice or a game after school and needed outfits that required minimal time spent in the rogue HS lockeroom.
In college, I wanted to belong. It was the first time I really experienced my version of How The Other Half Lives (dramatic, but you get it). Going to a university where many people had a lot more than I did was the first time I remember longing for things other people had.
Post-college, I wanted to look professional. Pencil skirts, button-downs, low heels — I was a grown-up! Or at least someone who owned a lanyard and an Ann Taylor Loft cardigan.
My early 30’s were the age of reckoning. Enter the IDGAF era. I started learning how to actually do my makeup (aggressive smoky-eye years… oof) and wearing things that made me confidently stand out.
And now? Late 30s feels like the sweet spot. The phase where I finally understand myself enough to love myself exactly as I am. The phase where I don’t care if you like my outfit, think it’s “too much,” or even like me in general. The phase where, if it doesn’t make me feel like a million bucks, I don’t want it. The phase where I can see something and say, “that’s so me,” and truly understand why.
So when someone — including me — shares something they love, a great deal, or something they wear all the time, pause for a second and think about your own journey. Be selective about the things that make you feel like a gazillion bucks.
Because the journey to truly knowing myself took decades.
I know what I like and what makes me feel my best. And I hope somewhere in this blog, you find a few things that help you feel like yourself, too.
Now that I’ve fully psychoanalyzed my personal style journey, onto the week!
Affiliate links included below.
MONDAY
A very average Monday. I decided to resurface my daughter’s recorder from the estranged cabinet above the stove. She has been snake charming us with her incredible renditions of “hot crossed bunz.”
Feel free to experience the live concert below. No refunds. ⬇️
🏅Unsung Hero: Sleep Stone
Does it help me sleep? IDK. Does this magical stone feel like an instrumental part of my nightly turndown experience? YOU BET.
TUESDAY
This linen dress was the showstopper of the week! It has this gorgeous tie detail in the back. The wrap style in the front took me very long to figure out — at one point it looked like a torture device. But practice makes perfect, and she’s perfect!
🏅Unsung Hero: Easy Hawaiian Chicken Dinner
I hate cooking dinner. Sometimes I think about the next 100 years of my life and feel a bit sad that I will have to share this responsibility with the Four-Shirted-Husband™ FOR-EVER (gender norms, who?). This easy dinner saved the day!
WEDNESDAY
I’ve learned there’s nothing I love more when someone writes me a little note. I love it in my Poshmark packages, on my Starbucks cup and most recently on my UberEats taco order!
Kelly is truly also an unsung hero, and I know in my heart she’d love the fit below.
🏅Unsung Hero: Astrological Necklace
This is my favorite daily necklace for a few reasons. First, my daughter and I twin wearing it, and we think of the iconic Space Snake™. Second, it’s waterproof, and I don’t have to use my fat fingers to take it on and off every day.
THURSDAY
Went on a field trip that did NOT warrant the fit I have on below. I wore a grey T-shirt, jeans, and dad sneakers for the trip. My coworkers immediately clocked that I was leaving the building because I looked like I was either about to mow the lawn or chaperone kids. This is what I changed into after.
🏅Unsung Hero: Stand-In-Hair Straightener
My go-to hair straightener is the grossly expensive GHD one. It died, RIP, and I snagged a new one until I could muster up the courage to repurchase. I think this $30 one is a VERY good alternative.
FRIDAY
I was told Friday’s look was “giving ice cream.” Has my Ninja Creami obsession gone too far? The shirt was a strawberry-vanilla swirl, the white sweater was the whipped cream, and the khaki pants were the cone. I did not design this intentionally, but I accept the classification.
🏅Unsung Hero: iPhone Alarm Dance
I’m not sure why I can’t stop watching this reel. Each dance he performs matches the iPhone sound perfectly. AI can never replace this level of creativity. BRB- changing my alarm to radiate.
Last Week on Rambling In Style
What a week! A glow up, my daughter dropping her first single on the recorder, and Kelly the Uber Eats driver making my heart so happy.
See you next week with a Midweek Snack!
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So good!!! Also laughing out loud at the lacrosse player to Smokey eye pipeline
So many cute dresses! 😍