Can Your Style Change?

The question "Can your personal style change?" is one that has interested me very much in the past, but I never thought I'd be asking it about myself.  If you'd told me 6 months ago that I would be wearing a kimono or an off-the-shoulder top on my blog, I 'd probably have laughed at you.

Maybe those of you who have been reading LMHC for a little longer have noticed it too, but I was recently flipping through some old posts, mostly just to laugh at my past writing style, but I noticed that my photos and writing weren't the only things that were different.

Over the past few months I have leaned out of my past style, which was more preppy, nautical, and "fancy", and gone towards a new aesthetic.  The preppy movement had a huge boom about two years ago, and it has died down dramatically as of late.  As the prepster craze disappeared, my style evolved.  Why?

I wasn't feeling good in it anymore.    I am a huge believer that you should dress for YOU: if you don't feel beautiful in your clothes, don't wear them.  One day I was dressing up for a dinner, and I decided to forgo the my button down, cable sweater, and tweed skirt for a botanical-printed maxi dress.  I felt like a boho goddess, maybe even a little hippie-princess, but most of all I felt a freedom, and a unique beauty.  I felt confident, gorgeous, and in touch with my personality.  I was chasing that feeling, and my old style wasn't giving me that anymore.

Of course, I have changed dramatically as a person over the past year.  I went from a name-brand addict who loved all things leather to a passionate vegan and animal rights activist.  I've grown as a person, and I've never been happier in my life.  It's only natural to change, especially when you are young, settling into life, and learning about yourself every day.

I remember about a year ago when I received a comment on a post saying something like, "You should try boho style, I think you would look amazing!"  It was a sweet thing to say, but I was pretty dubious that I would ever do it.  Lo and behold, here I am.  Not fully boho, like my friend Shannon of Upbeat Soles, but I've integrated a little of it into my new style sense.  That just goes to show you that you can never say never.

I don't think I eschewed my old style completely.  I still love Lilly Pulitzer's bright prints, I still like stopping at J. Crew and Ralph Lauren when I'm at the mall.  But I've expanded my horizons, and things I used to wrinkle my nose at are now fair game in my closet.  My style is a happy melody of classic, feminine style with a little bit of bohemian flair, a little trendiness, and yes, still some preppy in there.  Maybe I'll change my style again, but I'll embrace that if it comes too.