My Evolving Style

Sometimes I wonder what has caused my style to evolve over the years.  It's not always easy to match up cause & effect, but I do think there are definite patterns to explore. 

Ages 0 - 7: We lived in Michigan. I didn't have much say or care about my clothes. I was a kid! But I did look pretty cute. I will try and find a pic of me when I was little to prove it to you :)

Ages 7 - 18: We moved to Hawaii when I was 7 years old.  Growing up in Hawaii, I didn't care much about style.  There are several reasons why: (1) There is (and was) very limited shopping on Kauai (the island I grew up on), (2) There are no real seasons in Hawaii, so there is no need for sweaters, boots, socks, etc. (3) Also due to the weather, people pretty much live in beach wear.  At the height of my teens, I probably owned at least 8 bathing suits. (4) We didn't have a  lot of money growing up, so I pretty much shopped what was on sale at the mall {the best store we had was Macys}. Once, in high school we flew to Oahu to go shopping for the day. I will never forget that! We had the best time, but there was no time for returns {this was around the time the internet was starting to get big}. 

@ Waimea Canyon, Kauai
My high school uniform: cami and super short mini {sorry, mom!}

Practically lived at the beach! Love mismatched bathing suits!

Gotta love my mid-drift hanging out!

Once online shopping hit the scene, it was all over.  I discovered American Eagle, jcrew {yep, I was reppin' jcrew in high school}, Target.. the list goes on and on. I do recall ordering a fun orange sweater from jcrew online that I hardly wore because... it's Hawaii! I still had that sweater up until a couple years ago. Jake always makes fun of me for having clothes from high school or college still - and I guess he is right!  But, it wasn't until I moved to Spokane in college that I discovered {cue bright light and AHHHHH! angel music} Nordstrom.  

Ages 18 - 22: The college years.  Ironically, it was during this time that I think I grew the most and discovered new brands, stores, styles, etc. I say it's ironic because I, like most college students was pretty broke during those years.  Don't misunderstand me - I did go on the occasional shopping spree but it wasn't a regular thing. My favorite stores were probably Macys, Nordys, and Forever 21 ... wait... no Forever 21 in Spokane. I guess I'm gonna revert to Abercrombie, Hollister, AE, Aeropostle - basically the mall.

On a trip to Vegas, I still miss those AE jeans to this day! Apparently I loved those long empire waist shirts.

The ol' long sleeve shirt under camisole days.

You can't really tell what I'm wearing in this one: I just thought it was funny.

On a trip to Seattle, I discovered one of my favorite stores of all time: Anthropologie {although I, like many, call it anthro, for short}.  I occasionally shop there although it's sometimes out of my price range and style range. They have been a little on the crazy side lately... Also, I went through a *rough* break-up in college and ever since then I think my style has always been quirky, different, don't-want-to-be-cookie-cutter, so I have always pushed the limits {in a good way} since then. Thank you, he-who-shall-not-be-named for breaking up with me! Now, I have uber cool style!! Haha... And my friends and I really do call him that. Not joking.

Ages 22-28 (and beyond): One thing I noticed once I got a real job was that my work clothes and weekend clothes started to mesh. I have worked since I was 14 and I have always had a separate work wardrobe but now I started wanting to buy more work clothes since I had to wear them for 40+ hours a week... I guess the thinking behind that is - If I have to dress professionally, I want to look cute while doing it...

@ my sis in law's 21st birthday -
the double necklace; wide legged jeans

My 24th (?) birthday - dark brown bob and wool coat

...What can I say? I am now officially a hipster. I recently started wearing these Derek Cardigan glasses from Coastal.com --and I love them! I get compliments on them all the time.  You know what they say... if you move to Seattle, you will become a hipster. It's only a matter of time. 

...I don't know if they say that, but it's happened to me -- and a lot of my friends.  

Are you a hipster? ;)