Endless Rose sweater (c/o Shopbop)
Aritzia culottes
Sam Edelman heels
Chanel handbag
Celine sunglasses
& Other Stories earrings
At twenty-five, I was a wreck. Ian and I bought our first home in Vancouver the year before, returning to the city after eighteen months away. I quickly learned that my close friends were not as close as I believed. The job market was competitive and I was forced to take a significant, often humiliating demotion because that was better than having no job at all. My life seemed to have suddenly veered drastically off course. And since I couldn’t think of a better solution, I projected all of my feelings about that – the anxiety, the guilt, the crushing disappointment – onto my wardrobe. Yes, somehow I believed my clothes were to blame.
But it wasn’t really that. My clothes were something I could control, something I could fix, in a scenario where everything else was out of my hands. And so, I launched Coco & Vera. My life at twenty-five didn’t afford me enough opportunities to wear anything more exciting than skinny jeans with a sweater and a blog, I reasoned, would create those opportunities I didn’t otherwise have.
I was misguided, but I felt stuck in a rut and couldn’t think of a better way out. I slowly transitioned my skinny jeans to the kind of glamourous outfits I wished my life required. My life got back on course soon enough. I found a better job, and then another one. We moved to Paris and came back to Canada again. The scope of what I thought I wanted my life to be when I was twenty-five seems unambitious when I think of what I’ve actually done since I was that age. Beautiful clothes do not make a life.
And that’s just it. I’ve realised this year, as I reflect on a closet that doesn’t necessarily match my lifestyle, that my style has changed because the life I want has changed. If you had told me, at twenty-five, that someday soon I would prefer culottes to skirts, I would never have believed it. In fact, I probably would have asked, “What are culottes?” But I’m thirty-two now, I feel better than ever and certainly more secure in my style than I ever have. Which means I can confidently say that if my life doesn’t require me to wear a dress ever again, I will be totally fine with it.
How has your style evolved as you’ve aged? I’d love to know!
My style has absolutely evolved as I’ve aged – not so much as I’ve aged really but as my circumstances and priorities have changed (which I suppose just naturally goes hand in hand with aging). 10 years ago I never, ever would have believed that I’d love a good blazer as much as I do now. I got really into them in grad school when I still imagined I’d be a prof one day and teaching all the time but I held onto my love of them long after I moved away from that.
Courtney ~ Sartorial Sidelines
I love this black and white style so much! You look great .-*
Melanie / http://www.goldzeitblog.de
♥
Happy Friday Cee!! And this post is reminding me I have yet to style my culottes on the blog. Whoops, I wear them all the time but they haven’t made there way to G&C quite yet! And love how you styled yours + aren’t they the best?! So comfy, yet you feel totally pulled together! As for closets fixing our lives? I’ve been there many times, though I’ll admit, the right outfit can help a gal weather a stormy day! 😉 But yes, fashion is definitely about evolution, my style has certainly changed so much since the early days, and I’m always so smitten with where yours is going too!! xo
I loved reading this (as I do all your posts). I have always gravitated toward bohemian clothing on some level, but with each decade there have been apparent changes. I was a huge hippie in my 20s, and not just by style standards. In my early 30s, I was newly divorced and went through a phase of being obsessed with vintage clothing (mainly mod pieces), but then shifted back into a more boho inspired wardrobe by my mid 30s. I feel like I was pregnant most of my late thirties and casual comfort was key. Now I think it mostly depends on the day. I’m very casual, but I do care about how I look. And that concludes my 1 AM rambles… I love your style, and love seeing it evolve.
I think I can relate to 25 year old Cee, needing clothes to feel like the life I want could become a reality with the right dress. In many ways that is what prompted me to start my blog as well, though I have not evolved past it as you have. I’m happy you can look back and see how far you’ve come, and I love your style just as much now as I did then.
http://www.iamchiconthecheap.com/
Oh yes, my style has changed over the years and I want to think its better now although I believe there is always room for improvement.
Before I lived in jeans and flats. Hated dresses, make up and perfume. Nowadays I own just 5 pairs of jeans, LOVE dresses, work in the makeup and perfume industry which I now enjoy.
This was beautiful Cee. We all make changes over time. It shows GROWTH! My tastes have become simpler.
http://www.averysweetblog.com/