Even if you don’t have an office to go to, a board meeting to run or a cocktail party to attend, you can still enjoy putting together a polished outfit that helps you step out in confidence. We sell ourselves short when we assume that a lighter schedule, a day spent at home or running errands, a more relaxed pace or less stressful responsibilities disqualify us from wearing something interesting and special. Today I’ve got tips for how you can feel comfortable, look classy and do whatever you do with confidence by getting dressed for your day.
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You may be retired from your profession or, like me, work from home, but you can still enjoy stepping out in confidence and style. So whether or not you want to shop the outfits I’ve created today from Varley, I hope you take a little inspiration from these looks. You can shop a wide selection of Varley styles at their website, but also at finer retailers such as Nordstrom, Evereve, Anthropologie and Dillard’s.
Feel Comfortable, Look Classy
#1 – Take inventory of your life season and dressing habits.
As life shifts from one season to another, it’s smart to take inventory of your dressing habits and pivot accordingly. It was shortly after my kids had left the nest permanently that I realized I was struggling to get dressed for my day. If I had somewhere to go, I put on something a little special. But, because on many of my days spent working at home I saw no one other than my husband and dogs, I ended up spending hours (sometimes days) in my pajamas, workout clothes or old sweat pants. Something deep inside me knew that just wasn’t best.
I began making a focused effort to get dressed for my day, even if those days were spent in solitude or doing mundane tasks. Soon I noticed that I felt more motivated, competent, smart and engaged. I was more prone to invite a friend to meet me for coffee spur of the moment or make a run to the store for a special cut of meat for dinner. I had more energy and felt happier. Getting dressed for your day – and for the season of life you’re living – affects quality of life and your sense of well-being.
Tip #2 – Decide how you want to show up for your everyday life.
Once you take inventory of your season of life, it’s time to decide how you want to show up for that life. I’ve always enjoyed fashion and love putting on something coordinated and pretty. And I realized I was missing that because I had begun to assume that my everyday life wasn’t worthy of dressing up for.
But on further reflection, I realized that how I dressed directly affected how I felt on any given day. It influenced my motivation level, my productivity, my relationships and my overall disposition. So I decided I needed to get dressed for even the most mundane days so that I could feel better and accomplish more.
However, I also didn’t want to over dress. There was no need to feel uncomfortable or look fussy. I didn’t need to wear complicated outfits, but I did want to style my clothes and accessorize a little with minimal jewelry. Comfort was key, but I wanted to like what I saw when I walked by a mirror or saw my reflection in a store window.
Tip #3 – Invest in a wardrobe that fits your real lifestyle.
The next struggle came when I realized that most of my clothes were one extreme or the other. I had gimme t-shirts and sweat pants crowding my drawers. And I had a closet full of dresses and slacks to wear to church. I had very little in between. For that matter, I wasn’t sure what the “in between” would even be.
I’ve always enjoyed wearing jeans, but I didn’t want to wear them daily. I like other kinds of pants as well as skirts and dresses. So I knew I needed to change my wardrobe so that it reflected my new style choices. I began to pay attention to how the trending styles could be incorporated into my casual lifestyle.
The biggest leap for me was learning to spend more of my clothing budget on my real lifestyle and my everyday life rather than special occasions. But with time I have indeed filled my closet with mostly casual clothes and only a handful of pieces that are perfectly suitable for those more elegant affairs. It felt a little odd at first to spend as much for a casual outfit as I once would have reserved for a wedding guest dress. But when I realized that, cost per wear, the everyday clothes are a wiser investment for me, I began to enjoy building a wardrobe that really works for me and getting dressed for my day.
Tip #4 – Build an accessory collection that extends and elevates your wardrobe.
Once I had begun to invest a bit more in closet basics that could help me feel comfortable, look classy and step out in confidence on my normal days, I soon realized I was missing one key element: equally stylish accessories that also resonated with my real lifestyle. Don’t forget this important ingredient in creating your new everyday style. I suggest adding a few intentional and versatile handbags, belts, scarves and shoes that will work with many of the pieces in your closet. Think of ways those accessories can be used to create different outfits for a variety of occasions, activities and dress codes.
Tip #5 – Curate your wardrobe so that it feels personal, manageable, special and functional.
At this point in my late-in-life career as a style blogger and YouTube creator, I am gifted a large portion of my wardrobe. And I’m very grateful and humbled by that. It certainly makes sharing good style with my audience a little easier for me. But I don’t keep everything that comes my way. I’ve discovered that a crowded closet – even if it’s full of beautiful items – does not serve me well.
So I’m constantly curating my closet so that it reflects my personal style, my real lifestyle and my dressing habits. A manageable, personal and functional wardrobe ensures that I don’t get analysis paralysis as I step into my closet to get dressed for my day. But I also make sure that I have enough unique and beautiful pieces so that my closet feels special and enjoyable. That makes getting dressed for my day more of a joy and less of a chore.
The outfits from Varley that I’ve shown today feel comfortable, look classy and work for my real lifestyle. I’m wearing my usual size medium in these wide leg pants and these straight leg pants, as well as this collared sweater. I was gifted this half zip cable knit sweater and chose the size large, but it would fit better in a medium. So I suggest ordering your usual size at Varley. I have shopping widget below with these and a few other comfortable, stylish options from the brand. Varley combines style, quality and performance in garments that keep pace with your multitasking schedule. Comfortable and chic, this is a brand you’ll love from working out to just hanging out, all day every day.
Thanks so much for dropping in for a little style inspiration. Let’s make this day special and productive. Let’s get dressed for our day in a way that helps us feel comfortable, look classy and step out in confidence.
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Blessed for My Day
In January I’ll begin offering a monthly Bible study on my YouTube channel through the second membership level, the Clothed in Grace Study. There are other perks to the membership, too, but today I simply wanted to share with you briefly the inspiration behind the study. As I’ve read through the Bible this year I’ve been looking carefully for focused mentions of clothing, and I’ve realized that God offers us a beautiful picture of His grace through this medium.
From Genesis to Revelation and in many of the familiar stories in between, God shows us how He turns our mourning clothes into garments for rejoicing, our filthy rags into robes of righteousness. But woven throughout these analogies in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. We cannot dress ourselves so that we are fit for heaven, but He gifts us garments of fine linen for the wedding feast, garments paid for with the blood of Christ. Today as we dress for our day, we also have the opportunity to thank the Lord for the grace He gives that is sufficient for this day. Every day He provides just what we need so that we can approach His throne of grace with confidence and also go out into the world with a message of reconciliation and love.
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9
Does not appear that Varley is size inclusive?
I think their size chart is a little off because I wear a medium and I”m a size 10. That said, you’re right. They don’t have a full range of sizes, and I don’t plan on featuring them frequently for that reason.
Love the outfit on you with the scarf and green purse. That looks wonderful! Thank you for the BFMD too!
The outfits are beautiful. It is too bad a Valrley size XL is listed as a US size 12.
I think their size chart is a little off. That’s why I originally ordered a size large myself. But they were way too big. I’m wearing my usual medium and I’m a clear size 10. Still, I realize their sizes do not run the full spectrum. This is not a brand I will feature frequently, I’m sure.
Kay, you are so right about how we dress affecting our day to day life. If I dress too casually (which to me feels like it’s bordering on frumpy) I end up getting mildly depressed. I need to feel put together every day. Your five points are so applicable, as I have been slowly building a wardrobe that works for me. Point #4 in particular is what I’ve been working on this last year or so. Accessories are one of my weak points.
This is one of my favorite posts ever. Thanks. Also, I absolutely love your outfit with the cable knit sweater.
First, I too want to Thank ALL those who have served or are serving in the military and their families with them. It doesn’t go unnoticed by me. I am so blessed to have freedoms because of you.
Kay you look great in the outfit with the scarf. That is going to be such a great outfit for once the weather really turns cold. I love a good scarf and hope the trend to wear them more often like it use to be in, comes back.
I LOVE the whole message of your blog post today. I soooo agree and many days when I am being lazy and know I’d feel better to do better in my dressing for the day, I think of you and the reminders you give like today. I love fashion too, but am retired now at home, empty nested now for years and don’t live close to my kids or grands. I am involved in my church, but many things I do are very casual, so I have to be very conscious to buy clothes that fit my life style, but also a little elevated. I think your blog, Jo-Lynne’s and Cyndi’s has helped me do this. I LOVE how you looked for “clothing” in the bible as you read through the bible in a year. I think it would be a great woman’s speaking idea for you to do at your church or others. This very blog post, sharing about dressing for your day and life style and then go into the scriptures you found in the bible that coordinated. I know you said you use to speak a lot of engagements. Anyway, I loved this post. Have a great day…..in Texas.
I do not wear a lot of very casual clothes, but I have been looking at the Varley line for a while now and like their look. Might have to take a nibble. I loved Texas when we went on a family vacation there in 2019, Would love the go back for a visit sometime. I don’t eat a lot of sandwiches, but I really love French dip sandwiches. Yummy!