Neutral Boho {In the Closet}

For the past year or so I’ve been posting a fashion post of some sort on Wednesdays, but I’ve never really addressed why I decided that this is something that I wanted to do consistently. So I like that Kelly at Kiwi Women’s Style decided to make this the topic for this week’s Wardrobe Wednesday.

Like many of you, when I first started participating in these weekly linkups, I was a stay~at~home wife and mom who rarely felt the need to dress in anything more than comfy sweats and a stolen borrowed tee. On the rare occasions when I did leave the house, I would go all “Models, Inc.” as the hubs likes to say. The weeks of sweats with the few breaks of dress started to take a toll on my self~esteem. I started to feel like nothing… Like I didn’t matter. Or worse, that I was invisible. Crazy how much putting on clothes can influence the way one feels, huh? And, yeah, it’s easy to say Why didn’t you just get dressed every morning then? But it’s hard to get dressed just to sit around the house, ya know? I’m telling you, Abby at Dear Abbyleigh hit the nail on the head when she said “dress for the day you’re having and not the one that’s having you.”

Then I discovered Lindsey’s What I Wore Wednesday posts on The Pleated Poppy and I was stunned to realize there were other women out there who felt the same way I was feeling. It was great to be a part of a community of women who were sharing similar experiences. As time progressed and I started reading beyond the style posts, I found women who offered advice on moving through the various life stages. This connection became crucial to helping me through a tough time {I was unemployed for what felt like forever and my children were at that stage where they only needed me for taxi and ATM purposes, etc}. Life was hard.

Gray Cardi & Socks ~ Target

White Tee ~ Dollar General

Necklace ~ The River Runs Thru It Antique Shoppe

Belt & Skirt ~ Thrifted

Boots ~ Payless

Reading the comments from different bloggers has helped me to embrace my quirky style and try new things… Who knew I was a lover of skirts? And, omg, if it weren’t for these weekly linkups I never would have discovered the joys of thrifting. I also wouldn’t have found so many dear friends whose blogs I enjoy reading on a daily basis.

So why do you participate in the weekly fashion linkups?

I’m linking up with:

• Kiwi Womens Style: Sharing handmade and store bought clothes along with tips and tricks
• Dear Abbyleigh ~ Dress for the Day: Clothes can affect your mood; dress for the day you want to have, not the day that’s having you
• The Pleated Poppy ~ What I Wore Wednesday: Encouraging ladies everywhere to forgo sweats and yoga pants for fashionable looks

Please check them out for more fashion inspiration.