simple days with bonnie rae

Hi everyone! Something really exciting happened this week.

I started my full time job as a career and academic advisor- amazing! I am officially no longer a student. Something I have not been able to say since preschool!

Life transitions such as these can be stressful, or they can be beautiful- sometimes both. So far, the transition has been so beautiful. I am working in an office full of amazing, supportive people- I truly can’t complain.

I am also currently putting the finishing touches on my summer capsule wardrobe (more on that later) and as I pulled together this season’s pieces I needed to include more “work appropriate” attire. As a graduate student I worked just 20 hours a week, so much of my time could be spent in more casual attire.

With my transition to full time employee, I needed some more work clothing.

“Work clothing” has always been a challenge for me! As I began to collect a more professional wardrobe after college I felt like I was completely losing my sense of style. There was something about work appropriate attire that made me feel stiff and uncomfortable. I didn’t like the low rising, weirdly silky dress pants that seemed to be the norm. And I felt like if I purchased one more cardigan I was going to scream.

After college, I ended up with a closet full of professional looking clothes that I hated. When I first decluttered my closet those items were the first to go. It wasn’t the clothing’s fault, it was all mine. I had lost my style and sense of self in my new role as “professional”.

Instead of adapting my personal style and applying it to work clothing I was playing a role. I was wearing items I thought everyone was “supposed” to wear.

Through decluttering and adopting a capsule wardrobe I have been able to find myself and my style again. When you let go of all of the items you wear that don’t spark joy you start to get this really clear sense of what you love and what your style truly is.

Then, you consider your lifestyle and the items you need to function day to day and you combine those two wonderful things.

Again, when you are creating your capsule wardrobe:

1. Declutter your clothing, keep only what sparks joy in your heart. 

2. Consider your lifestyle and what you need. Is your office business casual? Is it corporate? Do you work from home?

3. Now combine! Make sure your capsule has the right number of clothing items for your lifestyle, and make sure all of the pieces spark joy and make you feel amazing. 

This process will ensure your capsule is not full of items that you think you should be wearing. It will provide you with a capsule that makes you endlessly happy and excited to get dressed in the morning! Say goodbye to that “I have nothing to wear” feeling because you will have everything to wear.

If you are just getting started with the capsule wardrobe process check out my previous post on the subject and also check out Caroline’s blog Unfancy– this is where I first learned about capsule wardrobes!

I thought you all might like to see how I combine my personal style with work attire and how my clothes transition from day to play (scroll over pictures to see where items are from).

With a necklace, boots, and dark green dress pants this sweater top is appropriate for my “business casual” workplace.

Bag (Urban Outfitters) Boots (Old, vegan)

Top (Brandy Melville) Necklace (Forever 21)

Pants (Forever 21)

Add some shorts, sandals, sunglasses and Ming? You’re ready for a relaxing night in or a fun night out.

Shorts (Urban Outfitters)

Sandals (Urban Outfitters)

Ming (The woods of Pennsylvania)

 Decluttering my closet and building a capsule wardrobe helped me find my style and myself. Take your time changing, growing, and learning- I promise your effort will be so worth it.

More soon,

Bonnie Rae xx