Even in the everyday, goings-about of our lives, putting together an outfit can be an artistic exercise, an art form. The outfit doesn’t have to be ”out-there” or particularly bold to count as art (though it can be if that’s what you want). It can be simple, or quirky, or cozy.

I’ve always loved building an outfit. When I was in school my outfits could be wildly different everyday, often built from one concept – a color, a particular garment, some inspiration I’d seen in Vogue or Nylon magazine. I was one of those kids known for dressing a little ”weird,” but as shy and anxious and unwanting of any attention placed on me as I was, I still dressed how I wanted.

While I tried a lot of things out – playing with proportions, adding some of my mom’s old dresses and shirts from her closet into rotation, never wearing an item the same way twice – I didn’t quite know my own style yet. At the time (I finished high school nearly 15 years ago), it was described as ”boho,” ”seventies,” or ”unique” (by a math teacher who I think found my varying outfit styles each day amusing). This in itself wasn’t special – styles cycle and rotate throughout time and ”hippie” styles were very in most of my childhood. But it laid the groundwork. It helped me hinge onto something that felt a little closer.

In my late teens and early twenties I was out of school but hanging with a group of friends that would become a core friend group in my adult life. Most of them didn’t know me in school, and I felt a quiet confidence to lean into my ”quirky” style. I had fun putting together outfits for our weekly bible studies and game nights.

Just like any art, the more I practiced, the more I could refine my own style.

It feels weird to me now that for the past several years my daily outfit have leaned more toward comfort than experimentation or artistic expression (though it’s still there sneakily in small ways like color choices and silhouettes). Like who would have ever thought? But as much as I love to play around with clothing, I also love being unburdened by my outfits while working from home and stay-at-home-momming.

All that said, even though most of my casual everyday clothing like basic tees and cuffed sweatshorts have been carefully considered wardrobe purchases, tailored to my preferences and style, and therefore feel ”like me” in a way, they don’t feel like the truest form of my style. If that makes any sense.

When I think about my truest style, I imagine owning a small brick-and-mortar craft shop or being a high school art teacher. What would I wear everyday? It would be the same as when I was in school, trying a new look each day. I still want to experiment with things I’m inspired by. Most of the inspiration now comes from other moms and young women who also like to play around with their outfits and share ootds on Instagram or indie clothing makers.

I also know more about what I like and feel comfortable in now. I know that I land somewhere in between neutral and bold color palettes. I know that I like outfits with a vintage feel, but also with some quirky detail. If I crochet a top I want to add tiny hand-embroidered flowers or applique. I want to lean into my pear-shape. I like Keds-style tennis shoes and slip-on shoes.

Sometimes nowadays, I put together an outfit and it winds up feeling exactly like me. It feels simultaneously like the old me from my school days and the me from my early twenties and the me now. From bold play and lessons learned to quietly confident to distilled and refined.

This is one of those outfits. It was a surprise. Thrown together for a quick kid-free date night with my husband, featuring a self-made crochet crop top that I like but haven’t worn much, a skirt handed down from my sister-in-law’s grandmother’s closet clean out years ago (those early twenties days), and some mustard yellow-striped tennis flats. But, here it is. The colors, the proportions, the little embroidery and stripe details, the skirt with pockets, the sleeve-shape of the crop top, the dressed-down-with-tennis-shoes look. Here amidst my days working from home and spending everyday hanging out with my six-year-old playing Mario Kart between drawing patterns and portraits and washing dishes, here it is.

Very ”seventies art teacher” vibes. Very me.