ThanksGiving Layers

Happy day before Thanksgiving (also known as Wednesday, b.k.a. Hump Day),

It’s almost time to loosen the waist of my trousers because I’m about to go in. My favorite time of the year is upon us and I am so excited about it! I get all the feels during the Holidays because it’s the time we get to share with our friends and families. Speaking of sharing, today’s lewk provides some outfit inspiration for Thanksgiving Week! We recently had a pot-luck at my office and I think this is the perfect attire for such a feast. The orange and greens are not only warm and festive, but they blend in well with the Fall foliage. I love a good layered look and I’ve been getting more and more into them as the temperatures drops. There is something about a layered look with texture and dimension that makes a person look smart and pulled together. To tell you the truth, I may be able to claim the smart bit but my life is certainly not all the way put together; yet another reason why I appreciate my outfits for being able to relay a different story. Greens and Oranges are my absolute favorite for the F/W, they are an entire mood! Leather/faux leather is a comfort I cannot do without, but it’s very tricky finding the right pieces to fit your body type. Trial and error is the best way to figure out what works best.

Stepping away from Fashion talk for a bit, I wanted to share a quick story. The other day I over-heard a conversation between two lady friends, (I promise you I was not ear-hustling, it was on a crowded train). One friend was skeptical of the pants that she was wearing and the other friend offered a kind word and said “Sam, you look great, I love those pants on you”, the friend unfortunately did not seem convinced. Fast forward to about 6 stops later, the skeptical friend checked her social media and saw that a stranger had commented on her photo saying that “her pants were cute” and she instantly felt validated by the comment. The friend that was with her, said… “I already told you they were cute”, skeptical friend then responded, “yes but it’s different hearing it from someone else”. This simple interaction got me to thinking, “Why is it that we sometimes value the opinions of strangers over those of our friends/loved ones?” In a day and age where followers on Instagram and Twitter and SnapChat seem to RULE everything around us, have we become numb to the fact of what true friendship and advice really mean? Have we gotten so caught up in the hype of Social Media that its blurred the lines of the opinions that truly matter? I think it’s a nice thing to be complimented, I’d imagine it makes everyone feel good, but I value the word of my friends and family ANYDAY over the word of a stranger. If I leave the house and my husband says.. “what in the heck are you wearing?”, then I go out and I’m complimented by 10 different people, I still think back to my husband; furiously telling myself “ugh he knows nothing about style”. Why? Because my opinion and his are the only ones I truly care about.

I want to take the time to give a gentle reminder to not get caught up in the opinions of others. It’s worth noting that if you take all the praise that people lavish upon you and live your life through the lens of their opinions of you, you undoubtedly will have to take all of the criticisms they spew as well. AND, trust me, there is no good word without a bad one. Personally, I humbly accept a critique or compliment but neither position will validate the way I feel about me! I may chose to listen or not but it all rolls off my shoulder as quickly as it comes in.

What about you, do you let the opinions of others heavily sway your mood/decisions? I’m genuinely curious…