Expand your Style Comfort Zone

“A comfort zone is a beautiful place but nothing ever grows there!”

Have you ever heard that your confidence grows in direct proportion to how much change or discomfort you are willing to face.

This is true of everything in life…for example.  When Brandon bought my mountain bike for me (it’s an electric bike that when you pedal has a little or a big kick of power depending on what you turn it to), I had NEVER mountain biked before.  I had always wanted to try it but was too scared to do it, so the first day I rode myself to the foothills of the mountains near my house where I knew there were some good, wide trails.  I rode up the hills great but became very nervous going downhill with the fear that I would fall over the handlebars, the rocks would make me fall off, and oh there was that one time where there was a snake across the trail!  He bought me the bike back in May for Mother’s Day and ever since then there has not been a week where I haven’t gone on at least 4 or 5 eight mile rides since then.

I am by no means a pro, but I am going faster and doing things that scared me to death now!  At the very least, I am confident enough in my ability to control the bike, to know what I can and can’t do, and most importantly, I am eager to try new trails and go new places.

You may be asking what this has to do with anything…well, here’s what I think.  Because this concept works with everything, it also translates to fashion and style.   Expanding your style repertoire can take baby steps, or a bold leap, depending on the level of change you are willing to face at any one time.

There are some styles that I would never wear…mainly because just because something comes in my size doesn’t mean it is appropriate OR cute for me to wear.  I do however, love to incorporate new things into my style, and when I do I have found that I have loved most of them.  Expanding your style comfort zone is something we can all do, but in our own way…so what is your way?

Each season there are new colors, new styles, patterns and fabrics – expanding your style could be simply just wearing a new color or fabric.  In today’s post the suit I am wearing is from a shopping trip to L.A., and the blouse is Zara.  I loved the luxurious color of the blouse along with the tweed of the suit because you are going to see a lot of tweed this fall and it is always a classic look.  If you were into the Gingham trend that has been around, tweed is a great alternative to switch things up.

The reason it is called a comfort zone is because it’s comfortable – which means it is easier NOT to change what you’re doing, but it is always not as fulfilling.  I have found that it is always a challenge to me to come up with new looks, new styles that work just for me, and put my own stamp onto styles of the season.

Here are some easy ways to expand your style comfort zone for the upcoming season:

1. Add a scarf of a different color or fabric to mix things up
2. Find your “go to” style and find it in velvet, satin or even leather
3. Find a pair of funky, statement shoes or boots to make any outfit pop
4. Wear a pair of funky, patterned or colored tights
5. Wear a bold, bright pair of earrings (perhaps one with tassels) in a contrasting color
6. Add glitter or sequins – they’ll definitely get you noticed
7. Metallics are a great way to add spice, you can wear either shoes, scarf, bag, top or if you’re really bold, a pair of pants or a skirt
8. Wear a color that is bright, bold and really noticeable
9. Wear a pop of red or pink on your lips
10. Fur – there’s never a bad time to add some fur

I hope you find some food for thought, and if you do, I would love to hear…