Ladies,

Feminine style does not have to be exclusive to a day when you feel up to wearing something fussier. Up until recent decades, women dressed in their feminine fashions daily and it was not seen as unusual. Our modern fabrics and styles have only become more comfortable, not less, so comfortable feminine style is more realistic than ever. Yet, so much of what we see as “feminine fashion” is not tailored to the outdoor life, a life with children or pets, or messes. I wonder at how clean people must be staying to wear the trendy outfits….white trousers….white button down blouse…towering heels…the truth is, I don’t want the life that is meant for that wardrobe. I don’t want a sterile life indoors with no dirt or garden or animals or children. I reflected on what it takes to make a wardrobe work for the beauty of a full life. This is how I began bringing feminine fashion back to my daily style in a realistic way.

Stick to Your Best Shapes

Every woman has her best neckline, her best sleeve, and her best skirt style. Do you know yours? You may have several “bests”. Most of us have many “worsts”. The point is, if you know your best shapes of clothing, then you can not only avoid your worst shapes, but you can repeat your best shapes in different fabrics. Dressing femininely starts with your most flattering shapes. Stick to your template and don’t feel like you need to branch out of what works best on you.

Features I notice that look good universally on women are the midi length, a 3/4 sleeve, and definition at the smallest part of the waist.

Prints

A major consideration for our daily style has to be the fabric. You will notice that much of modern fashion is solid colors, solid light colors especially, with a lot of whites and ivory colors on top and bottom. These outfits are seen as “luxury”. But clothing that stains and shows dirt easily does not wear well. Sure, all white outfits look sophisticated but that is not the exclusive way to look polished. Prints hide so much of what can happen to our clothing and I find it interesting how few women wear prints now days. Look around and you will start to notice how almost everyone wears solid colors, especially in fashion magazines and Pinterest. I think we have lost a valuable aspect to women’s clothing by ignoring what prints do for women. They allow them to live fully and still wear their pretty clothes. My friend once said “oh I can’t wear prints they make you look bigger”. If you ever heard this fashion advice, just know that not all fashion advice is accurate. So much of looking bigger or smaller has to do with the shape and color of your clothing. In fact, I have noticed how prints can actually disguise and downplay bulges and bloated bellies as opposed to solid colors!

Comfort

Speaking of fabric, we are blessed with soft and stretchy fabrics now days! Halleluiah!

Yet oddly, modern fashion tends to use the wrong fabric for the season often! I can’t tell you how many dense polyester fabrics show up as “summer dresses” but they don’t breathe at all. It’s like wearing a garbage bag next to your skin and the sweat just swims in between you and the dress. Then there are the flimsy “winter dresses”. The prints and colors look wintery, but they are rayon! Rayon is a lightweight breathable summer fabric! And even with all of the soft fabrics available, I still run into fabrics that are gritty to the point where I never reach for them. You must consider the fabric type of your clothing so that it is breathable or insulating for the seasonal need, and so that it is soft on your skin. If you are clued into this important aspect to your clothing, you can pick out any beautiful dress, skirt, top, or pants and feel as comfortable in your daywear as you are in your loungewear! Take this dress for instance that is made out of soft stretchy knit fabric. It could not get more comfortable than this, and yet it is in a flattering shape and length to look styled!

Shoes

Let’s get real about shoes. My most worn shoes aside from my property boots are my ballet flats. Mine are half a decade old and yet for half a decade I have worn them nearly every day. Be sure that your shoes are pretty and comfortable. Not just comfortable….pretty and comfortable. Get the pretty pair of ballet flats, not just the berkinstocks, crocs, or any other “shoe” that makes your feet look gigantic. Your comfort shoe can be your pretty shoe. We live in a world of brands that are “comfort shoe brands” and they specialize in comfortable shoes that still look good. Born, Clarks, Italian Shoemaker, just to name a few.

Many times, feminine fashion ideas show outfits with high heels but how often are we actually wearing high heels all day? I will wear a low block heel pump, but even then, I’m still reaching for my flats more often. Get comfortable with feminine shoes that are a pretty flat sandal, a pretty ballet flat, or a pretty low heel boot/bootie. It does not always have to be a high heel for you to look feminine or pretty. If someone would have told me this when I was a young woman, I would have saved my feet a lot of pain!

Dress Untrendy

There is a beauty about classic styles. The midi hem length and a modest neckline will do wonders for the quality of your daily style. These timeless cuts of clothing are about looking femininely beautiful and put together. Classic cuts of clothing hide bra straps, support your best features and make women look dignified. Classic clothing never goes out of style even if it’s not “in style”.

Yes, spring is here, the roses are blooming, and I am loving the warmer days with spring dresses and excited to bring out more summer dresses! This time of year is the perfect time to tap into your feminine style for your daily wardrobe and enjoy the romance of it all.

Happy Styling!