My Classy & Feminine Style Makeover : Before & After

Ladies,

I have always enjoyed fashion and dressing up, but there was a phase of my life where I was in survival mode, moving all the time, living an outdoor gritty life, and frankly confused about what to even wear. The fashion world changes their minds about what is in style so often and as I grew into an older woman, I stopped caring what the fashion industry pushed. I wore workout clothes every day and while it was comfortable, I did not feel put together. I wanted to enjoy fashion again. I wanted to look feminine and classy.

There were years of my life that I dressed almost exclusively in leggings with spandex tops, or skinny jeans with black t shirts. I thought a black t-shirt made me look “chic”, and frankly, grey and black clothing makes up so much of current women’s clothing, I never noticed how drab it looked!

Before

After

Personal Style in a Classy & Feminine Way

You can dress classy and feminine in a variety of personal styles, such as buttoned-up way in slacks, and a structured blouse with heels, but if that’s not your personal style you haven’t achieved the best classy and feminine look for you.

You can wear boots and jeans with a blouse and look incredibly classy and feminine. It’s about choosing the right cuts of clothing, proper fit of clothing, and good fabric. I like to think about all of the different women throughout history who wore vastly different styles of clothing per era but still looked classy and feminine. The women of the late 1800s wore nothing like the women of the 1940s, but within those vastly different fashions were still modest necklines and hemlines, good shape and fit of fabric. Keep in mind there was still immodest clothing in all eras, so knowing the line to draw in the sand for what constitutes classy is important for you to discern in your own conscience before the Lord Jesus, if you are a Christian woman.

What I Changed

The photo of me in the grocery store makes me laugh every time I see it. My skinny jeans are tucked into my socks, which I am wearing with athletic slides. As if the slides were not a questionable enough decision. Out of all the beautiful tops in the world, the fact that anyone would recommend a woman wear a black t-shirt is almost criminal. This was standard fashion advice for what seemed like decades. It is boxy, plain, and drab. When I saw this photo, it blew me away how masculine I looked. I had a fashion awakening. Time to change my wardrobe.

The one thing I was doing right was a dark wash pair of jeans, which is the most slimming and chic in my opinion.

However, I stopped wearing super trendy items, which at the time were slides. I went back to the classics.

I opted for a low heel ankle bootie, which was a practical decision anyway for living in the countryside. Moreso, it is a feminine footwear that goes with skirts, dresses, or pants. It fully encloses the foot and gives just a bit of height to look slightly elongated. I made sure I had a skin toned pair and a dark pair.

I started wearing feminine tops. No more skintight spandex tank tops with nothing paired with them. No more boxy t-shirts that could be interchanged with a man’s wardrobe.

Whether it was a blouse or a peplum top, I made sure my tops had a distinctly womanly shape and style.

I also changed the length of my tops. Instead of short tops with leggings, I started to wear long blouses and tops with leggings.

While I occasionally like a slim pair of sneakers instead of clunky white ones (another trend I avoided because I think they look terrible with anything but especially dresses and skirts!!) I invested in a classic pair of leather cowgirl boots to wear with anything. They are perfect for county living but also look so feminine paired with my other feminine pieces.

Cowgirl boots and cowboy boots are basically the same style, so it’s not a “feminine” item, but I do know that pairing my boots with feminine clothing makes them look feminine on me.

How to Find Classy Clothing

Trendy clothes can be quite feminine but often times they are not necessarily classy, because they are very tight, too short or are finally long enough but have a plunging neckline.

While it might seem like all current clothing lacks a sense of propriety, I challenge you to shop different brands and really get to know what is out there. There is a lot of modest and classy clothing and if you are not finding it, you are just not acquainted with it. I can go on poshmark and in an instant pull up pages of high necklines, midi lengths and sleeved dresses, as well as classic blouses and long skirts. When searching online type in something like “3/4 sleeve midi dress”, “fitted button up blouse” “midi wool skirt” or “fit and flare midi dress”. That is a whole other article about how to search properly online to find the pieces you need but that should help you to see that there is no lack of classy styles out there.

You also need to know the brand names that offer higher quality fashion in the styles you want. While there is a place for a few jersey knit dresses in our wardrobes, those are not the longest lasting or best quality items. A few brands that I consistently search for are: Ralph Lauren, J. Crew, Eliza J., Anne Taylor, etc. If you want classy clothes you need to shop classy brands.

Be Ok with Being “Outdated”

I love a peplum shaped top, but they are not “fashionable”. I love midi length dresses even though stylists think a short woman like me should be wearing shorter dresses! I dress for what I know is best for being modest and what looks classically beautiful on me, and then I might enjoy a trend here and there if I genuinely like it. But trends do not dictate my personal style. Maybe my clothing seems outdated because of this but I am ok with that.

Wear colors other than black

Steer away from the ever-popular black to keep from looking dreary. Black near a face and hair can make skin, eyes and hair look drab, especially as women age. I think there are a few exceptions like in a fancy dress or top that has some other beautiful style details, like shimmer, or lace, or a particular cut to the top. But black in every day clothing can steer very harsh and unfeminine.

For day wear, dark colors that enliven the skin, eyes, and hair include rich navy blues, deep greens, and wine color. These will make your eyes sparkle and enhance rosiness in your skin unlike black!

For neutral colors, there are many variations of tans, browns, grays and whites. Find the tones of these colors that suit you best. For instance, do you look better in cool browns or warm browns? There is a big difference so learn which colors, even neutral colors, look best on you.

These are simple ways to look classy and feminine. I make it a point to wear beautiful earrings with every outfit as it perks up even very simple daily fashion.

Guess what, I am still just as comfortable in my “after” outfits so I did not compromise on comfort to look put together. The key is to buy clothing in soft fabrics in the right size.

I hope you enjoyed my classy and feminine fashion makeover.

Until next time ladies!

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