When I posted a sneak peek picture from this shoot last week my friend April made a funny comment about my legs. As I read it I was instantly taken back to when she and I used to work together at Dillard’s.
There is a wheel chair they keep in the back office to help any clients who may be in need of assistance getting around the store. Well, during slow times we would see who could race from one end of the office to the other the fastest. We moved at a snails pace in that thing. Neither of us at the time had upper body strength, I still don’t, and I kept running over my legs, so long legs are not the best for wheel chair racing.
As we transition into Fall, this time of year sometimes brings the blues for people. As I reflected back on this time in my life of professional wheel chair racing, I couldn’t help but remember how fun outfits and my friendship with April helped me through a muddy moment.
We had a blast working together, April oversaw the the women’s department and I was her assistant. The women’s department for Dillard’s is the highest volume area and cosmetics has the highest profit margin. Just a little retail knowledge for you. We would put on maternity panties over our clothes and stuffed whatever options were around into the top of the panties to see who was more believable. Stuffing a stapler in mine wasn’t my best choice.
Mid-day we would check sales for the department and if they were low of the goal we’d take this giant push button that played “Whomp There It Is” and visit the employees for each area. We would walk up without saying a word, put the button on the ground, tap it with our foot and when it started playing the song we would start dancing the most basic version of white girl dancing you could think of, purposely terrible. All the employees just stared at us and were like, what are y’all doing and we’d be like, MOTIVATING YOU TO SELL MORE DUHHH?! I still think it’s a genius approach, April had a mean cotton eye joe and words can’t describe my jazz squares.
Now when I think back to when they called me into the office at Dillard’s to tell me they had eliminated my position nationwide I wonder if they had made a video clip of all the ridiculous shit we had done ON THE CLOCK. Do you think they all just gathered together and were like, “yeah ok, this bitch just needs to sell lipstick”. If that’s what happened, I just want the video.
So again, we had a blast together, however, I have never lived in a more shitty work environment. We were terrified of losing our job every day, it was 2008 and in the midst of that terrible recession. I had my own apartment, by myself, which I could barely afford! It was a depressing time. While it may seem cheesy, April and I got through those moments with laughs and good outfits. Everything else was out of our control. We tried to bring a little bit of happiness into those situations we couldn’t control.
As we transition into Fall if you struggle with being sad this time of year, I hope we can shine a little light into some looks that might make you a little happier when you get dressed in the morning.
It may seem silly and juvenile to some, but walking out the door feeling good about yourself can make or break your day.
I can remember in this period of my life trying so desperately to have my shit together and develop my career and my life was hanging together by the thread of a good outfit. Literally. So let me help you shine that light a little brighter.
Let’s talk about the distressed denim jacket.
I wanted this lewk to be boho/hippie chic, so I styled it with a pair of Show Me Your Mumu flare pants and a vintage graphic t-shirt.
Like everybody else I gather inspiration from other outfits I see online via Instagram, Pinterest, etc.
I liked the look of a head scarf tied in this style on other people and thought it would be fitting for this vibe. Just like you, when I try new styles for the first time I feel a little lost and wonder how I can make them my own! As we were about to shoot this look I asked my photographer, Laura about the head scarf. I said, “I’ve really been wanting to work this into an outfit, what do you think?”. She said she loved it so we kept it and I’ve been telling fortunes on a regular basis.
If bell bottoms aren’t your thing right now, I’d swap them out for a good legging.
When I think of an easy casual fall look I think of 3 main ingredients:
-Denim Jacket
-Vintage t-shirt
-Leggings
I don’t want to shed too much light onto vintage t-shirts now because it will soon be a topic of discussion.
Since I like to leave a little trail of happiness behind wherever I go I topped off the LEWK with feather ombre chunky heels.
Show Me Your Mumu isn’t typically a price point I shop for everyday looks. However, they have a long inseam so I bit the bullet and invested in these spandex bell bottoms that I can actually wear heels with! PRAISE DA LAWWDDD FOR THESE BLESSINGS OF FAVOR AND GRACE.
Which denim jacket style is most relatable to your style?
Tomorrow we’ll be chatting about our last LEWK for the week, oversized and embellished.
As always, thanks for joining me on this journey of cussing and clothes.
And remember, being you rocks.
-Lyv