Personal Style: Blurring The Lines

Thank you to Lookmatic for sponsoring today’s post.

Before we lived in Manhattan, I used to imagine the people who lived there always dressed up before they left the house. Similar to the standards in some parts of Italy, I guessed that city dwellers had a life that demanded round-the-clock fashion. Partly, I was right. Depending on what part of the city you visit and when, most people can be found wearing business casual attire at all hours of the day.

My own style changed when we moved there, even as someone who spent her days with babies instead of business executives. I wasn’t going to meetings every afternoon, but city life taught me a little about the dress-to-impress mentality. I quite liked the feeling of putting effort and care into looking professional, no matter if I was going to a blogging event or picking up my kids from school-both of which I did most days of the week. Putting even a little extra effort into my appearance improved my motivation levels as well as my confidence. I noticed that I was treated differently if I was dressed professionally, even if I was pushing a double stroller or had a baby tied on me in a sling. The lines are blurred in the city in a lot of ways, and wardrobe is definitely one of them.

Things in Santa Cruz are much different. It’s a college town, and a notoriously laid-back city. It’s where surfing on the mainland was essentially born and the home of the uber-liberal University of Santa Cruz. The dress code for locals, even business professionals, includes flip flops and Ray Bans.

I bought a pair of Birkenstocks the second month we lived here, and they perfectly suit our lifestyle, which consists of daily visits to the beach and our local farmers market. My business-casual, stylish inclinations have hardly been seen since we moved out of New York City, and I’ve noticed a difference in my attitude. My blazers that I used to rotate several times a week haven’t been worn in months, and the same goes for my black heels and several pairs of slacks.

I’m adopting a more relaxed mentality, and while everything has been affected-mostly for the better-because of that, I’m learning to adapt and apply new routines and efforts to maintain energized and motivated. Simple changes to my lifestyle and even appearance have affected me positively, including limiting sugar in my diet and adding in more physical activity. I’m taking baby steps by leaving out the sugar in my morning coffee and running around the playground with Beau during elementary school drop-off and pick-up. Instead of wearing ripped jeans and a sweatshirt, I’ve taken to actually putting together an outfit and even wearing glasses-a surprising and fun addition to my repertoire.

I also cut 6″ off of my hair. You know how they say that a woman dramatically changes her hair before a mega life change? Well.

There’s something about eyeglasses that brings everything down to business-in a great way mentally and a fun and creative way fashionably. I’ve recently embraced the latest trend of wearing glasses, and it’s been a really fun and simple inclusion in my daily routine. For some, glasses mean winding down and reading a book before bed, or a work-from-home day at the computer. I’ve had a lot of fun adding different styles of glasses for all kinds of occasions; From a Skype conference call, to meetings in the city, and from kindergarten pickup to a run to the grocery store.

I had a great time choosing six different styles of eyewear online from Lookmatic and being able to try them on at home before choosing a pair and sending the rest back. It’s much easier and more practical to try something so personal and particular while in the comfort of my own home, rather than in front of a toe-tapping sales clerk. The prices are all $95 and up, making it a more relaxed decision than preparing for a much heavier financial commitment. Plus it adds a whimsical sort of edge to a typically mundane part of life. Wearing eyeglasses can be fun and invigorating for those of us that enjoy and embrace how our style motivates us.

The hard part has proven to picking one of the five pairs that they sent. I actually loved all of the Lookmatic glasses for different reasons, and applied them in different ways. I wore the basic frames to my children’s pagent at church, the rose-colored frames to a lunch with friends, the chunky thick pair grocery shopping between conference calls, and the sunglasses to the park with Beau before picking up the big kids at school.

My lifestyle is quite different now than it was living in a sleepless, hectic city, but I haven’t let my location define me. I’m still a work-at-home mother to three children and a puppy, and I still have a lot of fun with my personal style. It’s easier to fall prey to the fashion empires in New York City, but I’ve been able to carve out and cultivate a nice balance while living in Surf City, too.

Style is actually a really fun and motivating part of my life, and I’ve been thrilled to find ways to embrace it in different ways no matter what the culture or my personal situation dictates.

This post was sponsored by Lookmatic. All opinions are my own.