Well, today’s blog post is definitely taking me out of my comfort zone!
A couple months ago, I found this sound for Instagram Reels that was a theme song for picking characters in a video game, where most people dress up in different outfits for their niche in their Reels. So, it made me think about my own fashion preferences, and here we have this totally random post!
I was initially going to film my own Reel modeling my personal style choices, but I ended up dressing up as the main characters from my books instead: Riley from Can’t Beat the Heart of a Carolina Girl, Victoria from Speak Your Mind, and Emery from The Ballad of Emery Brooks trilogy.
View the Reel here, if you’d like!
Now, back to my personal style. 🙂
My personal style, which I’m breaking down into four major categories, is mainly comprised of: at home casual, public casual, business casual (work), and dressy (church). But, what are my favorite individual pieces? Let’s dive in!
Homebody Casual
My absolute favorite–and go-to look–is from my Homebody Casual collection, which derives of dozens of T-shirts (some of which are holey and that I’ve had since middle or high school), athletic shorts, sweatpants, and, in cooler weather, oversized sweatshirts.
My Favorite Pieces
T-Shirts: I love the typical Hanes or Fruit of the Loom classic T-shirts, preferably oversized. The one I’m wearing around the house like crazy right now is a teal T-shirt from a local fundraiser I got back in June, which I had to get in a Large because all the Mediums in that color were gone. A true win-win. It’s so baggy, and I love it.
Athletic shorts: I’m not too particular about where I get my athletic shorts from, but I believe most of mine are from Wal-Mart. Since I don’t typically workout in public (lol, if I workout at all. I’ve gotten lazy in that department as of late), I don’t really care how they look. I just care if they’re comfortable.
Sweatpants: Ironically, most of my sweatpants are at least 10 years old, and 90% of them came from Aeropostale (they had the best sweatpants!), which is no longer in business in my local mall. If I get any more, I might try ol’ trusty Wal-Mart. XD
Oversized Sweaters: Y’ALL. On our honeymoon last October, Josh and I stopped in a souvenir shop in the Opry Mills Mall (we were in Nashville), and I found THE BEST SWEATSHIRT OF ALL TIME in there for $20. It’s huge. It’s maroon. It’s soft and cuddly. It has Nashville written on the front with guitars. I love it to death and practically lived in that thing from October until, realistically, mid-April. And, to be honest, I’m counting down the days until colder weather hits eastern NC so I can wear it again. It’s currently Lil Florida here right now, with the heat, humidity, and rain. 😦 No offense to any Floridians, but I don’t like that kind of weather.
Public Casual
This category is basically what I wear outside the house, if I’m not going to work or church. Since it’s summer right now, this means cute tank tops or short-sleeve shirts, shorts, and sandals. In the fall and winter, I’m usually rocking some leggings, dressier sweaters or cardigans (MY FAVE. Your homegirl probably has at least 20 cardigans), vests, etc. Oh, and tall boots.
My Favorite Pieces
Tanks or Short-Sleeve Shirts: My favorite summer tops right now have been the ones I hauled from Shein both last summer and this summer. For tanks, it’s a white, orange, blue, and black floral print tank with ruffly shoulders, while my favorite short sleeve shirt is a mustard yellow leopard print top with flowy sleeves. If you want cute clothes at inexpensive prices, I highly recommend ordering from Shein. I haven’t ordered anything from there that I haven’t loved (this is not a sponsored/affiliate post for Shein, I just like their products!).
Shorts: Lately, I’ve been gravitating more toward printed shorts that have an athletic short fit (elastic waist, similar material), but look dressy, if that makes sense. My two favorites are black and white polka dots, and leopard print. For more of a jean feel, I tend to grab an olive green pair that goes well with most anything.
Sandals/Summer Shoes: I’ve lived in Rainbow sandals since the sixth or seventh grade, so they’re still my go-to pick for Summer. However, I also own three pairs of Converse (white, maroon, and gray with double tongues), and a navy blue pair of Hey Dudes that I’ve really taken to this year.
Leggings: I mostly wear the really soft, standard black ones from Walmart. I think they’re No Boundaries, but I have no clue, which is terrible because I wear them all the time. All I know is they’re the best and they’re very inexpensive compared to other legging brands. I’m desperately trying to find a gray pair similar to them though, so if anyone has any recommendations, please let me know!
Jeans: I’m not too picky about jeans, honestly. I just buy whatever is inexpensive or comfortable. Lately, I’ve been getting them from either Wal-Mart or Marshalls.
Dressier Sweaters: My idea of a “dressier sweater” is just a sweater that does not have writing or an emblem of some sort on the front of it. XD So, all my “dressier sweaters” are a solid color, mostly oversized, but not so oversized that they look frumpy. I can easily dress them up with a cute scarf or longer necklace. My favorite right now is a creamy white one I inherited from my sister’s closet clean out earlier this year. 😛
Cardigans: Lord, have mercy, there are too many to describe. Just know that I have too many and I don’t plan on getting rid of any of them, because it’s a healthy obsession. XD
My favorite cardigans, which I’m narrowing down into light cardigans and thicker cardigans are:
- Light: A maroon button down with pockets I got at Forever 21 several years ago. I’m absolutely in love with it.
- Thicker: It’s hard to narrow this one down, but I have this dark teal one that also has pockets that I can wear with leggings, so it’s probably the one I like to wear the most out in public.
Fall/Colder Weather Shoes: Cold weather here in eastern NC remains within the twenties to fifties or sixties during actual winter time (rarely going down into the teens or lower), so my “cold weather shoes” are mostly tall brown boots, tall black and brown boots, Bean boots (except mine are from Sperry 😛 ), and a dark brown knock-off pair of Uggs I got at JCPenney well over ten years ago for $25 that I haven’t managed to wear out yet. I’m proud of those things. XD
(If you were expecting a high-class fashion analysis in this post, I’m sorry. You’re getting an eastern NC country bumpkin “fashion” analysis).
Business Casual (Work)
I work in IT for a small company, so we have a business casual dress code to follow. When I first started working there, we could only wear jeans on Fridays, but after the pandemic, they lifted that rule (thank the good Lord above!), so now my work fashion is similar to my Public Casual fashion, but with a few tweaks:
My Favorite Pieces
Tanks or Short-Sleeve Shirts: Honestly, all of the stuff I bought from Shein is appropriate office attire, so I’ve been wearing those tops lately. My go-to outfit for when I’m running late in the mornings is a gray and white striped tank with ruffly shoulders paired with black leggings and a black strappy pair of sandals.
Quarter-Length or Long-Sleeve Shirts: For some reason, I love wearing quarter length shirts to work in the spring and fall, so I’ve got a bunch of henley style work shirts that just have random colorful prints on them. I’ve found them at a variety of stores, including Wal-Mart, Belk, and H&M, which isn’t local for me but I’ve stopped in there on occasion while traveling. My favorites include the one I got engaged in (for obvious reasons XD, though you can barely see it in that picture), and a leopard print one that is made just like it.
Palazzo Pants: Over the years, I’ve bought several pairs of palazzo pants (colorful pants that typically have an elastic waistband/tie at the waist and have wide legs) that I enjoy wearing to work in the summertime with sandals. Most of my pairs are a few years old though, because it’s becoming harder and harder to find them, especially for shorter people, like myself.
Closed-Toe Shoes: I have to wear closed-toe shoes in certain areas at work, so if I know I’ll be working in those areas, I’ll wear either my brown or black ankle boots. I prefer ankle boots with little heel, because I’m clumsy. If it’s too hot for ankle boots, and I know rain is in the forecast, I’ll wear the knock-off Sperry loafers I’ve had since seventh grade that still look brand new. For the record, I’m 28, so I’ve had those shoes over half my life. XD
Wintertime Work Wear: When it’s colder, I try my best to wear longer sweaters or cardigans that I can pair with black leggings and boots, always grabbing those “dressier” sweaters I mentioned before. My favorite to wear to work is a long olive green knit sweater dress from Aerie paired with black leggings and tall brown boots.
Dressy (Church)
Finally, we have my Sunday morning attire: church clothes!
My Favorite Pieces
Dresses: During the summer, I normally wear a variety of dresses to church. While my favorites are a couple of casual tank dresses from Old Navy in plain black and navy blue polka dots, I recently bought a blue and pink floral printed maxi dress from Amazon earlier this year, and have enjoyed wearing a mid-length, slight v-neck pink and maroon dress I inherited from my Momma’s closet clean-out earlier this summer. She, my sister, and I are all around the same size, so we’re notorious for swapping clothes back and forth.
Sandals: All summer for church, I’ve relied on the pair of black strappy sandals I mentioned in the Business Casual section. I got them a couple years ago from Amazon and love them, but hate that their prices have gone up so much since then (like an additional $10!). I would really love to buy more pairs from that retailer, because they are the best dressy sandals I’ve ever had.
Cold-weather Church Clothes: In the wintertime, I normally fall back on wearing business casual clothing to church rather than dresses. Occasionally, I’ll wear dresses with a cardigan over them, paired with tall boots, but most of the time I default to denim jeans, colored jeans (olive green, maroon, gray, mint green, or a pinkish orange), or leggings, of course.
Talk to Me, Arrowheads!
If you’re still here after that long, drawn out post about things I normally don’t talk about here on Authoring Arrowheads, bless you!
If you’re interested in fashion, comment below with your fashion preferences, and where you buy your favorite pieces!
Aim high, stay strong, and always hit your mark.
-Allyson 😀
Authoring Arrowheads 