Outfit Details
White Off-the-Shoulder Dress (Similar styles down below)
Leather Belt (Old)
Lotta from Stockholm Clogs in Tan
Vintage Longaberger Basket Bag
We’ve been getting a bit of a heat wave here in Portland this past week, so it was finally time to break out this white off-the-shoulder dress. I know this is going to be one of my favorite pieces this summer for many reasons. I really love the off-the-shoulder style and bell sleeves, two of my favorite trends this season. The light fabric is also perfect for warm days when you want to look cute but keep cool at the same time. But, most of all, I love how easy it is to style this dress. All you need is a cute pair of shoes and bag to pair with it, and you’re good to go!
I have to admit, I wasn’t sure if I liked this white summer dress at first when my mom gifted it to me last summer. The dress has a loose silhouette, which I usually try to avoid because I don’t feel like it best accentuates my petite but curvy figure. Luckily, if you’re on the same boat as I am, all it takes is a belt to cinch the waist and give this dress more shape. I also think it would work well with a cute white sash, don’t you agree?
A Few Thoughts on Embracing Change
Now that we’ve talked about the shift in the weather, let’s talk about the upcoming changes in my life. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m graduating from school and trying to figure out what’s next for me. Overall, I’ve been managing my stress and anxiety very well. I’ve been putting skills I’ve learned into practice like being mindful and getting in self-care when needed.
However, I’ve noticed that I often tend to fixate on my appearance instead of dealing with my emotions. Getting a haircut or updating my style, are all things I do to ease my anxiety. After all, even if the world around me is falling apart, these are things I can control. However, that’s not always necessarily true.
For example, this past week I got it in my head that I needed a new hair color to correlate with this new phase in my life. I had a specific hair color picked out, similar to what I had a few years back. When I discussed it with my stylist, she said it would probably take a few sessions to lighten it that much because my hair was so dark. But, she stressed that it was important not to hurry and just sit back and enjoy the different phases as we worked towards my goal.
Regardless, I still had the hope that we would get to the shade I originally wanted somehow. Of course that didn’t happened, which then led to a wave of emotions. I went from liking the color I left the salon with, to feeling like I had failed at reaching a goal. All these feelings were because of something so stupid like hair. But really, they weren’t. I was just projecting my stress and channelling all of my energy towards this one thing.
It’s been a few days, and I’m happy to report that I’m totally in love with my new hair color (which you can better appreciate here); my stylist really did do an amazing job! But going through those emotions has made me realize that I need to be patient. I need to embrace change one step at a time. It’s okay to have an end goal in my career or when it comes to my style, but I can’t expect to immediately reach the finish line. Everything takes hard work and patience, as frustrating as that may be at times. Moreover, it’s those unexpected surprises and challenges along the way that make life exciting.
Who knew that changing my hair color could lead to so many insights? What are some of your tips for embracing change?