Let's pretend.

Sometimes a quote sticks in your head and you begin to repeat it over and over again in your mind. As this quote plays on repeat in your inner monologue you begin to see why it's stuck with you so long, it applies to you! It describes you so perfectly it's eerie.

This has happened many times to men and I'm sure I'm not alone. This time the quote that stuck with me was this one by Kate Spade. "I think that dress up begins at age five and truly never ends"

Think about when you were a child, boy or girl, it doesn't matter we all played pretend and for many of us that meant putting on a cape and pretending to be a superhero, or a crown to be a monarch. I used to have a dress up chest where I would keep tutus, fairy wings, costume jewelry and halloween costumes. I'm not sure when I stopped playing pretend with my costume chest but I always kept playing dress up in some way. I still dress up for Halloween and I always always will but that's only for a holiday. When I think of playing dress up now I think of the times I spend dressing. The act of dressing is something that has sadly fallen by the wayside in modern times and it's something that I find most enjoyable.

Remember when you would play dress up? You would pick the character you wanted to dress as and you would select your best outfit and accessories to play that character. For me, this carries into adulthood and I imagine that if you really think about it you do the same thing.

When I get dressed in the morning I always take into consideration how I'm feeling that day. Am I in a swinging 60s mood or a 50s bombshell mood or one of the five thousand other moods I can have. I pick an outfit that reflects my mood and I assume that character for the day. The right outfit really does make all the difference, it changes the way I carry myself. Some people dismiss the idea that an outfit can make a difference in the way you see yourself and the way you present yourself. Some people think that you need to spend a fortune to look your best. The way I see it both of these attitudes are wrong.

Anyone that knows me personally knows I can make a complete outfit for under 20 dollars so anyone can go hunting at a thrift shop to find a dream outfit. You're saving money, looking good and creating less waste so no one loses.

Now to the people that think an outfit can't make a difference, I want you to know that I'm not one of those people that wraps my self worth up in the way I look. Clothes wont make you confident  but they can amplify it. Different outfits can amplify the mood I'm in that day. If I'm feeling sexy I take out my 40s pencil skirt and pair it with a sweater and a bullet bra. If I'm feeling playful and young I pick a 60s mini dress. Think about how you're feeling and pick pieces to accent your mood.

An outfit I pick when I'm feeling playful and young (and it's warm out)- from Devil Dog Photography.

So readers, do you still enjoy playing dress up?