Yes, you can pull that off!

Have you ever felt like you weren’t cool enough to wear something? I know I can feel this way a lot. I am SO guilty of seeing another woman in an amazing outfit and thinking “I could never pull that off.” But here’s the thing- the whole beauty of clothes is that you should be dressing in things that you love and things that make you feel good. I recently put this practice into motion after inheriting a sharp olive Harris Tweed blazer from my late Opa’s collection.

When my mom asked if I would like to have the blazer, I knew that of course I would like to have it for sentimental value, but I wasn’t sure I would ever wear it. I just didn’t think that I would be able to pull it off. And I know that for many, a men’s blazer is not that ‘wild’ of an outfit choice- but I usually play it pretty safe and stick to my comfort zone of clothes after my college weight gain. When I got back up to Denver, and eventually got around to unpacking my bags from home after approx. 6 days (any one else have this issue??) I took another look at the blazer and thought I had to wear it at least once. Because the whole reason I was nervous of wearing the blazer wasn’t because I didn’t think I would like it- it was because I thought that I wasn’t “cool” enough to wear one- and that inherently considers what others would think of my outfit. And if one thing was true about my Opa- it was that he did not give one ounce of care to what people thought of him. When I was younger this trait could be so embarrassing, but as I grew older I found it to be more humorous and admirable. So, gosh darn it I wore it, and I wore it with pride and loved it!

One thing that really helped me feel comfortable with stepping out in the blazer was trying it on with different outfits before actually wearing it out to pick my favorite. The second thing that really helped was pairing the blazer with pieces I already knew I loved- especially my J Crew leopard print loafers! This way I only had one portion of the outfit that was ‘new’ or ‘unfamiliar.’ And, I have to give a shoutout to my mom and Oma who helped remove the shoulder pads to make it a little more feminine! If you’re considering stepping out of your comfort zone with various pieces I would definitely recommend playing around with outfits involving the piece at home and pairing it with some of your tried and trues.

I am so glad that I decided to wear this blazer, rather than have it just sit in my closet for eternity. It was so special that I could feel like I had a part of my Opa with me throughout the day. He was my biggest cheerleader- and being able to have these pieces that remind me not only of him, but what he stood for, means so much to me.

So, if you have something in your closet you haven’t worn yet because you think you’re not cool enough, YOU ARE COOL ENOUGH GIRLFRIEND, and yes, you can pull it off! 🙂

You can shop the similar styles too! (Minus the sentimental value of the blazer 😉 ) Also, big thanks to my friend Sam for taking my photos. You can check out her sustainable fashion blog at thisissitt.com.

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