Issue 70. Dressing to Live
Living where I want to live, the colors around me, and a few pretty things
The biggest takeaway from my recent trip to Baja was how happy I was to return home at the end of the adventure. Aside from growing tired from trying (and often failing) to communicate in Spanish, I was mostly just genuinely happy to get back to my favorite place on earth: home.
For over ten years, I tried to make Seattle home, but the city’s grooves didn’t align with mine. I could never get comfy. As I reached my late 20s, my need to go home ballooned so big that I felt like I was going to burst. And here I am, a year and a half later, grateful that returning was exactly as healing as I imagined when I finally eeked out the words “I need to go home” to my husband on a warm Sunday afternoon three years ago.
Moving back is one of the dominos that started me writing on this platform. The move was the first time in a long time where I put my needs first. Making space for my needs paved the road for this newsletter. What is possible when we say yes to ourselves? Everything.
And once I got here…this part of California is so full of life, color, sweeping vistas, jaw-dropping cliffs and pummeling winds, its hard not to feel inspired.
Recently, I’ve been spending a lot of energy figuring out my wardrobe for the summer. But this year is different than years’ past. In Seattle, getting dressed (and online shopping) were my biggest creative outlets. Living out of alignment with my basic need to see the sun made me feel like I didn’t have emotional bandwidth for much else besides shopping.
This year, spending all my time shopping has an obvious opportunity cost: taking me away from actually living. Instead of living to shop, I’m shopping to live.
I’m still discerning, I’m still analytical, I still try out tons of options to find the right one. But I’m not aimless. For the first time in years, there is a finish line.
As my body continues to change, I can’t access some of the clothing I wore in the past, but I can still draw inspiration from previous iterations of my wardrobe.
Looking through my camera roll this weekend, I found a few outfits I’d happily wear again today to bring my summer wardrobe into full force.
Out at the Flea market this weekend, I was disappointed to walk away without finding the pieces I needed to complete my wardrobe, restless to get this settled so I could simply move on with my life.
Thankfully, the thrift gods were with me for one final stop: a little shop close to home.
I picked up a few missing pieces: the button-down shirts I can wear over little tanks & cowboy boots like ones I had been drooling over in the fall.
Which swiftly made getting dressed to meet up with friends that night easy.
So what’s inspiring me right now?
wanting to LIVE!
Having a reason to get dressed. Wearing clothing that helps me feel present, relaxed, comfortable in my own skin, ready to say hi to the cool stranger at the coffee shop or give my number to a friend-of-a-friend. Outfits that makes it a no-brainer to drive a few hours to see
.A cup of fresh coffee each morning while I read a good book:
A dress that looks just as good for a coffee-run as it does dressed up for a formal event.
Does this mean I’m done shopping? Unlikely, I can’t help but adore beautiful things. But my mindset is different. Clothing is no longer my everything, its just one piece in a bigger puzzle.
Thank you for reading Intuitive Style. Your readership, likes, shares and comments mean so much to me. You can shop my *highly curated* recs here, and listen to the Intuitive Style podcast on Substack here or on Spotify here. If you choose to upgrade to a paid membership, a portion of your payment will go directly to the Stop Child Labor Coalition.
xx, M
Getting dressed to live is THE GOAL!
my heart is so full for you that you found your way home. Loved this read!