Why Bother and How Bother - featuring Naomi!

Sweater-thrifted; layering turtleneck underneath it- J Crew, thrifted; Bandolino, thrifted (they are very tight and stretchy; I only wear them with tunic-length tops); Boots - Frye Campus 14, Zappos. A big splurge. Necklace - local boutique/sidewalk sale

Everyone, I'm pleased to introduce you to Naomi! She's a local mom of two and freelance writer. But most importantly for our purposes, she has great style. I was curious to hear her responses to the Why Bother/How Bother questions. Hope you enjoy and maybe catch a tip or two! If you'd like to read Naomi's work or contact her, please visit naomishulman.com. 

Why do you bother to pay attention to your clothing choices? 

There are all sorts of reasons, but to put it very simply, I enjoy it. I take pleasure in choosing clothes and coming up with an outfit that makes me feel good. I also truly enjoy seeing nice outfits on other people -- I'm always noticing what other people around me wear, and often my outfits are directly influenced by something I've admired on someone else. When I feel good in my clothes I feel a little more confident in the world, hackneyed as that sounds. When I was younger I used to see clothes as an outfit for creativity and expression. My outfits would vary widely from day to day depending on what mood I wanted to project. Since having kids, I'm far more likely to stick to something comfortable and easy to wear, but I still want to look sharp and to feel good. 

What are your top priorities for how you dress?  

Comfort is way up there -- far higher than it used to be before I had children. I don't have the patience for a garment that requires me to fuss with it. There are entire categories of clothing that I basically refuse to deal with anymore (button-down shirts are among these). But if it were only about comfort, I'd wear yoga pants and t-shirts everywhere and call it a day, so it's not just about that. I want my clothes to say something positive about me. I want to look the way I feel (or, at the very least, the way I want to seem). I try to wear clothes that are appropriate for whatever I'm doing that day but also have a little personality, a little spark of something interesting. 

What colors or textures bring you the most joy to wear? 

For some reason, I adore red shoes. I have several pairs -- clogs, sandals, even a pair of red boots (they were my 40th birthday present to myself). I think of red as a neutral color that can be worn with anything, but I almost always restrict it to an accent piece. Otherwise, I tend to stick to the same swatch of colors -- aqua blue, brown, maroon, and of course, black. I'm not really certain they're the most flattering colors for me, but they're the ones I gravitate toward, and my sense is that if I like the way they look on me, they're probably good colors for me. 

How much time do you spend on self care each day/week/month? 

Well, when I'm exercising regularly, it's three times a week for an hour a pop. (I haven't been exercising regularly lately, but I will again soon.) I also get my hair cut and colored professionally -- a splurge, but an entirely worthwhile one for me. My hair is reddish blond and quite curly, so it tends to be noticed; I want it to look nice without taking a lot of maintenance, which is best achieved via regular trims. I used to blow out my hair every morning. After kids, those days are gone, so my hair needs to look good with a drip dry. As for makeup, I refuse to spend more than 5 minutes on grooming every day -- I moisturize my skin very faithfully (with sunscreen), then wear light powder, undereye concealer, brown mascara, eyebrow pencil, a little blush. This may sound like a lot but I get this done in no time. My friend sells makeup products, so that's where my cosmetics come from these days; otherwise I've always bought my products at the drugstore. My other big self-care indulgence is a standing acupuncture appointment. I see my acupuncturist about once a month. It helps me keep my batteries charged. 

Where do you find inspiration for how you dress? (Could be a blog, magazine, another person, season, mood, etc.) 

Most of my inspiration comes from my friends, actually. I like my friends' taste in clothing and often get ideas about from them a new way to wear something, especially in terms of accessories. Back in the olden days (before I had kids) I used to love reading fashion magazines -- it was one of my guiltiest pleasures -- but I no longer find them interesting. I find outfits I see in real life far more compelling. I suppose that's partly a function of age, but I think it's also that I'm not really so much into fashion as I'm into style, and the people I see in real life embody style (whereas magazines are really about fashion trends). 

Where do you find the time? 

I don't feel like it takes me a lot of time! I never spend more than a few minutes getting dressed unless I'm doing something unusual that day. There are those days where nothing in my closet seems to flatter or fit right, so those days can be frustrating, but even then I'm usually finished getting dressed in under ten minutes. The closet might be left in significant disarray, however. I guess the biggest time investment I make would be the regular visits to the thrift shops -- I go at least once a week, often more. I prefer to buy used clothing because it's cheaper, of course, but I also get a little kick out of finding something great in a sea of not-great. Some of my favorite, most-complimented garments are from thrift stores. 

How do you know what looks good on you? 

Well, I've been consciously tweaking my style and clothing options since I was in my early teens, so I think at this point I mostly have a sense of what styles work on me. There are certain things I simply never wear because I know they're unflattering on me -- I usually avoid sleeveless tank dresses, for example. Sometimes a friend will point out something that I would never have considered, and that can be a nice revelation -- a new piece of style information to work with. So clearly there's more to discover. A close friend of mine is a closet consultant, and she gave me a lot of tips years ago on what's the most flattering for my particular shape and coloring. 

How would you describe your current style? 

I would say my current style is essentially practical (nothing outrageous about it), but with a little bit of a twist. Lots of jeans, boots and sweaters this time of year. I occasionally veer out of my comfort zone a little bit. A couple years ago I got a leather jacket with an outrageous fake fur muff, and the first time I wore it I was worried that it was wearing me -- but I got so many compliments on it that I was encouraged to keep playing around with it, to see what worked with it and what didn't. I buy almost everything from thrift stores these days, which gives my wardrobe an overall bohemian edge, I think -- and I like that. 

Do you feel it is evolving? Why or why not? 

It's definitely evolving -- has been for decades now. Twenty years ago I experimented more; now I have a stronger sense of what works on me, so the day-to-day outfits tend to stay in the same general neighborhood. There are things I wear today that I would never have worn before I had kids, and vice versa. Again, I think a big part of that is age -- 40-year-olds don't dress the way 20-year-olds do (thankfully). But it's also that my life is just very different now and my clothing choices have had to adjust accordingly. I used to live in New York City; I used to work in an office. Now I am a country mouse and a work-at-home mama. My life has been evolving, and my closet has had to evolve along with it. 

How well do you think it works with your lifestyle? 

It works very well, for the most part. One thing I'd like to do is make a point of wearing more skirts and dresses in the winter. I live in skirts all summer, but once it gets cold out, wearing tights can feel like a bother, so I stick to jeans -- and then I get bored. I miss the pleasure of stepping it up a little bit, wardrobe-wise. A winter-weight skirt worn with funky boots, tights, and a cute sweater is one of my favorite outfits, but because I work from home I don't always make the extra effort to do this. 

How do you feel about trends? 

I am less interested in trends today than I used to be, but I still notice them. Sometimes I will jump on board, and other times I skip them altogether. I love fingerless gloves, infinity scarves, skinny jeans tucked in boots. But you'll never see me in a pair of Uggs, no matter how popular they are (were? I think they're on the way out, finally). I don't find them flattering on me, or anyone, really -- and comfort only goes so far with me. I don't want to appear dated, ever, but nor do I wish to seem like a slave to the trends. (There's really no danger of that these days.) 

Dear readers, I know you'll be excited to hear that Naomi will be guest-posting articles here on her beloved art of thrifting. Look out for more from her soon! xo, L.