I Did Another 10 Day Style Awakening Challenge

Lauren Messiah is a personal stylist in LA, I have followed her work online for a few years now (since I discovered she co-founded the New York, School of Styling). I admire Lauren's work ethic and her priceless advice, her honesty is refreshing and exactly what I need to hear. Lauren's Instagram (@laurenmessiah) is a great insight into the work that she does and her personality, her Website and Youtube Channel, are full of the pearls of wisdom, style and life lessons you didn't know you needed. As soon as I saw her promote the Style Awakening Challenge at the beginning of January this year I knew I wanted to sign up.

Last Year I completed Lauren Messiah's 10 Day Style Awakening Challenge. If you know me you've probably heard me talk about it, if you're close to me you're probably sick of hearing about it. It helped me changed my wardrobe from somber, baggy, ill-fitting, greys and blacks to an array of brighter and lighter colours, and even a few patterns and prints. The challenge helped me gain confidence and transformed my daily routine of getting changed from a chore to a hobby.

This year I have decided to take on this challenge once more, my style still needs a bit of improvement and I still have days where I live in sweats. I'd also like to compare and contrast with last years' results to see just how much I have improved, but won't be looking at last years' Challenge until I've finished this one.

Day 1- Spill It
Even though my style has improved over the last year and I have gained confidence in what I wear and how I present myself. I find that I still have problems making decisions, throwing an outfit together last minute or making sure things match up or coordinate. I seem to have a fear that I'm never dressed right for the day or occasion. Does anyone else have this? I have to know what I'm doing during the day to plan my outfit, but then I overthink those situations and end up googling something along the lines of " what to wear to the dentist" (I'm ashamed to say that's not even an over exaggeration). I really need to get out of my head and into my wardrobe, I have pieces that I absolutely love. I need to stop wanting to fit into whatever crowd I'll be in and dress to express myself.
I feel as though I'm holding myself back when it comes to styling, I have so many cool items that I don't wear because " people don't wear that around here" or "that's too nice for every day". When in reality I should just put these items on and rock whatever looks I throw together. I think I'd feel much happier and probably a little more confident knowing I'm wearing my clothes because I want to and not because it's the uniform associated with whatever task I'm doing.

Day 2- Average Outfit

Jeans, Jumper, Trainers. My go-to daily outfit is probably along these lines. Why shouldn't it be, it's warm, comfortable and practical. In this outfit, I can run errands, go for a coffee, or dinner with friends, head to the library, study, curl up on the sofa and binge watch a show or read a book, head out to small meetings/appointments. I feel casual but still pretty well put together, I feel relatively confident wearing this and am ready to tackle the day.
I'm not sure how others perceive me in this, maybe it's a bit too casual or mumsy, maybe I just fit into the crowd. Some might call it a slob outfit, some may say it's also their go too, but at least I know no-one will say I'm overdressed.

Day 3- Dream Outfits and Style Wants

My Dream outfits do not suit my lifestyle, I admire the all-white outfit look so much but am a little clumsy with food, drink and everything else and would probably end up looking like a nouveau art stain splotch painting by the end of the day. The cool, crisp, elegant, and classy look is not very practical especially when you own a playful pug.
The same has to be said with a classic and classy all-black look, my black clothes (or actually any dark coloured clothing) get covered in pug hair, and no matter how many times I lint roller them there is always one or two stray hairs left. If anyone has any tips to keep clothes cleaner longer or keeping on top of dog hair, please let me know!?

Day 4- Emotional Baggage

I have been through my wardrobe a lot of the past couple of years and can honestly say that I have gotten rid of most of the emotional, or sentimentally attached items in there. There are a few leavers and sports hoodies from school and Uni, and a couple of graduation items but I know I want to keep hold of those (for a little longer at least). For this challenge, I decided to look at a selection of items in my wardrobe that I didn't have much of an emotional connection with but are vitally important to how my overall look ends up: my shoes and bags. As you can tell from the Average Outfit of day 2, I'm not big on accessorising and haven't been through my bags and shoes since my uni life, I have a ridiculous amount of clutches and "going out" shoes that I just don't wear anymore and that really don't go with my outfits or the image I want to portray, they're just sitting in my wardrobe taking up space.

Day 5- Shopping List

My weight was a bit of a Yoyo the last few years going from a size 6 to a size 16 and back to a size 10 (UK sizes). I feel comfortable where I'm at now but the size fluctuation meant I bought and got rid of lots of different things including some staple pieces. I like the idea of a capsule wardrobe or having interchangeable staple pieces and building outfits from that with the interchangeable colourful statement and seasonal items.
So on my shopping list currently is:

• White t-shirt (plain and not see-through)
• Black denim skirt (for summer)
• White hightop converse (also for summer)
• Black Vans (replacement)
• Toms (also replacement and go to summer shoes)
• Camel Coat (a staple piece that goes with everything)
• Navy Sweater

I'm starting to realise I need good quality basics to build outfits up from. I already have a few bold prints, colours and patterns and now just need the pieces that tie an outfit together, and go with everything, for limitless options. What's on your shopping list?

Day 6- Show Me The Money

If Money was no object my wardrobe would be a mix of sustainable and designer items. A lot of brands are designers are stepping in a sustainable direction, some have already banned fur and leather, and are using recycled or sustainably sourced fabrics, which is the best news.
If I had the money I'd probably have one of those huge closets that takes up a whole room in my house, where everything is organised and has its own place. Key items in my wardrobe would be good quality jeans, the classic Burberry trench, vegan leather staple handbag (think along the line of Stella McCartney or Matt and Nat), a collection of Dr. Marten boots (vegan leather of course) and a set of Away Luggage. Essentially I'd have the good quality sturdy classic pieces that are built to last and would be as ethical as I could with my purchases and support small and local businesses.
I'm now thinking that actually I may stop spending my money on cheaper items and save up to get investment staple pieces.
After a couple of days I came back to this list and realised that whilst I probably would have all the above items mentioned, I would also love to be a part of the design and creation process. I would meet directly with designers and have custom made garments. This would enable me to have unique pieces tailor-made to fit my body, I would understand and know the process and fabrics behind each of my garments and could afford to choose sustainable fabrics, and know that the people making my clothes were working in an ethical environment and getting paid properly for their work. I would know every piece in my wardrobe and have a lot more appreciation for the things I have when I get dressed in the morning. 

Day 7- Wear It

Hellllooooo, I feel fabulous in this outfit today. I had commented on a ladies outfit (on the Style Awakening facebook group) commending her for wearing her white booties, so it was a no-brainer that I should also wear my white booties, that I had been too nervous to wear. When I realised I actually had a really busy day and had to run around with the dog, complementing numerous errands, with a lot of walking I switched up the heeled white boots for my Adidas Superstars. I got numerous compliments in this outfit, which was nice, but the best thing about this outfit is how confident I felt in it. I stepped out of my comfort zone and daily routine, into a skirt of all things, a patterned satin skirt.
It just goes to show I can do it and when I do I feel more confident, (I found myself smiling a lot more today too) and a little happier too. I obviously can dress for me, so why don't I do this all the time?

Day 8- Style Icons 

Like many people, I get a lot of inspiration for my wardrobe and styling techniques from street style, designers, trends, and bloggers. There are four women whose styles have helped to shape my own over the past year. I mentioned above I've had a bit of a yoyo with my weight from being a very small size to a larger size and coming back down to a medium. These are the Leading Ladies of my daily style inspiration:

Pinterest, Instagram/ @Katiesturino

🞛 Throughout my weight journey, I found  Katie Sturino to be a major inspiration. Not only did she help me see and create ideas at a bigger size. She's paving the way for all women of different shapes and sizes in the fashion industry with the #makemysize campaign. Her Instagram and blog (the12ishstyle) feature #supersizethelook has inspired many of my own looks. Katie's taught me how to take a look from a celeb and shape it to my body and style, it's priceless advice. I highly recommend giving Katie a follow or checking out her page for her beautiful style, generous tips, and guidance.

Pinterest, Instagram/ @hollywilloughby

🞛 Holly Willoughby is a TV presenter known for her Daytime presenting alongside Philip Schofield on This Morning. She's a style inspiration to many and her outfits from the shows often sell out from the high street. Holly is slightly shorter than I am but has a similar body shape, so I'm able to look at silhouettes and garment cuts on Holly and see what works well. I've only ever had a few occasions where something didn't suit me as well (aka off the shoulder looks) as her. I like the playful feminine vibe that gets mixed in with classic styles.

Pinterest, Instagram/ @frankiebridge

🞛 I started following Frankie Bridge's style after getting my pixie cut. I realised that my go-to outfits didn't look the same with long hair as they did a pixie crop. Frankie's style was already pretty similar to mine, but hers was a bit more structured and tailored. Frankie plays well with her style, mixing different colours and prints, and still ending up looking smart-casual. Having someone with similar hair and skin tone has really helped with mixing up my colour scheme and opting for clothes and accessories I wouldn't normally pick.

Pinterest, Instagram/ @shaymitchell

🞛 Shay Mitchell's style is sleek and sassy with a little edge and she has the confidence and attitude to back it up. Having a similar skin tone and hair colour to Shay makes visualising colours, patterns, and styles on myself a little easier. I like both her more casual and dressed up looks, she's not afraid to show a little skin or look a little sexy. (It's a reminder that I can do that too.) The slightly edgy vibe is also something I would like to emulate in my outfits.

Day 9- Improve your look

I have taken many steps in the past to improve my look, I've cleared out my wardrobe, gone on shopping sprees, created style mood boards, Konmaried my life and even completed this challenge. All of which has helped dramatically. I can tell just by looking at my input on each day of this challenge, exactly how much I have developed not only in the style game but also confidence-wise. I've worked on myself, my confidence and self-esteem and by doing so have allowed myself to progress and develop as an individual and in turn, has helped me to improve my wardrobe.

From this point onwards, I'd like to visualise my wardrobe in comparison to the ideal lifestyle I want: "Am I dressing for the life I want, the life I have or the life I don't want?". If my wardrobe is super casual and full of sweats then that means I don't prioritise work life or fancy clothes. If my wardrobe was nothing but workwear it means I probably don't know how to take a break or switch off. I would like to find an even balance and feel as though I am starting to, with small sections for loungewear, dog walking, and yoga, and bigger ones for smart casual looks ready for classes or meetings.

At the moment my wardrobe does not meet my ideal lifestyle, or where I want to be but now that I am starting to visualise my goals and overall outlook on life, I'm starting to see what items of clothing I need to be in my wardrobe. My wardrobe does suit my lifestyle now and I have already acquired a few pieces for the Ashley of the future.
This makes me realise how far not only my wardrobe and sense of style have come along, but my confidence and sense of identity have too.

Day 10- Commitment

 The fact that this is the second time I have completed this challenge doesn't mean I wasn't committed to my style awakening and evolution the first time around. If anything it's shown me how committed I am to this journey and the progress I have already made. I have learned so much about myself and style, this time around the challenge has helped me to see that my style evolution is on the right path. My style and wardrobe have transformed from portraying a depressed and overly anxious woman, to portray a woman who looks like she has her shit together and is making her way in the world. I still have a ways to go for the ultimate wardrobe and lifestyle but I've also learned that there is always room for progress and there always will be throughout every stage of my life.

I'm 10/10 committed to evolving my style and practicing the lessons I have learned here. I often say this challenge changed my life and my style but that's not entirely true. I'm the person who put these lessons into effect, I'm the one who has continued to work on myself, both mentally and physically. I'm the one who bought these "confident clothes" so I should wear these "confident clothes" because like day 7 taught me, I feel amazing in them. I've learned that I need to stop waiting for the "right day" to wear them because just like this challenge was, the "right day" could be just around the corner (and quite frankly I deserve to feel fabulous every day).

Thanks for coming along on another Style Awakening Challenge with me, will I be doing another style challenge next year? If Lauren does one then you will probably see me there. I hope to be in an entirely different place location and careerwise so I'm sure I'll need another style evolution or a potential reawakening to get real with my sense of style. As I said above there is always room to improve and I thoroughly enjoy this experience
Thanks for Reading and Thanks once again to Lauren Messiah for the 10 Day style awakening challenge and the invaluable advice you give.
If you're interested in finding out more about Lauren Messiah or her services you can check out her Instagram (@laurenmessiah) or Website.