How to Rock the Grab Bag Outfit

“I just can’t pull it off.”

If you are guilty of saying those 6 words, I am here to throw your cute self over my shoulder and take you to the toilet for the biggest swirly you ever dreamed of! 🙂

Who is to say that you “can’t” pull anything off? You are the only one who calls the shots. It’s your world, rock what you WANT to rock.

It’s one thing if you don’t “want” to, its another ball game if you want to and are just too nervous.

If you’re nervous… I am personally claiming myself as your biggest cheerleader when it comes to something I like to call the “GRAB BAG OUTFIT”.

Definition: a little bit ‘o this, a little bit ‘o that, no rhyme nor reason to the colors, textures, or patterns that are thrown carelessly (or very carefully, lol) together to form an outfit that looks like it came from a grab bag.

(Picture below) Business with the jacket, funky fun with the t-shirt, fancy Nancy with the skirt.

 A pile of mumbo jumbo = makes me want to rock my socks off. (Speaking of socks.. I should have thrown a pair of short ruffle socks on with this, yes?!)

The fantastically great thing about the grab bag outfit is that you have a gazillion of them sitting right in your closet. I love to hear people say, “I just don’t have anything to match this”.  That’s where the little voice inside your head (me) says, “THAT’S THE GREATEST NEWS EVER”. The less it matches, the cuter it is.

Now, I know not everyone feels that way, but my theory can be toned down to a mild level, if need be.

Like the picture below, for example. She doesn’t have anything crazy on… but it definitely wouldn’t be considered matchy-matchy, which classifies it as grab bag, in my book. Red headband, polka dot shirt, mint pants, and mustard shoes.

And let’s all link arms and do line kicks together because FALL IS NEAR, which means LAYERING… which means peak time for perfect grab outfits.

LAYERING is the key!

Colorful cardigans/levi jackets or open levi shirts/vest, etc. are a great way to make a silly old t-shirt pop with a “I don’t even care, yet I care so much” kinda look.

Colored jeans/pattern jeans are a staple in the grab bag. I usually just pretend that any color or pattern jean are  just a plain blue denim,  and  can therefore be worn with ANYTHING 🙂 Try it.. I think you might be pleasantly surprised with the fabulous mess you come up with.

My little squirt is wearing her a comfy grab outfit below.

A long maxi dress (that usually looks dressy), looks super casual and and comfy with her jean shirt tied in a front bow and topped off with an Ivorykate wire wrap  to add a bit more character but still stick with the comfy look. My favorite look is to mix casual with dressy. Maybe its the girly girl and the tom boy fighting within me.

Pattern mixing is obviously as close to the actual definition of a grab bag outfit as I could ever put into words.

Coral chevron Ivorykate wire wrap, floral cardigan, navy stripe shirt, and you can’t see my jeans, but they are emerald green. Holy pattern mixing overload. Sometimes I may go a bit overboard, and I know a lot of people aren’t comfortable walking out of the house looking like they just got dressed in the dark. Heck.. my husband isn’t even comfortable going out of the house with some of my grab bag choices. But the point is, if you want to try something you “don’t think you could pull off”… but want to try it. TRY IT! See how it makes you feel. Don’t give up on the first pattern mixing attempts.. its takes some time to brain wash yourself to believe you don’t always have to match.

Mixing patterns is one of the funnest ways to mix up your wardrobe/look without having to go broke. I bet you’d be surprised over the gems you have hiding in that closet of yours! Go pull everything out that has a pattern.. or lots of color, and toss some of it together!!

My advice.. don’t EVER throw anything away with any kind of pattern on it. Polka dots, stripes, flowers, etc.. they are a staple, and are perfect for layering and adding a statement to an outfit.

Mint button up, mustard/tan leaf cardigan, and blue/pink polka dot  pants.

In our family picture below, I wanted soft colors, but to still add character. I chose a black polka dot button up, light teal floral cardigan, mustard jeans, and olive necklace, and a gray hat.

COLOR COLOR COLOR! A lot of people categorize themselves as being in the “black/gray/brown/white” comfort zone of clothing color choices.. That’s great! Just add one of each of those colors and different variations of those colors together all in one outfit and the grab bag nazi will come up and give you a big ole’ high five.  You don’t have to use bright/bold colors to rock the grab bag look.

At the end of the day.. just have fun with choosing your outfits. Have the confidence you should and deserve to have!  Everyone is so beautiful and unique in their own way, and clothing is far from one of the important things in life.. but isn’t it one of the funnest escapes sometimes?!  Rhetorical question if you ask me :). No one holds a trump over you in the fashion department. You are your own fashion policeman… that’s what is so fun about it. We get to choose and rock exactly what we want, and we get to show our personality through that. And if we don’t want to, no one is making us. Let freedom ring!

I don’t like to spend a lot of time on deciding what to wear.. so I just think to myself.. what colors do I want to wear today/tonight.. how casual or dressy do I want to look, and what is one statement piece that I could work a simple, yet fun outfit around…  and then I grab everything I have in those color combinations and put whatever I have together to form a grab bag of goodness. Just like a true grab bag.. sometimes it’s disappointing… but like everything else..

TRY, TRY AGAIN!

And no matter what your style is.. or if you could just care less about fashion..

“Smile, it’s the prettiest thing you can wear” – unknown author