Standing Out

So many people, myself included at times, put a lot of effort in blending in. We wear all black, skinny jeans because flairs are out of style and we save fur coats for special occasions.

But what if every once in a while we chose the unconventional, the piece that makes people on the street stop and stare, the outfit that turns a sidewalk into a runway.

When I don’t feel well I notice myself being drawn to pieces that blend in with the crowd. This may even be the look that is the most trendy look in NYC, but I am not wearing it to show that I know all of the trends, I am wearing the outfit because it will help me look like everyone around me.

Being the minority and a female in my uptown neighborhood I hear comments all of the time. Sometimes it is something as quite as a whispered “Oh”, or it’s as loud as someone yelling “Hey there pretty ladies!” as my roommate and I walk to the grocery store.

As much as I would love to be able to walk to the grocery store in peace, I don’t see this changing any time soon so instead I try to use the comments as a confidence boost.

Sometimes that can be hard when I’m pretty much asking for attention while trying to take blog pictures in peace, but I would rather stand out than constantly live my life in fear of a little bit of extra attention.

This jacket screams LOOK AT ME! When I first found it in TJ Maxx I put it on and wore it around the store for 30 minutes because I couldn’t imagine life without it, but the doubt started creeping in while I was in the check out line. I questioned keeping it for two weeks and even in two different states. Was it too much? Would I get enough wear out of it? Am I crazy for thinking it’s cute?

Eventually I gave in and just decided to wear it (keeping the tags just incase I chickened out before getting out of the car), but the bubble of confidence that grows around me as I wear it turned out to be solid as steel. Even in small town Kentucky I wore it proudly and that feeling followed me back to NYC and into this outfit.