By Dahlia Brue
I have three kids and a dog. I’m not a careful person. I have piles of clothing on the corner chair in my bedroom. I cook a lot. I have dinner parties with my girl friends or go out to dinner with my husband and our couple friends. I go to SKYZONE for birthday parties. I travel often and then there are months where I don’t leave the state.
I wear white or cream. Often. I wear a lot of wool and silk-precious material that are not easily washable. I put together a seriously awesome outfit sometimes when no one will see me that day. I have 3 suits that I adorn often on a Tuesday in the middle of January. This is what we at Idun call the Practical / Impractical.
Typical scenario: There is a wedding in a few weeks. You buy an expensive dress. The dress sits in your closet for months and you wear it maybe three times over the course of a few years. The same goes for a nice bag or heels.
It’s a random weekday during a month where nothing particularly interesting is happening. You wear yoga pants and a sneaker or your go to jeans and t-shirt. You wear a tote you got for free from Outdoor Voices or a hotel (this is my go to bag, I get it.)
Why do we dress for occasions and bring out our best -- and in our everyday we dress for only comfort and ease? Why do we put money and effort into the occasional dress that we wear for a few hours a few days out of the year, and in our everyday we come up with a lot of “I can’t.”
I can’t wear white/cream, it will get dirty. I can’t pull it off. Minneapolis/St. Paul (or enter your city here*) is a casual city, I can’t dress up too much. I’m here to say. You can. And you should.
You can wear white and get it dirty. You can pull it off. Your city deserves to have people bring it on a Tuesday in the middle of January.
We should own pieces that we wear all the time. You should own the sweater or a t-shirt that will last for a long time and that you want to enjoy once a week. That is, arguably, the opposite way we think we should shop. Innately, we think you should spend a lot on a dress or pair of heels because it’s for a special occasion. In my opinion, it is arguably more practical to spend the extra money on the things you will wear all the time than on that occasional piece. Buy the cream wool sweater that is slightly oversized that you love. It’s worth every wear. If you do splurge on the dress for that wedding- wear it to dinner with your girl friends. Make that occasional dress not so occasional. Pair it with sneakers or boots. Or elevate your city and let’s all start dressing intentionally and like we care about putting our best foot forward. There is effort in the effortless. There is practicality in the impractical.
Look I - Maiden Noir Pillow Jacket and Maiden Noir Tech Shorts
Look II - Suzanne Rae Fringe Pants and Suzanne Rae Satin Bow D'Orsay
Look III - Building Block Bucket in Nude and BSIDES Plein High Straight