august 12th {confidence & risks}

merona eden skirt   ·   old navy crepe shirt

merona emma flats

i've wanted to wear this skirt for a while but it's a couple inches shorter than i would prefer so in my closet it sits until winter rolls around and i can wear it with tights.  for some reason it didn't get pulled into rotation this past winter, but now that i have this bright magenta shirt that matches perfectly i thought again about how much i want to wear it.

i've talked here & there about taking clothing risks; despite knowing what silhouettes you like and  work time after time, there's always room for growth.  i may never wear skinny jeans & booties again (probably never) and i may never again belt a flowy blouse instead of tucking it in... but at least i did it, made it through the day, and gained an inch of confidence as a result of trying something new.

from about middle school through grad school i never wore shorts, skirts, or really anything shorter than capris.  i became self-conscious about my bigger calves right at the worst time of a young female's life--adolescence and the onset of high school--and unfortunately it was something that stuck with me until about four years ago when i was helping out during a summer school program that took place in an extremely old school building with no air conditioning.  in a desperate effort to gain some relief from the heat during the day, i wore a skirt.  and you know what... no one looked at me like i had sprouted two heads.  if anyone made a comment inside their head, i didn't hear it.  (as an aside, kate wrote something along these lines here that is worth checking out).  so, i continued wearing skirts when i began my first job out of grad school.  and since then, i feel like there's been no turning back.

it's funny to look at my archives (2012, 2013) and see that during the spring-fall months i wear a skirt nearly every single day.  maybe i'm making up for lost time?  i'm certainly still not completely confident with my body type or my weight, but i've reached a much more comfortable level and i think it's important that i continue to take risks & share them with others. 

and yes, i realize looking at this picture right now that this skirt looks no shorter than the other target skirts i own (it is, i swear!) and the length likely wouldn't make anyone look twice... but for me, i'm glad it is something that i am now wearing without thinking twice about.  writing this post helped, too, so thank you so much for reading and visiting!