Happy New Years Eve! 🙂
I hope you’re finding exactly what you need today — whether that be deep stillness, energized vision-eering, or anything in between.
For the past few years, I’ve been solidly on team Rest and Set No Goals for New Years.
But this year feels different. It feels life-giving to lean into some vision-casting and plan-making. So, instead of holding to a past version of myself, I’m flowing with this new energy. 🙂
So today, I’m sending 2024 off with all the love. Keep scrolling for a little review of all things Unfancy 2024: My favorite outfits, some vulnerable and personal stories, a few fun capsule wardrobe posts, and my best style insights!
First up, a seasonal recap:
WINTER:
Starting off on a real note here — the beginning of 2024 was not the best time for me. In fact, it was pretty dark if I’m being honest. I was still dealing with a lot of grief from my marriage ending in 2022, and I often felt hopeless.
I felt generally uninspired with fashion, so I leaned into clothes as a form of comfort. I went for soft, loose layers and athleisure.
While I do really like some of the outfits I made, I didn’t feel great in my clothes overall. Sometimes you just don’t, and that’s okay.
SPRING:
When spring hit, I burst out of my shell and went BANANAS with color and pattern, trying to find joy in any corner I could. I abandoned all past notions of my style (usually neutral, minimal, and sporty) and let myself enter a very experimental fashion phase. I TRIED IT ALL. Trends, color, pattern, you name it.
There was IMMENSE VALUE in letting myself explore without the typical bumpers I put on my style.
I knew some people might raise an eyebrow.
I knew I’d wear things that I’d look back on and say, “Huh, what?”
BUT wow am I glad I let myself go with the flow instead of damming up my own energy. It was a really important step in getting unstuck.
SUMMER:
I very happily and naturally came back to my long-time style — minimalist, neutral, and a little sporty. The exploration of spring was necessary and VALUABLE — and — I also felt so very happy to “come back home” and feel centered in simple clothes that I loved.
Summer was an exciting time because I launched my styling services! It’s been an absolute joy to work with clients all across the globe. One client, Kysa, recently shared:
“It was such a light, fun, uplifting hour. I felt like Caroline totally understood what I needed from my clothes and what I was trying to achieve with my style moving forward. She had ideas I’d not considered before, but as soon as she gave me a suggestion, I could envision it right away and it felt like something I could actually see myself wearing and loving. I got so much out of this call. Not only did I leave armed with a bunch of ideas to get more utilization out of the clothes I’ve already invested in — which will translate to saving time, energy, and money in the future — I also left feeling encouraged and excited.”Â
You can always book a Facetime styling session with me here. These are come-as-you-are sessions. No need to clean out your closet or figure out your style beforehand. The goal is to create new outfits using clothes you already have — no shopping needed! 🙂
FALL:
Fall was an exciting time! I made some GREAT progress in my personal style! I often struggle to feel like myself when dressing for cooler weather, but this year I unlocked an outfit formula that I absolutely LOVED — a mini skirt with tall boots. Game changer!
As much as I love a minimalist aesthetic in summer, I crave a *bit* more visual interest in the fall. So I brought in more color and pattern — but in a subdued, classic way. Think browns, olive greens, and plaids. It felt like the more grown-up version of my spring style explorations.
• • •
Okay, it’s time for a few of my most meaningful style insights, personal stories, and capsule wardrobe posts of the year. Grab some tea, pick a post, and enjoy!
CAPSULE WARDROBES
Wear to work capsule wardrobe: 14 non-boring pieces for the office (with outfits!)
Is she doing a capsule wardrobe?? and How I felt about my suuuuper chill capsule wardrobe (with outfits!)
PACKING + TRAVEL CAPSULES
Backpack room only: My 10 item packing list for a summer holiday (with outfits!)
Travel capsule: Summer in Paris (with outfits!)
Travel capsule: Home for the holidays (with outfits!)
PERSONAL STORIES
July outfit journal: This one gets personal
STYLE INSIGHTS
Picking my 7 outfits of the season — fall edition
De-trending my outfits (the remedy for outfit blindness)
1-2-3-4 fall wardrobe formula (plus outfits!)
Highly encourage you to NOT buy the cool, uncomfortable thing
BEAUTY
I got influenced to try Merit makeup — here are my thoughts
• • •
What a year!
Here’s to not judging ourselves so harshly. Here’s to embracing it all — the times we feel like we nailed it, the times we feel like we missed the mark. Here’s to seeing it all as a valuable part of the process.
Thank you for reading Unfancy today!
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