Nothing says Happy Hump Day quite like a good ole soliloquy on feeling stuck, because let’s face it: everyone has times when this blah feeling creeps into their life. There are different remedies depending on the stickiness of the situation, and if I had to make a comparison between concrete, quicksand (a phobia of mine since The Jungle Book), and mud – I would compare my recent sticky situation to being stuck in the mud.
That being said, I did what any person stuck in said metaphorical mud would do, and flooded all of my friends’/family members’ phones with questions asking for advice. While said advice was awesomely insightful, the conversations ended with me, myself, and that still very much stuck feeling (kind of like after a shopping therapy session at Barney’s). After a couple of tries at the getting-advice-game, I came to the realization that I was trying to get someone or something to pull me out of the mud. However, this time, I needed to use my own muscles to pull myself out.
Whether it be meditating, reading various forms of self-help (Reb especially knows that I’m a self-help junkie), or jumping in my new favorite #ootd – the kind of stuck that I was experiencing required me to build up my lady muscles and put in the emotional work – in order to get out of the mud. You know what ended up helping me this time around? Remembering what The Crystal Press is all about. Despite sounding like Rebecca and I jammed a couple of sparkly words together when we created our blog name, The Crystal Press has a very intentional meaning behind it. It means expansion, similar to the way light expands when it reflects off of a crystal. The word expansion can be a lot to wrap your mind around, but it is exactly the reminder I needed to get unstuck. It was time to make like Taylor Swift and get clean of the metaphorical mud. It reminded me that when it comes to doing tedious things, like making to-do lists, expanding your focus leads to finding a bigger purpose and the right inspiration.
So what better way to celebrate becoming unstuck than turning an HM dress (which features 1% spandex, perfect for an action shot) into a jumper and literally jumping for joy? Besides drinking a glass of yummy champagne or being gifted the most beautiful Birkin, nothing immediately comes to mind. When I tried on this HM dress in my usual size, I got too many bodycon vibes for my style. To downplay the bodycon aspect of this dress, I sized up for more length and wiggle room (necessary if you plan to jump around) and juxtaposed the structure of the denim dress by adding a dreamy OTS chiffon shirt underneath. If you are looking to repurpose your favorite summer dress, adding a shirt underneath is a great way to do so!
Cheers to expanded focus.
Posted while listening to “Doing the Unstuck” by The Cure
Chiffon Top: HM / Denim Dress: HM / Bucket Bag: Baggu / Neck Tie: Are You Am I (similar here) / Sunglasses: Ray-Ban / Gold Choker: Aldo (similar here) / Boots: Alexander Wang (similar here)
I really like the outfit you created here. The denim dress by itself would be somewhat monotonous, but the shirt underneath adds a certain visual interest that makes it work.
Now this is perfect for those outdoor adventures. In addition the simple design maximizes comfort.
The design is good looks like suspenders. But in a hot country such as here Philippines its going to be a challenge wearing that.
Beautiful design, suitable for outdoor. Nice dress anyway.
Sometimes when I'm stuck in the mud and ask for advice from different people, they tend to give contrasting advices which just makes me even more confused! At the end of the day it's you who has to decide what to do. I love the top btw.
You are a most creative person. Love your unusual combination and you carried it off well… too
Nice campaign for HM, love the dress. Perfect combination to unstuck anything came on u that day.
An effective mood booster, I bet! I love the feeling of freedom, flare, and chic your OOTD provides.
I'm tempted to write "nice" and leave it at that but then that would be a bit too ambiguous wouldn't it? Although it is absolutely "nice" and I've noticed the word a couple of times already, why stop at "nice"? Someone with what appears to be the ability to shop for pretty much whatever she desires should reach beyond "nice" to the "WOWS" available in this world. And yes I like the dress and I like the top and the combination are "nice" but not Wow. I think you are a Wow person at heart and I can't wait to see an outfit that makes me think it.
Its annoying when the blah feeling hits. I would feel a lot better if i go hang out with friends and i could go shopping as well and get this lovely top!
Lovely jumper and dress! Both the girl and the clothing are very beautiful!
Love the cool denim dress!Thank you for your kind comment on my blog. Do you want to follow each other?xx from Bavaria/Germany, Renawww.dressedwithsoul.com