The saying “time flies when you’re having fun” is so very appropriate for the one year anniversary of Magenta Blazer! I’ve had a blast sharing my outfits and my antics with you these last 365 days! Looking back, there’ve been some unexpected surprises and some really magical moments that make all the outfit planning so worth it.

Day 1

I remember the day I finally put pen to paper and started jotting down my outfit thoughts. These concepts have been floating around in my head--and my digital closet app--for some time, but when i finally made the plunge, the words just flowed out of me. It was a late night commute home on a particularly trying day of work when the first post came to me. I had to start a note on my phone to capture it before it was lost. I got home, wearing my magenta blazer of course, and begged my husband to take a picture of me, still in my rain boots (i think my pics got a little better since then) to show just how real the outfits I create are.

In the beginning there was a lot of convincing my husband to take my picture on certain days that I really liked my outfit. After a short time, I realized that if I wanted readers to see Magenta Blazer as an authentic, honest space, they needed to see what I wear to work everyday. I got creative in finding ways to take my own pictures and less shy about publicly posing on my lunch hour. I also have the most supportive coworkers who were always willing to snap a photo in the office on rainy or freezing-cold days.

Pleasantly surprising benefits of blogging

My workaholic tendencies have been balanced out by ensuring I leave my desk to snap a photo each day and disconnect from work to write a blogpost each week. I’ve gotten to explore this city that I love and find many new favorite places and hidden gems. I’m getting a chance to flex the creative side of my brain much more, which brings me so much joy.

Through sharing what I’m wearing daily, I’ve found the courage to push the limits of my outfits. I’m 100% dedicated to striving for confidence-inducing outfits every single day. I didn’t like my outfit everyday, but I still shared it, usually noting when it wasn’t my favorite. You can tell when I really loved an outfit because it was marked a “power outfit” for the amazing boost of confidence I gained for the day, like this one. These are the outfits you would most likely see again. I’m not above repeating outfits, but I see the real challenge in remixing pieces to style them differently for each wear. One of the hardest periods over the last year was when I went a month with no shopping. This really pushed me to embrace every item in my closet and to get really creative. Given my current obsession with buying sun dresses, I’m going to schedule my month of no shopping 2017 very soon.

The Readers Keep Me Going

More than anything, the support from readers and amazing stories that have been shared with me are the best part. Last week I received this message from an old friend:

A little story for you: lol..one of my 7th graders came in today wearing a really cute knee-length dress, lacy socks and her dress shoes. She looked adorable, but a lot of the kids were making fun of her, so she changed at lunch. I pulled her into my room and showed her some of your outfits with your dresses and socks and even though she kept her gym clothes on the rest of the day, she said she'd wear it again lol.

It’s stories like these that keep me going. I also wasn’t so sure about the sock + dress shoes look, but it’s now one of my favorites. I will always support you in pushing your outfit limits and expanding your comfort zone.

I also love that friends, family and coworkers use me as a sounding board for advice on clothing purchases and outfit advice. The other day, a coworker asked for recommendations on finding a properly fitting bra. I sent her a link to my blog post about my own experience on getting a proper bra fitting, and she immediately made an appointment. There’s no better feeling than knowing Magenta Blazer is helping.

Cheers to year one! Here’s to many more power outfits, real stories, confident mixing and matching, and magenta in the future! This is only the beginning :)