Robin and I met in NY just before she jetted off to London to live with her husband. She is one of those amazing friends where the distance between us has brought us closer.
When I crashed on Robin's couch in August we discussed writing, blogging, love, life, fashion, and Kinder chocolate eggs. There was a puzzle inside mine! Honestly, America, lift the ban on these treats, they make life better.
I asked Robin to share her love story and some fashion tips because I'm lacking in both of those departments. After you read this hop on over to her fabulous blog, Second Floor Flat, and follow the shit out of her.
So, here’s the thing: I’m married, and it’s not a big deal.
The idea of being a “wife” and being “married” makes me feel like someone I’m
not, so I tend to play it down.
I love my husband and we have what I consider to be a pretty
stellar relationship, but saying that makes me sound like I’ve somehow retired
from life and now spend my time taking Instagrams of my wedding ring. It’s not
like that at all.
Why am I even telling you this? Because at the heart of it -
to me - marriage is casual. It’s two people who really like each other and just
want to be together and that’s about it. Even the way we met was (relatively) simple
– through a friend of a friend. Sure, it involved a three-year long distance
relationship which I won’t even get into, but let’s go back to the beginning so
that I can tell you how we met and what I was wearing. Yes, it matters.
It was a Friday night. I lived in Manhattan at the time, my
friends lived in Brooklyn, and there was a big group dinner in Park Slope that
I wanted to do anything but attend. You know how Friday nights go – sometimes you
just want to stay home and go to bed. Luckily my mom talked me out of this one,
and I went to what ended up being a pretty important dinner.
Because I was so ‘meh’ about the whole thing, I wore what I
wanted to wear: a pink thrifted jumpsuit with elephants on it, a blue and white
cardigan, and a sparkly headband. Totally wore that, and I still wear and love
the elephant jumpsuit, thankyouverymuch, though
nowadays the pink jumpsuit is more likely to be paired with a black blazer and
some oxfords rather than a sparkly headband.
My now husband and I hit it off, flirted for a few days, and
then dated long-distance for three years before we got married last year and I
moved to London. To this day, he remembers what I was wearing, because it’s a
reflection of who I am. He was and (um, hopefully?) still is, just fine with
that.
This teaches us all a pretty valuable lesson when it comes
to the dating world. Whether you’re more comfortable in jeans and a t-shirt or
heels and a dress, you should wear what you want and just be casual about it.
If you feel comfortable in your clothing, you’ll be comfortable on the date.
That’s all there really is to it.
Here’s the long-whinded point: both with your outfit and
with everything else, just try to be yourself. It’s so hard, it really is,
but why do you think you always hear those annoying stories about people
finding their person when they weren’t looking? Because when you’re not
looking, you’re not trying, and you’re just being yourself. Honestly, there’s
nothing more attractive than that.
“Be yourself” not
enough? Here’s some solid outfit inspiration that might help you on your next
date:
For a casual day date, don’t be afraid to
experiment with double denim. Pair your best skinny
jeans with a button-down
chambray shirt.
Wanna get a little fancier? Go for some boyfriend
trousers in navy, a blouse or even just a nice white
tee. Add some classic black heels and
accessorize however you’d like.
Or, if you’re more of a dress gal, I’d
recommend Madewell. Their dresses strike the perfect combo of “cute” without showing
too much skin. The casual Leather-Trim
Dress ($165), Silk Drop-Pleat
Dress ($160), and the ultra-romantic
Pleated
Sheer-Sleeve Dress ($175) are
go-tos in my book.
More styling inspiration: