It goes like this; I wake up and go to the bathroom to get myself ready; brush my teeth, wash my face, put my contacts in and brush my hair. I washed my hair yesterday and it’s already a touch too greasy for my comfort. So I have three choices;

This scenario plays on repeat every other day because your girl has naturally oily hair and this is to say nothing of the workout I do every morning (not represented in the above paragraph) which really doesn’t help the situation.

Lucky for me, I love wearing baseball hats and my hair has grown out a bit making it even easier for me to wear one. I find that I’m naturally drawn to images of people wearing baseball hats because they are a very FUNCTIONAL part of my style.

And I’ve been thinking about the parts of our style that exist simply because they well for us. Do you walk as part of your commute? Flats, sneakers or other comfortable shoes are a must. Oh, your office is cold no matter how hot it is outside? Styling layers is key. Sure wearing a sweater over your shoulders looks cute, but it can also just be practical.

Recently

of

featured an interview with stylist Sophie Strauss. As part of the interview, Sophie was quoted;

…The outfit has to honor what you want in that moment…

When you define style this way, it makes the project of working on your style much clearer because what you have to do is learn to identify your preferences. What do you like? What do you not like?

Honestly, I haven’t heard a better definition of personal style… ever. And to piggy-back off of Sophie, there should be a part of our personal style that is also identifying

A few years ago I bought THE Khaite cardigan and matching cashmere bra after stalking it hard on resale. I was as enamored with it as the rest of the world after seeing it on Katie Holmes.

But, friends, when I bought the cardigan/bra1 I had a 2, 4 and 5 year old. WHERE WAS I GOING TO WEAR A CASHMERE BRA?! I’m laughing remembering it. And, here’s another thing, the sleeves of this cardigan are ENORMOUS. You can see in this other photo of Katie in the cardigan how much extra fabric there is on the sleeves.

Both when I bought the sweater- and now- a lot of my life includes making, eating and cleaning up food all of which create a prime opportunity for me to drag the sleeve though the food therefore destroying said sleeve.

This photo was captured on one of the last days I wore the cardigan but I remember it perfectly because my youngest was going to school for the day and I was so excited to wear it for a few hours when I knew the sleeves wouldn’t hassle me.

More often than not, when I wore the sweater, I would take it off to do real-life stuff.

If you follow

’s 3-word method; you may know that she suggests one of your style words should be an “aspirational” word. Meaning one of your style words should be something you are to achieve, that maybe you aren’t currently but that you to be. As someone who categorizes themselves as a bit of a dreamer, I love this idea. But, perhaps, our actual CLOTHING shouldn’t be aspirational2. Your clothes should fit your real life body and your real life way of living.

(Quick caveat; of course we are going to buy pieces that push us out of our comfort zone or aren’t appropriate for day-to-day use!! And, as a mom, I buy tons of clothes that other moms would think are impractical, this is just a thought project)

I think investigating the functional components of your clothes can be one of the more helpful exercises for our personal style.

Other utilitarian components of my style include;

Knowing these baseline things about myself makes it easier for me to see outfit inspiration and think “, that will work for me!”

or “good for her, These are looks that can INSPIRE a different iteration for me.

I’m wondering what is a functional part of your wardrobe? Do you need a big purse because you carry your laptop to and from work? Do you want shirts with wider straps so that don’t show your bra straps? Tell me what comes to mind in the comments!

Before I sign off, I wanted to touch on a Style Conundrum that came up in the Midimalist chat. (I thought I would tackle this quickly and it turned out to be a deeper dive than I thought so bear with me)

My friend

asked;

I immediately wanted to get into this especially since I recently chopped a pair of pants into Bermuda shorts and my, normally chaffed, thighs thanked me for it. Talk about a functional part of my wardrobe!

So here’s what I learned in my dive into Bermuda length shorts. But I also highly recommend this post by the incredibly

and this one by

.

Allow me to explain (visually).

I started to spy Bermuda length DENIM shorts in my Pinterest feed a few weeks ago and I was like; “wait, do I like JORTS?!”

Now, to be fair, I do think long(er) denim shorts have been gaining popularity for a few summers. These shorts from Everlane ($88) have become a cult favorite and they have a 5.5” inseam. But for 2025 it seems like we are wanting an even longer short; one that hits right around the kneecap (an 8”+ inseam depending on your height in my research).

I have a few tips for finding your right short but the TL;DR is to find ways to elevate the outfit around the short to prevent feeling frumpy. Use belts, strappy sandals, blazers and buttons downs. One of my favorite outfits from last summer was when I wore my long(er) shorts with loafers and a silk button down here;

Your longer short should hit right around your knee cap; I prefer just above my knee.

Don’t get me wrong, both of these looks are great. But for those of us who grew up with daisy dukes, I think going below the knee (like on the right) starts to feel like no-mans-land between a short and a pant. These trouser shorts from Reformation ($148) look like they fit the bill perfectly. As with anything; your tailor will be your best friend in making sure it fits your proportions best.

If you are drawn to the short, I think there are two equally great styling routes;

The cut of the short is straight or a-line but not skinny. My friend had a theory that shorts are most flattering when they are wider than your leg. And while I know we are more evolved than shopping specifically for “flattering” items, I do prefer clothes that are away from my legs rather than hugging them, especially in hot summer months.

As I mentioned, I just chopped off a pair of denim I owned to make my shorts but I also am liking the look of a finished edge on a long denim short (like these from Reformation for $148).

If you want to dip your toe in the water, I would follow the Big-Slim-Skin idea of pairing “big” shorts with a “slim” top and shoes that show some “skin.” Again, you’ll notice the small touches of elevation

Hopefully this helps us all as we navigate the new style! Anyone who is braving the long shorts; drop your thoughts on styling in the comments.