Alright so here’s how my Saturday turned into a dress-up quote experiment. Totally unplanned, but that’s when the good stuff happens, right?
Started simple. Felt bored scrolling through my own feed, saw some amazing outfits but the captions? Meh. Mostly just “Outfit of the day” or emoji vomit. Decided right then I needed better quotes for my next dress-up post. Grabbed my beat-up notebook – the one with coffee stains from last Tuesday.
Step 1: Ditch The Obvious
Sat at my kitchen counter, staring at this killer vintage jacket I thrifted. First thought: “Loving this vintage find!” Yawn. Deleted that instantly. Everyone says that. Took a deep breath, actually looked at the jacket again. Felt the stiff corduroy, saw the slightly frayed cuff. Remembered digging through dusty bins for it. Scribbled down: “Scored this warrior in the thrift trenches. Battle scars (and maybe a little mothball) included.” Way better. Didn’t describe the jacket; described the feeling of it. Lightbulb moment: Forget describing the clothes. Talk about the story they tell. Like, what adventure is this outfit pretending to have?
Step 2: Think Like Your Shoes (Seriously)
Wanted coffee, ended up at my usual spot. Saw someone outside in fabulous boots. Instead of just thinking “Cool boots,” my brain went weird: “If those boots could talk, what would they whisper?” Sat back down, ignored the weird look from the barista. Looked down at my own worn-in sneakers. Jotted in my notebook: “These soles have seen more grocery aisles than dance floors lately. #RealLifeGlam” Point is, give the clothes a voice, even a silly one. Imagine what your accessories would say about their day. It forces you out of the “I look cute” rut.
Step 3: Jam Words Together (& See What Sticks)
Got home, dumped my bag, knocked over my water glass onto said notebook. Awesome. Pages got soggy, words bled – “vintage warrior” smudged into “vintage worrier.” Huh. Funny. Played with it. Took the vibe I wanted (“bold confidence”) and mashed it up with the opposite or something unexpected. My white linen shirt looked crisp but felt fragile. Played in my soggy notebook: “Crisp linen courage vs. inevitable coffee disaster.” Then thought about the messy bun I always end up with: “Hair goals: Achieved messy brilliance in under 5 seconds. Precision is overrated.” The trick? Crash two ideas together. Polished + messy. Tough + delicate. Fancy + fries. The friction makes it interesting.
Put it to the test right then. Wore that vintage jacket out later, paired with bright red lipstick I never wear. Felt kinda ridiculous, kinda powerful. Took the pic, thought about the steps.
- Story, not specs: Didn’t say “vintage corduroy jacket.” Said “Thrift trench warrior reporting for (casual) duty.”
- Shoe-level gossip: “The boots are judging your life choices (and kinda approving of mine).”
- Word Mashup: “Bold lip ambition meets introvert nap schedule.”
Posted it. Honestly? More engagement than my usual “Looking cute! 💖” post got in a week. And it felt way more me – messy, a bit sarcastic, trying things. Lost the notebook to a minor dog-chewing incident later, but hey, worth it for the lesson: Good dress-up quotes are tiny stories, whispered secrets, or weird word collisions hiding in your closet. Now go rummage.
