Why I post photos of my every day style

I’ve been making a big effort to take photos of what I wear these past six months or so. Usually the photos are snapped on the run. Adam takes a couple of photos of me and he’s done, but if a girlfriend takes the photos, she’ll take quite a few (a recent lunchtime photoshoot saw my friend take 30 photos of my outfit!). And then I choose the best ones and upload them to Instagram, adding the #everydaystyle hashtag.

Nikki from Styling You started the #everydaystyle hashtag over a year ago – it’s for people to share what they wear every day in a supportive community. It started as a request from a reader to show us what she wears while working from home. Nikki says the challenge helps her get out of a style rut.

Nikki told me:

“What started as a reader request to see more of what I wore every day – not just for special occasions or for blog posts – evolved into a personal challenge for me.

I might blog and advise people about fashion and even published a book where I help others – Unlock Your Style – but I have wardrobe crises and fall into ruts just like the next woman.

What has saved me from falling into those ruts over the past 15 months has been Styling You readers. They’ve made me accountable. Just the knowledge that I’m going to be photographing and uploading what I’m wearing each day has made me really think about what it is I’m going to wear.

I’m all good when it comes to dressing for certain events and occasions but the everyday stuff? That’s where I can easily fall into a rut.

The main reason for this is that I work from home. By myself.

I could easily and happily stay in my pyjamas, disguised as loungewear. Ugg boots on, no makeup, no accessories, hair pulled back and not attended to.

And that would be ok if I felt ok doing it.

The first couple of days are usually fun but then I find that my mood starts to drop in line with the amount of effort I haven’t taken in prioritising myself.

When I do prioritise myself – getting to yoga, going for walks, eating well, drinking less AND making and effort with how I present myself to the world – I feel good.

That feeling of good might not take away a crappy day or a help you forget a nasty comment but it sure does help.”

It’s so great that Nikki has fostered an inclusive community too – the #everydaystyle movement includes women of all colours, sizes, abilities, occupations, nationalities and fashion tastes.

I love fashion. I always have. But I have never been as confident showing off my outfits as I have in my 30s. I hardly have any photos of me as a teenager – maybe that’s because of the pre-digtal age, but I think it was that I just didn’t feel confident enough to be in front of the camera. I worried what people thought, and I just didn’t think people like me were allowed to show that they enjoyed fashion or took pride in themselves.

And then, with blogging and Instagram, my confidence grew. Because people did enjoy what I wore. I don’t take part in #everydaystyle every day, but I do try to put one or two posts up a week. Sometimes it’s what I wore to work, other times it what I wore to dinner. My every day style is colours and layers and dresses and affordability.

While it might seem narcissistic to take photos of what I wear, it’s given me lots of confidence. People are seeing the style, they’re liking my style. Generally they’re not asking why I look the way I do. Instead they’re asking where I got my dress or shoes from. People’s comments lift me up.

And I get lots of inspo from other fashionistas participating in #everydaystyle. Two of my favourites are Vanessa from Style and Shenanigans and Mama Stylista.

Dressing well makes me feel good about myself. Sometimes when I am feeling really sore and not wanting to face the world. putting on my favourite dress helps me just get through the day. It really is amazing how something so simple can help me feel a little better.

Look out for an upcoming blog post about the clothes that make me most comfortable with Ichthyosis – and there’ll be lots of suggestions from others with the condition too.

Check out my #everydaystyle on Instagram.