Every year for my birthday (which is next Tuesday, 5/10) I make a wishlist. Actually, I always have a wishlist and shopping list going – but it gets worse (or longer) around my birthday. It’s part wanting to make sure that my loved ones are up to date on my current tastes and wants (my sister calls this control, I call this smart) and part shoring up my own list. (Also part excuse to get myself something VERY special) But as I went to share my wishlist with you, I began to really sit and think about why I make a wishlist. I do it for every season, and to be honest I haven’t even really gotten started on my spring wishlist, stoppable ).
Though I did get my hands on those gold sandals- seen here.
And when I look back at this spring’s wishlist, and the wishlists from seasons past, I’ve realized that while my wishlists are always a shopping list (and I will tell you that shopping with a list is always best!), really my wishlists are always a wish for the season. What I want to do. Who I want to be. How I always come to those realizations is through clothes (and shoes).
When I ve help but want ALL the party dresses I know that I might need a night out. When I think about workout clothes, there’s often a gym schedule I want to stick to. But often, my wishlists can let me go a bit deeper than that. When I make my wishlists, or like an outfit, I don’t just like it- I imagine myself in it, I think about all the things I’ll do it.
For example, when I saw this outfit:
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I didn’t just think about how I LOVE the color and the cut, and the cheekiness of a ball skirt with a crop top. I thought about how great it would look at those parties that border the causal/fancy line. This summer I have both a garden champagne toast and the possibility of a museum “night out” (aka drinks and dancing with art) and I think this outfit would be perfect. It also enshrines how I hope to look in the coming season- confident, back out there, a bit brave, and right on the edge of classic and edgy. A lot for one outfit? Perhaps. Or maybe that’s the point of a wishlist- putting out there what we want to be, in the hope that an outfit can help us realize that.
(Also- I know that no one outfit will completely change you or your life. But I do think outfits help! That is maybe a longer conversation we need to have some time!)
What does this all mean for my birthday wishlist? There is some overlap from my spring wishlist. I’m attracted to sets right now- both for elegant work looks and party looks. I’ve never been one to show off my midriff but I’ve been drawn to crop tops (a sign I’m looking for confidence?). But overall, my wishlist is a list of outfits that will get me back out there, make my workwear a bit more elevated, and are incredibly special. With those outfits in closet, I’m looking for a year of moving forward, deepening connections, and really going after what I want. Good thing that they make shoes for that 😉
As I get new outfits, and have new experiences, I can’t wait to share them with you here. What do you think of when you make a wishlist? Would you like me to share mine here?
XO RA
