Back when Covid hit, many of us had to start working from home. Four years later, some of us still are. Initially, staying in your sweats all day was a relief. Not having to get ready made every day feel like a casual friday. After a while, however, not getting ready for the day may or may not have begun to bother you. As for myself, not seeing myself look presentable for a while made me question my appearance.
Growing up in a South African home, I’ve been surrounded since birth by the idea that one must get dressed and ready each day regardless of whether they leave the home or not. In South African culture, getting ready for the day is as important as anything else. Making an effort to look nice means your day has a purpose and it is important. That’s why you got ready for it.
To this day, my 80-year-old grandmother starts every day by getting dressed, putting on her makeup, wearing some nice jewelry, and curling her hair. Most days my grandmother doesn’t leave the house, except to go for walks. Nevertheless, you will never catch her looking less than her best.
A majority of the women in my family are homemakers. Despite this fact, I have never seen them in sweats or pjs unless they were about to climb into bed. My father used to tell me that he had never seen his own mother before she had gotten ready for the day. His mother, according to him, did not leave her room in the morning before she was put together.
Initially, this way of life came across as tedious and old-fashioned. Indeed, this may sound like a lot of work and perhaps even patriarchal. However, when I think of the women in my family I think of timeless elegance and confidence. Of course it's a lot easier to lounge about in sweats and I am by no means saying that everyone should dress up every day of their lives. What I do want to say, however, is that getting ready for the day affects how you carry yourself.
After a while of working from home and feeling unkempt, I began to consider the women in my family. I looked to them and tried their practice for myself. From the first day I put effort into my appearance at home, I felt an immediate shift in my confidence. Getting dressed made me feel like I had to do something with my day and motivated me to do things well. Perhaps this is because one doesn’t simply waste a good outfit.
What I noticed after a few days was that wearing sweatpants affected how I did everything else. Sweatpants were low effort and everything else I did became low effort. My days were permeated with a single word: lackadaisical. My daily actions matched my energy. By putting effort into myself, I put effort into my daily life. My home began to match my appearance, cared for and polished.
All of this being said, how does one actually go about it? My biggest hurdle when trying to look nice at home was figuring out how to stay comfortable and break the bank in the process. There was zero chance that I would wear jeans or slacks with no plans of setting a toe out the door. I wanted to look timeless and elegant without sacrificing comfort, which isn’t always easy. Without ample fashion sense, it took me some time to figure it all out.
Contrary to popular belief, looking elegant isn’t all about fashion sense and is directly correlated with how we feel about ourselves. Luckily, we can cultivate feelings that align with how we want to appear through some simple daily actions. Here are my tips for classy comfort at home on a budget.
Choose a color palette
To make things hassle-free, my first tip is to create some form of at-home capsule wardrobe. Choose a color palette that matches so you can create multiple outfits with the same pieces and not have to spend a fortune on a bunch of clothes. Personally, I prefer a minimalist look and stick to neutral colors to look more refined.
Go for flowy, loose-fitting pieces with quality fabric
In order to create an elegant look, its important not to wear thin, low-quality material that is too tight. When I say high quality, I do not mean expensive. I mean material that has some structure to it. The opposite of thin, sheer leggings, if you will.
Some ideas of quality, structured pieces are cotton palazzo pants or linen trousers. These pieces are timeless and will never go out of style, so they are a good asset to have in your wardrobe. Plus, the flowy-ness makes them extremely comfortable and versatile. Linen and cotton pants are very easy to dress up and give an instant European vibe to your closet. I bought myself a pair of linen shorts from H&M for $15 and I love the elegance, the sophistication they exude while keeping me comfortable.
Another thing to note is that textures make your outfit look more expensive which is why material is important. It is also why linen clothing is reminiscent of old money.
Snag a couple matching sets
Matching sets are super low maintenance and easy to put together for a sophisticated, classy appearance. There is something about a complete monochromatic look that screams elegance. Perhaps this is because matching sets are made to look put together, giving them an organized and polished feel.
When I wear matching sets, I am even willing to move away from my typical colors and embrace bolder tones like emerald green. While I do find neutral colors to be more functional and refined, matching sets make bolder colors look just as tasteful. If you stick to a color palette, you can mix and match them to get a bigger bang for your buck.
Add some jewelry
One of the easiest ways to dress up a look is to add some jewelry. Accessories transform outfits: add a gold necklace to a simple t-shirt look and it immediately upgrades the entire look. Jewelry makes the outfit feel complete and makes it look like more effort than what it was.
Wear a fragrance
Think of a person you know who always smells good. What comes to mind? Probably that they take good care of themselves. Of all of the human senses, your sense of smell has the strongest link to memory and is highly emotive. Whether you want to feel powerful, desirous, or relaxed, perfume companies work very hard to fuel this connection between smell and emotions. Donning a smell you love is a very powerful step to help you feel the way you want to.
As you move through the house, your scent travels with you leaving an air of grace. Consider what a nice scent does to a room, the love a fall candle brings to a home. Smell evokes emotions; bringing warmth and it brings life. Smelling good speaks volumes in terms of how much you take care of yourself. You don’t have to wear your best perfume, but smelling nice is an important box to tick when you are getting ready for your day.
Drink lots of water
Nothing says haggard like being dehydrated. Drinking lots of water is an act of self love and nourishing your body only nudges towards looking and feeling more elegant. Consider a luscious garden with misters and hydration filling the air. This lush hydration often instills a sense of sanctuary and thriving. Now consider the same garden except its dry, unkempt, and full of wilting, brown petals. You most likely will be filled with feelings of neglect and that is exactly the feelings we invoke when we don’t hydrate ourselves properly. We look how we feel and if we neglect ourselves, we are sure to show it.
Moisturize your skin
Having a moisturizing routine goes hand and hand with hydration. We not only want to look elegant, we want to feel that way and dry skin won’t help. Under all of those classy outfits, make sure your body is in order. I don’t know about you, but I feel much more put together when my skin is soft and moisturized leaving me feeling a little bit luxurious. Elegance is highly related to things being in order, which also applies to your skin. You don’t need an expensive moisturizer, one from Amazon will do.
Eat Well & Exercise
While we are on the topic of taking care of your body, eating well and exercising are crucial components of self care that do not have to cost extra money. Much like drinking enough water, fueling your body with nutritional, high-quality meals lets your body know that you care for it. In addition, getting in movement each day sends the same message. Not only is eating well and exercising an act of self love, they also allow you to feel taken care of. Again, how we feel about ourselves inside is how we present ourselves. If we feel nourished, strong, and healthy, we will carry ourselves accordingly.
Do things that make you feel elegant
If you’ve ever read the book Atomic Habits, you have probably heard of the idea that habits form our identity. Each time you perform a habit, you confirm that you are that type of person. I am a full believer in this idea and that’s why I think it is so important to adopt habits that make you feel elegant. For me, wearing perfume, doing pilates or other dance-inspired workouts, embroidery and having a nighttime routine all make me feel elegant. For you, this may be wearing a flowy skirt or learning to speak more eloquently. When you feel elegant, it gives your mind a little confirmation, a tick that you are elegant. Once you believe this, elegance radiates through you and into everything that you do.
Conclusion
Looking classy at home is not always easy, however there are simple steps we can take to look put together without sacrificing comfort. Remember that looking elegant comes from feeling elegant. This feeling is cultivated through our daily actions and little steps that we take such as applying perfume or wearing silk pajamas.
Comments