Easy Fashion Tips to Avoid Dressing Frumpy

I’m not sure I've ever had a “sense of person style.” In my life, I went straight from private school uniforms to medical scrubs. We'll just ignore college, which consisted of a mash up of baggy jeans and Pearl Jam t-shirts.

When I started practice 8 years ago as a very young looking 30 year old, I attempted to dress older to appear more professional. My interpretation of this was solid dress pants with men's style dress shirts, both starched to the point they would stand on their own.

Over the years the patients have slowly stopped asking me “if I’m really old enough to be a doctor.” I'm maturing. There are a few 'wisdom lines' around my eyes. Yet, I remained in my easy fashion rut. Then last summer, one filter-free patient came right out and said it,“Dr. RH+, your clothes are too plain and boring, you need to accessorize.”  Not exactly what you want to hear first thing on a Monday morning.

At first I blew off the comment, truly I wear lots of different colors…. of brown, I thought indignantly.  Later that day, I noticed a headline on one of the magazines in my waiting room: “How to know if you dress too old?” I reluctantly picked it up, only to discover I was sadly answering yes to nearly every question:

Do you wear matching twinsets? yes

Tan panty hose?  yes

Matching shoes and bag ? yes

No jewelry? yes

I realized I needed to get with the times. My ‘professional’ wardrobe from 8 years ago needed a lift. Having recently reached a fitness goal, my current clothes were a little big, so what better excuse to do some shopping. Only I have neither time or fashion sense.

Over the last year I've set out on a mission to update my look. Here's what I tried to get with the times that has required the minimum amount of time and effort:

Pintrest. I hate fashion magazines. I find them overwhelming, but Pintrest is a beautiful stream of adorable clothes and outfits. It's filled with real life ideas and models who aren't anorexic. It's much better digital entertainment than Facebook or Twitter.

Gut Your Closet. This is a hard, but necessary step. As I cleaned out my closet I discovered I owned 5 dark brown sweaters and I'm embarrassed to admit to you how many pairs of brown pants I found. Get rid of anything that doesn't fit or you haven't worn in 5 years. If you don't love it and it's not a staple, then chuck it.

Schedule a Haircut. If your hair still looks like your high school yearbook picture, you may need to get with the times.

Shop with a Plan. When you do get precious moments to shop, use them effectively. Use your pinned images or a running list of staples on your phone. Don't forget to try on everything. If you're like me, you never get around to taking things back.

Ditch the Mommy Jeans. Buy your t-shirts at Target, but high end denim is worth the price. Don’t believe me? Then check out this site. When you shop for jeans take the most honest person you know and try on several styles until you find what works for you.

There are Other Stores besides Ann Taylor. Ann Taylor is great for staples, but for me a least, I just got stuck buying different shades of brown pants every year. Venture to the other end of your mall. No time? Try online stores like  Boden and GarnettHill. Though I'm still not sure if I'm hip enough to shop there, I love Anthropologie as well.

Accessorize. My husband bought me a lovely pair of simple diamond stud earring for our 14th wedding anniversary and they have not left my lobes for the last 3 years. Jewelry seems too complicated for me, but I have really tried to make an effort over the last year. Honestly, I like to BUY scarves and necklaces more than I like to wear them, but I'm trying. This is another place where I have found Pintrest to be helpful, if I'm not sure how to accessorize, I can usually find some excellent examples there.

Stitchfix. The discovery I most excited about is stitchfix. This is an ingenius company where an online stylist sends you a box of clothes to your house whenever you like. You try everything on, keep what you like and easily return for free what you don’t. When I see the box on my porch each month, I literally squeal with delight. You initially fill out a style quiz, give them your measurements and price range and that's it.


I doubt I’m the only doctor mom, who has neglected her own wardrobe over the years as she slowly managed to spend most of her shopping time at Target and Gap Kids. I have also found a little piece of myself along this journey that I didn’t realize I’d lost. With years spent immersed in the roles of doctor and mom, with most of my focus on caring for others, I think I was starting to lose a little of my spunk. As I’ve made a small effort over the last year, I definitely feel more put together with an added spring in my step.I’m sure I won’t be walking the runways anytime soon, but I do get compliments on my appearance rather than suggestions for improvement.


What stores do you find that work best for you? Do you have specific fashion blogs or people on Pintrest that you follow who give you great ideas?

{Sadly, this is not a sponsored post, these are only my honest opinions.}