Elan the Brave Equestrian.

Today was much inspired by the strong leading lady in Mad Men, none other than the Betty Draper.

Now while there are many looks of Betty's that I often channel (her style is so my style, it's not even funny), there was one look in particular that I've grown a fancy towards: her riding outfit. 

 

And I happened to stumble across a riding hat of my very own on my last road trip in this lovely store of all things old and new, and I instantly thought of Draper, so guess who now also owns a riding hat?

C'est moi.

What I wore: vintage Italian black riding hat (used), vintage pearl necklace (used), white silk CAbi blouse (used), black FABRIZIO GIANNI skinny jeans (used), and black FRYE boots (used).

And you know me, always wanting to know the why behind a person's outfit. I like to know what makes them tick, why they chose that particular look, and what inspired them because although we may not consciously think about it, what we pick to wear says something definite about who we are. I may have chosen to wear this particular riding outfit because, hey, maybe I want to be Elan the Equestrian, or maybe I just watched a Mad Men episode with Betty riding, or maybe it is a combo of all those mixed with a little something spicy?

I've always been known to wear things not commonly always seen in the general population. I've had a tendency to stand out, and to wear stuff that does so for me, and this riding hat was one of them. When was the last time you saw someone in one of these? Heck, when was the last time I saw someone wearing one of these?

But the point is, why not? Style is a way of self-expression, of abandoning the rules, of not being afraid to be different. And this look is different, don't ya know! But I felt good in it. I felt confident, and I felt beautiful. And that's what really matters when you put on clothes in the morning. Who gives a darn if it's out there? As Bruno Mars jams in Uptown Funk: "If you freaky then own it.." 

So don't put your special items away because they're "not in trend" or they're "different", or because you think people will look at you funny! Trust me, it honestly does not matter what other people think. You are in control of how you feel, and you should always feel awesome.