Getting my act together

I work at an ad agency. The sort where no one is over 40, and the guys have tattoos, and the women have interesting dye-jobs, and there is absolutely no dress code.

In college, I briefly interned at a home decor/high style sort of magazine a few days a week, and damn did I rock cute outfits. I'd plan them out and wear uncomfortable shoes and everything.

Now that I find myself in a casual environment, I'm dressing pretty badly. And it sucks. I have a closet full of cute clothes and shoes, yet I wear some variation of the same outfit pretty much everyday. Jeans and a shirt, basically, and flats more often than heels. My outfits aren't ugly or stained or anything, but they're ho-hum.

So last week I set out to change that. First order of business was a haircut...ah, there's nothing like a scalp massage and a trim to make one feel like a new woman. My work is right across the street from the Paul Mitchell School, where young hairstylists will do any hair service you want for a pittance, and they do a good job. Haircuts are, like $10 for a level 1 student and $15 for a level 2 student. Anyway, cheap haircuts mean I use any excuse to drop in.

So I have BANGS now (bangs are trendy right now, correct? Like I give a shit about trends...), and my hair has been de-bulked (I am proof that not every blonde has thin, fine hair). Next week I might go back for color of some kind...I'm interested in red streaks, but the kind that are "peekaboo"...like, they are under the first layer of my hair, so they are subtle.

I'm also broke and trying to save up for my trip, so shopping for clothes is out of question. Mostly I plan on going through outfits and trying on a shitload of stuff and putting together some new outfits. I have so many cute clothes that I don't wear, and sub-par stuff I should probably get rid of.

The key to me dressing well is having someone to impress. Sad, but true. When I interned at the magazine, I set out to impress the Editor in Chief every day...she dressed really well, so I did, too. At the agency, there are plenty of good dressers, and some not-so-good ones. I dunno, for some reason I just hadn't picked a "Person to Impress." It's sad, because I love fashion, and I should dress well just or the sake of my self-esteem, but...eh. Jeans and t-shirts and flats are, erm, comfy?