The other night, I looked in the mirror and thought, "I should share this with my readers." Not because I looked great, but because my clothes were stained, my hair was messy and I looked tired. That's actually what I look like at the end of nearly every day. What would be the point of sharing that with you? To share that even though I know I am going to get messy, it doesn't deter me from dressing nicely and aiming high.
The look presentable always philosophy does not mean to look perfect always. It means to do the best you can with what you have. If you are cooking, cleaning, raising children and working all day, chances are you will show it at the end of the day! You will wear every moment of the day on your appearance. But in today's video I hope to inspire you to start out ahead of the curve by wearing your best. Don't save it for a future date.
For those of you who have been asking about the ten-item wardrobe videos, be sure to stop by the blog on Monday. I will be prepping my spring/ summer ten-item wardrobe!
News
Glee from Living Gleefully shares my homemade lavender vinegar solution in her blogpost called, Living Gleefully.
Comment of the Week
Sherry writes: My Cocker Spaniel, Buddy, is attracted to your voice. Whenever I sit down to watch your videos, he jumps on my lap, faces the computer screen and watches, spellbound. I thought you might like to know you have a canine fan!
Hi Sherry, your comment made my day! Please give my biggest canine fan, Buddy, a big hug from me :)
Today, I would like to know... what do you look like at the end of the day? Knowing you are going to get messy, do you dress well anyway? Does your ten-item wardrobe help you to look presentable always? Let me know and your comment could be chosen as comment of the week on the blog.
See you all on Monday for the first ten-item wardrobe video of the season!
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25 comments:
I would say at the End of the Day that I have a similar hairstyle to yours. I also want to add I loved...loved this video, because it was so genuine and inspiring to continue to always start your day looking your best!
Love this video!!! This ME at the end of each day too, and my kids are at least 10 years older than your 3! :)
I have been slowly trying to do more of your tips -- baby steps!! I let go of my lucy sweat pants a year ago, started keeping maintenance of hair and clothes and make up (minimal!) more....and keep making steady progress!!
You are a true inspiration, thank you!
Love this video!! Curious how the sweaters and dresses hold up to repeated washings? Do you avoid dry clean only pieces? Spot clean to reduce wear in the washer?
I don't have small children anymore so we're past the snot and slobber stage here, but I teach 9-10yo's. I may get to the end of the day with my clothes intact but I am totally wiped. I fall in the door around 6pm and am lucky to have not snoozed sometime in the evening. Usually during my favourite TV show. I thought you looked remarkably fresh at the end of your day! Thanks for sharing the real in your life, and not just the ideal.
I loved this video - authentic and genuine. We (ok, I) sometimes am tempted to save my best for another time because I don't want to "mess it up." Thanks for the reminder that nine times out of ten, whatever it is can usually be washed away.
I wear my cashmere sweaters on a daily basis this time of year -- even when I am cleaning. I have a minimal wardrobe, and all the pieces are quality -- If I don't own "grubbies", I can't wear them! I buy my sweaters at upscale consignment shops, so they don't cost me more than $25 - $30 each. When they need washing, I wash them in the washer in cold water, and use the "handwash" cycle with a gentle organic laundry soap. I drape them over a clothesline that I have strung up in my attic to dry. I've never had one shrink on me. After a couple years, they usually do wear out. This is not a problem, because consignment shops always seem to have good quality sweaters at cheap prices for me to replace them with. I pair them up with a skirt when I am going out, or, if I am going to be cleaning, with jeans. NOT grubby jeans, but black J Brand slim leg jeans... which I also found at a consignment shop. If one is patient, one can usually eventually find an entire wardrobe of quality pieces cheaply by shopping in consignment shops. Thrift shops are even cheaper, but one must do extensive searching to find the quality in a sea of dreck. This requires a level of patience that I just do not possess.
What a lovely video. Thank you for being both poised and authentic. The two need not be mutually exclusive! I too feel "shopworn" at the end of the day. But I feel a certain satisfaction, as I reward myself with my comfy "romantic comedy" button-up pajamas, and I throw my presentable, hard working clothes in the hamper, that I gave it my best shot today. Thanks for inspiring all of us to give it our best shot.
Jennifer, this is one of my favourite videos. I appreciate your authenticity--it is very motivating! I think 'perfection' is not the absence of any bumps on the road of life, but the ability to be present and courageous through it all. You exemplify this--keep it up and I'd love more videos like this. I was also wondering if you could elaborate on your nighttime hair routines (i.e., when and how you style your hair so that it is ready for the next morning)
You inspired me! I was dressed presentably when you posted your video, but I had not done anything with my makeup or hair. I rectified that situation before heading out to lunch and I felt beautiful and special all day! I've just removed the makeup and I'm about to turn in for the day but wanted to first let you know that I so appreciated your video today and I can't wait for Monday's spring wardrobe prep video!
Jennifer. That has to be one of my favorite videos of yours! It showed that you are down to earth and realistic and that we don't have to be and look perfect. Especially glad you showed your hair not perfect and revealing your thinning spots! So many women suffer from hair loss in different phases of their lives and you showing that makes us all feel better. You reminded us that life can be well lived even when it's messy and you did it with such grace. Thanks! Tracy
Buddy and I thank you for making ours the Comment of the Week. I'll try to send you a picture of us watching your next video. Thanks.
This is probably one of my favorite videos from you. I laughed out loud when you zoomed in on the baby slobber on your sweater. That is so my life right now. My baby girl is 6 months now just a few months younger than your little boy. I'm pretty sure that every time you have been pregnant, I am as well.
Thank you for this excellent reminder! Even at the end of the day when we are so done, I think we would feel way worse if we had not tried at all to look presentable. I'm currently sitting at the pediatrician getting my two boys tested for flu as I have the flu already. However, I put makeup on and a cute outfit and it definitely made me feel better and not embarrassed to be seen in public. So thanks for encouragement to always look presentable even when we have the flu.��
All I wanted to tell you about your last video has been already expressed in all previous comments. Hence, I would like to say: THANK YOU for this and past and future video that are so refreshing and inspirating. Recently when I had one of these worse days my husband asked me: "listen some of tys videos of your American guru" 😀 PS. Sorry for my English, It is not my native language.
Your video came one day after this experience: I was gardening...pulling out bushes actually. I received a call from the library where I am the Bookstore Manager. The morning shift person had not shown up and I had to go in and cover. I didn't have time to change clothes...just brush hair and apply lipstick. Off I went, presentable always!
Hello Jennifer,
Thanks for your charming video. I want to share that the topic of presentable clothing has been jumping out at me recently. This month's issue of Conde Nast Traveler includes a letter from the editor in chief titled "Dressing the Part". It is about the way that the attire of passengers and staff on airplanes has changed over time. Pan Am Airways is mentioned. My parents met and fell in love when they were a pilot and a stewardess on that historic airline.
I know you share my regard for Alexander McCall Smith. In his book "The Bertie Project" there is a similar discussion on page 106. I will quote a part of it. "We need bank managers who dress like bank managers...We need dentists who wear blue jackets buttoned up at the front. We need head-waiters in white jackets. We need people who occupy roles and wear clothing to prove it. It's a form of social reassurance. It represents order, and we need order. We don't need chaos and confusion. In short, we need civilisation, and if you chip away at any of its pillars--in the name of informality or whatever--you also weaken the underpinnings..."
Well, I agree the homemaker also has an invaluable role to play, and she deserves the clothing to reflect and express her self-esteem!
All the best to you and yours!
As always,
Alexandra
Wow! What a wonderful video! SO inspirational...I wish I had seen this before I had spent that last fifteen years never wearing my favourite clothes because I knew I would look less than perfect at the end of the day. Thank you for your authenticity, so appreciated 😊
Thank you for this video, Jennifer! I am a brand new mom, and just this morning, I asked myself if it was even worth putting on a blouse and a little makeup, as it would all collapse around me by the end (or even middle) of the day. But thanks to your post, I went back into the closet and put on that blouse and a little mascara, and I feel a little more like a human and less like a vending machine full of milk. Thank you!
I have followed your blog for a few years now and I have to say that this is my favorite video that you have ever done. Your authenticity and radiance shine through. I know your point is to dress well and I agree with that for sure. But to show your "real" self at the end of the day is awesome. Your genuine being is so wonderful. Adorable!! I will show this to my 17 year old daughter. So much better than fake glamour in magazines. Thank you Jennifer. You are always an inspiration.
I've only just found you, Jennifer, and I'm so thrilled. This video was so honest and beautiful because really, shouldn't we all be "spent flowers" at the end of the day? I loved your focus on the baby spit on your shoulder and remember that from years past. I'm now 55 and my children are all grown and I am still working at doing better at my wardrobe and appearance on a day-to-day basis. I live on a ranch and I help outdoors with the cattle and sheep and so my wardrobe is not always very feminine. Still, there are work at the barn days and work at home days so I could do better. Thank you for the inspiration. I'm sharing your blog and videos with my daughter and daughters-in-law.
~Jody
Jennifer, one of your best posts ever, at least for those of us who have been following your blog since its inception.
Good evening ladies, thank you so much for your comments and encouragement! This video seems to have been relatable for all of you! I loved reading your stories about your babies (small and grown, ha!) Lots of love to you all and tomorrow you will see who I chose for comment of the week. It was a tough one! Jennifer xx
I love this video! And am laughing in agreement as this season of raising young children certainly is messy and beautiful :) Thank you for so genuinely sharing and encouraging others to live their best life.
Thanks for the video. I often feel the same way at the end of the day, but I agree that presenting your best self is the way to go. :) My kids are a bit older, so I don't get the baby/ toddler stains, but I can get sweaty and messy by the end of the day. Thanks for keeping it real.
I love this video, the music, the message and honestly the thing I love the most is that I'm not the only person (my husband included) that has a young child getting mad at his/her parent! We are going through a phase right now that I honestly wonder how in the world it is possible to raise gentlemen!!! So, thanks for not editing that completely out, I know I'm not alone! ;)
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