Comfort and Style

November 6, 2017

Fashion blogger Cee Fardoe of Coco & Vera walks at Hotel de Sully in Paris wearing a Privacy Please Midway dress and Adidas Stan Smith sneakersPortrait of Winnipeg fashion blogger Cee Fardoe at the Hotel de Sully in Paris wearing Celine Audrey sunglasses and a Zara checked scarfOutfit details on Canadian fashion blogger Cee Fardoe, including a Privacy Please midway dress and Camelia Roma handbagWinnipeg fashion blogger Cee Fardoe of Coco & Vera sits at the Hotel de Sully in Paris wearing a Privacy Please midway dress and Zara checked scarfFashion blogger Cee Fardoe of Coco & Vera walks at the Hotel de Sully in Paris wearing a Privacy Please midway dress and Adidas Stan Smith sneakersPrivacy Please dress (c/o REVOLVE)
Adidas sneakers
Camelia Roma handbag (similar)
Zara scarf (similar)
Celine sunglasses
Olive + Piper earrings (c/o)

Combining comfort and style has never been easy for me. Over the years, particularly when I was a teenager, I have often written off comfortable, casual clothes as styles that I wasn’t “something” enough to pull off – thin, pretty, tall, you name it. I have shed a lot of those insecurities as I’ve aged, luckily. The truth is, I would almost never choose to wear a dress if pants were an option. But the photos I share aren’t always reflective of how I dress from day-to-day, a fact I am more keenly aware of all the time.

The problem became particularly acute in Paris. After more than two years of working from a home office, suddenly I was out in the world on a daily basis again. And I realised that while what I wanted to wear had changed, my wardrobe hadn’t caught up. Worse, I continued to buy clothes that I knew would photograph beautifully, even if I wouldn’t necessarily want to wear them post-shoot. Something had to give.

After an especially cold and miserable morning spent fighting the wind, not to mention an utterly impractical long dress, I decided enough was enough. “We’re not shooting any more outfits that I won’t actually wear after the shoot is over,” I announced. “Why can’t I have comfort and style?” Ian raised an eyebrow. I frequently make pronouncements about plans to overhaul my wardrobe. Most of them don’t last, so he has no reason to take me seriously.

But this time, something really was different. We shot these photos the day after I made my big decision. And yes, I did wear a dress. But a cotton dress. With sneakers. And what an incredible difference it made. I didn’t have to carry a change of shoes in case my feet hurt. I felt relaxed. The photos went quickly because there were no wardrobe malfunctions to deal with. After we finished, we simply went about our day. I wore exactly the same clothes I wore in these photos and not once did I wish I could stop to change.

It’s hardly revolutionary of course, but it wasn’t easy for me to give myself permission to adopt comfort and style as a manner of dressing. Now that I finally have, I can’t help wondering what took me so long! Fashion is about having fun, after all – and no one whose clothes are uncomfortable is ever truly having fun.

6 comments so far.

6 responses to “Comfort and Style”

  1. I personally think you made a really good decision. And you look as chic and fashionable as ever in these photos. as far as I’m concerned; I’m glad you were comfortable to boot.

    Courtney ~ Sartorial Sidelines

  2. Fingers crossed, I’m able to comment this morning and WordPress is not conspiring against me! 😉 OK, I must say, this outfit is my idea of everyday outfit perfection. Thanks to my foot problems, ugh, I’ve started wearing my sneakers on the daily and I LOVE the look they lend to my skinnies, dresses and everything else. As you’ve proved here… they can look totally chic!! And I couldn’t agree more, for me, comfort definitely equates to happiness! xo

    http://www.girlandcloset.com

  3. Lisa says:

    Love this outfit head to toe.

    I reached a very similar realization ages ago when we KonMari’d our place and I got rid of a lot of clothes and accessories that didn’t feel like “me” anymore, but that I was hanging onto because they’d photograph well for outfit posts. My wardrobe is a lot more streamlined and casual and cohesive now, but I also feel like I have a much better grasp on what works for me. I spend less time and money on shopping and I wear what I do buy a lot more often.

  4. Melanie says:

    Your scarf is awesome! I want one like that :-*

    Melanie / http://www.goldzeitblog.de

  5. Lyddiegal says:

    I always felt what I wore on the blog should be what I wore in life, even if it was a bit over the top. Though what I wear to work on a daily basis has become another story – very un-blog worthy pairings of jeans, buttondown shirts, boots, and a cardigan. It’s hard to strike that balance, and I look forward to seeing your future outfits of comfort and style.
    http://www.iamchiconthecheap.com/

  6. That’s the way it should be Cee! Good for you! You always look glamorous no matter what you wear. I love your dress and scarf. Looks beautiful together. Its taken me awhile to figure out what works for me. But once you do, it’s a revelation. You save yourself so much money & hassle. I love my streamlined wardrobe.
    http://www.averysweetblog.com/

Cee Fardoe is a thirty-something Canadian blogger who splits her time between Winnipeg and Paris. She is a voracious reader, avid tea-drinker, insatiable wanderer and fashion lover who prefers to dress in black, white and gray.

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