Look Amazing Throughout the Day Even During Outdoor Chores

One of my friends recently asked me how I deal with the issue of looking presentable always and daily style while still engaging in life…life that is sometimes messy and sweaty.

How do you reconcile keeping a capsule wardrobe with the needs of an active lifestyle? You’re not going to want to wear your nice, high-quality clothes outside doing yard work, or taking care of animals, or exercising.

But if you’re like me, you still want to look cute while you’re doing all of your messy, sweaty activities.

I have a few ways that I’ve made it all work.

Daily Style- Exercise Clothes

Let me just start off by saying that I am not doing super rigorous exercise. I don’t run, I don’t Crossfit, I don’t do any exercise that is going to leave me drenched in sweat.

I wear a Fitbit and get my 10K steps per day, most days. I also T-tapp. I get my 10K steps in throughout the day, adding in a few 10 minute walking times throughout the day to reach my goal, and I T-tapp in the afternoons during nap time.

I change into a pair of yoga pants and a t-shirt or tank top right before I start exercising in the afternoon, and when I am finished, I cool down and then change right back into my clothes, freshen up my deodorant, and I’m back to my normal look.

If you are doing more strenuous workouts though where you end up with sweaty hair, and sweaty everything else, you may need to time your workouts to happen first thing in the morning, or in the evening when you can immediately shower.

Daily Style- Yard clothes/Work clothes

If you are outdoors a lot, either working in the garden, or doing other messy chores, I promise, you can still look cute.

I no longer have regular outdoor chores, but we used to keep chickens and several goats that I would milk daily.

The general default for “work clothes” is to wear your old, faded, worn out clothes so that you don’t end up messing up newer clothes.

Instead of just wearing old clothes that you wouldn’t want to go out in public in, why not curate a small capsule “work clothes” wardrobe for yourself.

Approach your outdoors clothes the same way that you would approach your public wardrobe. Look for the colors and patterns that make you happy, just choose fabrics that are more durable.

So, in the summer time, you could purchase a few fitted t-shirts or tank tops that are in colors or patterns you enjoy. Patterns may be a better choice because they will hide stains better. But, if or when your shirt gets dirty, make sure to pretreat it that evening and launder it soon afterwards, and there’s no reason that you can’t keep your work-wear clothes looking great.

Pick a few pair of sturdy jeans or other pants, good, sturdy shoes, and you’ll be good to go.

In the fall and winter, I would personally go with some cozy flannel tunics instead of t-shirts. The flannel will last you several years, will look cute, and keep you cozy.

You can throw your hair up into a cute ponytail or messy bun, put in some stud earrings, and you’ll feel polished and fresh, even if you are doing the dirtiest work.

A few years ago, we had renters totally trash the home we were renting to them. I’m talking urine and feces soaked carpets, the nastiest trash imaginable everywhere, bodily fluids on every surface of the home…

It ended up being a complete gut-job. We had to replace everything. Everything.

It was the dirtiest, nastiest work. You better believe I went over there with my earrings and lipstick on. For me, personally, if I have to tackle a big job (whether it’s big mentally, physically, or both), I can get the job done better, faster, and happier if I feel good about myself.

Daily Style- Daily Clothes

I know that a lot of women have special clothes that they wear when they are leaving the home. I’m not one of them.

I wear my nice clothes whether I’m going out or staying in. And I do this because I love my clothes. I don’t want to only reserve them for days out.

I really try to treat every day as a special day, I work better this way, and I act better this way.

A lot of my clothing has some comfort built in, so I’m not wearing ultra-tailored clothing, generally. I have a small collection of cute sundresses that have cotton knit, or some lycra in them. In the summer, they are kind of my uniform.

Nothing looks more put-together than a cute dress, and I’ve found that a sundress is just cooler and more comfortable than shorts and a tank top in hot weather. For my body, it’s more flattering as well.

In the fall and winter, I enjoy wearing a pair of pants or jeans with some stretch, and a nice tunic.

Let’s wrap things up…

These daily style tips are not going to be for everyone. I fully realize that there are lots and lots of ladies who prefer comfort over style, and there’s really nothing wrong with that.

But, if you’re like me, and you work more efficiently when you feel polished, well, there’s a way to feel polished no matter what you’re doing (I’m sure there are a few exceptions 😉 ).