From Bobcat To Dentist + Back Again

Hey y'all! Is it just me and my family, or are you, too, constantly running from one thing to another with barely enough time to mentally switch gears, let alone outfits!?

Out of necessity I have become quite practiced at changing really fast into a new task-appropriate outfit several times a day. I thought I'd share one outfit I wore for about 3 hours last Thursday. :) 

The day's task was to move some dirt around with a rented Bobcat. It's a muddy job that I needed to do as long as possible before leaving for my dentist appointment, so I came in at 10:08 and changed into this outfit, did my hair and make-up, and ran out the door at 10:18, 3 minutes later than I was hoping. 

What enabled me to be able to put together a never-worn-before outfit so quickly? Limiting my options.

• It was cold out, so that meant I needed leggings. 
• I didn't have nice leggings clean, so that meant I needed a long skirt to cover my ugly ones. 
• I didn't have time to iron, so I had to choose a skirt that could pass without it. 
• I needed a shirt that didn't have a tight collar because I was sore from the machine work, so that eliminated all jacket+tank combos, all button-ups, all 3/4 sleeve shirts that would need a coat, and all long shirts were already eliminated due to the skirt style. 
• I grabbed the first tank (the sweater has holes) that sort of matched that I could find. I would have preferred brown, but those are a commodity in our house. 
• I threw on the first earrings I laid hands on. 
• I had three pair of brown boots to choose from (flat, heeled, and these cowboy), but I chose these because they look fine enough covered in mud, which they most certainly were after the dash to my car. 

Now, I admit, I did not feel stylish in this outfit whatsoever. I wanted to stay in the closet and work on the outfit, but instead I looked in the mirror and forced myself to think, "You look classic. Neat. Presentable. And with a smile, happy and friendly! Own this outfit. You're just going to the dentist."

I share this to say, sometimes I just have to relax. Not every outfit needs to be a "winner" and frankly, having a bigger purpose for the day besides how I looked when I went into society (granted, the dentist's office is a double-wide trailer) made me so much less self-focused and worried about my appearance. I made my clothes work for me and didn't let them rule my attitude, time, or activity. 

// outfit details //

Sweater: Ralph Lauren Polo: ThredUP

Skirt: ING brand : ThredUP

Tank: Forever21 : $1.80

Boots: Ariat: Store on Broadway in downtown Nashville: $130 

Earrings: Droplette

Really glad the mouth-numbing shots don't make you swell up! ;)

6 minutes after these pictures, I was in rainboots and jeans, back to working on the task at hand.  

Bobcat Selfie.

I'd love to hear your "Quick-change" stories! What elements enabled you to easily transition from one outfit to the next?