The Boldness Equation

Okay so I was a precocious 4-year-old.

So, real talk. What's the boldest thing you've ever worn? Was it jeans with holes in them? Underwear as outerwear? A fedora? Neon overalls? Sneakers with a dress??

I've been thinking about boldness lately when it comes to my fashion choices. The thing is, boldness varies from person to person. Your version of boldness is probably not Anna Della Russo's version, unless you're one of those people who happens to wear disco ball hats on the reg. No? Okay.

To illustrate, I give you a candid image of my sisters and me. Lizzy is to the far left, wearing a short printed dress with a belt, embodying what can accurately be described as both trendy and flattering. Then there's Tully in the middle. I picked out the dress she's wearing from Bloomingdales for her. It was about as nuts as she would go. The sequined hat is the result of a lost bet, but she nevertheless rocks it like a pro ex-Cirque de Soleil performer and part-time accountant. Finally, I'm on the far right, shrouded in an unidentifiable garment that swings somewhere between a cheery sleeveless burqa and a work of abstract art. Each of us has a distinct sartorial limit--an individualized place to which we are ready to take our daily style choices and our relationship with jumpsuits, red lipstick, overalls, et. al.

So there you have it. Three different boldness equations in motion (Literally. Look at us. It's like we're about to go meet Blue Ivy or something). Tully wouldn't be caught dead in my crazy colorful kaftan, and I would be pretty bored in her more neutral-toned dress yet we emerged from the same womb, aye aye. Tomayto, tomahto. I think in the end it really amounts to what you prioritize when you get dressed. 

Do you a) aim to shock, sacrificing the body-complimentary for the editorially fashionable b) embrace trends up to the point at which they become uncomfortable (see: stilettos) or unflattering (see: drop-crotch pants) or c) pursue ease, comfort, and wearability regardless of what the runways might be suggesting in a given season? 

Are my quizzes more fun than Cosmo's!? 

Boldness does have its casualties. Sometimes I look back on a leap-of-fath type outfit and I'm like uhhhhh doesn't really work, kiddo. Other times I'm all OMG THIS LOOKS COOL GOOD JOB, PAL!!! But in my opinion, the mistakes are worth the successes (CHEESY, I KNOW). 

The boldness equation applies to other stuff in life, too. Like food, for instance. E.g. trying a bite of alligator meat = trying out a Maison Martin Margiela bejeweled facial mask.

THE SAME

Conversely, eating plain pasta for the seventh day in a row = wearing a day-to-day uniform  of black pants and a button-down. I mean, OBVIOUSLY I LOVE PASTA. AND DRESSING WITH EASE. But you have to admit that neither is a very adventurous endeavor-- and therefore they're somewhat lower on the boldness equation scale. 

Where are you on the scale? What is your equation? Too many mathematically-based queries? PONDER AND TELL ME.