I received a subscription to a fashion magazine last Christmas. Martin loved to tease me about it, and I never told anyone what I was reading.

After self-imposing The No New Clothes Challenge on myself for two years (all of which I shared here with you), you can guess what I was expecting.

1. I assumed a magazine about clothes would make me want more things. (I don’t want more clothes; I don’t want to be BFFs with the mall.)
2. I expected the magazine to make me feel like I’m not beautiful enough and like no girl but a model or actress could be. (And I sure don’t think that’s the truth about beauty!)
3. I believed that getting a fashion magazine would make me a hypocrite. (Hello blogging for years about loving your closet and yourself as you both already are.)

The ads in my magazine accomplished all three of my assumptions. I swear my checklist was their goal, and the ads that got an A+ in all three categories would win awards from the man behind the curtain.

The financial advice columns made me mad. But that could just be me; I live in an airplane hangar, after all! “Normal” does not go on around here. Ever.

The great things about my subscription outweighed the bad, though. And that, my friends, was awesome!

My magazine made me a lot braver with wearing scarves (love them!) and colorful tights. I – the girl who lives in a rural place where fashion isn’t a priority – started focusing a lot more on my outward appearance. (Did I brush my hair after remodeling all day? Do I have a second to grab a pair of earrings?) Receiving that magazine pushed me to wear jewelry that I always thought was too dressy for my town.

You see, I learned that you have to look at fashion magazines as something that can push you to be braver with what you already have. You need to know your budget. You must know – and I promise this is true – you’re fabulous just as you are. 

Let those magazines guide you in celebrating what you have.

Maybe the Malasian fashion magazine that interviewed me last year was right… anyone can be her own version of a fashionista.

I couldn’t ever keep up with my subscription. (Yes, I am the girl still reading about autumn fashion!) So I didn’t renew. Yet this journey in clothing continues. Heck, I’m still wearing it, after all. I need to make a promise to you and me that I’ll keep sharing it here at Making This Home.

How are you doing with clothing this season? How about fashion magazines? I’d love to know what you’re discovering.