Fashionable Quotes

I've always felt jerked around by the fashion industry. On the one hand the powers that be seem to send the message that you should be yourself, be authentic, be that hot girl you know you are on the inside. And do it by buying what we're selling. And that right there is the other hand. The 'selling' part.

Authenticity can't be bought or sold. Your true self isn't hanging on a rack at Macy's or Goodwill. And if you're looking to tell the world who you are by what you're wearing, if there's any confusion about the former, well don't try and figure it out by focusing on the latter. You'll just end up with more stuff crammed in your closet, stuff acquired in pursuit of answering that age old question: Who am I? Stuff can't help you answer that question. You have to answer it.

By yourself.

No cheating.

"Sometimes, a woman filled with all sorts of uncertainties in most of the areas of life and emotion, will have her only confidence and independence in her fashion-sense. I'm sure this is a misfortune. Fashion should not be expected to serve in the stead of courage or character." — Loretta Young

The most important part of your style is confidence. Not confidence in your smokin' hot abs or you luscious curves. Save that confidence for the bedroom, alone with your spouse, who will most certainly love and appreciate every inch of what you've got to show off. No, true confidence is so much more. It's what draws others to you and propels you into the great unknown....new and challenging places you'd never imagined or dreamed possible for yourself. If you don't think you have confidence, well then do something about it. Decide. You have to make a choice and even if it means that you fake it until you make it, do it. When you treat yourself with respect others will follow suit.

"With women, the more unhappy they are the more undressed they are. This is true. Dignity's another very important part of this. Sex and the City is the opposite of dignity. You have to have dignity for your body—this is with men and women. You need to have dignity towards how you are, how you dress, how you behave. Very important. Men are always much more dignified than most women." - Miuccia Prada,

Dignity is a precious commodity. It helps to keep you on course and insulate you from the crazy directions the rest of the crazy world likes to give. Sometimes others will try and steal it from you. Sometimes they're so sneaky about it, they'll even insist that you pay them to give it up. Don't give anyone the power to take away what makes you truly special and Because desperation is never in style.

NEVER!

(Neither is pleather.)

"How many cares one loses when one decides not to be something but to be someone." — Coco Chanel

In summary, my encouragement to you is that you get to know yourself, your loves and your likes, your passions and your flaws. What is most important to you in life? What are your priorities and WHO do you want to be? (Hint: Who you want to be is a big part of the answer to the question, Who Am I?) Let your outer appearance then become the reflection of this inner person. Give people a chance to know who you are by giving them a heads up when they see you coming.

And finally:

"Clothes make the man. Naked people have very little or no influence on society." — Mark Twain

(Of course Mark Twain never heard of Paris Hilton.)

MyShape Giveaway!

Throughout the month of October, MyShape is giving $500 daily to breast cancer research. They're also giving away a $500 shopping spree! All you have to do is visit your own personal MyShape shop, and you'll automatically be entered to win. If you don't have a personal shop at MyShape, you can create one here. And as a bonus, you'll receive 15% off your first order and you'll always receive free shipping and returns.

Good luck!

My Shape

So I came across another helpful website the other day called MyShape. The purpose of the site is to help women of every shape and size determine their own shape and personal dressing style, then provide them with a variety of options that meet their criteria, which can then be ordered right from MyShape.

I decided to give the site a try since my own shape has changed somewhat in recent months, and my own personal style has evolved a bit as well.

The registration process took a bit of time as I had to insert a number of body measurements and answer various questions about my personal style. You don't have to answer all the questions at once, but obviously the more questions you answer the more helpful you'll find the suggestions. Some of the measurements are best done with the help of a friend, but I managed to do most of them on my own.

Bonus: One number they never ask for is your weight! That number is completely irrelevant in this circumstance.

I also picked from different dressing styles, such as glamorous, artistic, classic (my fave!) , and trendy. One of my favorite features was the skirt and sleeve length option. I was very specifically asked where I like my skirts to fall, what sleeve length I prefer and how much cleavage, if any, I'm comfortable revealing (um...how 'bout none, k?). There were also questions about how tight or loose I prefer each article of clothing to be and what types of fabrics I like to wear. In all I spent about ten minutes taking measurements and creating my profile.

As it turns out my shape is "M", which means that I have proportioned shoulders, bust and hips; softly defined waist curve (read: thick waisted); strong, straight shoulder line and rounded bottom.

I was supplied with six basic tips for dressing my shape and then based on my personal preferences I was given a variety of outfit choices that met my criteria, including accessories. I have to admit it was quite fun to see whole groupings of outfits put together just for me. And for the most part, the selections were dead on. I could picture myself wearing just about everything chosen for me.

Another neat feature that MyShape offers is called sizeless dressing. This option allows you to view clothing selections without knowing the size of the garments. If you're in a place where you'd just rather not know, then this is a way to shop without having to bother about that pesky number. It's an interesting concept and in a culture where women seem to be extraordinarily preoccupied with the numbers on their scale, their bra, and their pants, this could be a helpful tool to help get away from the numbers obsession.

There's one part of the shopping experience I didn't enjoy so much, but I suppose it's to be expected. That was the prices. Unfortunately the outfits chosen for me were on the pricier side, even though I was able to choose various stores and designers from whom I buy regularly. (Curiously, Goodwill was not an option.) However, their sale section is quite extensive and the prices were very reasonable, especially the Last Call section, where I found these fantastic buys, below. You want my advice? Make a profile then shop the sales!

cropped jacket in white or black, $14.49

Jessica Howard dress with cardigan $49.49

Personally, I consider MyShape to be an excellent dressing tool. Even if you don't buy from the site, the body shape calculator and style suggestions are extremely helpful and can provide a great starting point if you're looking for help in this area. All in all, MyShape gets two thumbs up!

Modesty on a Budget

A while back I posted a link to a site that sells denim skirts, JustDenimSkirts. There were a few skirts that I really, really liked but I hadn't ordered any of them yet. The last time I checked they were running a special, Buy Two, Get the Third One for $9.99. The average price for the long denim skirts I liked was about forty dollars, so with shipping purchasing three skirts would come to about one hundred dollars.

In my opinion, three very versatile skirts was well worth a hundred smackaroos. I mean, you can wear them with flip flops in the summer, cool boots in the fall and winter and just about any kind of top. Dress up. Dress down. How can that not make you a happy woman?

A few weeks ago I was shopping our new Goodwill store, and low and behold....there on the rack was a Candies denim skirt. Just like one I'd been craving! (Get it...Candies....craving....I'm clever one, eh?) It was $3.99.

THREE
NINETY
NINE
!!!

And it's in perfect condition. No rips or stains. Just perfectly perfect. Of course now I have to find some glorious brown boots to go with it so I can really put it to good use this fall. But that's another story and another shopping trip.

I'd love to post a picture but my camera is out of batteries and in my world, finding and inserting new batteries in my camera usually takes about three and half weeks to accomplish. Because:

A. I have to remember the batteries are dead.
B. I have to find new batteries.
C. I don't have any new batteries.
D. I went to the store the next day for groceries but forgot to buy batteries.
E. I tried to use the camera.
F. I realized I'd forgotten new batteries.
G. Lather.
H. Rinse.
I. Repeat four or five times until I finally get it right.

When I get batteries (sometime before Thanksgiving, hopefully) I plan to post a pictures of all my recent finds. Hopefully I can make a solid case for the fact that modesty does not automatically equate to stodgy, frumpy or boring or any other fashion-backward description. So if you don't believe me, stick around. You might just be surprised!

Adventures in Modesty

I've found another great source for modest clothes, in the most unusual place. I stumbled upon it the other day when I was trying to come up with something cool and comfortable to wear on a walk with my children. The heat was rising so I didn't want to wear pants like I usually do. I'd already dug through my own closet, chest of drawers and laundry hamper, all to no avail trying to find a pair of shorts that would work for the occasion. Everything I could have worn was either dirty or too small. Hence the need for the walk.

In a final act of desperation I dove into the last place I could think of:

My husband's closet.

Yeah, I know.

I'm as shocked as you are. He will be too when he reads this, since I haven't actually fessed up yet. Of course the shorts I found don't fit him anymore *ahem* and while I admit it's a little unsettling to fit into my husband's clothes, overall they worked out quite nicely.

At the bottom of one his drawers I found he had one pair of navy dress shorts still sporting the tags. When I tried them on I was pleasantly surprised to find that they come down to my knees and ride a little higher on the waist. That's good for my post-baby belly. Keeps it all nipped in, you know. They do have pleats (ugh!) but here's another surprising little fact: men's pleats are different than women's pleats. I don't know exactly how, but they are. These pleats don't puff out or anything. They actually lay pretty flat and make the shape nicer since they just pull the waist in a bit at the top. Who knew it would be men's shorts that would give me that feminine hourglass shape I've been longing for!

Anyhoo, I wore the shorts on my walk and they were quite comfortable. And I am absolutely certain that if I wore them in front of you today, you'd have no idea that they came from my husband's stash. Ha! Even he doesn't know. Until now. But I'm pretty sure he won't mind.

Innocence Fail

Spotted this today on failblog*:






*Failblog is mostly NSFW, but you can find a G-rated version here.

Are You Beautiful?

What makes one beautiful? I've been asking myself that question a lot lately. In part it's because of my own insecurities, my mistake of equating outward beauty for inward peace. For a time I fell into the trap of needing attention for my looks in order to feel special. I desperately wanted to hear that I was pretty, or skinny, or lucky, or something. Just please pay me a compliment so I'll know that you like me and that I matter to you.

But it didn't work. The compliments, when they appeared, didn't make me feel more secure. If anything, they made me less so. Everytime I heard something nice it just set the bar a little higher in my mind and became one more expectation I had to meet and maintain in order to be okay in this world.

Desperation isn't pretty. It's bitter. It stinks and it drives people away in droves. When you know who you are and why you are special, what makes you lovely to behold and how you can stay that way then you are pleasant to be near. Your smile catches the attention of those in your vicinity, not because your teeth are perfectly white or you lips are perfectly plumped but because of the sincerity that gleams in your eyes and the laughter that almost bubbles out of your heart like a little, dancing fountain.

A peaceful spirit and gentle lips draw others close and keep them there. They can't help themselves. You may be easy on the eyes but if you're rough on the ears or brutal to the heart then expect to be lonely.

Beauty can alleviate your pain, but only if you know how to truly be beautiful. It's not just about what others see on you, but who they see in you. When you understand your true worth and purpose, more than just a pretty face, you'll begin to see how radiating goodness and reflecting it back to others when you glimpse it in them makes you the most beautiful thing in the world.