Build My Wardrobe!

What Not to Wear - Manly Style!!!

2008-07-31T00:42:00.002-05:00

The other night, Ryan and I watched a What Not to Wear episode featuring a guy. Surprisingly, he was interested in what was going on! He's been wearing casual clothes to work all summer, but once school starts for the kids he has to switch to business casual. His business casual wardrobe right now is AWFUL, and so, while he's actually being open to suggestions, I'm going to try to help him build it. He actually suggested skin care for himself!! I bought him a line with a scrub, shaving cream, and aftershave and so far so good! I'm impressed :-)

Any ideas right off the bat? It won't take much to make an improvement. What he would wear at his old job on a regular basis was black dress shoes, WHITE SOCKS (holy crap.), meh pants, and polos, which quite frankly are not that flattering on someone who carries his weight in the stomach.

While this picture isn't business casual, maybe it'll give you some idea. And, it will show you the atrocity of the white socks :-P

Just the pic!

2008-07-24T20:42:00.001-05:00

Here's the pic from the Nest GTG. It made me VERY happy to know that other people were nervous!!! :-D I'll write more later, and probably take pictures as I will be visiting family this weekend.

On Feeling Good

2008-07-21T00:07:00.003-05:00

I may not be buying clothes much lately, so I don't have as much to say, but I think the effects of this blogging experiment are permanent.

Tonight, I went to a Nestie get together for my new local board. While I'm not proud of the fact that I was pretty nervous, I still think it's pretty damn good that I went at all. I'm not good at meeting new people, and I'm terrible at making friends. Flash back maybe, eh, a year and a half ago and I couldn't really even make polite conversation in classes. So this, this was pretty big, and it went pretty darn well.

To be fair, a lot of the credit for this should go to Ryan. Knowing that I have him at my back (even when he's not physically there) helps me to feel more secure. When I'm nervous, because of this blog I now have an easy way to give myself a confidence boost. If I'm sure that I look nice, I feel so much better. I don't focus on that anymore, which is huge. I don't think I really spent any time tonight pulling at my clothes or wondering if I was dressed appropriately or if people thought I was fat.

It gives me hope that the time in my life during which I only have friends that I've known forever (who I love dearly, but have lives of their own in places I am not!!), my family, and Ryan, are over. It has become exceedingly clear to me that I need more people in my life, and I feel like I am actually ready to seek them.

Another awesome thing was that a couple of the girls mentioned this blog, and told me how brave they think I am. They cajoled me into taking a picture, which I'll post when I get it. I also got to explain the concept of this blog to someone who hadn't seen it, and I was able to talk about it without feeling ashamed or embarrassed, and it was just very cool for me to be able to do that.

Progress is not just in terms of fashion and beauty.

Wii Fit Review

2008-07-07T11:53:00.003-05:00

We pre-ordered Wii Fit, and so got it right when it came out. I decided I would go ahead and post a review here, since I've only really gotten to use it now that we've been in the new place.

It starts out by measuring your weight and BMI, and then it does a couple little tests (ex. stand on one foot for 30 seconds, lean to the right and left to make a ball hit a block, etc.) to determine your wii fit age.

Then, there are a serious of training areas. The first is yoga. This is the one that I use most frequently. I REALLY like yoga, but I have issues making myself do videos and such, and I wasn't able to find a class in Peoria that wasn't yoga+pilates. Yoga+pilates is certainly a better workout, but I like yoga because of the stretching aspect. I feel really loose and comfortable afterward, and it also makes me feel more awake if I am dragging a bit. I haven't done yoga regularly in a really long time, so even the poses here on wii fit are a little challenging. For the most part, they are a nice little stretch, but not overly difficult. For the Sun Salutation, I've always learned it as a fairly long series of poses, including Downward Dog, but this one is very short. My favorite is the Warrior pose, which always makes me feel strong and stable. I do all of the yoga poses that I have unlocked (there are still a lot left to go!) each time I use the Wii Fit.

Next there are Strength Training Exercises. I haven't done hardly any of these. The only one I tried was pushups+side plank, and it was REALLY hard. Pushups are hard for me anyway, but I really think doing it on the Wii Fit made it harder.

The third category is Aerobic Exercises. Ryan loves the Hula Hoop game for some reason, and he's unlocked advance Hula Hoop on his profile. Let me tell you, that is a fun one to watch! There's also a jog-in-place game, and then my favorite, Basic and Advanced Step! It takes you through a fairly simple 3-5 minute step routine, using the wii fit board as your step. It's not an intense cardio workout, but it's enough to make my out-of-shape body breathe hard!

The final category is Balance Games. Ryan loves these. I think they are stupid. Examples include heading soccer balls while avoiding other things that are thrown at you, navigating a downhill ski slope, leaning to roll balls into holes, doing a ski jump, and walking a tightrope. I'm not a fan. I don't think they really have a lot to do with balance. How much balance does it take to lean??

Overall, I think the Wii Fit is a fun supplement to a workout program, particularly if you're interested in yoga or the strength training. There's NO WAY you could lose any significant amount of weight on just the Wii Fit.

Now, I just need to work on the Wii Fit AND THEN walk downstairs and use the treadmill that we bought for a while. It was really hard for Ryan to get into the basement and I've only used it once. Yikes!

***UPDATE***

Today I unlocked what's called Free Step. This keeps going even if you change the input on the tv by giving you the rhythm through the wii remote. This way you can watch tv while you step! Awesome!

I'm back!!

2008-06-27T13:01:00.002-05:00

...with a slightly different purpose, but hopefully a refocused drive.

Since I've slowed down on this blog, I've gained about 25 pounds, I stopped using the Mary Kay face care line and my face shows the results, and I've stopped dressing as well. I feel like crap. I just got very busy, and stressed, and all that stuff just seemed to fall by the wayside. It's been even worse in the 3 weeks since we moved. I didn't wear make up until two full weeks were up, and went I put it on I FINALLY felt like myself. So, once I get a bank account up here I've found a place to get MK cheap, and I'm looking into places to get my hair permed again. When they tell you that your hair will be permed until they cut it off, they are full of bs. It uncurls. I MISS having it be pretty with minimal effort. It looks like crap no matter what now!

So, this is the plan: by the middle of next week, I'll finish getting our place put together, and then there will be even less of an excuse than there is now for looking like a slob all the time. Instead of talking about buying new clothes... well, I'm not sure what we'll talk about. Weight loss strategies? Make up? Hair? All sorts of things. I'm trying to recommit myself, if you're along for the ride!

I'm so sorry!!!

2008-05-03T23:51:00.002-05:00

I know I have been gone forever! I just haven't known what to post. I'm not in a buying mode right now, because I am pretty much set until summer. Then we'll have lots to do, I'm sure, though the budget will possibly be tighter. My husband has a job interview with a public school district Tuesday, and we're shooting for moving June 14th. When he gets a job up there, we'll work out finances and see how much I get to spend! :-p

I do know a couple things I want to work on though. I can't seem to find any cute sundresses. Old Navy is generally my standby for practically everything, but I am not loving their dresses this year. Sad! Also, I have made it my mission to go and try on some walking shorts to see how I feel about them. Shorts are a definite no, and I've been told capris aren't great, but I just can't see myself wearing skirts all the time, especially since I won't be working all summer.

Anyway, I'm trying to come back. Any requests for things to talk about? While we're waiting for warm weather (seriously - it snowed here Monday. Not enough to stick, but still), I'm happy to branch out to other stuff!

No More Grumping!

2008-03-28T22:36:00.004-05:00

I was going to wait to post these pics, but I decided I wanted to post them tonight, because the last post made me a little grumpy, and made me SOUND a little grumpy, so I wanted to get some happy thoughts in here too! :-)

I hope you'll like these. My hair doesn't look very good in any of them, just as a warning!! Sleep deprivation was a major issue this week :-P

This is my least favorite picture, just because my hair was up all day so it looks crappy, and the angle is bad.

Again, bad angle, but hopefully you get the idea.

I think my skirt is twisted a bit. Sorry about that. These sandals are nude. Is that what most of you would have preferred for St. Patrick's Day instead of the yellow?

And, in my humble opinion, the best so far:

Good, right? You should click on it so you can see it bigger and check out my AWESOME necklace from Etsy.

Another bit of good news: Depending on how close you're looking, you might notice that my boobs look high and huge (comparatively, anyway!). This is apparently where a 22 year old's boobs are supposed to be. And I am apparently between a B and a C cup, and bras are supposed to fit relatively tightly, causing me to be a 40B, not the 44B I measured myself as. I bow to you all. Let the I Told You So dance commence! :-D

Quick Post

2008-03-28T17:48:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone -

I've been taking pictures everyday this week, since I bought a ton of new clothes with my mom for my birthday last weekend. I'm not quite ready to post them yet, but I wanted to do a real quick update.

Why you ask? Well, truth be told, I'm a bit frustrated. But it's not your fault. Its years and years of pent up frustration. So let me preface the next few paragraphs by saying that I'm not mad at all of you, nor am I not INCREDIBLY appreciative of all your help. I just want to get across what I want to get across, and maybe then you'll be able to help me more, and I won't feel so stuck.
Sound good?
Okay.

So, lots of you have commented on my hair and make up. There are several things that I'd like to say in that regard
1) please keep in mind that most of these pictures are taken somewhere around 8pm, because I have to wait until my husband gets home to take the pictures. So while I try to smooth my hair and such, it's still after an entire day, with no make up touch ups. Since this blog isn't ABOUT hair and make up specifically (not that I mind the comments, they just aren't the focus of the pics), I don't really feel a strong desire to reapply my make up for the pics.

2) IDK why, but for some reason the make up I do wear doesn't seem to show up. In the picture from the admitted students reception, I'm wearing the same black eyeliner in the same way as I was in my wedding pictures, but you can't see it in the pics here. I have no idea why. I don't know what to tell you, because we have a pretty expensive camera. Maybe it's the lighting, which I've already said there's very little I can do to fix? I have no idea.

3) Someone mentioned my eyebrows. I haven't found a place in my area that will do threading, and I'm allergic to eyebrow wax. I had to go in about 2 weeks before my wedding so that the little itchy bumps would have time to go away. I assure you that I'm aware of the problem. I know they look like crap, I'm just not willing to sit and tweeze them, nor am I anywhere close to confident that I'll be able to do a decent job if it isn't just a clean up.

4) As for my hair - listen, I'm just as frustrated with my hair as you people. It's hit or miss, especially now that my perm has grown out a bit. But here's the thing. NO ONE WILL HELP ME. This is partially my own fault, because I can't do much to my hair. I get dizzy if my arms are up for more than a few minutes, and I'm pretty much incompetent with my hair even besides that. Seriously, I can barely put my hair in a damn ponytail. So anything that requires much daily maintenance is just out. I just can't do it, guys. So what exactly am I supposed to do to fix my hair?!? Every time I've gone into a salon and told them "Just do something", they cut it this same way. So believe me, I'll be happy to take any suggestions.

Hopefully that didn't make me sound like too much of a bitch, as that wasn't the point!!! I don't want you to think I don't appreciate it, or I'm mad at you for the comments! I'm just frustrated, that's all.

Anyway, lots of awesome new clothes over the weekend or early next week.

Too Colorful?

2008-03-18T19:27:00.005-05:00

I mean, it was St. Patrick's Day...

And this is what I wore at the Admitted Students Reception, which, btw, was pretty useless. Go figure!

Interesting thing about the skirt - it's a petite. Perhaps trying that in pants will end saggy crotch syndrome?

Another thing that I'm trying is getting pants custom made to my measurements. I put up a request on Etsy.com
If you aren't familiar with Etsy yet, you should be. It's a community of people who sell handmade and vintage items and it's incredible. There are so many truly unique and beautiful things for sale, so check it out!

A Quick Update

2008-03-12T15:06:00.003-05:00

...because I don't feel like working very hard, and I have to be here for another 2 hours. Just a few short comments:

1) I'm returning the khaki pants. On closer inspection, they do cause saggy crotch problems. Fortunately, this doesn't effect my Real Woman Dollars, so I still have $100 off a $200 purchase starting 3/24, and I'm definitely taking recommendations! It sounds like I should focus on skirts, day dresses, and possibly bermudas, and another pair of the Right Fit jeans.

2) I wanted to thank you all for pushing me in a Lane Bryant-wardly direction. It was actually a pretty good experience. It was really nice to be in a store where I don't wear the biggest size there. I also think I had some incorrect or maybe just outdated assumptions about the store. It always seemed old woman-y to me, and it definitely doesn't feel that way now.

3) I'm totally returning the green shirt too. Believe it or not, that is a HUGE improvement over what she got me last year. Last year she got all smalls and mediums (she has a daughter! there's no excuse for not knowing sizes!), and this horrible, awful red old woman shirt. The other thing she got me this year was a nice, soft, dark coral tee shirt. Thank goodness for small favors!

***EDIT*** The jeans are going back too. I tried them on today, and they are saggy-crotch also. I am going to try the other Right Fit pants, but otherwise I'll just look for skirts and shirts to exchange them for.

Pants are the bane of my existence.

Adventures at Lane Bryant

2008-03-11T19:50:00.007-05:00

This is what I wore today to class. I know, the jeans aren't great. I am in love with the earrings and shoes though!

I also went to Lane Bryant today, and I think I did pretty good. Best of all, I spent $139, so if the week after my birthday I go in and spend $200, I get $100 off! So feel free to dig around the site and give me some recs!

So what are the reviews?

I also bought in the past week or so:

One more pic -
This was a present from my mother in law. I'm pretty sure it needs to be returned. I'm right, yes? I really want something that is like emerald green for St. Patty's Day, so hopefully I'll have time to run to Kohls and return this.

A couple notes from the comments and comments on the Nest:

I am just not going to wear shapers every day. I don't know if anyone was necessarily suggesting that, but I decided I'd better clarify that anyway. I don't mind wearing them every once in a while, particularly under work clothes, but they just aren't an everyday thing for me. I need most things to look good with out them.

Also, someone suggested that knits like the shirts in the last post are only good under structured jackets. I envisioned those shirts mostly for wearing to class, not work. Do they really need a jacket over them every time? I wish there was a code for the way I'd like to dress for class. I don't want to be dressed up, but I want to move beyond jeans or even sweatpants and t shirts (as in t shirt t shirts, not fitted nice tees) for myself. I feel more confident this way. But a jacket just seems to be a little much.

Okay, okay, I will do the professional bra fitting. It's causing me some embarrassment, which is silly, but I can't help it. I will be visiting my mom next weekend and I'm going to see if she'll go with me. I'll just feel better.

This is almost more of a question than a note, so I'll end with it: Do you ladies REALLY wear skirts and dresses that often?? I'm getting a LOT of recs for a-line skirts and dresses and the like (WeezerMonkey in particular is an avid supporter of them!), which is great, because that way I can find a couple skirts for work, but as for casual wear in the spring and summer, it just feels odd to me. I think it would feel dressed up. But, I'll probably be living in the city by summer, and as we've established, my understanding of dress codes is a bit small town. Do you wear dresses and skirts as an everyday, non-work outfit?

Some more new things....

2008-03-05T22:43:00.002-06:00

Okay, those last two didn't photograph well. I can't find a picture, but they both are shirts with a really low wrap with a tank top built in. The brown one is probably the best example of it. They're very casual. I look a bit lumpy in the picture in the black shirt, but I think it's just how the shirt is laying. It's not like tight in the middle or anything like that.

2 notes: I tried buying a couple new bras, but they are going to be returned. Getting a bigger band size (which, unfortunately, means that I will probably have to special order bras forever) is AWESOME, but they are completely unlined, which I don't care for. Plus, the reason you can see it in the last picture is because it's a bit frumpy. Just wanted you to know I'm trying! I think I'm going to order the same size in a different style.

Secondly: This may be a matter of finding the RIGHT pencil skirt, but after tonight, I really don't have a very high opinion of them, though several of you have recommended. I tried one on. I think perhaps you guys aren't seeing that I have a BIG butt. A big, prominent, bubble butt! The skirt made my butt look enormous. Should I keep trying? Or are a-lines going to be the way to go?

A couple purchases

2008-02-25T20:56:00.003-06:00

I tried to take a better picture, but I don't know how well it worked. The skirt (which I am definitely expecting mixed/bad reviews on, but... I like it!) is from Target, and the shirt was on clearance at New York and Co. It's a bit hard to tell from this pic, but it's a silky blouse with a faux wrap front.

I bought a couple other shirts on clearance at Charlotte Russe, but I'll save pictures from them for later. I took the picture above on the stairs outside my apartment (with my husband at the top of the stairs and me at the bottom), and it's supposed to snow 3-5 inches tonight. Brrr!

Okay, okay...

2008-02-19T21:57:00.004-06:00

So maybe I was overthinking the whole thing. Crap, that means I'm nervous and not admitting it. Never a good sign!! I'll be taking your advice and looking for a button down shirt or nice sweater. And, by the way, I would NEVER, EVER mention my scholarship to classmates or professors. I'm an anti-brown noser by nature, and I'm rarely competitive. I think I was just seeking a justification for my nerves. Damn unnecessary nervousness!

In my defense though, I think my hometown has a bizarre set of dress codes. Or maybe I'm just interpreting them oddly. I don't know. But I don't really know anyone who would wear anything but jeans in a casual setting - which is why I've always bought jeans that were $15-20. That's what you have to do when you need several pairs!! So, in my mind, khakis bump it up a notch to make it work appropriate - business casual. And then nicer slacks or a nice skirt makes it business wear, and suits and things of that nature are formal business wear. But I'm thinking perhaps it doesn't work in the real world the way it does in my head. I think I'm probably so confused because I spend 2 days a week at school, where anything goes, and then 3 days a week at the office, where, well, kind of anything goes! People wear the full range from khakis to suits, depending on the day and their age.

It's going to be very hard for me to adjust to not working, and just going to school next year. I haven't done that in a LONG time! It also means that I'll need to adjust my shopping strategy. While I need to wear nice clothes to work, I'll only be working until we move, which could be any time between May and August, and then I won't need a lot of work clothes. So I think I should focus on redefining casual. Shirts like the one Anonymous posted at 4AM (4AM?? Get some sleep already! :-P) with jeans or other casual pants are what I'm thinking.

A question - what was so bad about the printed jacket? Or was it just bad for the occasion? I kinda liked it, and I thought it would break up some solid black.

These are the new flats that I bought:
They hurt like hell!! I bought them about a 1/2 size too small, because they were seriously $3 at Kohl's. I think once they are broken in they'll be just fine, but tonight I'm nursing blisters! The good thing is though that they didn't hurt my arches. I'll have to see if I can find a reason why these didn't hurt when so many flats do.

This is the purse I bought:
It's a slightly brighter blue than the picture shows. I really like it! I think I'd like another spring purse that's a little toned down, but for $10 I think this one is great. Plus, getting me to use color is always a victory. What do you think?

Hypotheticals again - with a purpose!

2008-02-18T17:54:00.004-06:00

Just a quick note before we get into things - I promise to try to work on the pictures I take. But here's the thing - 500 sq. ft!! My husband did take most of the pictures beyond the 2nd or 3rd post. I just don't have room to get far enough away from him to help the angle, if you want to be able to see the pants. The apartment is also not lit very well, as it gets almost no natural light, so we're limited to a chandelier and a floor lamp. Can you tell that I hate this apartment?!? That said, I'll do my best to try to make the pictures better - for me as well as for you!! There's nothing worse than thinking you look good all day and then seeing pictures of yourself that suck.

So, now to the real work.

Some of you may have seen my post on the Fashion and Beauty board on the Nest. I have an Admitted Students Weekend up at Hamline on March 14th and 15th. I called, and was given sort of an outline of the dress for the event. Friday night is a cocktail and hors d'oeuvre reception at a pretty nice hotel in Minneapolis. The cheapest room is $150, and the pictures make it look like a pretty fancy place: http://www.thedepotminneapolis.com/hotels/renaissance-hotel.asp. They told me first business casual, but then the girl kept talking for a while, and made me think that probably the casual part should be dropped - making it business wear. She said this was appropriate for both days.

On Saturday, I was planning on wearing the outfit a couple posts down: coral wrap shirt with black lace cami, gray wide leg pants. I'll probably wear different shoes though, since I don't know where all we will be walking. I got a GREAT deal at Kohl's the other day on a pair of shiny black ballet flats, so those seem like a good choice. I don't have a picture of them yet, but they look like these, if you can imagine them all solid black.

That outfit is very comfortable, and it looks great as well. I do have one concern with the flats, that maybe someone can help me with. I think I have high arches. A lot of the time, heels are more comfortable, simply because the shoe's arch more closely matches mine. Flats don't offer any support, so I end up with aching arches. This would seem to have an easy solution - wear mostly heels! But the problem is that up until the past year and a half or so, I was a tennis shoe girl. When I was in high school, I would wear down tennis shoes to the point where they had actual holes in them inside of six months, because I wore them all day every day. While my high-heel-walking skills are improving, they still aren't perfect. Has anyone had any success with insoles for flats?

Now, the more complex outfit - Friday night. From what the girl said, it doesn't sound like cocktail dress, but it sounds like what I would consider probably formal business wear. I probably won't make H wear a suit, but I don't think he would be out of place doing so. I don't know if I explained myself properly on the Nest, so I'll try again here, but perhaps I'm just overthinking. I have a full tuition scholarship to this school. I plan on meeting and networking with professors. While I know it's more important that I show them that I'm worth their money in the classroom, I can't help but feel like I shouldn't look like a total mess. I want to look really pulled together and polished, for me and for them.

(Sidebar: I'm finally getting to know what it feels like when you wear clothes that you really feel good in. It makes a HUGE difference!)

The wonderful ladies on the Nest suggested a sheath dress with a jacket over it. This was my interpretation of that:

JCPenney, $24.99 Target, $29.99

Thoughts?

I also like this from Newport-News.com:
This is actually part of their 10 Items 10 Ways Feature. I like all of it, except for the 1st and last outfits:
http://www.newport-news.com/shop/category_splash.aspx?gp_coll_id=9&gp_cat_id=1649&gp_fashcoll_id=201
Are they horribly, horribly wrong for me?

A final note:

I'm learning to like color. I'm trying very, very hard. For my actual clothes, I'll probably stick to my black/brown/blue standbys, plus the addition of jewel tones like you all suggested. But, accessories can be any color! How fun! They can be bright! I decided I wanted a new purse for spring, and I was wandering around Gordman's. I said to myself, if 2 of my three sisters can carry bright red purses, why the heck can't I have a blue one? So I bought it! I have a bright blue purse with white polka dots! It's not going to be something that I can use all the time, but how fun for spring and summer!

The Great Clean Out Begins!

2008-02-10T19:58:00.000-06:00

Between my husband and I, not including about 8 or 9 loads of laundry I still have left to do (!!!!), filled about 8 garbage bags full of clothes to send to Goodwill. I'd say it was about half and half. His mother insists of buying him clothes from thrift stores, and apparently is under the impression that he is an old golfer whose waist size varies between 3 different sizes. Okay... So he had a lot that basically just got transferred from a Chicago thrift store to our Goodwill here. Nice and useful :-)

I also got rid of a bunch of things: anything that is more than say 5 pounds from fitting, a bunch of shirts that never fit me very well, and tons of things that were too short. So I'm getting there! My big shopping trip will either be in late March or early August. I'm having trouble getting people together to go, since my two best friends are in nursing school and a PhD program, my one sister is going to England, the other wants me to wait until she gets an extra big paycheck, and the youngest one wants to go prom dress shopping and so wants to go earlier!! Busy schedules! But it will happen no matter what, even if I'm on my own. I'll have your good guidance to help me out!

I'm adding a surprising new rule: Discount clothes are okay if they are a minor part of the outfit and chosen carefully. Because you know that lace cami that several of you liked? Walmart!! So I think as long as I don't depend on cheap places for ALL my clothes, like I tend to now, I can still pick up cheap things from there every once in a while.

There were two things so far in the great clean up that I decided I needed outside guidance on:

Lots of Things to Consider

2008-02-06T17:36:00.001-06:00

Thanks again for all the feedback! I love hearing everything you have to say! Keep it coming! I have lots of things to discuss today, so hopefully I can generate even more feedback, to help me, entertain you, and maybe even help others!

1) What I wore today:

I thought I looked nice when I left the house, but now I'm not so sure. It was a little better than it looks in some of the pictures, because for some reason these pants slip down. They were smooth most of the day, like in the last photo. This is something a tailor would fix, yes?

I'm beginning to wonder if perhaps I am just not photogenic!! My other theory is that I'll have to be careful about shirts like this, because the seam is a bit lower than it should be. That's all I have. Or maybe I look better than I think I do, since I didn't do very well capturing the outfit unbunched. What do you think?

Another concern was that perhaps I should have picked either the necklace or the earrings. Was it too much?

This necklace and earrings I bought last night at Claire's, along with a couple other things:

The second pair is actually red. Like, fourth of July red. This leads me to the biggest question I'd like to work on: color.

How do you pick colors? How do you know what colors look good on you? Do colors that don't work as a top, for example, work for accessories (a pertinent concern, as I now have red shoes and red earrings, and wearing red generally washes me out)?

I am not only clueless with color, I am afraid of it. I even suck at picking out nail polish colors that look good, for heaven's sake! I am wearing a latte color right now that I thought would look great that actually looks really strange. Lipstick too. I buy lots of lipsticks, but many of them I am afraid to wear. I think they look good when I leave the bathroom, but by the time I arrive at work I usually have wiped it off or tempered it with a lighter color. I just get nervous!!! The same applies with tops that aren't a shade of blue, black, brown, or gray.

I've never been able to make sense of the whole season of colors thing. I have no idea what color undertones I have! Anyone able to offer any guidance?

Hypotheticals

2008-02-01T16:25:00.000-06:00

I'm in the middle of doing laundry, so I might take some pictures as I'm folding clothes, but I thought I'd check and see whether my 'fashion eye' is getting better!

Shoes!

2008-01-31T18:31:00.000-06:00

Thank you again for all the feedback! You'll see on the right side of the page that I have made a to do list for myself with all of your wonderful suggestions!

First, if you'll let me, I'd like to brag for just a moment. Today I was notified that I received full tuition scholarships to TWO different law schools! So now I have two choices of school in the Twin Cities and one in Ohio! How exciting!

Okay, on to the fashion! I felt like I looked good today, so hopefully I'm at least closer! I think this pair of jeans is much better than the other, although they still aren't perfect.

I also got several questions about shoes. I decided to post a picture of all my shoes, except for my tennis shoes and flip flops. You'd think this would be a daunting task. It isn't. I only recently became interested in wearing anything but tennis shoes. Now that I've gotten there I can't imagine going back, but I still don't have quite the collection I should because I'm very hard on shoes.
I'll start with ones I like:

And the ones I don't like:
And then all the ones that I'm not sure of, particularly the last pair of the group:

Oh, and since someone mentioned it, I actually don't mind dresses. I struggled with them for a long time because I hate my legs, but I've gotten that figured out now. This is my one and only work dress.

I may have learned a lesson on my own!

2008-01-30T22:13:00.000-06:00

Lesson: Either drape-y shirt OR wide leg pants. Not both. I think I look about 2 feet tall, or as if I'm a small child in my mother's work clothes.

That said, I consider all of these pieces to be good pieces. The shirt makes my stomach look bad in the pictures, but that is (at least partially!) because of the light hitting the satiny stuff different than the cottony stuff. I am iffy about the jacket though. What do you think?

I wanted to make a couple comments on jeans, since so many people mentioned that below. I badly want jeans with a higher rise, and I am so thankful to the fashion world for beginning to bring them back into fashion. For a long time, it's been difficult for me to find anything but low rise. I MUCH prefer higher. So, that will be something I will look for when I go jean shopping. But here is my jean dilemma: I have large thighs, large hips, and large calves. I have to buy jeans that my legs fit in, and they inevitably end up falling off my waist, which ends up making them bunch at the crotch, which is usually too long to begin with. BUT, since I am willing to make a foray into the world of jeans that cost more than $20, I'm hoping there are other people who have these problems that can help me out with jean recommendations!

Another note: because I am still recovering from the wedding and honeymoon, I will not be heading out to the stores for a while. Taking two weeks off when you're only a part time employee SUCKS! But never fear, I have a plan! In mid-February, I will head out to a department store (recs welcome - Macy's? Dillards? Kohls?) and get a couple bras, since the consensus says that a bra should be my #1 priority. Then, I am going to arrange to go on a major shopping trip for my birthday at the end of March. My inlaws live in Chicago, so I might do that, or there is an outlet mall with a Gap outlet near my parents. I'll probably base it on what I hear from you! In the meantime, I'll keep going through my clothes and getting advice from you.

I'm loving your feedback - please keep it coming!

Solve the Mystery!

2008-01-29T17:55:00.001-06:00

Okay, this is what I wore to class today. I look kinda dumpy. This I know. The question is, WHY do I look dumpy? Bad shirt, bad jeans, or bad overall? I'm pretty sure the jeans are bad. They are rather loose on my waist, so they bunch up and I'm constantly fixing them. But is the shirt bad too? I just got it for Christmas from my mom from Old Navy. I'd like to think that it'd look good with better fitting jeans or khakis. So, do I keep the shirt or do both need to go?

EDIT: I didn't get to shower today because I ran out of time. Don't judge the hair and make up!!

First Critiques

2008-01-28T23:12:00.000-06:00

Tonight I fell asleep while attempting to read Beowulf for school, so there was no time to go through my wardrobe. However, I do have some honeymoon pictures that I can share. I bought a couple pieces from Target, a few on extreme Walmart clearance because I needed some tank tops, and some capris on eBay because I thought they'd get ruined. (Side note: Lonely Planet drastically exaggerates how hot, dirty, and buggy Costa Rica is.) The results were mixed, at best.

#1 - Vintage Style Dress, Target

I bought this because I thought the poofiness of the skirt would hide my lower body. However, I ended up just looking pregnant, I think because my boobs aren't big enough to carry it off.

#2 - Green Tank Top, Walmart
What happened here?? This is a basic Hanes Perfect Fit Tank Top!! But somehow, it makes my boobs look like man boobs instead of nice boobs, and I look boxy all around. Side note - I need to find a casual hairstyle to replace a ponytail. I look AWFUL in them. Ideas?

#3 - Metro 7 Metallic Scoop Tank, Gray and White, Walmart

I'm not sure if I order the white in a XL and the gray in the L, or what, but the white one was terrible. I have my swimsuit on underneath in this photo, so that's not helping, but it draped very oddly on me. It seemed... stretched out. The gray one, however, was a pretty good purchase, especially for $4. I think one of my rules, a la What Not to Wear, will be to work on finding tops that have length to them. Short tops will make me look wider, correct?

Rules of the Road

2008-01-28T14:13:00.000-06:00

Okay, here's the goal of this exercise:

I want a closet filled with clothes that make me look and feel good. I have learned that I feel better when I look better. Period. This is about me. My husband loves me no matter what, and so do my family and friends. I want a look that expresses my newfound confidence all the time, and professionalism and competence in a work setting. I am especially incompetent in the world of accessories. When do you match? When do you coordinate? When can you throw in bold colors? I haven't the faintest idea.

Because I admit that I know next to nothing about what I am doing, I am leaving myself fairly open to the general public (though I must admit I'll weigh the opinions of those I know IRL a bit more heavily). However, there are a few ground rules that I'd like you to keep in mind when you are helping me make decisions, in order for this to not be completely futile.

1) I'm relatively poor. I'm willing to spend some money on higher quality items, but if I'm going to do so, they need to be versatile items - good jeans, good work pants/jackets/pantsuits, at least one really good bra, etc., not a tank top, or a non-black or -brown pair of shoes, or a purse (I will NEVER understand purses that cost upwards of $50 - sorry. I'm not really looking to change that!).

2) I don't know how to be high maintenance. If it isn't comfortable, it's going to sit in my closet. Shoes are an exception, within reason. I don't expect them to feel like tennis shoes, but I don't want to break my ankle either. I also don't do dry clean only for anything but say, coats. I just can't handle it. Sorry!

So, within the next week, I am going to start going through my clothes. I'm going to try to post pictures of the worst of the worst, for entertainment, and also things that are questionable. Because of the wedding and the honeymoon, I'm not in a position to buy new things right now, so we'll make this the weeding out phase!

Who am I?

2008-01-28T12:23:00.000-06:00

Welcome to my blog.

I'd like to tell you all a bit about who I am, what this blog is about, and why I am choosing to write it.

I am overweight. I have always been overweight. I've come to the conclusion that I will always be overweight.

Keep reading. I'm not sad.

I have finally, finally, FINALLY reached a point where I'm happy with the way that I look. I've seen myself a couple sizes smaller and, while it was nice, it just wasn't that big of a deal. Plus, I got that way by being too poor to eat in Italy. Meh to that. Meh to any sort of diet again, ever. No, I'm not going to switch back to non-diet pop. No, I'm not going to go back to the atrocious eating habits that I had as a kid. And no, (hopefully!!) I'm not going to start eating my feelings again, or eating because I'm bored. But I'm also not going to be a calorie counter, or a compulsive food monitor, or an insane exerciser. I've been around those people. My dear, dear grandparents are those people, and while I love them a lot, that's not who I want to be. I think making food and my weight so central to my consciousness was part of what got things so out of control to begin with. When food is a band-aid, focusing on gaining and losing weight is especially dangerous.

And so now? I am what I am. Yeah, it'd be great if I could slim my thighs back down just enough so they don't rub together, or if I could tone up my stomach. Maybe now that I am rediscovering free time, it'll happen. Sweet. But am I going to stress myself out over it? Spend my time thinking about it, and talking about it? No, I'm not. I do enjoy going to the treadmill in my apartment complex, and so I am going to start doing that again. BECAUSE I ENJOY IT.

I can't tell you what a liberating feeling this is to finally have. I finally look in the mirror and feel pretty! I can go out and not worry about what I look like! I love it!

But, I'm aware that, even though I feel like I've caught up now, and most of the things I've bought recently are on the right track, my clothes are not doing me any favors. There are things in my closet that I KNOW need to go, that I just haven't parted with yet, but there are also lots of things that I'm not sure about. I'm also not sure how to rebuild. When you've been living on jeans and t-shirts, it's hard to know what basics you need.

From here, I'm going to follow up with another post, setting some basic ground rules and deciding the format for this little What Not to Wear simulation.

Please help!