Recently I saw some tips on how to wear a chambray shirt from Nordstrom on Pinterest and it inspired today’s Wear One Piece Five Ways segment. Chambray is ultra versatile and can be dressed up or down. Here are five ways I came up with.
Let us know in the comments and feel free to share a link to your blog. I’d love to see a pic of you styling a chambray shirt your way.
Valentines Day totally had me in the mood for wearing red and after doing the Wear One Piece Five Ways with my red blazer, I remixed it one more time last Sunday.
That morning when I was getting ready, I remembered thinking that I didn’t want to overdress and make other people uncomfortable by wearing a fabulous outfit. I was happy to be proven wrong after I received several lovely compliments. It made me think of my favorite quote by Marianne Williamson from A Return to Love:
Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. … And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
Have you had an experience where shining your light has empowered someone else to do the same?
Have you ever seen someone wearing something that’s two sizes too small?
It’s not uncommon for women who have gained weight to try and fit into the clothes that they wore when they were 20 pounds lighter. Unfortunately, unless these clothes were baggy to begin with, they just won’t fit the way they once did.
One telltale sign that clothes are too tight is horizontal pull lines, as seen below.
Can you see the horizontal pull lines at the bust?
When clothes are too small for the body wearing them, you will see horizontal pull lines, often at the bust, across the upper back, or at the crotch, drawing unnecessary attention to those areas. When clothes fit, the fabric lies flat and smooth.
The solution? If you have to, go up a size to accommodate a larger bust, broader shoulders, or fuller hips. If you have to, cut out the tag!
Tara Starling is an international celebrity makeup artist, best-selling author, entrepreneur, and visionary and I am honored to call her a friend. She is on the forefront of a movement called Taking Back Beauty and I wanted to share her manifesto and vision with you. If it resonates with you, I’d encourage you to Join The Movement!
We are the real women you see everyday, in your homes, your offices, your schools, and your hearts.
We are NOT just blank canvases of flesh, created to sell your cars, your drinks, your perfume, and your underwear.
We are Individual Masterpieces, created to live, learn, dream, serve, achieve, build, lead, and love.
What we think is much more interesting than what we wear, and how we live is far more important than how we look.
For too long we have been told that our worth is based on our weight, our loveability is limited by our looks, and that beauty is not something we already have, but something we always have to buy.
The ugly lies of this Beauty Myth have poisoned our beliefs, convincing us that unless we look like the impossibly perfect, artificial images manufactured for us by the media, we are NOT beautiful, we are NOT worthy, and we will NEVER be enough.
We have watched with horror as our sisters and friends, our mothers and daughters literally starve their bodies to death in order to feed the lies that say they can never, never be thin enough.
We have stood by in despair and fear as the women we love stay in abusive, dangerous relationships because they don’t believe they are worth more.
We have been lied to our entire lives about who we are, how we should look, and what we can become.
And we have FINALLY had enough…
The time has come, and we are
TAKING BACK BEAUTY.
We are creating a new paradigm of Beauty.
We are debunking the Beauty Myth that holds women captive in the self-destructive pain of impossible comparison.
We are creating a world where society defines BEAUTY less by how we look, and more by how we live. Continue reading
After all the dynamic stop-you-in-your-tracks red that I’ve been wearing, when Valentines Day rolled around, I was in the mood for some romance.
And this shawl fit the bill perfectly. When I was in Portland over the summer, I found this vintage piano shawl at an antique boutique in a blush color that wasn’t only a killer deal, but complimented my skin tone marvelously. In flamenco, these large shawls are called mantons and are tied in beautiful ways and used as an accessory during dances. I can’t wait to create a flamenco costume around this shawl!
What did you wear on Valentines Day?
This week, Jessica Quirk from What I Wore hosted a great Winter Remix Challenge that I was thrilled to be featured in! The idea for the challenge was to take one piece and remix it in a new and different way. I took my Navajo print tee and mixed it up a bit.
I was way impressed and inspired by many of the photos of the other gals who took part in the remix challenge participants! Here are some of my faves:
I’m sensing a trend here — layering, bright, bold colors, stripes, and angular prints. What’s not to love?
For the Valentines Day edition of Wear One Piece Five Ways, I’m featuring this vivid red blazer I picked up last Christmas from the modbod store at University Mall (one of the places I truly miss shopping in Utah!). Instead of most notched lapels you find on a blazer, this one has a shawl collar is decidedly more feminine — perfect for Valentines Day! Regardless of where you’re going Valentines Day, here are five ways you can wear a red jacket.
Is your beau taking you dancing on Valentines Day? This Downeast Basics skirt was made for the dance floor! (earrings – francine’s, ruffle tank – nordstrom, red obi belt – thrifted, teal tiered skirt – downeast basics, shoes – franco sarto)
To channel the rockstar in you, pair your jacket with skinny jeans and some edgy earrings. (earrings – francine’s, tank top – jacob, skinny jeans – kohls, black heels – etienne aigner)
If you’re going for a sexy Valentines Day look a la Victoria Beckham, pair your jacket with a curve-hugging skirt and then cinch it at the waist for an hourglass silhouette. Ooh la la! (earrings – gifted, tank top – jacob, red belt – kohls, black sequin skirt – downeast basics (featured in O! Magazine!), black shoes – etienne aigner)
For a sophisticated evening out to the symphony or theater for Valentines, pair your red jacket with a black maxi dress like this one from Shabby Apple. (earrings – francine’s, dress – shabby apple, shoes – franco sarto)
For a more artistic look, find a patterned top with red in it and pair it with a lighter skirt. (earrings – the bay, paisley blouse – nordstrom rack, red obi belt – thrifted, split pencil skirt – thrifted, shoes – franco sarto)
What will you be wearing for Valentines Day?
After I saw this gradient glitter photo on Pinterest, I’ve been dying to dry glitter overtop of a solid nail polish. So when I saw these rust-colored Deborah Lippmann polishes at Nordstrom, I knew I couldn’t leave without them.
deborah lippmann nail polish: brick house and superstar
Since the Superstar polish was pretty thick on its own, the gradient polish idea turned two-toned instead, but still turned out beautifully.
featuring max's tail.
Turns out this polish matches my thrifted rust blazer practically perfectly!
What can I say? Orange is taking over my life. And I love it.
What color are you wearing on your fingers?
Last Christmas, my career coach friend Jen Armitstead bought me a great gag gift — a fashion citations pad of paper to write to people for fashion faux pas they wore — permission to be the fashion police. While I wouldn’t approach total strangers to call them out on their fashion choices, I’m going to use this style blog platform to educate people about what’s not working in their wardrobes and how to turn it around.
If you watched Madonna’s performance at the Super Bowl on Sunday, chances are you were impressed by the 53-year-old’s tip top physical shape and her perennial ability to work a stage. She’s still got it! But did you see her slip on the bleachers? As fabulous as Madge looked in her Givenchy getup, jumping around on the bleachers in high heel boots became hazardous and she stumbled, luckily regaining her balance.
Here’s another example. Recently I was stopped at a light in Downtown Seattle and saw a woman wearing a micro miniskirt walking across the street. As she crossed, she must have adjusted her skirt six times in the 20 seconds that she was within my line of sight. Can you imagine how many times she must have been pulling on that miniskirt all day long? Talking to her boss. Sitting at a business meeting with a client. Riding the train home.
If you find yourself feeling uncomfortable about something you put on in the morning, err on the side of caution and change.
Have you ever worn something uncomfortable that distracted you from what you were doing?
These petit Valentine’s Day gifts are great as supplementary gifts for your — something for their Valentine stocking, if you will — that are out of the ordinary and unexpected. Since they aren’t romantic in nature, you can give them to friends and family as well.
Valentines Red Felt Mustaches $24 - tadaboutique on Etsy
Customized Half Heart Mugs - $30 by modernmadness on Etsy
I'm in Spatulove $12.99 - modcloth
Crochet Red Hearts $6 - ViolasBoutique on Etsy
Red Heart Mug Cozy - $8.50 by LilacGifts on Etsy
What unexpected gift have you received on Valentine’s Day?
If you wear a monochrome outfit, add texture to avoid boredom. Like this!
