#35 Re-Education

Thank you to everyone for your support for what will be called "fat shaming incident #87"-- sadly this is not the first time this has happened to me. But after having a good sleep on it, I am still feeling really proud that I called to let this woman know how I felt. Not just a few minutes after my blog was posted, I received two phone calls from this woman and immediately my mind went to the worst possible scenario. Did she call to cuss me out? To tell me how fat I am? I was a little bit nervous to listen to the voicemails.

To my pleasant surprise, she left two voicemails apologizing. She said she never meant to make me feel like I needed to lose weight and expressed her guilt about the anger she'd caused me. She was actually really sweet. We even texted back and forth and talked a little about our mutual body issues-- what a strange but serendipitous interaction with a stranger. And I know next time, she'll think twice before she hands out her card to a proud curvaceous woman. It's true-- you can never really educate or expand someone's mind if you're not willing to express your thoughts, feelings, and opinions, albeit politely.

Below is what I wore last night. I'm especially excited to show you my new glasses, also bought from Fabulous Fanny's in the East Village. I'm kind of a hater and don't want to share my cool glasses secret with anyone, but... you can buy some of their frames online. ACK. Ok. Secret is out. There are so many hot bloggers that need to share their amazing glasses secrets, too! Hint hint. They're a little expensive, but they're really well made and have some frames that are really flattering on wider faces like mine.

I love the amber and clear! Just clear alone didn't look right on me.

The amber is almost the exact same color as my hair!

Top part of my outfit. Apartment is still in "just moved in" status one month later. Yikes!

Bottom half. LOVE the stripes.

Really old Sam Edelman shoes that have been doctored a little.

A pretty crapstastic picture of my necklace! Doesn't do it justice!

I love this place!

DRESS Striped Black & Tan Maxi Dress, Target | BELT Braided Cognac Stretchy Belt, Target | NECKLACE Bejeweled Elephant Pendant, Forever 21 | SHOES Rhinestone Leather Flats, Sam Edelman

#25 Electric Prep

Allow me to make this metaphor: I think some colors are like new albums by your favorite artist. Sometimes at first, you aren't exactly loving it-- in fact, maybe you're not into at all. But, you decide to be patient and with each new listen, you find yourself understanding the intricacies and nuances of their new sound. Over time, as you listen and listen again, you slowly come to love their work.

That's exactly how I feel about acid/electric yellows and greens-- strong dislike at first, but over time, I'm coming to love the unusual acid tones that are currently very on trend. They come with a challenge because they aren't exactly flattering on all skin tones and hair colors, but I'm really into the way neon contrasts with my red hair. I think neons look especially gorgeous on women with beautiful dark cocoa skin-- something about how the colors come together is so breathtaking. Clearly, I am quite the opposite of beautiful dark cocoa; I'm more say... white chocolate.

 

 

SHIRT Acid Yellow Silk Button Up, Ann Taylor | SWEATER Honeydew Light Wool Sweater, Ann Taylor | JEANS Dark Skinnies, Eloquii | SHOES Men's Leather Sperrys, Vintage | BRACELET Ribbon Crystal Bracelet, The Limited

I know neon and neutral is not news but I love the contrast of the shirt with my brown Sperrys (which I got for $10 at a vintage store!). I also love the preppy look spiced up with neons-- I think it all plays really well off of my green glasses, too. Finally, I can't say it enough: I heart Ann Taylor. It's true. I used to think that it was a store that would age me, but they actually have some very trendy stuff in beautiful colors, which helps me be more stylish for work and still look youthful and fashionable. It doesn't hurt that they have 40% off sales all the time, too! I think there's one going on now, coupon code: April40. 

My favorite neon color right now will still be blue-- I have a similar shirt that is blue that I can't wait to show you (also from my love Ann Taylor). What about you? What's your favorite neon color this season?

#22 Purple

One of my new years resolutions is to post more outfit pictures... so here we are, 16 days into January, and I'm starting to blog again. The two things that really keep me from blogging are #1: finding outfits that are appropriate to post (because I am a teacher, my work outfits are often quite basic) and #2: finding a good location with lots of light and a photographer to take photos! My apartment has terrible light for photography (but it's still a great place!) and I work from 7am-5pm, which means lately I rarely get to see daylight, let alone take photos! :) I'm working on it though, and I missed this blog so much while I was on hiatus! Back to the fashion...

In terms of colors, my wardrobe tends to be on the more masculine side. Lots of black, grays, greens, and blues. I don't have a lot of pink or purple clothing, but lately I've really started to love purple. I especially think lavender/gray-purple shades are very flattering on my skin tone and go perfectly with my red hair and green eyes.

JACKET Black boyfriend blazer w/ striped lining, F21 | TOP Ruffled Lavender Tunic, Ann Taylor Loft | JEANS Black Skinny Jeans, Old Navy | SHOES Black Buckle Boots, ALDO | NECKLACE Rhinestone leaf, F21 | RING Black Stone Ring H&M | BRACELET Crystal & Bed Wrap Bracelet, Juicy Couture

I love the surprising combinations of lavender, red (hair), and green (glasses) in this post! The Juicy Couture bracelet (which my wonderful boyfriend got for my birthday in December) also adds a pop of great color and is a huge conversation piece-- I always get questions and compliments whenever I wear it.

While I'm thinking about accessories, have any of you heard of Warby Parker? They have some really unique and vintage-looking eyewear for only $95, including prescriptions online. I recently found out they have a display in Milk Bar in Columbus so I'm going to check that out this week and possibly get a new pair or two to add to my repertoire. I could use some different frames to switch it up-- I love my greens but I could definitely use a change of pace. What's that? You want to know my favorites from the Warby Parker collection? Done and done.

Roosevelt, Bondi Blue

Huxley, Tennessee Whisky

Crosby, Burgundy Fade

Beckett, Striped Evergreen

I'll keep you posted on how my Warby Parker excursion goes... I'll certainly need your suggestions on which glasses to get! :) Thanks for reading, and hello to my new followers! Even after months of hiatus, I'm up to 70 followers. WOW. Thank you so much for all of your support! Happy blogging, and happy belated new years everyone!

#11 - Repurposing A Romper

I love rompers. They're cute, they're charming, and they're comfortable-- it's sort of like a skort, except less tennis-y. I recently bought an olive green one from Old Navy and liked it a lot when I bought it, yet somehow liked it a lot less a month later when I actually tried to wear it. Has that ever happened to you? Apparently likability is inversely proportionate to the amount of time you wait to wear a piece of clothing. There's my nerd coming out. Anyway, although I loved the color and the drapy-ness of the top, I liked the fit a lot less and needed to find a way to repurpose the piece. Exhibit A:

TOP Olive Green Romper, Old Navy | SKIRT Taupe Bodycon Textured Skirt, H&M | EARRINGS Origami Paper Crane Earrings, stand at Comfest | NECKLACE Ohio Charm, Tiger Tree Columbus | SANDALS Studded and Jeweled Sandals, Sam Edelman | BRACELET Tribal Silver Cuff, Target

I'm indifferent towards this romper, but I loved how I was able to repurpose it as a top. It's great when you can find one piece you can wear in multiple ways, getting more bang for your buck. I only wish the lighting was better in this room so you could see the beautiful neutral colors together (olive green romper, taupe skirt) combined with a pop of color from my glasses and earrings. Stylistically, that's something I love to do: take a classic piece and make it pop with an eccentric and unique accessory that makes everyone go, "Where did you get that?!" I hear that all the time with my glasses and got lots of compliments on my earrings and of course, my totally rebellious sandals. It's fantastic!

I also can't sew particularly well and don't own a sewing machine. It's something I'd like to learn some day, but if I may, I'd like to recommend something incredibly inexpensive and useful to have in your style arsenal: the safety pin. They're cheap and can completely change the look of a piece of clothing. This romper is wide open, exposing my entire chest (I guess it's supposed to be a swim suit cover up) and is a bit too blousey/baggy when worn with a skirt. I took a safety pin to the chest to make it less revealing and took another to sweep the top flap further over the side, making it look more fitted. When you don't have time to sew: safety pins!!!

#2: Book Smarts vs. Street Smarts

Today has been an incredibly lazy Sunday-- just lying around eating, watching bad TV, playing video games, and snuggling with cats. I only got out of my pajamas (see below for proof) to make a quick run to the grocery store for some spaghetti and salad for dinner.

SHIRT Denim Button-Up, Jessica London | SHORTS Black Denim Cut-Offs, Old Navy | SHOES The Exie Sandal, Sam Edelman | GLASSES Prescription Green Glasses, Vintage @ Fabulous Fanny's in East Village NYC | NECKLACE Handmade Ohio Pendant, Tiger Tree Columbus | LIPSTICK Schiap, NARS

I call this look "book smarts vs. street smarts" because I think those two polar opposites meet in this outfit. The "book smarts" come from a classic button up shirt and a pair of thick vintage glasses. The "street smarts" come from my studded/spiked Sam Edelman sandals and bright pink NARS lipstick. I also think that book smart and street smart is a great way to describe the youth of NYC: bright, educated, and well-versed about this hugely complex city. Maybe someday I will be amongst them!

While I've been inspired by the hot weather and lack of central air in my apartment to put on short shorts, I've also been inspired by the many fashion bloggers I've been reading to find the confidence to don these short shorts. I'm really happy with the way I look in them (really starting to love my legs!) and wasn't sweating the length (literally and figuratively). What clothes make you feel confident?