Imitation Game: Oh To Be A Muse

I have been following Cheryl of Oh To Be A Muse for a long time.  She has the ultimate cool girl style, and I'm always in awe of her knack for mixing unexpected pieces to create unique looks. 

Photo on left used with permission of Cheryl of Oh To Be A Muse, from Fringe Fever

Recently, Cheryl styled a fringe leather skirt with a textured blazer in a pulled together black and white look.

Skirt:  Eloquii (Available here)

I had just ordered this fringe skirt.  I wouldn't have thought to pair it with tweed, but after seeing Cheryl's look, I realized how great this was - the faux leather and tweed with metallic threads mix well and add lots of texture and shine to the simple color palette.  While the tweed jacket has a conservative feel, the simple shape gives a polished feel to the fringe skirt.

Jacket:  Gap (old)

Clutch and bracelet:  The Limited

Sunglasses:  Calvin Klein

While I like the striped top Cheryl is wearing, I kind of felt that I already had a lot going on for my shorter frame (though vertical stripes are elongating).  I decided to streamline a bit more by wearing a simple black crop top.  The sweetheart neckline shows a little more skin which I liked to help balance out the longer hemline of the skirt. 

Top:  ASOS Curve

I did like the idea of adding a print to the look though, so I swapped out the closed toe heels for floral print lace-ups.

Shoes:  Prabal Gurung for Target

While my look was styled more for evening, Cheryl did a fantastic job of taking a fringe leather skirt and making it work appropriate.  I would definitely wear Cheryl's look to the office, and in the fall, I plan to re-create this look with a more conservative top for work.

What do you think of my interpretation?  Do you follow Cheryl's blog?  Check her out at OhToBeAMuse.com!

For my top in other looks, see here, here, here, here, and here.
For my jacket in other looks, see here, here, here, and here.

Wild Card Wednesday: Fringe Benefits

I love fringe, soft pink, and faux leather, but it took me until this Eloquii skirt was on clearance to nab it.  I knew that the skirt would be too long for me, and I was worried that it couldn't be hemmed because of the fringe.

Skirt:  Eloquii (No longer available on-line)

Finally, after staring at it off and on for a couple months, I decided to give it a try.  My tailor was able to move the fringe up, shortening the solid portion of the skirt.  I also had her trim the
fringe a bit to make it more proportionate to my frame.

Sweater:  Ann Taylor (Sold out on-line; may be available in stores)

Cardigan:  New York & Company

Boots:  Betseyville for Target

Cuff:  Express

Clutch:  Target

I added a sleeveless sweater and a draped cardigan.  The double sweater combo adds a softness to the faux leather.

I finished off the look with ankle boots to keep my toes warm!

Necklace:  Shoxie.com

Sunglasses:  Tory Burch

Are you a fan of fringe?  Have you ever avoided trying a style or buying a piece because you didn't think it would work for you?

For the grey sweater in other looks, see here, here, and here.

UNCONDITIONAL BODY BEAUTIFUL - PART 5: MY BUTTOCKS

So, it's time for another post in the #UnconditionalBodyBeautiful series!  This month, we are talking about our backsides.

Jeans:  New York & Company

When I agreed to participate in this series, I had a little misgiving that by separating our body parts out and talking about a different one each month that we were somehow objectifying our bodies, reducing ourselves to individual parts of our bodies even. 

Tank:  Wet Seal+

The more I thought about it though, I realized talking about individual parts of our bodies has a lot of merit.  Some of us who have suffered from body issues have struggled with generalized body anxiety.  Others of us have been fixated on individual parts.  Discussion about one body part might resonate while another may not.  For that reason, I think it's helpful for us to discuss our body parts individually in this way.

Wedges:  Sugar (Available at Kohl's here)

And as I said, this month, we are talking about our butts, our booties, our posteriors!

Sunglasses:  Calvin Klein

Tote:  Target (Available here)

I don't have a lot of strong feelings towards my butt.  Since it's behind me, I don't really spend a lot of time looking at it, which means that it's generally not a site of focus for me.
  
Anymore, I'm kind of neutral about my butt.  I've been told before that I had a square shaped behind and that used to bother me, but now I don't really care.  I have slightly narrower hips in proportion to my waist and bust.  This creates a bit of a squarish effect to the hip area.  I've had this shape at all weights - I doubt there's a way to change it, and I no longer see a reason to try.  It's what my body looks like, and I am completely okay with that!

Tank (under fringe top):  The Limited

At different times in my life, I was obsessed with the shape and appearance of my butt, just as I was with every other part of my body.  While it was never as big of a concern as my tummy, I would often stand with my back to a full-length mirror, viewing my posterior with a hand mirror.  I would bend over and look in the mirror, thinking my hind end looked like that of cow.  Yep, I did that...I get sad when I think about how much I hated my body and how hard I was on myself.  No one should ever feel that way about themselves.  We are ALL beautiful and we all deserve to feel that way!

I sometimes give my butt a glance to check for cellulite or for visible panty line in a particular outfit, but generally speaking, I really don't give it much thought.

Since I am thinking about it now, I will say that from the side view, it has a nice roundness.   I don't have a Kardashian butt.  I don't have a "booty," but my butt does look pretty cute in a pair of jeans. It's also surprisingly firm.

As I type this, it's really sore from long overdue exercise. LOL

My butt is beautiful because it's part of me, and I have accepted myself as beautiful. 

At the end of the day though, it's just a butt.  I can appreciate a round or tight butt on others or the way that my man's tiny hiney looks in his scrubs, but in general, I tend to take Amy Schumer's point of view as illustrated in this probably NSFW video.  For those of you not familiar with Amy Schumer, please be aware - strong language and butt/toilet humor with a feminist POV await:

Do you have a healthy view of your butt?  Have your views of it changed at all over the years and how so?

For the top in other looks, see here and here.
For the other posts in this series, see here, here, here, and here.

Catch up with the other amazing bloggers participating in this month's #UnconditionalBodyBeautiful post:

Katherine Hayward, The Glitter Notebook
https://theglitternotebook.wordpress.com/2015/05/18/unconditional-body-beautiful-sitting-on-my-cute-behind/

Josofab's Curvesity World
http://www.josofabscurvesity1.com/?p=82#
Zadry Ferrer-Geddes, Curves A La Mode
http://curvesalamode.com/2015/05/21/unconditional-body-beautiful-part-five-my-derriere/

Beca:  Under Construction!
https://beckamaynewbeginnings.wordpress.com/its-time-to-get-bootylicious-girls/

Fun with Zippers and Antiquarian Couture

It's no secret I love moto jackets, and there is nothing better than an easy shift dress to throw on with it.

Dress: ASOS (Available here)

I recently fell in love with this dress from ASOS after seeing it in a style advice column from Redbook.  I am often inspired by other bloggers, fashion magazines, and the like, but I don't usually copy looks so closely.  I loved the simplicity of the look, the color palette, and the modern easy cut of the dress.

Jacket:  Torrid (Available here)

Boots:  Target (Purchased used from eBay)

Getting this dress was not without some difficulty though!!  I had never ordered clothes from ASOS before, so I wasn't sure what size I needed.  I looked at the size chart, and even though I know my measurements, I still wasn't sure.  I'm usually a 16 Petite on top and a 12 on bottom, so I went with a 14 in the dress.

The dress took a few extra days than scheduled to get to me, and then when it did, it was way too big!!!  While the dress is supposed to be a little shapeless, this just looked like a hospital gown...not cute at all!

But, they were sold out of a 12, so I wasn't sure whether to go for a 10.  As much as I knew the 14 was too big, I was worried that the 10 might be too small.  I ordered it, but kept the larger size to compare and decide if I might want to get the size 14 altered or return both.

The second order got lost in the mail!!!  ASOS sent me out another one, and about a month and a half after first ordering, I finally got my dress AND it fit!!

While it's slightly closer fitting than I think was intended, the overall fit is still loose and easy and infinitely more flattering than the larger size.  Not only did it have a slimmer fit, it was now the perfect length, something I wouldn't have been able to alter due to the zippers.

After ordering this dress, I realized how perfect it would look with this amazing watch pendant from Antiquarian Couture.  Based in the St. Louis-area, Antiquarian Couture offers one-of-a-kind pieces with vintage and steampunk influences.  Designer John Bauer uses found objects like old watches and watch parts, insects, and other natural elements to create interesting and unique jewelry for the modern age.

Pendant:  c/o Antiquarian Couture (See here)

I've always had a thing for pocket watches, and I particularly loved this piece that uses a black pocket watch case and showcases an antique watch movement with topazes.  The piece is statement-making and feels super modern at the same time that it has such a lovely vintage quality and an industrial-age edge.

According to the designer, the watch movement is from the New York Standard Watch Company which started to make watches in 1885 and ended in 1929.  No one has found any serial number information on the company, so no one can accurately date the watch movement.  The company did make over 8 million watches, and this movement has a serial number of 081429, which means it's 81,429 in their series.  It is estimated and suggested that if the company had 44 years of production, then they made about 181,000 watches a year. With the serial number being less than that first 181,000 mark and even less than 90,000, it is a safe assumption that the watch movement is actually from 1885, making it about 130 years old!  There is a coat of resin on the movement, which makes it shiny, protects it from any damage and also makes this very easy to clean.  There are two yellow topazes and one white topaz.  This necklace would retail for $90 at Antiquarian Couture.

I find the history of this piece fascinating, and it's one of the coolest methods of upcycling that I've ever seen.

If you're interested in a piece of Couture, contact John here or at antiquariancouture@gmail.com.  He can even do custom orders!

Wristlet:  Torrid (Available here)

Do you shop at ASOS?  What's your experience with sizing?

To see the moto jacket in other looks, see here, here, here, and here.

**This is a sponsored post.  Item was received in exchange for post.  All opinions are, as always, my own.

Countdown to New Years!!

With Christmas over, the countdown to New Year's Eve and 2015 begins!

With thoughts of noisemakers and sparkly bubbly in mind, I decided it would be fun to come up with some ideas for New Years Eve fashion.

Dress:  eloquii (old)

Blazer:  The Limited (old) (Similar here)

Everyone tends to think sparkles, glitter, and sequins for New Year's, and those are certainly great choices, but sometimes a mini dress in a shocking color is all you need.  Seriously, the pink of this dress is so vibrant in person!

Boots:  Target

I played around with other toppers - a leather moto jacket and a sparkly cardigan - but, ultimately, I decided that the basic black blazer was the best choice with this dress. 

If you don't own a black suit jacket or blazer, I highly recommend one.  It's the most versatile closet staple you'll ever own!!

Clutch:  The Limited

Bracelet:  Swarovski (Gift)

I finished the look with ankle booties and a gold plated clutch to add a little edge and shine.  Simple accessories add interest but don't get in the way of all night dancing.

Earrings:  trendylittlepieces (Available here)

If it's cold in your parts or don't love showing too much leg, a pair of printed or sparkly tights would be perfect for the occasion!

What do you plan to wear for New Year's? Are you going out or staying in?

For this dress in other looks, see here, here, here, and here.
For this blazer in other looks, see here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.