Neon Lightning

Lately, I have been going through clothes.  My weight has fluctuated up and down some, so I'm sorting through clothes and trying to get organized.  I am seeing what fits, finding clothes I forgot I had, and deciding what I want to sell or give away.

Skirt:  Wet Seal (old)

I don't wear a lot of prints, but as I spring clean and prepare my wardrobe for warmer weather, I've been looking to increase my print options.  Since I wear a lot of black, wearing prints is a great way of adding visual interest and creating a more personal touch.

Jacket:  Boohoo Plus (Available here)

Top:  LOFT

I haven't worn this pencil skirt in forever.  It's one of the items that I had in a box with the intention of discarding, but when I saw it again, it felt fresh and new.

Heels:  Target (old)

Sunglasses:  Calvin Klein

I really love the print.  It reminds me of lightning on a dark night.  It's kind of moody, but it has almost a kinetic energy.  There's not much better than a spring/summer thunderstorm, so even though this outfit could easily work in the fall, the print of the skirt actually reminds me of warmer weather.  The acid yellow heels echo the skirt's energy with their jolt of color and add a spring touch.

With a lot happening on bottom, I kept things simple on top with a black trapeze tee and a cropped moto jacket.

Accessories were also simple with a black clutch and silver cuff.

Cuff & Clutch:  The Limited

Since both the skirt and top are knit, this outfit is super comfortable, and I could see myself wearing this outfit for a lot of different occasions.

Do you tend to wear a lot of prints or stick with solids?  What kind of prints speak to you?

For the skirt in another look, see here.

Weekend Ready

I love weekends because they give me the chance to wear clothes that I don't usually get a chance to wear during the work week.

You know, like casual, relaxed tunics or romantic slip dresses.

Dress:  H&M (Available here)

Dress:  ASOS (Available here)

I've been trying to find more lower heels and flats to add to my wardrobe, but I am so used to wearing heels (and love the way I look in them) that it can be hard to break the habit.

I have an easier time incorporating flats in weekend looks.  Here, the two looks both feature metallic shoes - silver Grecian sandals with the slip dress and pewter perforated sneakers with the tunic.

Shoes:  Juicy Couture (kids) (Available at Kohl's here; Similar here)

Glasses:  Valentino
Earrings:  New York & Company

I wore this outfit last weekend to see "Spy" with my mom.  Seriously, the funniest movie I have seen in quite some time, and perhaps Melissa McCarthy's finest.  I loved it so much, I am going to try to get back to the movies with the man this weekend so I can share the movie with him too.

I grabbed this fringe tote because it was what I was already using, but I would have preferred a different style bag with this outfit - something a little sportier to go with the shoes.

Tote:  Target (Available here)

Watch:  c/o JORD Wood Watches (Available here)
Bracelets:  LOFT; New York & Company

I love today's second look for an easy date look.  The dress is soft and romantic, but it doesn't feel too dressed up. 

In fact, paired with the moto jacket and flat sandals, I would even wear this to run errands, to go shopping, or for other casual situations. 

Jacket:  The Limited

Sandals:  Target (kids)

Clutch:  The Limited
Bracelets:  LOFT; Target

Glasses:  Firmoo.com (Available here)

Skipping the jacket, it's perfect for humid St. Louis summers. 

Earrings:  The Limited

With these two looks, I'm ready for pretty much wherever the weekend might take me.

What do you like to wear on the weekends?  Are you a heels or flats person or both?

For the tunic dress in other looks, see here, here, and here.
For the slip dress in another look, see here.
For the moto jacket in other looks, see here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Spring In Bloom

Happy Sunday Funday!

Dress:  Target (old)

Yesterday was such a gorgeous day in Saint Louis!  The snow has mostly melted, and the sun was shining.  I can get used to this weather!

The man and I had a dinner date last night.  Inspired by the warmer weather and the hope of spring right around the corner, I chose a floral maxi and added my cognac moto jacket for warmth when the sun went down.

Jacket:  The Limited (Available here)

Earrings:  The Limited

Purse:  The Limited

Ring:  Shoxie.com

The Turkish food was delicious, and it was nice to be out and about and to not be FREEZING!  Winter seriously pushes me into near-hibernation mode, and I can get very anti-social.  Spring puts so much more pep in my step!  :-)

Necklace:  Ann Taylor

Hope the weather is warming up where you are!  Doing anything fun this weekend?

Don't forget to set your clocks forward one hour!

For the dress in another look, see here.
For the jacket in other looks, see here, here, here, here, and here.

Laid-Back Layers

This past weekend, I attended a blogger meet-up at Alumni Saint Louis, a fab restaurant located in downtown St. Louis that offers tons of local flavor!

Sweater:  New York & Company (Available here)

My look for the event was casual and cozy, with a side of glam.

Dress:  H&M (Available here)

Tights:  New York & Company

Earrings:  Target

I paired my metallic print dress from H&M with a drapey sweater and opaque tights.  The result was a comfortable outfit that was also warm enough for when the snow started!  Seriously, knit dressing is the way to go for comfort!!!

Booties:  Target (Available here)

Clutch:  Vintage

Necklace:  shoxie.com

As comfortable as I was in this look, I am not in love with the proportions.  I had been on the fence about whether to have the dress hemmed shorter (see here for before and after).  After seeing it paired with the sweater, I'm definitely planning on taking it back to the tailor this weekend.

I'm all about the shorter hemline this year!  LOL

Ring:  Purchased at local jewelry show

How do you dress for both style AND comfort?  Any fun plans for this weekend?

For the dress in another look, see here.

This Is What A Feminist Looks Like

I am a proud feminist.  For me, being a feminist isn't really a choice.  It's a responsibility.

Skirt:  Target Petites (old)

Gender inequality in my own culture and society and around around the world is so often the root of violence towards and oppression of women and of non-conforming men and transgendered individuals. 

While there have been strides towards equality, I am inundated on a daily basis with examples of gender inequality in action from the murder of a young woman in Turkey who was killed trying to fight off her rapist to poor working conditions for women to a certain popular novel and film widely thought to glorify abusive relationships.

With so many examples of sexism in action on a daily basis, it's clear that the patriarchal system that supports such inequality hasn't really gone anywhere, despite changes in the last century.

Being a feminist is being an advocate for the fair and equitable treatment of all people regardless of sex or gender identity.   At its core is the common humanity that we all share.  We are inherently equal no matter what, and we deserve to be treated as such in our personal relationships, by others in our societies, and by the institutions that control our everyday lives.

T-shirt:  Zazzle (Available here)

But as a feminist, I'm certainly aware of the negative connotations that the word can carry. 

Part of that negative stereotype is of a man-hating woman who is generally unattractive, often fat, hairy-legged, and a laundry list of other physical characteristics deemed less than desirable in our culture.  

While I will gladly argue that most of these traits aren't necessarily "negative" in the first place, this caricature of feminists serves to perpetuate the inequality that feminists would fight. 

First, it assumes that men aren't feminists. 

If you believe in the social, economic, political, and cultural equality of men and women, congratulations, you're a feminist!  No vagina required!

Sweater:  Target

This caricature of feminists as physically unattractive works to preserve the beauty myth while making feminists look like unsuccessful women, women who simply lost at the game of playing gender.  Only women who couldn't hack it as "real" women (i.e. slender while still curvy, perfectly coiffed, etc.) would resort to feminism, right?  Over the years, I've heard that feminists are losers, lesbians, ugly, and mentally disordered, among other things.

Boots:  Target (Purchased used from eBay)

This erroneous line of thinking has been used by the dominant culture to make it easier to discount feminists and to discourage women from identifying themselves as such.  It keeps women from wanting to associate themselves as feminist for fear of being less acceptable in the culture.

The stereotypes used to turn people away from feminism are in place for the very reason that feminism is still needed.

Women are taught from a young age that we must constantly worry about our appearance and devote tons of time, money, and personal effort to maintaining said appearance.  We are told that in our natural states, we are unattractive.

Necklace:  JC Penney

While the war against women's body image is only one small part of gender inequality, it is one that affects so many women from all walks of life.

It certainly has affected me.  Due to my love of fashion, I found myself absorbed in fashion magazines from a very young age, and I pored over the images of airbrushed and digitalized women, not understanding that the women who these images were supposed to represent didn't even look like the pictures.  Cindy Crawford has famously said, "I wish I looked like Cindy Crawford"!

Clutch:  The Limited

I was led to believe in a false ideal of perfection, and it has taken me a lifetime to recover.  I'm still recovering.  I bought into the beauty myth hook, line, and sinker, and despite all of my gender studies education, despite my own rational mind, despite everything I knew, I accepted it.  I allowed the myth of perfection to overtake my life and affect my perceptions of my body and ultimately, myself.  My self worth was so tied into what I looked like that I let my appearance overshadow everything else great about me.

Over the last few years, I've found myself stepping away from fashion magazines and turning to bloggers of all shapes and sizes as a way to get my fashion fix.  I've continued to teach myself that my value as a human being isn't about my surface.

I am at the best place in my life in regards to my self-esteem and body confidence. 

100% cured from the damage caused by society? 

No way, but such amazing progress nonetheless.

And today, I celebrate that growth by the wearing of this shirt.

Bracelets:  The Limited, Ann Taylor

You see...over ten years ago, while reading a fashion magazine, I ran across an article on Ashley Judd.  She discussed her feminist views, and the article contained a photograph of her wearing a t-shirt with the phrase, "This is what a feminist looks like."


I immediately was drawn to the message, and I wanted a similar shirt.  But, something stopped me.

At the time, I thought the whole point of the shirt was to dispel the myths that feminists were only physically unattractive (as if that would be such a bad thing, anyway). 

Of course, Ashley Judd could wear a shirt like this.  She was thin and beautiful, and she was the perfect poster woman for such a message.

Ring:  Purchased at local jewelry show

But what about me?

I was short, a tad overweight.  I wore glasses.  I wasn't pretty enough.

Would wearing such a shirt reinforce the stereotypes of feminists as unappealing?

Who did I think I was to suggest that I was attractive and therefore a deserving face of the feminist movement?

Oh, I look back now, and my heart hurts for the insecure young woman I was.  And I realize now that I missed the whole point of this slogan.

Feminists come in all forms - male, female, and intersex.  Some of us are cisgender.  Some of us are not.  We identify sexually in different ways.  We are of different heights, hair colors, skin colors, body types and sizes, and physical abilities. 

Feminists are people who believe in the unwavering equality of human beings and are willing to stand up against the tyranny of sexual and gender oppression.

Yes, I am a feminist.

Earrings:  New York & Company

And this is what a feminist looks like!!!
Read more of Ashley Judd's views here.

A note on the shirt.  I'm wearing an XL, and the printing appears smaller on my shirt that on the web site.  Looks like the screen print is one size, so it will appear smaller on larger sized shirts than the smaller sizes.  Had I realized, I would have chosen one of the larger print options.

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

It's Only Rock-N-Roll...

For casual weekend and evening looks, I love outfits that have a little bit of a rock-n-roll vibe. 

Dress:  H&M (Available here)

This outfit, with its mix of metallic accents, fringe, easy shift, and moto style jacket, definitely has a rocker feel.  I love that this look would work for an evening out at a bar, club, or concert but could also work for daytime due to the overall casual feel.

Jacket:  eShakti (Sold out on-line)

Booties:  Target

While I'm completely loving this look now, it did require some alterations.  The jacket is from eShakti and was custom fit.  The jacket is a wool blend, high quality, and warm!!  I went with the above hip length, and the fit was great except for the sleeves.

Purse:  The Limited

Cuff:  The Limited

I tend to find sleeves one of the more difficult parts of fit.  I have bigger upper arms, but they narrow down quickly, which means that sleeves are often too wide for me.  I decided to take this jacket to the tailor and get the sleeves narrowed down a bit.  The difference is subtle, but it creates an overall slimmer silhouette that I prefer.  

Slimmer Sleeves on the Jacket

The H&M dress, which was designed to have an easy shape, was definitely made for a taller woman, and the overall fit was quite off.  But, I loved the dress, and I knew that the alterations would actually be fairly simple.  

I promise I wasn't trying to look high in the before pictures. LOL

Dress shortened

Arm Holes Sewn Up

I had the sleeves/underarms taken up to cover my bra and to create a slimmer fit in the chest and upper torso.  I also had the dressed hemmed up, which created a more flattering shape and length for my body type.  I may even take it back to the tailor to go a bit shorter.

Necklace:  Shoxie.com

Ear cuff:  Torrid

The difference that tailoring has made to this dress is striking, and now I'm just trying to think of more excuses to wear it.  I'm also longing for warmer days where I can rock this dress with bare legs like I am here. 

Did I say I hate winter?  LOL

Are you a fan of shift dresses?  Would you wear so much metallic for day?