Wrestling Day

Jacket, Wilson’s Leather. Striped tank, Express. Gray tank, No Boundaries. Yellow sweater, Body Central. Skirt, Dex (via swap). Necklace, Kenneth Cole Reaction. Bag, World Market. Boots, Playhouse.

Well, what DO you call the day after Boxing Day? I suggest Wrestling Day. At least it was supposed to be wrestling day for me. Mike was invited to his friend Tony’s house to see pay-per-view UFC. Ultimate fighting isn’t wrestling, but it often devolves into what looks like wrasslin’ to me. I detest fighting, but was planning to tag along for the chance at a soak in Tony’s jacuzzi. However, I ended up not feeling well and stayed home. No hot tub and no wrestling. Boo.

I swapped my red satin blouse for this skirt via Wardrobe Swap Shop. It is from the same swapper who sent me the Dex jacket. I love all the ties hanging off the pockets. So did my kitty, Sammy.

Boxing Day

Jacket, Wilson’s Leather. Sweater, Bloch. Tank, No Boundaries. Scarf, Images. Corduroy pants, Old Navy. Wedge loafers, AE for Payless.

We not only braved the mall today, we went to the most crowded mall in all the Cincinnati area: Kenwood. The exit was backed up well onto the freeway. We ostensibly went to Kenwood to enjoy a Cheesecake Factory gift certificate, but I, of course, checked out Forever 21, too.

As I browsed, I reminded myself of my resolution to add more “Bohemian” and “Rock and Roll” elements into my wardrobe. These earrings struck me as bohemian, and I like how the feathers blend with the color my hair. I spotted a black belt covered in gold studs on a mannequin, but the sales associate refused to sell it to me, even though it was the last in the store. That makes absolutely no sense to me. Surely the trouble of replacing the mannequin’s belt is worth moving merchandise.

Christmas Day

Cardigan, Bitten. Sweater, Merona. Tank, No Boundaries. Jeans, M. Slippers, Walmart. Necklace, Dillard’s?


Christmas, for me, is not about looking fashionable, but rather being comfortable! My favorite Christmas tradition is taking goofy pictures with our gifts and sending those photos with the thank-you notes. I’m sure my brother-in-law will forever regret sending us The Bathroom Book for Christmas.

I think we started another fun tradition this year….buying a live lobster for dinner and laughing at our cats checking it out. (No animals were harmed in the encounter. I’m afraid the lobster was boiled alive shortly afterwards, though.)

If this were a fighting match, the lobster definitely won, even with its claws held with rubber bands. The cats were simply terrified of the giant bug.

Blushing Humbug

Trench dress, Forever 21 (thrifted and overdyed by me). Striped dress and leggings, Mossimo. Long-sleeved tee, Bitten. Boots, Playhouse. Tooled leather belt, thrifted. Bag, Target. Ring, Jan Michaels San Francisco. Earrings, Panagea. Feathered clip, 100 yen store.


Trying the layered dress thing again.
I’m not really a humbug, but I’m afraid that I appear to be one because I lack any holiday “pieces of flair.” I’ll make up for that tomorrow.

P.S. Erin’s flushed cheeks inspired me to find a new blush. I’ve been using Maybelline Dream Mousse in Pink Frosting, but I found that it just wasn’t highly pigmented enough. In order to get the intensity I wanted, I had to use so much product that it was crumbling and falling off my face as I rubbed it in. I had some Lorac blush from a holiday set I ordered a couple of years ago, but I don’t like it because (1) it’s a powder and I prefer cream and (2) the color is all wrong for my complexion! I visited Sephora and switched to Stila Convertible Color in Petunia. Now, that’s the ticket! (I’ve also really liked DuWop’s Blush Therapy in Hug.) With my complexion, the brightest, most sickening pink looks best.

Vet

Sweater, Express. Dress, No Boundaries. Long-sleeved tee, Bitten. Jeans, Express. Wedge loafers, AE for Payless. Bag, Payless. Earrings, Claire’s.










My new favorite earrings. They are angel wings carved out of shell.
I took one of my cats to the vet today. Happy Christmas, Sammy!

Holiday Cheer

Coat, Via Spiga. Hat, Nine West. Boots, Target. Scarf, gift. Gloves, Walmart. Sweater, Forever 21. Turtleneck, Merona. Jeans, Express. Pumps, Wet Seal. Scarf, from the hippie store in the Dayton mall.

I went on a bus adventure to get to my friend’s party. It was a good time.

Mail Bag: London Times Dress

I have been reading your blog for fashion inspiration, and I am wondering if you could help me. You know that London Times dress that you have in turquoise and black? I have it in brown (a friend gave it to me when she was cleaning out her closet), and I can't figure out what to wear with it. I don't have a very defined waist, so I am a bit afraid of the belt (and I don't really own any nice belts), but I want to make this dress work because I love the brown color. Do you think a brown belt would be best? Or a contrasting color? Or could I find another way to make the dress look less shapeless? (I am short, so the dress goes to right below my knee.)

I'm sure you don't have time to give fashion advice to everyone who reads your blog, but I would be grateful for any ideas you might have.

thank you!
Deborah

How I love that London Times dress! Some might find its swingy shape daunting, but I love all the options the lack of structure offers. If you’d like to cinch it in, you can use a belt or top it with a vest or jacket.

Belted
I’ve tried the dress with skinny belts and fat belts. Belts that match, belts that don’t. They’re all good:


If you’re a bit thicker-waisted, I recommend belting the dress higher than your natural waist, around the ribcage. That is usually one of the slimmest points of a woman’s torso and you’ll get less of a bulge above and below the belt. An empire waist also makes your legs look longer.

Topped
I’ve only done this once, but I’ll do it again. These breezy dresses can be reigned in by vests, cardigans, or jackets that are fitted from anywhere just under the bust to your natural waist.


Loose
Not everyone is a fan of this look, but I like how wearing the dress uncinched puts the focus on your face, legs, and feet. This works best if the hem hits above the knee.


I encourage you to experiment. Two looks you'd probably like best are (1) a medium-width brown belt cinched high on your waist or (2) a fitted, two button blazer, fastened. The first option will give you a long, lean look and the second will create an hourglass figure. If you hem the dress to above the knee, you could also try it uncinched.

Enjoy the dress! It’s one of my favorites.

Holly Jolly

Dress, London Times. Tights, Hue. Shoes, Nine West. Earrings, Claire’s.

I sort of accidentally ordered these shoes. I had them on my Amazon wishlist (in the orange/mustard/brown multi) from this summer. When I went to buy a few gifts for family (also saved to my wishlist) I found that the shoes had been marked down to $23.99, but were only available in black patent. I couldn’t resist the low price and free shipping. The black makes them perfect to swap out with my lace-up pumps.

I had to work some Photoshop magic to capture the true color of the tights in the lead pictures. The flash made them appear bright blue. This indoor photo, with no flash, shows the purple color as it appears in life.

P.S. I wore this to a holiday party. This is what I wore last year to the same event.

LGTMAS: Choose Your Favorite Style

I hope you enjoyed The Lucky Guide to Mastering Any Style series as much as I did! My creativity was taxed by some of the styles, but I got a better understanding of my own preferences along the way. I was particularly intrigued by the Rock and Roll and Bohemian styles and plan to incorporate more elements of both into my everyday wardrobe. (Hot Topic and World Market, here I come!)

Which style was your favorite?

Which style did you like best?
	Mod
	Bombshell
	Posh Eclectic
	Arty Slick
	Euro Chic
	Rock and Roll
	California Casual
	American Classic
	Gamine
	Bohemian
pollcode.com free polls

LGTMAS: Bohemian

Jacket, Dex (via swap). Dress, Jovovich Hawk for Target. Tights, Target. Boots, White Mountain. Scarf, Camp Foster “mall” (with tassels added by me). Bag, MCI (thrifted).


Is it terribly vain if I say I LOVE this outfit? Every single piece of it is one of my current favorites.

I hesitated to wear this to work because it seems awfully casual. But it’s my last day in the office this year, so it’s kind of like the ultimate casual Friday. Compared to all the light-wash jeans I’ll see at work today, I’ll be dressed up.

Inspiration from the book:

Today is the last day of the Lucky Guide to Mastering Any Style series. I’d like to ask YOU to nominate a Bohemian Lucky Blogger Girl (or Boy). I’m excited to see who you’ll pick.