Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Again in Gainesville...
I thought I would get in a quick note before I have to get ready to head off to my Indy re-sale excursion. I talked to my sister, Lisa, in Gainesville this morning and do you know she did it again. Yesterday's finds included two bags, one an older style Dooney and Bourke and the other a mid-size Coach bag. Both of them needed a bit of cleaning up but ya wanna know how much they were... hmmmmm? They were $1.99 each!!!!!! The coach bag was apparently hanging on a doorknob in my sisters house when my 17 yr. old niece, Beth came home from school... and she looked at it and said, "Hey! Now that is really cute!" From a 17 yr. old I'd say that is more than a ringing endorsement! Lisa is truly more than amazing with the thrift finds... when I reintorduced style into her life I believe I created a monster, so to speak.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Trends, trends and more trends...
Good evening all my friends. As promised I am thinking about style trends this evening. Now, let me begin by saying that I have never found a rule or trend that can't be broken, however... in a effort to be current you ought to at least know a few basic trends and then do what you want. In other words if you are going to buck or ignore a trend at least know you are doing it and make it count.
Trends: (to follow or not)
1. Skinny jeans: I personally took a long time to come around to this one and now own several pair. They really are quite flattering if you are able to locate the correct ones. I am pear shaped (carry weight on my upper thighs and rear) and have a few brands I gravitate toward... Joe's cigarette jean, AG skinny straight and Pilcro slim straight. I am sure there are other out there as well, but these just seem to be cut best for my body type. I still have many pairs of wide leg or trouser cut jeans as well as these are definitely not "out of style" but certainly the skinny is something you really should test. They look good... really they do. One note of advice... the darker the denim the better they look at least on the more mature of us.
2. longer skirts: Can I get an "AMEN" on this one. I am sooo excited about it. I have always been a devote of the 1950's "new look" and this seems to have some vintage punch. I recently purchased a green and brown longer circle skirt from Anthropologie (orig price: $125 sale price: $59) It is adroable and the fact that I will wear it with a t-shirt and casual shoes will make it modern with a twist. I am noticing that this trend was also seen in spring 2011, collections at NYC's recent fashion week... sooooo.. it isn't going anywhere. I do think that it is important to note that volume of any kind on the bottom means much less on the top... avoid the "dumpies" by wearing this trend with a more fitted top and you will be oh so chic!
3.jewel tones: I love black and yet I almost never wear a black dress! I find that dressy events or nights out that seem to call for a black dress often in reality DO NOT. If you have a black dress that you have and love and is less that 20 yrs old by all means keep it and wear it... if you are ready for a change... and lord knows I am always ready for a change... go for a deep, saturated emerald, carnelian or saphire! They can be just as flattering and really beautiful among a sea of black. Just a thought! If a colored dress is far too frightening then try adding a scarf in a deep color. Not one that has you looking like Grandma from Little Red Riding Hood, but one of the longer ones that can be looped around a few times or an infinity loop that is merely a "scarf circle"...
Those are just a few things to consider about trends and really not all that out of reach.. I also wanted to let everyone know that my favorite resale boutique in Indianapolis has both a Facebook page and a website the link is http://www.toggeryresale.com./ I highly recommend a visit if you are in the Indianapolis area. I hope to head there tomorrow and will let you all know of "must not miss items"...
Enjoy your evening, all! See you all soon.
Trends: (to follow or not)
1. Skinny jeans: I personally took a long time to come around to this one and now own several pair. They really are quite flattering if you are able to locate the correct ones. I am pear shaped (carry weight on my upper thighs and rear) and have a few brands I gravitate toward... Joe's cigarette jean, AG skinny straight and Pilcro slim straight. I am sure there are other out there as well, but these just seem to be cut best for my body type. I still have many pairs of wide leg or trouser cut jeans as well as these are definitely not "out of style" but certainly the skinny is something you really should test. They look good... really they do. One note of advice... the darker the denim the better they look at least on the more mature of us.
2. longer skirts: Can I get an "AMEN" on this one. I am sooo excited about it. I have always been a devote of the 1950's "new look" and this seems to have some vintage punch. I recently purchased a green and brown longer circle skirt from Anthropologie (orig price: $125 sale price: $59) It is adroable and the fact that I will wear it with a t-shirt and casual shoes will make it modern with a twist. I am noticing that this trend was also seen in spring 2011, collections at NYC's recent fashion week... sooooo.. it isn't going anywhere. I do think that it is important to note that volume of any kind on the bottom means much less on the top... avoid the "dumpies" by wearing this trend with a more fitted top and you will be oh so chic!
3.jewel tones: I love black and yet I almost never wear a black dress! I find that dressy events or nights out that seem to call for a black dress often in reality DO NOT. If you have a black dress that you have and love and is less that 20 yrs old by all means keep it and wear it... if you are ready for a change... and lord knows I am always ready for a change... go for a deep, saturated emerald, carnelian or saphire! They can be just as flattering and really beautiful among a sea of black. Just a thought! If a colored dress is far too frightening then try adding a scarf in a deep color. Not one that has you looking like Grandma from Little Red Riding Hood, but one of the longer ones that can be looped around a few times or an infinity loop that is merely a "scarf circle"...
Those are just a few things to consider about trends and really not all that out of reach.. I also wanted to let everyone know that my favorite resale boutique in Indianapolis has both a Facebook page and a website the link is http://www.toggeryresale.com./ I highly recommend a visit if you are in the Indianapolis area. I hope to head there tomorrow and will let you all know of "must not miss items"...
Enjoy your evening, all! See you all soon.
Friday, September 17, 2010
....later that same afternoon...
I was in the car on my way to pick up my son at preschool and thinking about lots of other things that would be appropriate for this new blog! So I considered that perhaps there are signs that this, and other myriad style blogs might be for you! Here was the list I came up with, short and sweet:
A. You have not changed your hair style/color since you were 18 to 20 years old.
B. The only place you can find the makeup you currently wear is The Vermont Country Store Catalogue
C. The zippers on your pants exceed the acceptable length of approx. 4 inches give or take... this may be ammended if the pants are newly purchased high waist pants and have that Katherine Hepburn elegance otherwise they are referred to in our household as "big zipper pants".
Just in case you were wondering... "big zipper pants" are not in any way preferrable to or more acceptable than elastic waist pants. They are simply different forms of the same "ewwwww..." factor!
So.. a few moments to discuss hair styles! My girl, fabulous at A-Do Hairdesign in Broadripple (Indianapolis, IN) is Jennifer Miller. She is the BEST. I have gone to her for over 10 years so consequently before she opened her own uber-cool salon and have almost no "bad hair days". My look has been long and straight (past shoulders), long and curly (my hair is naturally curly), chin length, and shorter... currently I am sporting a short, chic cut with edge, oh and a few "pops" of purple. While I understand that most people don't change their hair style seven times a year as I do. I cannot understand why anyone would continue to go to a stylist who does not provide them with a look they enjoy. For this reason I have recently sent several of my local friends to A-Do for their haircuts.
We have, I am speaking from hearsay only because NO ONE local will EVER touch my hair, in town a woman who does the "fun, funky cut". How do I know this... pssst... not hard to tell 'cause it is the same cut on everyone! Short and choppy, but not a style... just short and choppy! Just FYI, I live in a really small town about an hour northwest of Indianapolis and I am definitely not a small town kind of girl. So... on my recommendation I sent my first friend Jill, to A-Do. She wanted a "not from Indiana cut". One year later she is still a happy client. Friend two, Kelly, who was tired of the same old cut and wanted no more bad hair days.... on Tuesday she returned home from her second visit to A-Do with not only a super adorable cut, but PLATINUM BLONDE! How awesome is that! She rocks! Next on my list friend three, Dawn... she will be making an appointment next week to get a totally new look! I can't wait to see her! I will post pics as soon as I figure out how to post directly to the blog.
I do realize that super big changes are not for everyone. But it does, in fact, make everyone look younger when they keep up with the basic trends. I will address basic trends in my next entry. I firmly believe that if you are wearing the same hair style you wore at 18 and you are now 40-ish... you DO NOT look like you did when you were 18! Sorry to burst your bubble here, but really you just look like you are 40 with hair that belongs on VHI Classic! Seriously, didn't a lot of us have a spiral perm phase in the late 1980's? I did! The key in that statement... "did"... I do not now! Look at magazines and other blogs... try a fresh take. A new cut, color can literally take years off! Step out! Ask a friend whose hair you like where they go and do it! What is the worst that can happen... it is after all hair! It grows and then you have the opportunity to try something new again... evolve! Be creative!
I think I am going to like this "blogging" thing... pics to post soon.
Have a great weekend.
A. You have not changed your hair style/color since you were 18 to 20 years old.
B. The only place you can find the makeup you currently wear is The Vermont Country Store Catalogue
C. The zippers on your pants exceed the acceptable length of approx. 4 inches give or take... this may be ammended if the pants are newly purchased high waist pants and have that Katherine Hepburn elegance otherwise they are referred to in our household as "big zipper pants".
Just in case you were wondering... "big zipper pants" are not in any way preferrable to or more acceptable than elastic waist pants. They are simply different forms of the same "ewwwww..." factor!
So.. a few moments to discuss hair styles! My girl, fabulous at A-Do Hairdesign in Broadripple (Indianapolis, IN) is Jennifer Miller. She is the BEST. I have gone to her for over 10 years so consequently before she opened her own uber-cool salon and have almost no "bad hair days". My look has been long and straight (past shoulders), long and curly (my hair is naturally curly), chin length, and shorter... currently I am sporting a short, chic cut with edge, oh and a few "pops" of purple. While I understand that most people don't change their hair style seven times a year as I do. I cannot understand why anyone would continue to go to a stylist who does not provide them with a look they enjoy. For this reason I have recently sent several of my local friends to A-Do for their haircuts.
We have, I am speaking from hearsay only because NO ONE local will EVER touch my hair, in town a woman who does the "fun, funky cut". How do I know this... pssst... not hard to tell 'cause it is the same cut on everyone! Short and choppy, but not a style... just short and choppy! Just FYI, I live in a really small town about an hour northwest of Indianapolis and I am definitely not a small town kind of girl. So... on my recommendation I sent my first friend Jill, to A-Do. She wanted a "not from Indiana cut". One year later she is still a happy client. Friend two, Kelly, who was tired of the same old cut and wanted no more bad hair days.... on Tuesday she returned home from her second visit to A-Do with not only a super adorable cut, but PLATINUM BLONDE! How awesome is that! She rocks! Next on my list friend three, Dawn... she will be making an appointment next week to get a totally new look! I can't wait to see her! I will post pics as soon as I figure out how to post directly to the blog.
I do realize that super big changes are not for everyone. But it does, in fact, make everyone look younger when they keep up with the basic trends. I will address basic trends in my next entry. I firmly believe that if you are wearing the same hair style you wore at 18 and you are now 40-ish... you DO NOT look like you did when you were 18! Sorry to burst your bubble here, but really you just look like you are 40 with hair that belongs on VHI Classic! Seriously, didn't a lot of us have a spiral perm phase in the late 1980's? I did! The key in that statement... "did"... I do not now! Look at magazines and other blogs... try a fresh take. A new cut, color can literally take years off! Step out! Ask a friend whose hair you like where they go and do it! What is the worst that can happen... it is after all hair! It grows and then you have the opportunity to try something new again... evolve! Be creative!
I think I am going to like this "blogging" thing... pics to post soon.
Have a great weekend.
This is it!
It is Friday again and I am remembering what that used to mean... going out, dressing up/down and having fun. Recently, I am reminded that Friday is really just the day before Saturday and Sunday when all events, house projects and shopping occurs. Oh well...
I just got off the phone with my sister, Lisa! She is my older sister, by a number of years but I won't say how many... just that I was born when she was in high school! We are very close now and have apparently inherited the "bargain shopper gene" from my mother's side of the family. She had to call me, as she frequently does, with her latest "finds! A Dooney and Bourke bag marked $198 (TJMaxx tag) at a local thrift store for $35!!! Paloma shoes (new) $4.50!!! And a Lithe (Anthropologie) dress for me (how kind!) for $4.00!!!! She gets the best deals on amazing stuff.
I will tell you a bit about Lisa. She is a freelance editor, college English Professor, mother of 2 teens and a twenty-something and truly amazing!!!! She was my very first fashion reclaimation project years ago. Obviously, it worked... right! She doesn't wear striped socks with skirts and clogs anymore or a vast array of pleated, high waisted, too short jeans (SCARY!).
I will post more later today given the appropriate amount of time. I want to talk hair style as that has been my latest focus with a few of my pals around here... for now, suffice it to say that I hope the local "funky hair cut chickie" doesn't start throwing rocks through my living room windows...
I just got off the phone with my sister, Lisa! She is my older sister, by a number of years but I won't say how many... just that I was born when she was in high school! We are very close now and have apparently inherited the "bargain shopper gene" from my mother's side of the family. She had to call me, as she frequently does, with her latest "finds! A Dooney and Bourke bag marked $198 (TJMaxx tag) at a local thrift store for $35!!! Paloma shoes (new) $4.50!!! And a Lithe (Anthropologie) dress for me (how kind!) for $4.00!!!! She gets the best deals on amazing stuff.
I will tell you a bit about Lisa. She is a freelance editor, college English Professor, mother of 2 teens and a twenty-something and truly amazing!!!! She was my very first fashion reclaimation project years ago. Obviously, it worked... right! She doesn't wear striped socks with skirts and clogs anymore or a vast array of pleated, high waisted, too short jeans (SCARY!).
I will post more later today given the appropriate amount of time. I want to talk hair style as that has been my latest focus with a few of my pals around here... for now, suffice it to say that I hope the local "funky hair cut chickie" doesn't start throwing rocks through my living room windows...
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