changing up yr style and/or new look 4 u in 2012

predict your personal style changes
list items you intend to search for
list items you continue to search for

at the end of the year we can see if we did or found those things, i guess

everyone welcome

will you cut your hair? grow it?
cultivate a dignified mustache/other facial hair configuration?
go more casual or more dressy at work?
slowly introduce suspenders into the equation?
look for some mutton sleeved shirts?
attempt to emulate a screen star from yesteryear?
step it up/down in a more general way?
simplify your routine?

or, if you wish, continue to groom yourself at a minimally socially acceptable level?

i intend to find someone to help me make the apron dress i've been dreaming of all these years in several different fabrics, including stiff black polyester, something cottony/summery, and heavy brown tweed with multicolor flecks. also maybe corduroy? who knows.

have set myself a target of weight loss. a need for new clothes that fit will presumably follow.

-to find an actual hair style. and then keep it cultivated all year.
-still can't grow a beard. or a tache for that matter - i get a kind of opposite to the hitler moustache where nothing grows under my nose and it looks silly.
-more dressy
-i wonder where my suspenders are. and i wish i had more than one shirt they actually worked with
-i dont know what mutton sleeved shirts are but i will google.
-only if they are from the 1920s maybe
-need to step it up; throw out the majority of my wardrobe and start again.
-actually create a routine more like

in my mind i am thinking 'less colour, more monochrome', 'stuff that actually fits and doesn't make me look as bulky as i am', '...silk, for some reason' and the big one, 'finally sort my terrible skin problems out'.

create a routine, build an adult wardrobe, skincare.
all within your reach for sure

the dress i have in mind is less this (look how childish it is! the waist is too high and it fits like a toddler's dress, do not appreciate that)
http://www.ofdresses.com/img/Pinafore-Dresses.jpg

more structured like this, but possibly with slightly shorter skirt (hers was mid calf? that's a bit dowdy even for me. i prefer just below knee.)
http://s117942963.websitehome.co.uk/mostmusic/PCSOM.JPG

Goals for 2012~!!

^ Keep the short hair.
^ Maybe have shorter hair!
^ Sew!!!! In spring, probably, because spring clothes are easier.
^ Collect shorter straight skirts instead of below-the-knee pencil ones, because squared-off look is more in keeping w the rest of my look than the whole '50s bombshell shape.
^ Wear shoes that I don't have to fight to keep on my feet: things that lace up or have straps. This is a tragedy because I ADORE tiny little skimmers/flats that are mostly open, but they pop off when I walk and my feet can't handle the extra strain.
^ Buy at least a few expensive bras

Ha, see if I call it a goal, I almost certainly won't do it. I have to conceive of it as something I'm "trying to do" as opposed to something I will "achieve". Because I am an almost certainly an underachiever by nature, habit, and proven track record.

Ahem.

Folkwear dirndl pattern here.

I want to make sure I am dressed somewhat age-appropriately in 2012, by my own standards at least. Maybe I should get rid of that stupid baby dress I wear on days off, stuff like that. Crap that doesn't fit or look good or anything.

In sum, I intend to trim the crap/step it up slightly.

xp -- OOOH THANK YOU

• more patterned dress shirts
• more clothes that are more adaptable to wearing with other clothes in my wardrobe (instead of matching only one other item of clothing so that I have to wear them both anytime I wear one)
• find shoes I actually like

xp It will enhance the (milk)maiden in you in case you were wondering.

^ I want to dress more geometric/visually interesting and less femme-y this year. This is a laugh, sort of, because "less" for me is prob still more than for a lot of people, but I'm determined to privilege "interesting" over "pretty".

that dirndl is my kind of uniform! it can be taken in so many different directions.

femmey is ok, but i am staying away from cute because polls show it is nagl in 2012

The entire genre of Folkwear patterns was made for you, btw, LL. Please do not fail to notice the Gibson Girl Blouse or the Russian peasant dress.

i'm going to work on finding someone to make me the dirndls (dirndlen?) first, and then move on. one step at a time.

that is but one of my various looks, mustn't neglect the others. although maybe i should try to avoid wearing things that people have said make me look like liberace.

gonna stick w/ being handsome and cool i think

sensible option lamp

not rlly a style thing but i need to replace all my underwear+socks. most obvious place in my lyfe where 'you buy cheap you buy twice' stands out

- another pair of skinny jeans
- go to up-and-coming local designer sales (i went to one other day and got a skirt and a dress for $150! which is realllly good for the quality/design)
- more sexy shirts that aren't just, like, v-neck t-shirts
- upkeep of the current hairdo/colour
- i think i will go buy a new expensive bra today too

I might buy a new jumper. Maybe wait until Autumn 2012 though.

my new year's style resolution is to buy a pair of jeggings. i have never felt confortable rocking this look but i found an old sweater of my dad's that almost looks like this one:
http://totokaelo.com/store/products/wood-wood/fw11/ana-cardigan/dark-grey

i can't actually afford anything from totokaelo (helllooo $600 rick owens sweatshirt!) but in general i want to try to copy many of their looks and dress a bit more modern.

i also feel like i should be using etsy more - i don't even know where to start with that.

that is totally my day off look! right down to the boots.

haha i def know some girls that at least look like they buy all their clothes from totokaelo its a good look imo

i really want some lace up boots like that!

i've gone through 4 pairs of justin lacers in the last 8 years or so and have enjoyed every minute of every one
most i've found secondhand on ebay, the first pair i got at goodwill
they are my perfect shoes and i will probably just keep buying them and wearing them until justin stops making them
then i will cry

I'd like to get a different shade each time I color my hair--I might as well have some fun with my hair now that I'm grey.

I'd also like to get some pants that aren't jeans (and I hope I can get some money to do so pretty soon, because I currently have only one wearable pair of jeans). I have a hard time finding a good style, though--any suggestions? I have very, very short legs, a big rear end and a big belly.

- thinking about a pixie cut
- my look right now is 'jeans and plaid shirt' OR 'patterned skirt, plain shirt, cardie', feel like maybe i should sharpen this up a notch
- gonna throw out some old unused clothing RIGHT NOW while i am thinking about it
- maybe going to learn to hang my clothes up this year, also?

There's also a bunch of things that need to be replaced--my bra is seriously stretched out and the strap on my purse is about to break.

My style resolution is to start wearing more skirts/dresses. My legs are probably my best feature and I nearly always wear pants. I would like to change this. Ladies - where are your fav skirt/dress shopping places. I need recs. If it helps I favor a line mod type shift dresses/ skirts and also like fuller 50's style skirts too. Not into straight/pencil skirts cause I just don't think they do me any favors.

I would also like to find a hair stylist I actually like and stick with for more than one or two cuts.

Also stop being afraid of heels and learn how to walk in them. That said, I just tried on some today and they were prob three inches and made me a giant. This one might be tough.

i've been thinking maybe i should give pants a try

In 2011 I upped my makeup game somewhat; in 2012 I would like to up my hair game. This means I am going to need to learn to master my own updos!

Laurel, will you please be my updo mentor, even if you've gone short and may go even shorter? I was trying to find the lady from yootube that you liked, but failed. . . blond lady, 30s/40s, maybe lives in Berlin? Is this ringing any bells? Does a lot of vintage styles?

Lol we can swap styles

HS wear to buy cool skirts?

Skirts: seriously strongly suggest boring lady department stores that stock office-wear!!! You really want a lined skirt, non-lined ones ride up, twist around, and are more likely to look cheap (mostly bc they ARE cheaper to make). And boring career-wear departments have the widest selection of lined black skirts!!

i will wear any old skirt, but i also have a wide array of slips that pretty much take care of the lined/not lined issue for me. are you looking for work skirts or fun skirts? (again, this is a very real divide in my line of work)

quinie: her youtube account name is BerlinHairBaby!

lately i get all my clothes at marshall's and tj maxx due to no money/living in lol buffalo. marshalls has some cute sheaths + shifts if you have about an hour to hunt for them. anthropologie has a lot of cringey preciousness + a gross catalogue + is overpriced but i got a couple of good, interesting-detail, not looking totally like a piece of candy skirts that i still wear from there a few years ago on sale. finally, i have yet to actually buy a dress from asos online, but thanks to kinder i am obsessed with it. that adorable 60s mod dress has still not gone on sale! it's $200 but i want it!!! you should make someone buy it for you.

xxp also nordstrom rack, for skirts. less fun detailing potentially but good-quality stuff. is there a nordstrom rack in boston? i miss nordstrom rack.

Eh fun skirts more than work ones but my office is pretty casual- I wear jeans a lot - so I could prob wear a lot of "fun" skirts to work too!

You make a good point about slips! For various reasons I hate them, so I stick to lined skirts.

Heels: Everyone has their own walk/style, but the advice I find best is to take slower, longer strides. Your legs are practically speaking LONGER now, so think of your foot as a ball on the end of a pendulum and slow that shit down.

oh, it's not mod, but anyway, someone buy this: http://images.asos.com/inv/media/9/8/9/6/1746989/red/image1xxl.jpg

omg sorry for hueg

Dear god you have the most amazing taste in dresses hs.

I really hate both clothes shopping and trying on clothes which makes stores like marshals my worst nightmare even tho I know tons od people who hunt and find good stuff there. I get fed up/bored after about 20 mins.

I actually usually a lot of things I love at anthro but it's so $$$$$. I should keep an eye out for sales and learn to like shopping. Thanks for the tips tho.

That is pretty but I wish it had either elbow length or 3/4 length sleeves.

Laurel, YOU have amazing taste in dresses! <3

I don't know how a human being could actually WEAR that dress to do more than walk around and stand still a lot, but it's phenomenal and BRAVE. Red!

i am kind of bad at shopping for every day, tbh. hence: pants in 2012.

I love red. It's my fav clothing color aside from black.

tbh my personal aesthetic could historically have been described as "a piece of candy" or "a crazy candy-colored mess." i am trying to be more subdued in the '12.

Oh here is a good one. I vow to no longer only buy black clothes.

as befits a woman of my advancing years lol

I love red and black glossy things. I bought a fancy label handbag in patent black with red accents at TJM over the hols.

Now that I've passed 50, I'll be aiming for a distinguished, Omar Sharif, graying eminence-type look.

how will you achieve that? through pomade and scent?

First I'm going watch Doctor Zhivago five or six times.

play more bridge

very stylish

i'm dying for this anthropologie dress to go on sale (even though i hate everything about them as a company):
http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=24157042&catId=CLOTHES-DRESSES&pushId=CLOTHES-DRESSES&popId=CLOTHES&navCount=0&color=049&isProduct=true&fromCategoryPage=true&isSubcategory=true&subCategoryId=CLOTHES-DRESSES&templateType=subCategory

i am going to find a v awesome and v expensive hairstylist and i am going to get heavy bangs to finally cover my enormous forehead

justine srsly you should go see my hairdressing genius friend janet - she's cutting hair at pau1's h@t w0rks - http://about.me/MissJanet

he email is on that page near the end

ooooo that dress. like it. xp

I vow to no longer only buy black clothes.

i should try for that too.

also:

nu-glasses (reading eyeglasses thread!)
occasional lipgloss
hair accessories for my longer-than-ever-before hair
trim ends of said hair

ooh that reminds me!
- getting contacts!

- wear things that are more flattering, and less neutral/camouflage
- all my friends are a bunch of weirdos, so there's no reason i can't be dressy/glammy whenever i feel like it
- accept that wearing shaping undergarments when appropriate does not make me a lame-o

xp to Christine -- is there a reason you have to wear pants? My build is not dissimilar to yours, and i am much happier wearing skirts. You could go with an elastic waist skirt that's designed to be full.

thank you robyn!!! i will investigate :)

- get a haircut
- don't let as long pass between next haircut and succeeding haircut as has passed between haircut-to-be and antecedent haircut

Shaping/support undergarments are stretchy little gifts from heaven. It could be worse, there could be girdles.

in my goth days i wore things with a bunch of clasps that didn't quite have corsetry-style boning, but did have wirey things that were uncomfortable.

oh, and i totally <3 folkways patterns! (need to get back into sewing) - i still have the folkways pattern for the glamour girl dress i made almost 20?! yrs ago

i want to get a few things that are handmade/made to my measurements - i think etsy is probably a good place to look for this...

if anyone has etsy stores they really like please share them!

i think i'm gonna try and grow an epically huge beard.

on my way to doing that atm

rolling beards on white guys 2012

yeah i saw your beard and was super impressed. i've seen a few v good beards lately that have been influencing my thinking. i think i'm largely having these thoughts bc of this hot guy in one of my classes with a fucking huge beard.

i'm not growing a beard but it's been two months since i've remembered to shave /:

isn't that the same thing?

haha my bf really wants me to grow a beard but i think itd make me some kind of caricature

(redacted), distinguishable by his red beard and almost constant wearing of a trucker hat (this one was black with a pink boom-box on the front)

i promise i will not be wearing trucker hats in 2k10

thanks t — a random tumblr find finally inspired me to grow mine out

I'm getting a bit bored after 10 years of having not-really-a-beard-but-still-a-beard. Thinking of shaving, though it will be a while before I muster the courage.

will you cut your hair? grow it?

big question, i'm thinning on top a lot, can't decide if it's worse lately due to (a)less talented hairdresser, total genius who used to cut it has quit the hairdressing game to make techno! lol east london. or (b)my attempt to try new products before deciding the stuff i buy in boots was better than all the premium shit.

been thinking about shaving it all short but i'm prob not there yet, just need a good hairdresser and prob to get it cut very often.

cultivate a dignified mustache/other facial hair configuration?

still rocking the beard and think it's here for the foreseeable. may experiment with shaving it off for a week or two but that'd be scary.

go more casual or more dressy at work?

my work is ultra casual and i want to be more dressy even when i am dressy. prob go more dressy but i've been working a lot on my casual being smarter, i've seldom had a problem with dressy but my casual clothes were too casual last few years.

slowly introduce suspenders into the equation?

slowly remove them.

look for some mutton sleeved shirts?

of course m'lady.

attempt to emulate a screen star from yesteryear?

attempt to emulate lane pryce/keith floyd/golfers of the 19th century.

step it up/down in a more general way?

step it up...i've been really stepping it up the last 6/7 months and people been commenting positively on stuff so i'm keen to continue. i've had a bit more cash lately to do this too.

stuff i want:

prob a more straight up pair of brogues, i wear these saddle shoes non stop https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/208155_507941556483_259200096_215893_4043228_n.jpg

but wouldn't mind a classic pair of brown grensons or whatever.

i want a suit as i'm normally blazer mixed and matched with trousers which is grand but nice to have suits for some more formal times, or just to wear anyway.

wool trousers or tweed trousers, got a really nice pair yday, i like quite skinny fitting style which can be hard to find with this sort of trouser. i am really into houndstooth and that kind of thing but again tough to find.

generally i want to travel a bit more for vintage stuff this year as obv london is full of it.

also want a new mac, something really classic that will last me a while, and since i've got some tax coming back in feb i might splash out for this, if i can get second hand i will though.

feel happier about my style than i ever have these days so bring on 2012...

omg i love those shoes

yesterday i bought my first piece of 2012 clothes. spent ages in topshit trying on different types of the same colour (a light brown chino) and it turns out a skinny fit worked best. who woulda funk it? also it was only when i went to pay did i find out they were at sale price, so yay for that too.

localgarda those are very nice shoes.

tall women who are not afraid to wear heels are amazing

I am 5'8" and in some heels I am 6'... and it feels SO POWERFUL

I guess wearing black and white is my new style jam? I will never shop at that black and white only shop, though.

omg that place is crazy! i was looking for a dress to wear to a friend's wedding at the lol mall and made the mistake of stepping into that store and the salespeople were like vultures! they swooped in and made me try on a million dresses and were like, "oh, girl"ing me the whole time like we were best friends in a romantic comedy and i was like what...is...happening. it was traumatic.

dresses! eShakti is my jam. The first one I got was ever so tight in the waist, so I ordered a size up for my Christmas gifts (gift card from husband) and these are all maybe a bit baggy. But not too bad. I need to get better about taking some pictures! I am thinking of taking these to a dry cleaner to get a bit tailored. But I adore the designs/patterns/LENGTH(!) - as I've mentioned before I'm 6'1" so most dresses and skirts are so short on me, but the last few I got were below my knee. Almost feels TOO long, but I think I have tall woman PTSD.

I am trying to buy things that aren't solid black with solid lines. One of the dresses has frills on it! It makes me feel incredibly 'womanly.'

I hope that these are not insanely huge. I will admit I am making no inroads here but I really like eShakti - doesn't feel too cheap, they seem to throw pockets in EVERY DRESS! - also, it seems they will add/remove sleeves, change hem and necklines, etc. I must get some measurements going so that I am armed for my next order!

http://www.eshakti.com/clothimages/CL0022351L.jpg
This was my first purchase, the one that fit a bit tight but not too bad at the waist. Shoulda trusted my size and stuck with it!

http://www.eshakti.com/clothimages/CL0021672L.jpg
bought this dude in red, my husband almost exploded with glee when he saw me in it.

http://www.eshakti.com/clothimages/CL0022893L.jpg
This one is SO big on me and that makes me sad because I adore it. Luckily, enough to get it tailored! I only paid $20 for this dress.

http://www.eshakti.com/clothimages/CL0022364L.jpg
this dress is all I ever wanted, and has things I have never owned before: chiffon top, frills, faux-wrap, green (husband once called me a Christmas tree when he was mad at me and I was wearing green.. I punished him good but can't shake the green & red = Christmas mental block)

I also bought two Modcloth dresses, one slightly too small, one too large :( The one that's a bit weirdly large is their 'Soda Fountain dress' which I coveted for years and was always sold out, but I found it on there, on sale to boot, in the perfect purple for my skin tone. Need to sort that out, make it fit me.

Here are two teeny-tiny images from the email because I can't be bothered to look on the site!
http://productshots3.modcloth.com/productshots/0092/2277/3cbe78e8650c9c11bb7a9bd114a23991.jpg
Teal is another risk, as is shoulderless and with a fancy little bow at the neck, but it absolutely does not work on me and as a result I am a little sad.
http://productshots0.modcloth.com/productshots/0022/4697/1f10797119529328b3db88ef51f3b285.jpg
Soda Fountain, you WILL be mine. Once I chop an inch or two off the sides and make your bust less weirdly baggy.

grrr, those are huge, and comically small. Balances each other out maybe? Also I am sorry, I should've taken this to the dress thread but I wanted to push eNShaktiBB

these are my every day/every way boots i mentioned upthread
they're the best
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7152/6545139891_8eb54ba047_z.jpg

that crazy person is totally not me

Erica, indulge me, because i'm bored. do you like any of these skirts? less for buying purposes (none of them is on sale) and more for figuring out what kind of thing you're looking for.
http://g-lvl3.nordstromimage.com/imagegallery/store/product/Medium/13/_6706913.jpg
http://images.asos.com/inv/media/8/5/5/8/1958558/black/image1l.jpg
http://g-lvl3.nordstromimage.com/imagegallery/store/product/Medium/8/_6627128.jpg
http://g-lvl3.nordstromimage.com/imagegallery/store/product/Medium/15/_6706815.jpg
i know you said no pencil, re: the last one, but my cursory search revealed not that many fun skirts tbh. it also made me realize that i wear more dresses than skirts because i am lazy and a dress is a whole outfit! you're done!

eek that mint one is so short! i would never wear that with heels but that's me. and you were not asking me.

it is kind of short in the picture and would probably be short on E. ime skirts like that are much more reasonable on me. it looks like one i used to have, except mine was not diane von f and didn't have that slit. i think i was just yearning. feel free to disregard, Erica.

cosign on dresses being awesome because you don't have to think too much! except when it becomes winter in canada and you trade bare legs and arms for black tights and cardis because I am too dumb to accessorize

I would like to see E in
http://www.eshakti.com/clothimages/CL0018760L.jpg (http://www.eshakti.com/clothpdpage.asp?catalog=Clothes&cate=dresses&productid=CL0018760&pcat=)

oh it's cute, i just could never wear it to work and i have tons of not-work cute things that i wear with sad infrequency.

the mint one looks like it requires a significant lack of ass.

Lots of well-tailored Lands' End skirts here!!

Laurel, they ship to Canada! I love you even more than before!

eshakti had this really amazing polka dotted dress that looked like something bette midler would wear in "big business" and now I see its GONE

I BLEW IT

I NEED this

http://www.eshakti.com/clothpdpage.asp?catalog=Clothes&cate=winter+savings&productid=CL0022701&pcat=

You know, I was one post away from saying that for straight or A-line skirts, if you want them to be fun, you need pleats or inverted pleats and buttons and buckles AND PIPING, ALWAYS PIPING. AND YOU BRING ME AN INVERTED PLEAT SKIRT WITH BUTTONS AND PIPING. You totally understand me.

Will you be my mommy?

Yes!!!!!!

Good, because my real mommy wouldn't let me own any black clothing, and I could use a re-do.

Erica would look very stunning in this color

http://images.asos.com/inv/media/9/0/8/1/1871809/red/image1xl.jpg

http://us.asos.com/Vero-Moda-Tea-Dress/x8vea/?iid=1871809&cid=5235&sh=0&pge=4&pgesize=20&sort=-1&clr=Red&mporgp=L1Zlcm8tTW9kYS9WZXJvLU1vZGEtVGVhLURyZXNzL1Byb2Qv

Laurel can wear this to Brit Pop night

http://images.asos.com/inv/media/4/9/4/4/2054494/mustard/image1xl.jpg

http://us.asos.com/Glamorous/Glamorous-Colourblock-Tunic-Dress/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=2054494&cid=5235&sh=0&pge=5&pgesize=20&sort=-1&clr=Mustard

as soon as I have money I am getting this skirt

http://images.asos.com/inv/media/4/1/5/6/1926514/creamblack/image1xl.jpg

OMG THIS IS SO HELPFUL!!!

1) Mandee re heels - I agree on the power thing but it's often really hard for me to get over feeling like a giant. I'm working on it.

2) HS I really like most of those but really can't do miniskirts that short. I have pretty long legs and skirts that short make me feel really exposed. Like too much leg! I like the first one a lot though from what I can see.

3)I LOVE LOVE LOVE the second two outfits Mandee posted. I think the red is adorable but am not sure about the fluttery sleeves. The color is great though. The color block dress for Larel's Brit Pop night is AMAZING and I am coveting the striped skirt. I would buy that color blocked dress right now but it looks like it barely covers the models ass which means it would prob be too short for me. I was sort of browsing some shops the other day and nearly everything I was drawn to was either striped or color blocked so those are right up my alley right now.

4) I do like that dress too Lex and could wear it to work. Hmmmm.

I am sick and this is fun. Thanks guys!

Man, I'm so difficult - sorry! lol Gonna go look at more Asos stuff now.

Erica, get that dress and wear leggings underneath it.

I just looked at the colorblock tunic dress again and I WANT IT but it says the model is 5'9" which is what I am and I know I'd never have the guts to wear it outside as a dress. I could maybe pair it with leggings and black flats/boots? Think leggings would feel more substantial than tights which would make me feel better about the length.

LOL x-post - great minds etc.

Dammit! I just grabbed my wallet and was about to order it and they're out of my size. BOOOOOOOOO.

You need to make an ASOS account and get your CC saved in there so you can make more impulse decisions

That's what I do!

In fact, sometimes I have my entire CART SAVED so that when I get paid I CAN JUST CLICK A BUTTON

no I do not have a shopping addiction...

(denial)

lol you're gonna be a bad influence here - I can just tell

My coworker has weekly F21 and Asos shipments, it's pretty amazing. Asos prices seem on average a bit high for my cheap ass, haha. :)

~ I guess I'm growing out my hair, although I was thinking today I would like to go back to the standard bob, but I'll give it some time and learn an updo or two.
~ I have a boots situation I need to sort out, somehow.
~ Otherwise, my style resolution is the same as it is every year: be more goth. At this rate of .02% increased gothness each year, I'll look like this when I reach 70:

http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ky2b12qag51qanb21o1_400.jpg

I have two of the eShakti dresses linked in this thread.

ASOS raised its prices recently, I noticed :/ I just wait for the sales.... then pounce.

Join their mailing list, they post discount codes every so often.
Things I am totally wanting to DISAPPEAR this year are:

- dresses with side cut-outs
- mesh mesh mesh everywhere especially over cut-outs
- super short dresses like 90% of the ones on Modcloth or ASOS

Also please can someone deliver me the perfect pair of mary-janes that have a SMALL heel and aren't clumpy and have the strap relatively low down the foot and are comfortable for every day. Exactly like a pair I had ages ago but re-soled twice then chucked out thinking I could find a replacement nice and easily.

Lol, Laurel, buttons and piping are totally my 'thing' in that my o/h takes the piss out of me for my love of them.

OK so HELP!!

I have resolved to buy one of the following today. I don't give a damn if it's short - I will wear leggings. Anyway, I can't decide between the two. I love them both but think maybe I'd wear the first more? What say you ppl of ILS?

http://images.asos.com/inv/media/1/9/1/6/1806191/red/image1xl.jpg

http://images.asos.com/inv/media/5/1/1/9/1769115/grey/image1xl.jpg

I personally prefer the second, but they are both lovely and stylish. Laurel, horseshoe, or LL can probably give you actual reasons beyond personal preference to pick one or the other.

Good news. I'm already moving on the boot problem. I needed some snow boots that fit my poor beleaguered feet and didn't make me look like a total herb, so: http://www.zappos.com/propet-sturgis-black

i prefer the first because i think (1) the color will look great on you, and (2) the other one kinda gives me a headache, and it will have fewer re-wear opps because of that. plain red can be dressed up or down, put some sleeves under it, a cardigan over it, let yr tights shine (if you feel bold) w/e

the second dress might wind up wearing you

those are sweet boots jenny

I'm in the red camp too, and haven't you said you wear/have a lot of black? I think that red dress is just darling and stunning and a bit more memorable/unique than the b&w. Though don't think I don't like the b&w! I do!

i think the red dress would be more of a go-to dress when wanting to feel both cute and a bit dressed up to go anywhere. and the second one, despite its conservative cut up top, seems like a fun dress for going out, dancing, etc. just depends on what you need! i would go for the red but don't dislike the b&w.

i wonder if we have the same body type, e? because both those would, in theory, also look good on my long-torso-ed, high/short-waisted, broad shouldered/chested, long-legged body. i bought a dark grey-blue dress the other day with similar lines, but it's jersey cotton and has a v-neck - cuteness :)

Everyone otm!

I try hard to love my body but you broad-shouldered and long-legged people are on thin ice--if I hear any complaints about how nothing fits you I will strike and strike hard.

Signed, you friend the slump-shouldered squeezy armful.

Please buy the red dress so I can wear it vicariously because there is no universe in which it would fit over my thighs.

i'll be your toady

there are a lot of clothes that look great on the rack and weird on me, it's true, but i'm not complainin, nope, haha, not with these legs! but i gain weight in an 'apple' way, which means even 2 lbs seems to add an inch to my waist. and my face, lol...
p.s. i have never thought of you as slump-shouldered!

Excellent, that means my figure camouflage/misdirection campaign has WORKED!!!

Y'all unless you're a fit model for a specific line of clothes, it will only be random happenstance that something fits all your unique proportions just right. We're all lovely and stylish (or striving toward stylish) and every body has quirky parts. No bad self-talk 2012!

I'm fine with my body parts, but I covet clothes I can never wear. My life is very sad without that red dress in it.

for a couple of years there, it was really hard to find a skirt that wasn't all full and/or with pleats up to the waist - and even though the patterns and fabrics were pretty, i didn't buy one skirt during this time! srsly the worst style on me for so many reasons, didn't even matter that my legs looked good - it's like legs coming out of a balloon person, lol. but not my body's fault! i had to try on 10-20 skirts to realize this though. no bad self-talk in 2012, for real!!

laurel you have lovely shoulders, don't be ridiculous!

i think i am going to embark on some jegging shopping this week. kind of scared to try them on. i've resisted the legging trend for so long but i think ~it's time~.

I've been tempted with jeggings. And leggings as pants. All my style rules.. :*( but I am sick of baggy pants. I find that pants either fit me really nicely in the back (tight against my awesome butt!) or nicely in the front (no camel toe/not too grabby on my tummy.) I can never find both. I think the real solution here is a ton of situps or something, but.. I have dresses.

I got a $50 Macy's gift card from work so I'm going to go lacy expensive bra shopping. Maybe today!

no bad self-talk in 2012, for real!!

backed x340958456

yes!

yay for lacy expensive bras! My husband bought me two for Christmas (plainish, not very expensive ones) which fit poorly so I exchanged them last night and now I have plain but exceptionally comfortable new t-shirt bras in black and beige. The straps are so nice and stretchy! I gave in and moved up from a 38 to a 40. So much more comfortable.

i'll be your toady too

xp

i mean, really the cheapest/easiest way to have better style is to have more confidence, right?

And more better posture!

oh i ordered some patterns from folkways btw! takin steps in 2012.

the posture thing is definitely a "needs improvement" area for me.

Robyn - it sounds like we do!

I just bought the red dress :)

^^^ me too, big time xp

yay i love that red dress, E!

Okay, what does anyone think of

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61TydFXsq-L._SL1500_.jpg

love!

Amazing, now coveting

would chop off one leg if i could but wear that boot on the other one

Now now, no hacking off body parts in 2012, remember?

Oh god those boots yes get them now

it's a blood sacrifice for the privilege of wearing those magnificent boots

or boot, i guess

yes those boots!
tho unless they have a zipper, they will own you as much as you own them. not that that's a bad thing.

yes they do look like a lot of work. but then, Laurel seems v industrious.

I am, it's true. Also I like hardcore things that are v inconvenient/uncomfortable, I don't feel like I'm doing Accomplishment right unless it hurts somehow.

But they do have a zipper.

http://static2.slamxhype.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/henrik-vibskov-spring-summer-2012-collection-1.jpg

^^ if any dudes reading this thread are getting tired of their current look

first look makes me wonder about the ethics of whether designers should really be cultivating a mentally ill street person "look"

tbf things are p bad but im not homeless yet

haha :) i do love the sweater + leggings though!

erica, i thought so! now we can ILX-ILS online shop together! ;) :)

Wardrobe that pays for itself: people will come up and give you money when you wear it! ;D

:)

Okay, I ordered the boots. So much for winter wellies, eh?

I have very standard proportions, so most clothes fit me just right... I mean, except I am very large-chested, and wide-hipped.. and pretty much big everywhere. Still, I work it. Damn, gurl.

I also will wear just about anything these days, "flattering" be damned.

I procured a new fancy bra and panty set from Agent Provocateur on SALE and oh my god the bra size that fit best was a double D! A DOUBLE D!

Having worn the same model of Wacoal 34C bras for ages now, it now occurs to me that omg maybe I one of the 99% or whatever of women who has been wearing the wrong bra size. Me! Wrong size!

This would so explain the escaping left nipple problem, perhaps?

Anyhow I am going to suck it up and try on a D bra and laugh as I do it because I spent so many years as the chair of the itty bitty titty committee.

I know that ladies often wear the wrong size but how could you spend years not knowing you had a secret huge rack!? I want pretty lacy bras now. Would def not be a DD though. :(

a C is not itty bitty?

Yeah a C is pretty big in my book!

No I agree that a C is not itty bitty, but throughout high school and much of college, I did not have a lot of boob going on. I hit a C sometime after grad school when I had a grown up job that paid enough for me to eat more delicious foodz.

I think the DD was an oddity of this particular fancy AP bra, but I will try the D in my boring old Wacoal model and see if that is better at keeping nipples in check!

Laurel - i am envious of your shoulders because that means you can fit into way more vintage dresses and tops than I can. I first learned to sew so that I could expand the shoulders and sleeves of vintage dresses to fit my peasantly dimensions.

I'm going to look at the AP website as soon as I get home.

will the AP website make my boobs bigger?

^^^

lol

Cup sizes vary w/ band size, so a 34 DD is a smaller cup than a 40 DD. So there's not really an objective C cup.

it's relative, right? like cup size is determined by how many inches larger the biggest boob part is vs the bust measurement

Aye.

You could totally be a DD and have been wearing the wrong size this entire time. A friend of mine just recently got measured at Nordstrom and should be wearing a 32DD when she's been wearing a 34C for years.

Oh, and I wear 38G so I HAVE to buy expensive bras.

i guess i really have no idea what bra size i am

have been thinking of going to nordstroms and getting properly measured since i followed the instructions on a link someone posted here that told me i was a 40DD, and i was like ???!?

Amanda, go to Nordstrom and get a free bra measurement

And get a bra there, and don't bother with Victoria's Secret or whatever. Because Wacoal and Chantelle are the best brands imo.

Victoria's secret sucks imo.

Yup they're awful!

They don't even make my size, though, so it's not like I've worn one anytime in the recent past.

I am only a B so they def make my size and I did wear them when I was younger before I realized that I hated all of them.

Hey, homo, we wear the same bra size!

Amanda there is a good place called Isabella on Armitage right off the Brown Line that is all about personalized fittings. I'll go with you some time. My bras are wearing out.

i was wondering recently what a "bralette" is

also, OK!

xp is that an item of clothing or a snooki-like female?

i guess they're like soft cup bras? basically stretch bras?

for natural 70s boob

what is natural 70s boob?

Not pointy like 50s boobs or high and tight like contemporary boobs.

Just kind of hanging out, being cool and not worrying too much boob. Or maybe disco boob.

lol yes

it's all of those, I think

a natural boob that moves

these are all such great phrases

I read in a snooty book once that the pleasure of truly great bras is that they make the breasts look SMALLER, thereby making the wearer more demure on the outside but revealing a more generous physique to the intimate acquaintance. Snooty book might be full of shit, I haven't decided.

Well I guess surprise big boobs like that are better than finding out someone was wearing a padded gel number and is much smaller in reality. Idk though, it probably is full of shit.

Snooty book is full of shit even if just for the reason that for some folks, making our boobs look smaller would still result in giant looking boobs. Also subtext of stifling sexuality. It's like keeping your hair covered so you can surprise your man with its exotic beauty when you finally take off your bonnet.

But I cam here to post this important piece of information: http://inkdot.tumblr.com/post/7243925631/no-shit

Like if I could somehow manage to squash my boobs into a bra two cups smaller, I would still have 38E cups boobs.

It kind of ties in with the whole "lose 10% of your body weight to be healthy!" trope. 10% less of me would still be a Whole Lotta Jenny. And if I weighed 10% less and went to a doc, that doc would tell me "lose 10% of your body weight to be healthy!"

Basically the message is that whatever you are, it's not right, and there's no way to get to a place where it will be right, because "right" is always one cup smaller or 10% less.

Yeah that's the icky subtext, the stifling/concealment thing and the withholding-from-self-to-give-to-partner thing.

Also that small boobs are demure, so letting your tig ole bitties out into the world makes you a slut. Which is a pretty common narrative (see networks objecting to Lane Bryant lingerie commercial w/ plus size model, networks being just fine with that hideous Victoria's Secret runway model special).

I hear a lot of criticisms of women with big tits out in the real world - specifically from other women. "Oh my god, look at her jugs. Would she put those away?" It makes me sad. Of course dudes love em. But that's beside the point.

ALL BODIES ARE BEAUTIFUL
I LOVE THIS BODY ACCEPTANCE ERA

<3

Yeah, I self-police way too much on that stuff b/c of first my mother's voice in my head for so many years, and then the fact that my boss criticizes me (and anyone else) for having more than a bare arm showing.*

Sorry if I have been this way to ilx. :(

* The other day I went into her office and she said, abruptly, "This is good, I like this outfit. I didn't like what you wore yesterday AT ALL." (Voice curling into a whipcrack on last two words.) Because I wore a miniskirt with leggings underneath and a long sweater. In 2012 I would like to turn over a new leaf of pissing her off more often.

A lot of people a lot, lot thinner than myself: "I wish I could pull that off" re: my fashion/style/etc

It, too, makes me sad. People should wear what they want. Even if they have big boobs, small boobs, a big belly, cellulite, or their arms jiggle. Whatever. I am not perfect at this yet, either - but for years I just hid away in jeans and t-shirts and crap from Old Navy because I always had plans to lose weight and I was either on the losing track of gaining track and nothing ever fit.

That's especially poignant because you're so stylish and inspired by a look or a fabric or a color and just running with it, and obviously enjoying it. I'm glad you decided to change that.

I just yelled at my family for policing a family friend's weight at the dinner table (not in that person's presence). Made me very angry and sad. How did they get so thoughtless and gross?? They are not unkind or gross people (okay my youngest brother sort of is) but they think this is acceptable behavior even toward someone they like/care about.

I want to rep harder for body acceptance in 2012.

One of my very good friends is about 6 years older than me, and kinda old school in her body image... aka she was in her early 20's when heroin chic was in in the 90's, and was constantly berated by her mother for her weight (and she was 120 pounds as a young adult). She's about 5'6", weighs 150 pounds, has had two kids, and has a great figure. But she's constantly asking me if her ass looks big, that she has a double chin, that she "looks fat", etc, and after two years of yelling at her about this I am kinda over it... I'm flat out mean about it. I told her last time if she wanted to know what fat felt like, she would feel it... as I smothered her with my body.

She's also said several times that she wants to have a tummy tuck and a boob job.

Mandee I get why that's annoying but you also don't know what issues she's had or experiences she's gone through.

To make her that way, I mean. This stuff can be really really tough to get over. It's awesome that you're so accepting of yourself but for some people it's a life long struggle. You know?

I understand that, but for two years I've told her I find her comments offensive and she still continues.

She's admitted she has body dysmorphia but won't do anything about it, except only to make offensive comments aloud to her closest friend - who happens to outweigh her by 70 pounds. I'm just tired of trying to lift her up and make her feel better about herself.

Basically minus the having had kids thing I am probably very similar to your friend but I've battled eating disorders most of my life and am still working through a lot of these issues. There is not a day that goes by that I don't worry about my weight or feel unhappy with myself and while I'm trying to deal with that it's a very real part of who I am and who I have been for my entire adult life. It's shitty and it's awful but it's how it is. I'm just saying that while I really admire your attitude and understand that your friend can probably get really irritating your post sounded a little harsh to me.

except only to make offensive comments aloud to her closest friend - who happens to outweigh her by 70 pounds

Yeah well that's bullshit imo and pretty strange tbh.

Yeah it probably does so my apologies if it sounds harsh, but she's frustrating to me in other areas besides this so it's probably coloring my attitude... I am totally sensitive to other people having body image issues, I guess its the constant logorrea that really gets to me

Yeah, that's understandable. It's obviously an issue that hits home with me because I know I am and have been that person even though it's something I try not to do.

It's not just body image, though. I mean, more people should think more about the criticisms they give themselves outloud.

For instance, one day I was whining about my "horrible skin" aloud in front of someone who had cystic acne. She called me out on that.

Yeah, I totally agree. I've done similar before myself.

Ugh I have an awful big boob meanness story to relate, will do so when not on my ph

jenny, that tumblr post is a delight! or at least i am delighted with what i've taken away from it, which is: let's totally get our clothes tailored and feel fantastic.

Also: let's not feel bad when clothes don't fit us the way it fits ppl on TV/magazines.

i subscribe to the same theory as Mandee -- gonna wear what I want when I want because I want to. It could be any number of things, but I'm not going to sit around thinking that my boobs are too small for that dress. I'm just gonna wear the dress.

that's why i wanted to talk about style, not bodies!

so the mean-boob story i have:

my husb works in kind of a shitty environment, with a lot of shitty people. anyway, a woman started there a while ago, middle-aged, fairly conservative in manner and dress... but she had "clearly" had a boob job. not long after she started there, during a conversation with ytth, she mentioned that she had had breast cancer and was in remission. however, since the conversation was just between the two of them, and she hadn't expressly told him it was ok to tell other people, he kept it to himself. but ytth had to listen to a bunch of his co-workers - both male and female - constantly refer to this woman's "boob job" derogatorily, since he didn't feel comfortable saying anything (these aren't the kind of ppl you can say "hey it's not cool the way you're acting, cut it out"). this went on a for a few months, till finally, at their xmas function, one guy started referring to her as "torpedo tits" and she was only at the other end of the table. ytth, getting more and more uncomfortable, concerned that she would overhear this stupid drunk asshole, finally just told him: "she had breast cancer, ok?". apparently, this guy's face just completely fell - his aunt or someone had died from breast cancer, and he was bummed out the rest of the night.

moral of the story: it's none of your goddamn business what someone has or has not done to their boobs, or why, and you should maybe think for a second before you speak, because how would feel overhearing someone talk about the boobs of your sister, or your mother or your daughter??

i love the direction this thread has gone! awesome posting ITT.

i love body acceptance 2012.

<3<3<3

btw I thought a bralet was like a bra with a bit underneath, like a hybrid between bra and those smocked crop top things ppl wore in the 90s.

Thread has gone from great to greater!

haha i def know some girls that at least look like they buy all their clothes from totokaelo its a good look imo

lol this is my gf. Or would be if she was richer.

My style resolutions are to cut my hair more frequently, wear more slacks and fewer jeans, more shoes and fewer sneakers, and tuck my shirt in more often. Also I am going to buy a suit

those are basically my style resolutions as well, really

also 'spend less time reading fantasy novels from amazon and more time going to poetry readings at the independent bookshop'

I have a style change addendum, per the thing I posted and c sharp's comment:

~ find a tailor I like.
~ alternatively, step up my sewing game, but being realistic, finding a tailor is more likely.

That article about the tailored clothes was fascinating. The only thing I've ever had tailored are formal dresses. Thinking I need to find one I like too and start using him/her on the reg.

My style prediction for 2012: I will continue to wear lots of brown, and my ancient clothes will continue to fall apart.

man remember in the 80s/90s when a red head wearing pink or red was just NOT DONE. How freakin ridiculous.

This year i want to learn to sew collars, peter pan or pointy, to add to dresses or plain not collared shirts. also cuffs if shirt or dress is long sleeved. If anyone knows of a good collar pattern PLease l;et me now <3

i know its kind of 90s but i really enjoy a collar.

Also this year i plan to buy well made classic pieces that will last years rather that some shitty cardigan from target that has holes in it within month.

Actually what id really like to do is learn to make patterns and sew my own clothes because i can never find anything off the rack that exactly how i want it.

emil.y i have no idea how to wear brown! i have brown clothes but cant work them into anything. im mostly a black/purple/white/pink/blue person because of this :(

i wore a replica of Stacey Dash's 'Clueless' collared red dress to my brother's wedding in 96. Wasn't working at all on my me. material for the dress was some kid of weird silky polyester deal. very wrong. and the red was nowhere as deep. more an orange red. ugh.

http://vintageclothesdesignerdrugs.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/clueless.jpg

my ancient clothes will continue to fall apart.
this is happening to me too and i'm just not even sure what to do about it
do i really have to buy *new* sweaters? what?

yesterday i got fed up with a hideously oversized tshirt that i loooove otherwise, so i cut about 4 in off the bottom (leaving it still below my hips, mind) cut off the ribbed neck, and trimmed the sleeves and WOW does it look better! it looks like a girl's shirt now and i can wear it with pride.

totokaelo is having a sale, which means $600 sweatshirts marked down to $400, still can't afford anything.

Sales that are a slap in the face.

even if i did have the money i wouldn't spend it on a bunch of droopy clothes, it just seems wrong. starving children, etc.

I can't stand clothes shopping, so most of my newer clothes are charity shop presents from my family (or occasionally friends - one gave me a really nice shirt as a reward for going to counselling, ha). I did get a new tie for Christmas, which I love love love:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7024/6625015753_86e339dac5.jpg
New tie for Xmas by miss e kawasaki, on Flickr

Ahhh, I just remembered, I do have one thing I want that is actually 'style' related. I have for years been after a cape like the one in the Prisoner episode 'Dance of the Dead':

http://www.the-prisoner-6.freeserve.co.uk/pictures/norma_rover.jpg

I will re-affirm my commitment to preppiness and menswear. Paradoxically, I wil continue my tight-buying binge and find more skirts to wear with said tights.

This year I want to finally stud a bunch of my clothes. Bedazzler here I come.

oh dang! that is a very nice cape!

Capes! I luuurve them. I even have one. Used to have 3, but the two vintage ones were ginormous on me because of the whole short-and-no-shoulders thing, so I gave them away. I should have given them to you, emil.y!

I actually have two capes already, but neither of them brown so I don't wear them, really. One is my mum's old school cape (a school cape! Blimey!) which is huge and green, the other is a grey one with red inner lining thing and a nice black gothic button-up at the collar.

a grey one with red inner lining thing and a nice black gothic button-up at the collar.

Wa wa wa wahh WHAT?

omg seriously?
DREAM CAPE

As modelled in this photo (incidentally one of my favourite photos of me - and there aren't many of those):

http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1106/603133127_f907929a64.jpg
I like Bilge Pump. And capes. by miss e kawasaki, on Flickr

Although I will admit you probably shouldn't wear it with the collar popped like that.

that picture is totally amazing and i love it
I LOVE IT

The cape (and you!) is gorgeous and the popped collar is OTM.

The cape looks rad with the collar like that.

(and I mean 'rad' as a compliment)

Wow that cape! xoxo I love your new tie, as well. I love women wearing ties.

Sales that are a slap in the face.

Also: Save $20!!!!! (on sales over $150) or other such small savings on large expenditures. Bah.

That cape does look so great but i know me in cape would be so wrong :(

also: considering first yoga wear and first spanx purchase. woo.

I don't usually do the whole pinup thing, but I decided to go for it tonight.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v209/Mandalion/photo9.jpg

the bow on my head has frankenstein on it. lol.

Love the dress, the bow, the eyebrows, everything basically.

oh and I had this dress custom made on Etsy... for like $90.

The only thing I must have measured incorrectly was the neck, as its a little wide.

You look amazing! As always.

~style plans 2012~
get some nice but inexpensive jewelry
find a cute blazer with patterned lining inside the sleeves
continue multi-year hunt for ~the perfect cape~
more black/grey/white
finally get around to donating stuff I don't wear anymore
remember to read ILS more often

style plans include:

more shorts with tights
make an effort with make-up
color! last year i did way too much army green + black + charcoal
less pigtails (they made my hair so much easier tho)

also, heels. i did far too much flats and rain boots last year

less pigtails (they made my hair so much easier tho)

This is a thing for me too def

going to get a nice watch

From that Germany company you liked on fb? Those were awesome. I want one! I have always favored big bulky men's watches and loved those.

Err German co, rather

mandee, i LOVE that dress - your look is all around awesome!

what etsy seller did you use?

mandee you are so pretty

'heartmycloset' is the etsy seller but it looks like their page is temporarily gone...

thanks HS thats nice of ya :) :)

yeah, ENBB, had my eye on one of those defakto nachtschicht watches; that or an archimede.

Okay I just ordered big, square, mannish glasses: that's another new style for me in 2012.

like harry caray glasses?

Now that I've googled Harray Carey, oh dear me, no.

Much more boringer.

http://www.popularoptics.com/52514-52430-large/armani-exchange-eyeglasses-ax-150-color-black-gray-color-code-0e4s.jpg

those are nice!

ty! I am very excited, I've never had square-ish frames before, and they're so BIG! After a decade of wearing, like, retro kitten glasses (sort of), I don't know what to do with all that lens real estate.

look through it at the world :)

I suppose I'll have to! Could take up to two weeks to come in, though. :( :( :(

ha that's how i felt about my latest pair of frames - i haven't had lenses this big since i was a teenager! it's so weird being able to see so much!

i got these as well, but they're way too big for my face :(

but yeah, i'm gonna be more daring with frames this year, as long as i don't have to make a huge investment in them (the cat eye frames set me back $17)

those are awesome, laurel! i might order a pair of glasses online bc clearlycontacts is having a sale where first-time customers get free glasses! (tho pay for s&h, etc). i think i need to get smaller frames for climbing, because i have bumped my big frames against the wall a couple of times and it is jarring and prob not great for my glasses... i really like big frames tho! we shall see

here are the glasses I got two weeks ago... they are from SEE eyewear.. not sure if y'all have those

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v209/Mandalion/Screenshot2012-01-09at35905PM.png

oooh i like those

WHOAH, those are GREAT!

By which I mean you are great, and they're picking up on your greatness. Nice lip color.

Boot update:

Boots are here. The lace-up front panel is fake, so it doesn't really open, and they are not really adjustable. And I can't zip them up. Going back.

2012 is going to be the year i regularly wear pants that are not khakis or jeans

(this will likely be dependent on a reduction in waistline tbh)

ooh I just came here to say that piped houndstooth skirt is 50% off on eShakti now, if it wasn't before!

Bah, Laurel, I'm sorry! I deeply empathize with that particular disappointment.

Yeah, thanks. Kinda pissed at the website because the ad copy specifically SAID that the lace-up front made "for a custom fit." The lying snakes.

laurel, lame! i hate that.

i tried on jeggings yesterday and i'm still terrified of them so i didn't buy any.

i did buy some regular leggings though - my first leggings ever!

I have a couple pairs but I only wear them inside the house. That might change tonight, however, when I get that red shift dress from ASOS! :D

i bought the leggings specifically to wear with an anthropologie shirt dress i got on extreme sale, but it's also totally see-through so i need to get a slip as well. also some static cling spray. this is one high-maintenance dress. however, it has bunnies on it!

this is one high-maintenance dress

lol

bunnies!

so much for changing up my style.

today i am wearing a motley crue shirt, a denim jacket + army pants and hiking boots. nagl.

I wear leggings all the time. As pants, too. Breaking fashion rules all over Denver.

i wonder where is a good place to find jeggings - forever 21? urban outfitters? does h&m have them? do i just need to size up until my legs don't look like sausage links or is that unavoidable?

i love the leggings i got at uniqlo

i have some hue ones that are alright - they stretch out a lot though, probably only get a season's worth of wear out of them.

i think century 21 might be a good place to look for jeggings but can't be positive. i do remember buying tights there...

Can't speak for jeggings but the F21 leggings I've purchased have been my favourites of all retailers!

my favourite jeggings were purchased from an urban outfitters in santa monica over 2 years ago, are very (black) jeans-like and i have yet to find their like again :/

Important dress update:

I LOVE IT!

but

It doesn't quite fit right. I ordered a size up from what I'd normally order because I was nervous and while it fits pretty much perfectly through the hips it's too broad around the chest (I'd have to get the seams by the armholes taken in) and upper belly. It sort of looks like a sack if I put it on right now. So I was thinking I might order a size down and keep my fingers crossed that it isn't too tight in the hips. I will hang on to this one in the meantime because if it is too small then I can send that one back and get this one tailored? This sounds like a lot of trouble but I really really like it!!

Lex - I just bought the houndstooth skirt!

i think century 21 might be a good place to look for jeggings but can't be positive. i do remember buying tights there...

― rayuela, Tuesday, January 10, 2012 4:35 PM (5 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

actually i looked here and hated all the jeggings i tried on!!

i love saying jegging. jegging jegging jegging.

enbb, i've heard lots of asos sizing is weird, which is why i've never ordered anything. what is this houndstooth skirt you speak of, houndstooth is my favorite.

w00t, E! Houndstooth skirt was in overstock or skirt section of eShakti iirc.
Your dress sounds like it doesn't fit you in the same way mine don't - I have to take those bad boys in to get tailored! I don't mess around with shipping. Hopefully not too expensive to take the busts in a tad.

Linds - http://www.eshakti.com/clothpdpage.asp?catalog=Clothes&cate=bestsellers&productid=CL0022701

Maybe I should just get it tailored. The size down would likely still be too big under the arms. Hmmm.

I just ordered the houndstooth skirt, too. We're all going to match!

Hahaha. Awesome.

I'm pretty excited about that one tbh.

i successfully purchased two pairs of jeggings from uniqlo! the future is now.

i am wearing my uniqlo leggings under a sweet b/w polka dotted sweater dress with red knee socks and i haven't washed my hair in three days
lookin fly

Go dancing!

i'm going!
it doesn't start for a while

Of course, I forgot the extra hour. Sorry to rush you!

i'm looking at big polka dotted sweaters on ebay right now!

would you guys pretend not to know me if i rolled up to the club wearing this?
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff158/RabbitAngelFashion/2011/11-29-11/7.jpg

We wouldn't have to pretend. We can't see your face!

People need to stop tight rolling their pants. I say this as an old person who tight rolled my pants in high school, got wise to how dumb it looked, and stopped, only to spend my college years watching the weird, gross phenomenon of frat boys tight rolling their khakis over their suede Bass oxfords. The worst was dressed up frat boys wearing jackets, ties, and tight rolled oxfords. And baseball caps. And Bass oxfords. Also disgusting: frat boys in the dining hall wearing sweatpants and Bass oxfords.

i roll my pants but it's mostly to keep them from getting caught in the gears of my bike

as part of my fashion goals for this winter i went on a major thrifting spree and got lots of brightly colored hats and sweaters

That has a practical purpose. As long as you don't do it when you are dressed up and taking the bus. Then I am mentally comparing you to state school frat boys c. 1990-4 and you have to ask yourself if that is really what you're going for.

i should not drink and ebay. i won a giant sweater with alpacas on it for $5
http://i1179.photobucket.com/albums/x399/flompers/Alpaca%20Sweater/1.jpg

congratulations on your win! x

would wear!

AAAALPACAS!

that is a nice sweater, but i imagine the sleeves are as long as my legs?

(but it is not my sweater, so that's ok!)

Is it made out of alpaca yarn?

Thanks to suggestions from the sandbox, I now find myself the owner of 16 pairs of black crew socks. My question now: should get rid of my white undershirts to match this, or is that just not that important?

why did the sandbox suggest 16 pairs of black socks?????????????

also why would your undershirt need to match anything? it goes *under* stuff. also black undershirts are visible under white/light/thin shirts

On the sandbox everybody hated white socks.

Like, "Oh fuck, you're wearing white socks? God, I hate white socks worse than cargo shorts, flip-flops and Dave Matthews Band combined."

and dirk wears them

yeah but there are more colors besides white and black

and more kinds of sock besides crew

Well, the talk was specifically about casual socks.

even casual socks can be other colors

The crew socks at Kohls came in black, white, or grey. White was out. Grey seemed a little weird. They didn't have blue, which a lot of people on the thread seemed to recommend, to be honest. But the most important thing was "anything but white", if i recall correctly.

I just bought 16 white undershirts. I replenish them every couple of years.

I don't think you did wrong, beachville, but you don't need to change your undershirts

all my socks are black and from one mftr, why, well after I do laundry I can just pair them without thinking

it's also important to evaluate where you are on the dad side of the white sock curve - it's like a laffer curve, at some point you will have become old and dad-ish enough where you are only allowed to wear white crew socks, preferably with new balance running shoes and khaki cargo shorts with a polo tucked in

Oh see, I'm old and a dad. But it's not like I ever stopped wearing white crew socks, other than white ankle socks in the summer or black dress socks with businesswear.

bright yellow or red or orange undershirts are underrated, especially if like me every other item of clothing you own is black, grey, brown or navy blue

why are you guys wearing undershirts that can be see by other people

the undershirt can sometimes peek through at the collar

that is what v-necks are for

I prefer the peak.

don't want women to faint at the sight of my heart-stoppingly virile chest hair

you all sicken me

even v-necks can peek out a little, give em something to talk about max

v-necks are there to give the illusion that i am the kind of reckless devil-may-care ruffian who doesnt care about wearing undershirts

sitting around lounging in my deep v-neck

bright yellow or red or orange undershirts are underrated, especially if like me every other item of clothing you own is black, grey, brown or navy blue

― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Monday, January 16, 2012 12:49 PM (18 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Oh yeah, I totally used to do that with my undershirts, although I was still wearing white crew socks. It's nice to bring a little flash of color into your wardrobe.

sleeveless crewneck cotton undershirts white

V-necks are the way forward. If you leave like just the very top button unbuttoned, you're not trying'ta showcase chest-hair but you're also not looking like a farmer who just stepped away from the combine for a second.

thank you laurel

I dig 'em. They're my favorite to wear, also, because crew necks pull on my neck funny/fit too closely.

If I wanted my shirt to choke me there are turtlenecks for that.

I would like to find undershirts that are extra-long, does anybody have a good brand for that

i think your purchase of black socks was a very good one!
tho white socks are good for sporty times
i think the general key with undershirts is just to match them to your dress shirt, right? especially if you've got the top button undone, like don't wear a white undershirt with a dark shirt. i have to say that as a woman i never thought about this re: guys' clothing until a few years ago when i dated someone who dressed well yet always wore white undershirts - and me being who i am, actually told him (nicely!) that it looked wrong. he is still my friend and doesn't always match his undershirt to his shirt but really, whatevs!

I decided to resurrect these super old high waisted jeans I bought right before they stopped making high waisted jeans (and long before anyone started making them again). So I'm wearing these jeans, and just kind of feeling shitty. Why do I feel so nervous? It is a stressful time of the year for me, deadlines and all, maybe it's that.

Then I realized that it was not that. I am not stressed about work so much as I am UNABLE to take a complete deep breath with something cutting off my circulation at the middle.

Damn these pants.

"I would like to find undershirts that are extra-long, does anybody have a good brand for that"

Hanes has a tall range in their undershirts.

i hate black socks fwiw. i find them repulsive but admitteldly i'm kinda weird about it.

Bought a beautiful Katharine Hamnett pullover today. Subsequently found out it was made of baby alpaca yarn, which made me a little sad for the baby alpacas.

They don't have to hurt them to get the wool, I'm pretty sure!

No, but it can get cold in the mountains of Peru if you have no wool, i'm sure.

i'm glad someone is thinking of the baby alpacas' comfort!

i didn't know guys still wore undershirts as undershirts

Me neither! That's what I was thinking as I read this, "Guys still wear undershirts?!".

yeah it means you can go longer without having to wash your dress shirts and they therefore last longer etc

Ahh! I thought it was for warmth or something. lol. The more you know etc.

pro tip: don't wash your dress shirts in the wash even if it says it's okay on the label, take that shit to a dry cleaner.

Let me try this... http://demandware.edgesuite.net/aaer_prd/on/demandware.static/Sites-UK-Site/Sites-hb-master-eu/en_GB/v1326466917296/products/category/hbeu50210776_068_1.jpg

dry cleaning can be as bad for your clothes as a washing machine #protip

I bought one of the above yesterday and wore it to the office today. It helped me overcome my insomniac daze and make like a banking professional!

eh, as someone who has worn dress shirts daily for the past two years I find my dry-clean only dress shirts to be in much better condition than my dress shirts which I have put in the wash. then again, I only get them dry-cleaned like 3-4 times a year. I don't have pit sweat, though, so ymmv

cute dress!!

i am so amazed by people who don't have pit sweat.

do you hang dry or dry them in a dryer

how many times would you wear a shirt before dry cleaning it?

I have everywhere sweat, but lower back sweat is THE WORST. Officially. I've done studies.

Ooof that dress!!! <3

I'm wearing tights that are almost thick enough to be leggings and a really short stretch skirt and tunic cardigan. No, I am not La Lechera, I just play her on TV.

yeah I think that may have been a mistake - I dried them in a dryer. if I ever wash a dress-shirt in the wash again I'll definitely do it on delicate setting, no dryer. I just remember buying dress shirts, being pleased at how nice they were, then washing them in the wash and being all :^( when they came out drab and dead.

xp

once a week

xp - hahahaha

i need to get out of these pants ASAP for real

Thx for the dress love, as work things go, it is pretty hot! I've found trousers have got harder to wear as my tum gets fatter, and dresses are so quick in the morning.

how many times would you wear a shirt before dry cleaning it?

twice

Undershirts on guys also help prevent nipple/chest hair show-through.

i'm with mark on this one

http://28.media.tumblr.com/79foGQC8fnis27b6kfyxYSzso1_500.jpg

I meant show through the fabric of your shirt, not show at your collar, per Rark Muffalo, which is A-OK in my book.

yeah obv it depends on the shirt and the fabric and everything

a li'l bit of chest hair showing, a la mark up there, is a good look imo

ya the great thing about the v-neck is that you can get the chest hair look w/out pit stains

^^^ protip

i don't get pit stains in la because i drive in my climate-controlled car from one air-conditioned place to another.

shawls for warmth indoors: repulsive/matronly or unjustly ignored/viable?

K-LASSIC. Easily converted to a headcovering in the winter weather, and also to an around-the-neck scarf accessory indoors if just warm enough.

OTM

Shawls are totally classic imo.

I'm wearing a really nice dress and nice high-heeled Italian black ankle boots today and combining them with a stoplight-yellow cheapo hoodie. I think I might buy 6 more colors of hoodie and add one to every outfit from now on? Even the classiest, most conservative looks. Should be interesting.

the old hi-lo is always agl!!

shawls for warmth indoors: repulsive/matronly or unjustly ignored/viable?

I'm wearing one right now, in fact.

I watched The Assassin Next Door over the weekend, and it occurred to me that the coolest-looking women in any movie always get out of prison/slavery/hell/parts unknown and the first thing they do is buy/steal/find a leather jacket, or possibly a trench coat, and some kind of shoes they really really love, whether that's insane $1000 spike-heeled boots or combat boots or a pair of black sneakers. The color black does figure heavily.

Goal for 2012 is to be more like them.

Also: a firearm, but that seems like a lot of bother.

dryers are the clothes killer. move to england, where no one has one

http://i2.listal.com/image/1140777/600full-the-assassin-next-door-poster.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_AWH-9nLgrTs/SinLqHu2QRI/AAAAAAAAHGw/mb6bCXy9KrQ/s320/pdvd105mk2.jpg

http://www.filmofilia.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/The-Girl-with-the-Dragon-Tattoo.jpg

Bonus hoodie there.

omg that geena davis pic looks like geena davis dressed up as YOU

Flattery will get you everywhere.

I decided to resurrect these super old high waisted jeans I bought right before they stopped making high waisted jeans (and long before anyone started making them again). So I'm wearing these jeans, and just kind of feeling shitty. Why do I feel so nervous? It is a stressful time of the year for me, deadlines and all, maybe it's that.

Then I realized that it was not that. I am not stressed about work so much as I am UNABLE to take a complete deep breath with something cutting off my circulation at the middle.

Damn these pants.

― La Lechera, Monday, January 16, 2012 3:14 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

I think you feel shitty because we're not used to the structured fashion of the 80's and 90's anymore. lowrise has freed us up and now youre all caged in again. like wearing high heel after wearing sneakers only for a while.

dryers are the clothes killer. move to england, where no one has one

― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Tuesday, January 17, 2012 12:07 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark

how do clothes get dry in england? isn't it really humid and wet all the time?

(I mean I know the answer, but I don't really know the answer if you know what I know)

Sometimes they have these weird things called "airing cupboards" iirc? Which is like a utility closet built around a...steam pipe? that you can hang things in. I am only vaguely remembering this so ymmv.

You just hang stuff on a drying rack. I think airing cupboards are a thing but I never had one. I hated not having a dryer and, yes, some things took forever to dry.

You know what sucked most? Towels! Towels are v scratchy when you don't tumble dry them. I still hang certain things to dry now but I certainly appreciate having the option of drying them when I want to.

most australians have dryers but only use them on rainy days as needed. i started using them full time when i felt this thing run up my leg after i put on my freshly line dried jeans

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/Huntsman-spider-in-hand.jpg

oh life size. sorry.

line dried clothes are stiff, it's true

now youre all caged in again
Yeah, esp. with jeans. I'm totally used to wearing skirts and dresses that fit snugly at the waist, but not jeans. Also these are 100% cotton with no stretch, so they do NOT GIVE.

I can't quite figure out if I hate them or not. I keep wearing them in spite of them being really uncomfortable.

I happen to like scratchy towels for improved circulation and just requested that my laundry place not use fabric softener. But the most I can stand to line-dry indoors is tights and delicates, because the rack has to be out in the middle of my room and I can't get to my closet when it's up, so I kind of have an overnight maximum tolerance.

I hang all my dress clothes - we're lucky enough to have clotheslines strung up in the laundry room of my triplex - but we used to hang everything in the shower. First up the next day has to move them to the closets. But I love my dryer'd socks & towels, could not live without.

AHHHH SPIDER NOOOO

i am looking for black leather skirt now. i've decided i need one, badly.

I am so used to wearing dresses and leggings and stretchy jeans that when I wear real tailored pants I really feel weird

I got a black pleather skirt at Forever 21 a few months ago... its so tight that I can't sit in it. It's awesome for cougar's night out.

What do you do when you want to get off of your feet, lean against a board?

(Mae West had to do this on some of her films, IIRC.)

Oh, and I was finally able to get a new purse--black leather, three dollars new--at the flea market that we had a booth at today. I'm happy about that, and happy that the strap didn't break on my old one before I could get a new one. (The strap was held on by about two or three strings. Really.)

new purses for the new year! nice :)

a designer friend had a studio sale and i bought so many clothes today omg

i will have to take pics, at some point
3 skirts, 3 dresses and a pair of paints
all awesome

I had this awesome burgundy fake leather pencil skirt but it was so cheap the surface split around the hem a bit. I fixed it with nail polish of a matching colour for a while but now it's way too small and I want a new one.

Well I wear it to go out to clubs, which doesn't require much sitting. I did have to drive wearing it, though, and had to sit with it unzipped until I got to my destination.

i'm bidding on one on ebay that looks perfect. having a phone with an ebay app is turning me into a monster. i was like, almosssssst going to win it for $15 though (now up to $30).

i won this and i don't know how i feel about it:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ngssKTuX5uo/TxZAzIIO7KI/AAAAAAAAAR4/XuvnJb99C8w/s500/%252524%252528KGrHqR%25252C%252521pQE7Bcvh%25252CWSBO6%252528%252529eDtFw%25257E%25257E60_12.JPG

i mean it's kind of wonderfully hideous but it might look good on. more late night bidding.

No, I think it's great! Obnoxious colors are my favorite kind.

ebay pro-tip: do not bid until final 5 secs

^^^^ sunny OTM

lots of ppl have shill bidding accounts to drive up their auctions

yeah i'm way too impulsive! is there an app that will remember to bid at the last minute for you?

someone sniped me at the very last minute! grr

today is my first experiment in wearing (fleece lined) leggings to work (with a short sundress and a big sweater over it). it feels like a dream/looks like the 90s.

Loooool! I'm wearing a floor-length tomato red skirt and motorcycle boots, it must have been something in the air that said, "Do it differently today."

New coat! I have a new coat for the first time in years <3

exciting!!

i'm not really dressed weird/bright today but i am wearing purple fleece-lined tights and a purple sweater! with a grey skirt. matchy matchy, lol

i am seriously kicking myself for not discovering fleece lined leggings/tights earlier. this changes everything.

okay here are the clothes i bought yesterday from designer friend's studio sale!
(not on me, just on my couch, lol)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7151/6721788609_a717960584.jpg
knee-length cotton skirts with stretchy waists! am in love with these fabrics, had to buy them both obv

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7005/6721789669_30c34ddda5.jpg
okay i don't normally wear such dresses but changing it up for 2012 - short tight yet flattering dresses! the strapless black one has a rose-like pattern all over it in black and the snakeskin-patterned one has a higher collar in the front than the back so it (somehow) doesn't look too skimpy/trampy on me

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7026/6721790937_9bbc80a10a.jpg
good basic pretty dress, cute all-season short skirt, both stretchy

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7161/6721792281_db4824508f.jpg
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7151/6721793853_15d24fe030.jpg
pants! pockets in front, stretchy waist, really flattering straight-leg shape - totally inexpensive bc they are a sample and weren't fitting anyone but were basically unintentionally made for my narrow (relative to body) hips - i'm kinda in shock at home nicely they fit and how adult i feel in them.

new clothes for 2012!

also, bonus cat

I have never heard of them! - The fleece-lined leggins/tights, I mean.

R - I LOVE the knee-length cotton skirts with stretchy waists! Does your friend have a website she sells from?

not sure how many of these skirts she has left but i know she's always sourcing more cool fabrics - she's into bright patterns and prettiness
site: http://www.katrinleblond.com/
blog, more often updated: http://katrinleblondblog.com/

gorgeous clothes rrrrrobyn!!!!
a little envious tbh

Oh :( she does not sell online.

rrrobyn such cute stuff and wonderful bonus cat!

Ooooooooh kitty melts my heart; missing my old gal a lot.

Great clothes, too!

ok question:
this sweater michelle obama is wearing, in the color the model is wearing:
http://www.poshglam.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Michelle-Obama-Tracy-Reese-632x632.jpg

i found it for $110 and am wondering if it's worth it. it's really cool but a lot of $$ for me!!

I wouldn't, but if you think you would get multiple years of wear out of it, it's really cute!

I really love that sweater BG. It's is a lot of money for a sweater (well, in terms of what I normally pay) but it'll probably hold up really well and it's really fucking awesome imo. That's also a huge discount.

I have a (NOT BLACK!!!) sweater on today that I LOVE but it sort of has puffy topped sleeves that are a little pointy. It's sort of hard to describe. Overall I think it's AGL but I keep catching glimpses of my silhouette and I can't help feeling like an extra in Blade Runner or something.

i am probably going to pass because money is kind of tighgtish and it might be a bit fancy for day to day and i don't have tons of fancy occasions to dress up! but i think i could definitely get a few years of wear. hmmmm. hmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

what i really NEED is a new jacket but i probably also will not ever find this for less money.

throwback to laundry discussion - this may be a trick someone could employ!
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/out-of-the-closet-rope-wrapped-164115

this is weird, but I would pass on that sweater. That color combo is kinda JCPenney-ish to me. If it were like $50 I'd say go for it, but I think $110 for that is really overpriced.

well i made a counter offer for $80 but i don't think it will be accepted

rrrobyn those skirts!!! so cute!!! also i love that tracy reese sweater.

my eshakti skirt arrived! fits like a dream! pro tip: I sized up two sizes... seems they run small.

will someone remind me of the title of the thread where we talked about korean saunas? i can't find it and it's driving me bonkers.

Esthetician services: facials, waxing, nails, body treatments, all this relax&beautify stuff and are you into it

:)

thanks!!

didn't know where to put this so here'll do:
Haven't tested this myself but it's a 'thing' where you put in your measurements and it tells you what size fits you best in which stores - UK *and* US stores!
http://sizes.darkgreener.com/

I am going to really scale back my clothes purchases for the next few months.. it's going to be difficult!!!

That size finder just gives the finger to plus size stores/people, I see.

Jenny, we're just a figment of our imaginations :(

Well it was too much hassle to actually get a professional to cut my bangs and change up my style for me, so I did it myself. Idk why I keep letting my bangs grow out for months/years when I clearly look 20x better WITH them.

been tucking in my shirt a lot so far in 2k12. fewer sneakers too, though ive been overrelying on a couple of boots instead of plunging into real shoes

which jumper is nicer?

http://www.youmustcreate.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/YMC_Mens_Knit_P8AT6_petrelazure_004-500x640.jpg

http://www.youmustcreate.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/YMC_Mens_Knit_P8AS6_azure113_003-500x640.jpg

striiiiipes

striiipes? i love both. crazy to be jumper buying but i do live in scotland. you need a jumper most of the summer too.

i think they are both lovely but the colors on the stripey one is really lovely imho

i think i might be too short for the striped one. and maybe too old also.

jed, not possible!!!!! Please do not give up on beloved-colored sweater because of some misguidedly self-denying arbitrary standard of age. Although I would make sure the sleeves are long enough on you; they seem a little bit questionable on that gentleman.

solid!

i went for the solid. not because i'm too old, laurel (you're right), but because big stripes like that could make a wee man look even wee-er.

I love that colour.

maybe i'll wear it when we go for a drink ;)

i bought a sweater last week, it was on sale, its never too late to buy a sweater

cape making plans in full swing
soon enough i will have a cape!

I stupidly got bleach or something on one of my favourite black t-shirts and now there's these dark red spots :((
Is there anything I can do about it like dye it back or something?

send it over to me and i'll dye it for you!

i am a professional dyer fyi

tbh all i've ever done in such a case is Sharpie the spots

cape-making: almost done, shopping for notions in NYC this weekend! looking for some wooden buttons for the closure. (by the time i'm done it'll probably be 80 degrees out at midnight, but hey -- this cape will be built to last and fall 2012 is sure to happen unless the apocalypse comes sooner than we expect)

other: need to find another pair of perfect pointy black flats because mine are dying and my dog ate the other pair i was hoarding :(

Oh oh oh oh are you going to M&J Trimming???

Take me there!!

Or tell me how to get there. I really have no idea. I was just going to go to the garment district and walk around. Prob on Monday?

I can give you dirrex easy! M&J Trimmings is half beads and ribbon and half buttons and buckles, from floor to ceiling. It's on 6th Ave and...37th? Somewhere right above Herald Square. You'll love it.

oh god
yes pls

Today is my mom's b'day, and my present to her is a quick NYC trip sometime this spring (as symbolized by a NYC guidebook I sent to her). She is a fabric obsessive, and I will score major daughter points by arranging a tour of NYCs bestest fabric stores--recommendations, please, from my NYC seamstrixors!

today is MY mom's bday too!!! hb 2 yr mom! i am getting my mom some designer ice crams.

hb to your mom, too! Also b'day of one of my dearest friends. Good day for good ppl.

Well, Mood is exciting b/c it's on that show. But it's kind of expensive, comparatively. I haven't bought fabric in a few years but I used to really like Paron and the Paron Annex (sale stuff) on 39th St between 7th and 8th, I think.

I am...contemplating...a style change to a bunch of things that are kinda interchangeable. Because I've always been the person with odd pieces and vintage dresses and shoes that only go with two things, and I still love that stuff, but a lot of it is showy and not physically that comfortable and I find myself not wanting to wear it day-to-day like I used to.

So um...5 black knit dresses and 5 pars of black/silver/bronze sandals of varying heel heights and 5 cardigans and/or drapey shawls? I don't know. I can't afford to shop now anyway but that's my summer ideal. Colorful light-colored weekend dresses to be interspersed as I find them.

Been through that for sure! I used to be that person too, and now I am that person on special occasions.
My recommendation: GREY (black fades too fast)

Point taken!!

I think I'm gonna buy all my shoes this year from Bass and Clark's.

my go-to shoes that i wore all around nyc are Clarks and they are not the cutest, but they are v. v. comfortable and i have found that it is worth it.

http://www.zappos.com/indigo-by-clarks-joli-ruffle

http://www.planetshoes.com/mmPlanet/Images/16234/16234_127_zoom2.jpg

https://bassshoes.harborghb.com/images/product/views/JOYCEWHT_lg.jpg

http://www.shoes.com/ProductImages/shoes_iaec1298708.jpg

Oh - an old friend of mine is the chief designer for that Clark's indigo line. Some of their stuff is really nice.

i like those white perforated flats!

https://bassshoes.harborghb.com/images/product/views/BRIDGETRED_lg.jpg

oh i like those a lot!

i guess there are certain benefits to honing a personal uniform but i haven't gone there yet, i don't want to grow up that far, not yet! that is how i feel about it, at least. but it's practical and sensible and probably less stress-inducing when you don't want to think about clothes on a given day.

It's hard for me to be professional-looking every day w/o stressing out in the AM, and since I have internal organs and sit at a desk, the list of styles I'm willing to wear for 10 hours or more is getting shorter and shorter and does not include things like pencil skirts or waists that will ride up or prevent me from digesting food. Or undergarments that don't stay where they're put, like the ones I'm wearing today that I now remember why I don't wear more often.

I just looked at the Uniqlo website for 1st time ever and brb I am going to buy them out now.

Because like I just told facespace I need a whole new wardrobe that I can sweat in 94/7 that doesn't make me want to kill living things.

I have on a pretty new skirt and my fancy swirly sandals you helped me pick out last summer and I feel all ladylike and pretty. SUMMER!

ps - <3 Uniqlo.

i just shopped at uniqlo for the first time yesterday and am VERY HAPPY.

I get all my boring separates during my annual visit to Uniqlo.

They need to open up one here. I haven't been since I lived in London! NY gets all the good stuff. :/

Do they have them in Chicago?!

Nope, I've only been to the one in NY.

Ones?

Fashion inspirations for me right now:

http://images.wikia.com/bladerunner/images/1/19/Rachael-blade-runner.jpg

http://www.celebrity9.com/img/anna-nicole-smith/anna-white.jpg

Wellllllll, I went to Uniqlo and...their cardigans are a really good deal? I'll take one in every color?

Apart from that I only found one skirt in any style, in any color, above a size 6 (it was a size 12, and still didn't fit) and almost none of their shirts fit me in any size. Something about where they think your breasts are supposed to go (or not go, or not exist).

1 cardigan, 2 stripey tshirts = $50

No wait $60.

Wellllllll, I went to Uniqlo and...their cardigans are a really good deal? I'll take one in every color?

ha, i was looking at their site last night and got all excited when i saw cheap crew neck cardigans, but then realised they don't have an actual store online :( i'm on the hunt for crew neck style, but it seems like everywhere is just v-neck cardis which i hate.

but they are opening a store here in the fall.

I mostly only wear Vnecks because crew neck cardigans gap and pull funny, on me. It's not that I have giant breasts, it's something about the height of them, about where the fullest part is. It's never where the clothes are made for the bust to be. I think Uniqlo clothes just assume you don't have a bust, though.

i bought a skirt from there i really like (an orange swishy skirt) but when i tried to wear it this morning i realized it doesn't go well with anything i own. given that my only options are returning & recouping or spending MORE money on clothes, i think i will probably be returning. :(

xp i only ever wear cardis open, so the gaping thing is never a prob!

wearing bracelets on my left wrist today and one on my right wrist. i never wear anything on my left hand/wrist. feels weird. going with it.

it was hard to get the bracelets off my left wrist. mechanics of it. but all is well, i'm not stuck with bracelets on my left wrist for the rest of my life or anything.

I've decided that the knuckle on my right ring finger is too short to put a ring on--when I try, it hurts whenever I move that finger. (My wedding ring is on my left ring finger.)

Palazzo pants: y/n

Pros: look comfortable, breezy. Can pretend I'm Katharine Hepburn
Cons: I'm shorter and fatter than Katharine Hepburn. I don't know man, those are some crazy wide-legged pants

Very hard look to pull off imo. I'm not sure Hepburn rocked it so hard, either.

Really? She totally did! I guess they can be hard to pull off if you're really short but done right I think it's awesome. I'd love to get a pair for this summer. Have you seen them around lately, Carl? I'm a huge fan of wide leg pants in general. I think they're way more flattering for most people than skinny pants.

I too am fond of a wide leg pant, but "palazzo" to me sums up a drapey elastic-waisted rayon number, not a tailored pant. Clearly I need to do some GIS research.

No, I think they are drapey. Well flowy maybe. They're sort of like long skirts but just pants? I love long skirts. Have one on today!

So I guess I only like certain types. I don't really love the first three of these looks but the one on the far right is awesome, or would be if that was a longer shirt. I like them paired with flats - not heels or platforms, I think.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sU4NbKgbvyg/TzwKExHeMqI/AAAAAAAABlc/ckILAr0eRDI/s1600/palazzo-pants-asos.png

oops

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sU4NbKgbvyg/TzwKExHeMqI/AAAAAAAABlc/ckILAr0eRDI/s1600/palazzo-pants-asos.png

The ones on the far left just seem like staight up flares. The blue ones would be OK if it weren't for the pleats.

that is one of my least favorite pants and i will never wear them

I like the orange ones! But I would describe them as a wide-legged trouser and not a palazzo.

Actually I *covet* the orange ones--any idea where they are from?

I believe those are all from ASOS! I would consider them just wide-legged as well and they are pretty sweet. I just don't think I'd be able to pull them off.

I like the orange ones, I do. But these are a firm No for me, forever, for all styles.

The pair on the far right is most similar to the ones I'm considering.

I mean let's be real this is all about wearing pajama pants to work. Though I too love the long skirts (also wearing one today high five ENBB) and am attracted to the overall look.

I don't know. I'm on the short side for these but I'm long legged so it might work. Also I have a 30% off/free shipping coupon.

*high five!* I think if you're long legged it can work even for shorties! 30%! That's a good coupon. I want the black ones now. Hmmmmm. Let me see if I can find them on the actual site.

Alright, I've decided against the palazzo pants. Why? Well, none of the plus size retailers where I was considering buying the pants could style them in any pleasing looking way, and if photographers and clothing retailers can't style something, what chance do I have?

(por ejemplo, these are lovely but look at how dumpy the model looks, as they chose to pair these large, flowing pants with some kind of a smock top and shapeless cardigan.)

(these look pretty good on the model but EVERYTHING looks good on that model (who is my on-line girlfriend FYI).)

lol she's totally the one who modeled the dress you bought sort of recently. You said something similar then :). She's adorable and reminds me of Lily Allen. Yeah, I think for it to work whatever's on top has to be cut close to the body or overall feel is very Dorothy Zbornak.

Just to make things interesting, I'm linking to a Muslim clothing website that sells a lot of wide-legged pants for women.

Yes, she is the same model! That lovely dress, btw? I ordered it, Simply Be charged my card, and then two weeks later I got an email saying it was out of stock and if I wanted a refund, I had to call them. The call took two minutes - she put me on hold and was like "Okay I'm back it is refunded!" Then the other dress I bought, which was more of a workhorse dress, got holes in it on the second (delicate cycle, cold, hang to dry) wash. So I'm kind of meh on ordering from them again anyway.

The "classic weekend denim" pants on that site are great.

Those are the ones I like, too!

I love them!! They remind me of my favorite Gap trouser jeans from a couple years ago that they don't sell any more. I had three pairs and wore them to death!

I kind of want to get them.

I wish men could wear pyjama bottoms out in public.

i'm very happy they can't.

I feel like I see men do this all the time? Most recently I saw a man with faded black pajama pants with a marijuana leaf print.

Not that I'm endorsing this look but it's extant.

I'm told it's more of a West Coast thing? Saw a guy in nice new snazzy pj bottoms at a surf-y bar last weekend. Questioned the look and that's what I got.

I feel like what with moving to a new city and totally changing my lifestyle, I ought to be going for a change of style just because I can. I need to get on and think of one. I am basically thinking

- learn to do stuff with hair
- wear more colour
- tuck things in occasionally
- more jewellery

This doesn't seem radical enough.

More jewelry cd be totes radical if it was the kooky art teacher stuff that ENBB, horseshoe, and I love.

belts are a good alternative to tucking things in imo

Yes! I bet there are some good youtube vids on How To Belt - I've never learned.

Please post pics of your favourite kooky art teacher jewellery...

GUESS WHAT I just tried on some palazzo pants in Lane Bryant and they looked fly as hell so I bought them. They are going to be a pantyline nightmare* but I think I'll just wear bike shorts under them.

*band name

I will be in this band. Also, yay!

These pants are also an excellent addition to my wardrobe of work clothes that feel like pajamas. I tried on the shirt they were pairing with them on the rack, but I heard your voice (or the voice that I think of as your voice, since I've never heard your actual voice) saying "whatever's on top has to be cut close to the body or overall feel is very Dorothy Zbornak" and decided against it.

Nothing against that look but I'm 39 and not ready for it yet. I figure I've got another ten years before I go Full Dorothy.

hahahaha. Poor Bea Arthur. The wardrobe people just really didn't do her any favors on GG.

I don't know, I can kind of dig that look for Women of a Certain Age. Maybe not the knee-length vests, but something in the neighborhood of that look. My former boss was in her late 50s and had beautiful gray hair and used to wear very unstructred jackets and matching pants (plus funky glasses, art teacher jewelry, and Danskos) that looked artsy and professional, but would make a younger woman look like she sleepwalked through Dynasty's costume trailer.

being tall helps (not that i would know anything about that)

My favorite adorable model crush has a blog, fyi: http://naomishimada.blogspot.com/

Yesterday I wore WIDE-LEGGED LINEN PANTS, y'all!

I don't know what happened, I found them at TJ Maxx for $12 and they FIT (if I wear platforms, because lol short), and everything! PANTS!

YAY! I bet they looked great.

oh oh I had a 'changing up style' moment recently: I bought shoes with a heel. not a huge one, like, an inch and a half, but I have never in my life worn shoes that high. yes yes, go ahead and laugh. I can walk in them fine but oh boy do I ever feel self-conscious. and tall. I'm already tall, do I need to be taller? not sure if I should give up and return them or wait it out and hope that I come around to them.

http://azure.sarenza.net/static/_img/productsV4/0000028638/0000028638_46472_01.jpg

i love it when tall women wear heels, tbh. go for it.

I know how you feel, SS - I'm tall too and I feel weird in heels. But I do feel more powerful sometimes in them - those are cute, go for it!

The style of those boots makes me think I don't understand style, but otherwise, yes, boots are a GREAT way to do heels! More stable than pumps or sandals, and will never slide off or have to be held on. You can really STALK in a boot, esp if you're tall to start with.

If you can walk in heels, do it. Tall is great! I like those boots, too.

i love the Naomi model's expressive face!
though it is hard to believe that she is what plus-size model is these days. everything's comparison though, obv she's bigger than the typical tiny model.

1.5-inch heels are the best height heel! at least for walking in

i need to get another pair of short heels - they can be hard to find in cute styles though, as opposed to office-lady blargh styles
i have four pairs of 2.5+-inch shoes that i hardly ever wear because i feel so tall but also because can't walk all over the place in them

I made myself a pair of jorts and wore them out on Saturday. This is the first time I've worn shorts in maybe 10 years or so and IT WAS AWESOME. SO COMFORTABLE! I like my legs and even though these were the shortest thing I've worn in forever I felt pretty hot. I see a lot more shorts in my future.

yeah I get that! I wore shorts out last summer for the first time in almost 20 years* and bought a couple more pairs this year. the weather's been awful though so I haven't had much use out of them so far :(

*iirc the reason I stopped wearing shorts was because my best friend in grade two said that when girls wear shorts it makes boys stare at their legs, which is obviously ridiculous but I was 8 and did not want boys staring at me. by the time I realised this best friend was an idiot I was an awkward teenager who wouldn't go near anything that wasn't long and baggy, and then as an adult I had no confidence wearing them (sort of like the heels, which by the way, thanks all for your kind support)

'their' legs being the girls' legs, not boys staring at their own legs, in case that wasn't clear

I have one pair of knee-length jorts that I wear for slobbing around, but I don't wear shorts otherwise. I don't like the way my legs look! :( Also I get that party thighs problem of shorts riding up in the middle, which is not only NAGL it is maybe the worst look next to sweat pants with words on the butt.

Yep, I get that too...the inside edges of the hems ride up like wo. Forget it.

Agree that is a bad look but I think that maybe I cut these just long enough so that that doesn't happen. I will keep am eye ob the sitch.though because I def don't want to be walking around like that.

Oh no, dearie me, no. They can be all the way down to my knees and it will still happen. It's not length, it's having thighs that rub, I think.

My awesome knee-length jorts don't ride up. For me it's a combination of length and snugness. If they are too short or too loose, it looks like my vagina is vacuuming up my shorts.

yes, especially if they are too loose - i got this cute black & white polka dot camisole and shorts combo that were a bit large, and thus would be super comfy, but instead, the shorts (and me) were vagina vacuum victims

Xp I just lol'd so hard at that!!!

"girl thats gotta hurt
take some time and adjust can't you see people staring
and making a fuss
could not believe my eyes had to take a second glance
is your crotch hungry girl
cause its eating your pants"

But yeah I think the shortness/looseness thing is a factor for me as well. My thighs do rub way up at the top (I think everyone's do?) so as long as the shorts are a couple inches below that part they seem to be OK.

have grown my beard to its longest ever stage, seriously bushy now, and for some reason am considering shaving my head, partly due to receding a bit, but also just cos it might be a bit rougher as a look. my only fear is if i shave it i'll never go back... or won't be able to.

I started shaving my head (short with clippers, not totally shaved hairless) a couple years ago and always sort of knew it was a silent acceptance that I would never again be able to grow my hair out and that to do so would be foolish and desperate. My time in life for using combs and brushes has passed.

It has finally happened. I found and bought perfect offwhite laceup granny boots.
I realize they're not for everyone but holy crap am I excited. On sale too! NO ZIPPER either. Pure laceup.

http://images1.hellotrade.com/data2/EB/BM/HTVENDOR-4570794/media-catalog-product-cache-1-image-9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95-s-t-steeple-white_1-250x250.jpg

:D

i am going to wear the shit out of these skateless ice skates this winter

haha :) adorbs

It is very impt that they have no zippers! Boots are a commitment!

Also they never fit with zippers unless your leg is exactly that size. I have some black Laredo boots p much just like this and they are snug as a bug. Wore them yesterday in fact!

I really like the Western heel. Comfortable and flattering.

Cuban heel? Western heel? Whatever. That kind of heel.

they are gorgeous LL!

I have strong feelings about zippers/laces. I don't like combos. One or the other.

fake laces w/zipper are cheap looking and never fit anyone whose leg is not *exactly* that size
kinda stupid

Not much of a stretch, but this is my style icon for fall:
http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m1m6t2AsUm1rpdu2co1_1280.jpg

thumbs up

*applause*

wore my ice skate boots tonight, looked sharp
just found myself buying a green velvet 1950s ballet costume on ebay how did that happen?! oh yeah i was googling dance costumes. (note to self: do not ever do this again)
did not quite have the nerve to bust out my matte red lipstick today but there's plenty of time for that this winter
cannot wait to wear my green velvet 1950s ballet costume!!!

I want to change up my style but I don't even know where to begin. I am so unstylish it is embarrassing.

Not much of a stretch, but this is my style icon for fall

FOR LYFE

Haha. Tragedy has struck: my penny loafers won't be shipped until 11/15. If I have time, I'm gonna stop by shoe market to see if they have anything to tide me over.

Crüt what do you normally wear? What were you wearing the last time you felt good in your clothes?

You guys would be appalled at this thing I bought, but I anticipate being able to wear it in public at least once.

My problem, if it is indeed a problem, is that calm sedate clothing (like the cute girl VP posted) just doesn't move me in any major way. It looks like...clothes, the kind you wear functionally. I can't seem to stop wanting to dress up (UP) even though I might be aging out of the demographic that can get away with it. But I'm afraid life won't be very fun if I have to look dignified all the time.

I do look dignified most of the time, like at work, etc.

What were you wearing the last time you felt good in your clothes?

pretty much the same sorts of things I wear now except I was 140 pounds instead of 180. (obv I don't fit into most of my old clothes, but my wardrobe is still almost entirely t-shirts and jeans)

I just want to look ~dashing~ for once.

pretty sure you need a cape

or reindeer horns

sorry I am zero help :)