It's funny how different I photograph when my hair is up. My face looked puffier in my full-on smiling pictures this morning, so I tried a closed-mouth smirk today. When I make this face with my hair down, I just look mean. Strange...
Today was one of those days where I just wanted to go to work in sweats, but I opted for jeans and a cardigan instead. I think it's funny that such an outfit has become the alternative to "slumming it." But, really, that's the point!
When I think about my style, which is certainly one of the things this blog has forced me to do, I've really come to understand how I'm drawn to classic silhouettes, minimal patterns, and a simple color palette. I also rely on "special pieces" - like this embellished cardigan - that can impart the bulk of an outfit's interest. Part of that is not exactly knowing how or in which way to branch out more, but the main part is the fact that, above all, I dress for my body. I dress to emphasize the narrowest, best parts of my shape. I know that I'm not always as successful as I could be, and maybe I take fewer risks as a result, but my goal is always that hourglass. It's been a hard road to acceptance (and I haven't yet arrived), but I don't have the luxury of wearing whatever I want, as many as layers as I want, as many patterns or shapes - I just don't have the body for it. Most of the time, that sucks. I gotta be honest about that. As a girl who loves clothes and loves to wear clothes, my size 14-on-top-16-on-bottom-body, with most of my weight in my midsection, limits things. And maybe that's the sole source of all my body issues - not getting to wear what's featured in the magazines and in the stores, or in my favorite blogs... But, I still dress the body I have, and I'd like to think I've really honed that over the years, even as my body and tastes change. And even if my outfit might be considered "boring" at least I know - or at least am beginning to accept - that my curves never are...
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| White cardigan with grey floral applique - The Limited / Grey tank - LOFT / Flare leg jeans - Lane Bryant / Grey faux-suede pumps - Kohl's |
