Be a Woman, not a Girl.

It's her 30-something birthday. [sigh]



Unicorns, skin-tight, boob-baring mini skirt and an eyebrow ring.

Seriously?

For the Love of Contrast

Some people are just naturally drawn to contradictions...

The good girl to the bad boy.

The health nut to the McDonalds fries.

The bold to the meek.


I for one LOVE neutrals with bold, bright colors. There is something so fresh about a pop of color, especially when paired with gray or brown or taupe. Man, I love me some beige. It's not boring if it's serving to temper the rest of your ensemble.

Pairing with black or white also have their place. Relying on white makes you look like a cruise traveler, and too much black is just too much for summer sometimes.

I can't believe I found all these items at Old Navy. Old Navy! The land of yoga pants and endless t-shirt styles (whatever happened to their business casual line?? those were the only trousers that fit my hips!).

Lounging around your backyard on the weekend does not seem as lazy as when you're doing it in style, am I right?

Coral top - something I would never look at any other time... somehow now looks perfectly girly. And these shorts? Come on!



With necklace worn as wraparound bracelet. If I had a first date to go on, this is what I would be wearing on it.



Probably the most random-looking, but would be great for walking around the farmer's market shopping for fresh strawberries and rainbow swiss chard.

Two necklaces are better than one for a lunch, brunch, play date, trip to the zoo, or even for church. You're casual, but not so much so that you can't wear jewelry!



And the other tops I couldn't find suitable bottoms for. Their navy/off white stripey skirt was out of stock, otherwise it would be perfect with any of these!

[sigh] I so wish I had some money stored up for the shopping itch. It's so long until my birthday...

Chanel Eye Wear debuts!

Oh. My. Goodness.

If you're a classics junky like me, you already love Chanel. The boxy suit, the gold details, the chains.. oh, the chains.

I am more than psyched about their new eye wear! No idea how much anything costs.. who cares.. a girl can dream. It's so difficult to find a great pair of shades to last you through the years.

Never been a fan of the "bigger is better" fad in sunglass chic until now.

My birthday is not until October. But I will happily wear these every day if they find their way to me!

Feast your eyes on my favorite pair:

Pretty Hair In Five Minutes or Less

I've mentioned before how much I dislike spending a lot of time on getting dressed and done up. My hair is an especially sharp point of contention. I don't have much control over it, so the easier the hairstyle the better!

I "borrowed" these styles from a major website. They can all be accomplished in five minutes or less. Really! I tried several of them just as a test. The key is to twist or braid or pin everything loosely. That way you have some spare hairs that escape and do that really pretty "I'm not trying too hard" thing.

I am attending a wedding this weekend and hate to have bangs flopping in my face on a hot day. I might just have to go with a braided bang, a la style #3. Or the last style, if it's just too hot...

The Audrey. I tried this.. it's waaaay simple. Divide hair in two sections horizontally. Twist up the bottom and pin in place. Tease out the top 1/2 a little and tuck loosely into the bottom portion. Spray swoopy bangs and pin loosely behind ear. Done!


Double Twist. Divide hair into two sections vertically. Twist each side individually and add an elastic at each end. Then twist both sections together loosely. Tuck ends underneath and pin down any strays so they don't show.


Beachy Braid. Gather bangs and french braid along hairline. Secure ends with a bobby pin. Could that be any simpler??


High Point Ponytail. Tease up hair along the top, spraying with hairspray. Push hair up and secure with an elastic. Place headband just before bump starts on top. It's less Snooki than Holly Go Lightly, trust me.


Not Quite a Braid. Divide hair into three sections, horizontally. Secure the front-most portion on the top of your head, loosely. Twist the middle section and turn under, pinning underneath. Twist up the bottom section, letting the ends fall over the top of the twist and hang down a little. Secure with pins and scrunch hair all over with curl spray. Or, slightly curl small portions.

What season are we in?

Are you having a hard time transitioning into spring because of the jacked up weather? I am!

I want to wear flirty skirts and open-toed shoes... but I can't stand having chilly legs all day and clammy, squishy feet. Thank you Wisconsin 50-degree-and-rainy climate - NOT!

How are you dealing with it? Protesting by wearing your springy things anyway? Pouting in layers and boots? I am compromising... bought some linen-like trousers (wide leg- they are great with heels!) and bright shirts to wear with them, as well as polka-dot espadrilles (the height will keep me out of the puddles I hope).

Here are some half-in half-out spring choices, just in case you can't make up your mind...

It's a boot! It's a sandal! No, it's BOTH! I'm not sure where you'd wear this. I'm pretty sure if you wore it anywhere it would be inappropriate. Not recommended.

Try a nude patent leather heel instead. Not a peep-toe, because who wants soggy toes? These are slick and will go with everything.

Spring is the perfect time for showing off your stomach, right? Eh, wrong. Not that YOU have a bad stomach - in fact I'm sure it is lovely - but this shirt will make it look icky no matter what.

Try a 3/4 sleeve floral number instead. This will prevent chilly arms yet can be worn with a sweater if you absolutely need it. Pair with long skirt, short skirt, trouser jeans, linen pants.. anything!

Another very pretty option. Pink and green - LOVE it.

Or a pretty plaid. In fact, all of these will look nice under that bulky sweater you are still nursing.

Detail around the collar will draw attention to the small bit of skin you're willing to expose to the cold! Take heart - the sun will come out. Maybe not tomorrow, but someday soon...
Another detailed one in a sweet, denim-y blue.

Dresses are still a great option too. I'm not against wearing boots into the official spring season. Booties might look good with this, actually, and keep it from looking too 60s costumey (as knee-high boots might).

Hmm.. Why is she facing away?? Don't know what happened here, why I got this pic instead of the front-facing one. Anyhoo... arms covered - check. Cheery print - check. We have a winner!

Let me know how you're coping with this tricky, icky season so far. And when all else fails, throw on a fabulous trench and you are literally covered!

WUWT?

As in: What Up With This?

What it is: I post a bunch of fashion pics from around the web and don't comment!
If you know me, you'd appreciate my keeping quiet for a bit. =)

So... here they are. Comment away!
[I might add my thoughts later though...]

Oscars!

Ok, folks, it's time for the annual Oscar style round-up!

Instead of belaboring the post trying to do some high critique, I'm just going to give ya my first thoughts on all things Oscar fashion. Please comment!

One of the themes of the night seemed to be gowns in neutrals with a bit of sparkle. There were some stunners (see below), but both Nicole Kidman and Gwyneth diappointed me with their very different interpretations. Kidman because the color is so blah, and Gwynnie for her lack of make-up and stick-straight hair. On the upside, Kidman's necklace is GORGEOUS and I'd be lying if I didn't say GP's pilates body wasn't made for allover sequins.
Speaking of allover sequins... they are always a standby for Academy ladies. This choice by Amy Adams is so-so for me. I love her, so I wanted to like this dress. The color is nice though a bit muted for my taste (although maybe that makes it perfect Oscars formal?) and the cap sleeves are showing off her rockin' arms. In fact, I don't know what it is that I don't like about this... perhaps the accessories?

As I said, there were some stunning sparklers on the red carpet. I didn't recognize Mandy Moore in this, and even when I read it was her I assumed someone confused someone else with her! The almost-my-skin-color dress seems to blend seamlessly. I'm not sure it's a dress so much as a really well done bedazzler project. My normal reaction to something like this would be "ice skater costume," but this time it is just too pretty to scoff at. Well done!

Haters can trash her all day long, but Helena Bonham Carter is quirky in all the right ways. She has fun with fashion.. isn't that the point?? It's not like someone is making you wear things for their pleasure. Love the union jack tattoo (or whatever that is) and the stacked platforms! Making basic black pop is tricky, but she's done it.

Team triple axels coming this way! Or, maybe she's headed to the alito deck for some shrimp cocktail and a tom collins. Either way, I'm not on board.

Another winner in pale pink and sparklies, but something is lacking. I feel like I've seen her in this type of gown again and again..

See, there isn't a formula for Oscar dressing. Michelle Williams (about whom I still have no idea what she's been in) went for the low color/sequin/transluscent gown and ended up looking like she's wearing a t-shirt dress with spangles.

I have no idea what to say about Cate Blanchett's choice. I love her, so that's coloring my judgment. Is it cutting edge? Not really. Unflattering? Not really. What is it?

Now, even though the dress is a little pageanty, Jennifer Hudson's choice here is spot on. The red carpet is about a wow factor and being memorable. Say what you will, but this blaze orange number will not be easily forgotten. Though perhaps it being burned into your retinas isn't exactly a compliment.

I'm not going to whine about how "this isn't the real J-Hudson because she lost xx number of pounds" either, because that is damn hard to do, and who wouldn't want to show off their hard work? A slightly more reddish orange might have been better for her skin tone, but otherwise this was a classy number.


And that's all I got, folks. What were YOUR favorites of the night? Whose style would you steal?