A couple weeks ago, while on a binge shopping trip with one of my gal pals (I had to cash in my Christmas gift cards eventually...) we stopped by Burlington. I have no problem admitting that one of my biggest fashion secrets is wholesale/mark down super stores (a la: Ross, TJ Maxx, Burlington, etc.) on my Mommy budget, fashion requires creativity. Creativity means stretching your money by investing in flexible pieces that can be the center or the accessory to any outfit. Looking in my closet you might think, hmmm all this black, white, and grey is kinda drab! I myself am surprised when someone tells me how much they like something I am wearing. The reality is, all I do is stock up on these very simple pieces in large quantities and varieties. Alternately, I pick up a couple colorful things here and there and *Ta Da!* I have a million outfits for the cost of one or two.
Anyway, as I mentioned, a couple weeks ago, my shopping binge (this usually means $60 or so) led me and my friend into Burlington. I saw some nude colored, peep toe pumps that I kept circling back to. I had no reason to buy them, it was snowing outside (not conducive to heels at all much less peep toe pumps) and my number one rule for "fashion" is that if you aren't comfortable, it doesn't matter what label you're wearing - it won't look good. But for whatever reason, I kept coming back to them and thinking, "If I get these, all I am going to hear is how boring these flat colored shoes are and what a waste..." but my second rule for *fashion* is follow your gut. I am not one to hear what color looks good with my complexion, or does/doesn't compliment my blue eyes, even if someone says what I am wearing isn't flattering....I don't pay much attention.
If you can't please yourself when you're looking in the mirror, that is the root of your problems. And if you let someone else tell you that you don't look good, the problem is proliferated. As funny as it sounds, the major person who I have gone to for fashion advice has always been my dad...cue your hysterical laughing now.
But really, my mom wasn't around when I was getting ready for school for 12 years - my dad taught me not to mix brown and black, he told me about clashing, he even acted as a personal stylist once when my sister told him she was tired of looking so athletic and wanted help dressing more feminine. I realize how silly this all sounds, I do, but it makes sense - until I was about 15 he was buying all my clothes so he had a great deal of say in what I wore. That's not to say I didn't branch out into the much less classy realm of clothing when I started shopping for myself, but to this day, Dad's voice is still right there with me when I shop.
It doesn't surprise me so much I guess, because I am sure any sort of fashion sense he found trendy was that of this lovely lady -- Arline Cormack. And she, like many women in her trendy days, got their fashion inspiration from Jackie Kennedy:
Unfortunately, being a preacher's wife, she didn't get to go out and buy all the lovely things she saw Mrs. Kennedy wearing - but there are stories of her standing a while at store windows, admiring dresses, then going home and making them herself. This must be where I get my disposition, to spend a little and make a lot out of it fashion wise.
This is all just a really long way of saying - wear what you like, love what you wear and trust yourself when it comes to fashion because no one will tell you the truth - unless you take my dad shopping with you....
This is all just a really long way of saying - wear what you like, love what you wear and trust yourself when it comes to fashion because no one will tell you the truth - unless you take my dad shopping with you....
In fact, I think it was him in my head at the store saying, go ahead, get the pumps! After all, rule number 2 is *follow your gut* and so I walked out with a pair of lovely knock off pumps for about $18. I haven't worn them yet, because it really does need to be sunny for your toes to be exposed if you ask me (note - I never claimed to be an expert!) and this morning my ever trustworthy Yahoo! told me....
OMG! Nude pumps and mini dresses for spring! Talk about luck...or coincidence...or intuition...me and my pumps were destined to be together this spring!
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| Revel in the beauty that it my new shoes <3 |
1 comment:
LOVE THE SHOES!! I figured these were in right now--all the celebrities are wearing them. I'd like a pair, but I definitely couldn't wear ones that tall. I'd topple over!
My dad is my go-to fashion contact as well. He has a better sense of what looks good/matches than my mom ever did, and my bf is useless when it comes to shopping for clothes.
Enjoy your new shoes whenever it's warm enough!
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