Fun with Clothes: BBQ Style

Today I had some fun with fashion, and I liked the outfit I put together so much that I thought I’d share. A couple of weeks ago, I ordered a maxi dress from Target to wear going home from my surgery and for the days directly afterward, when loose clothing would be the most comfortable.  The dress arrived the other day, and since I had a 50th Anniversary Celebration Mass & BBQ to go to at my high school alma mater, I figured I could piece together a pretty cute ensemble.

Since the dress was hot pink and orange/coral, I knew my Kate Spade necklace would go perfectly. I also wanted to use my Coach bag and jean jacket. I love the little ruffles that the jacket has, and that it helps to show my waist.

It all looked fine on the hanger, but how would it look on me?  Maxi dresses are usually not my thing, because I’m so short (5’3″) and they do nothing to show my hourglass figure.  But with the addition of the jean jacket and some platform flip flops, I think the outfit turned out pretty well.  Plus, I know I wouldn’t have felt half as comfortable wearing it if I hadn’t lost 35 pounds.  Even with the jean jacket off later in the day, I felt great in it, and got a few compliments, which is always nice.

This is just a prelude to the types of outfits I’m going to be able to piece together as I lose weight.  I can’t wait!!

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OOTD: Happy (Fashion) Friday

I wanted to make a quick post of the outfit I picked out today. It’s notable only because I wore the sleeveless top without a shrug or sweater covering my arms, which is a big step for me.

My arms are big, but today it was warm and covering them doesn’t hide the fact that they’re big, it just hides them. And why? My arms are firm(ish) and tan (thanks to the swimming) and the top is cut too cute to hide it because of self-consciousness.

Granted, this top is not the most flattering, especially because that band at the bottom accentuates my hips and stomach, but in person the colors are really pretty and very flattering.  The top is so much more fitted than I’ve been wearing, and while it will still look good, and probably better, after losing another 10 lbs, I felt pretty in this top.  I wish the photo was clearer – sorry about that.

I bought that bracelet yesterday at the salon and I absolutely adore it!  it will go with so much, and it can actually convert to a necklace, which is so cool (although it’s sort of a choker, which is not usually a style of necklace that I enjoy).  I love the stacked look of the bracelets! I know I’m going to get a lot of use out of it.

I took the photo of  my face to show you the flower in my hair and my makeup, but it actually revealed something else, too.  I’m a master at the “fat girl photo angle:” hold the camera above your head so that the lens is looking down at you, then move your face so that your double/triple chin appears much smaller.  But I really think this picture is going to be great motivation for me, because my face appears SO much thinner than it usually is.  Looking at this shot is sort of like peeking into the future, seeing  myself in 30 pounds or so lighter.  And I do think that losing weight these first three weeks of summer has helped to “de-puff” face.

Losing this 12.6 pounds has invigorated me and helped me see that while I have a LONG way to go, I need to enjoy each moment of this summer. This is the summer that I change my life for good, so why not dress as if each day is a celebration?

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OOTW: The Heat is Back

Remember the title of last week’s OOTW post: A Chill in the Air? Ya, well, this week it was all about the heat. And not our normal summer heat, but a weird, humid heat that is usually (thankfully) reserved for the east coast. Luckily, I haven’t put away any of my summer clothes yet, so I was able to make it work all week.  Since we’re in Indian Summer mode (cool mornings, hot days, cool nights), it was all about the layering.

Monday: I was amazed at how well these colors went together, considering each thing was purchased separately and without a thought about the other items.  Pulling things together from the closet is always really fun.  I like the cardigan I wore on Monday because it’s roomy, but looking at the photos I can see that it’s not the most flattering.

Closeup view: necklace from Silpada

Cardigan: LB; Top: Macy's; Skirt: Susan Graver (QVC); Shoes: Clarks

Quick, blurry side view.

Tuesday: I got a ton of compliments on this top on Tuesday!  Students, my nieces, and even my dad all had really nice things to say.  Red is one of “my” colors, and this one has a fun swirly pattern on it.

Closeup - The lighting in the bathroom makes the top look much brighter than it really is.

Cardigan: Avenue; Top: LB (years old); Cami: LB; Cropped pants: Avenue; Necklace: Tiffany

Because the top is more form fitting, it helps to show off my curves more than Monday's outfit.

Wednesday: This is the first day since schools started that I repeated an outfit.  Which means than in 35 days (8 weeks, M-F, no weekends or holidays), I have worn 34 different outfits.  Which means I have A LOT of clothes for work!  I know it’s sort of silly and no one cares about whether I’ve repeated outfits but me, but I do take pride in how many different looks I’ve been able to string together.  I hate wearing the same thing all the time, and I proved to myself that I don’t have to.  I still have a couple of dresses that I haven’t worn yet, so technically, I can probably go 36 or 37 days, but at this point, it doesn’t matter.

Closeup to show the true colors of the outfit, necklace, makeup.

I was actually hoping the photo above would show my makeup better.  For years, I’ve done my eyes the same way – liquid liner, with a strong cat’s eye.  It really has become my signature look because it helps accentuate my almond-shaped eyes, and it helps me avoid eyeshadow, which I’m terrible at applying.  I recently purchased the new Bare Escentuals Ready eyeshadows and was pretty impressed, both with the formula and the ease with which I could apply it.  I chose The Enlightenment duo, Guru & Namaste (silk stone and sandy brown) which I thought would be fairly neutral with my skin tone.  I was really proud of myself, and I liked the look it gave.  Next time I try it, I’ll take a better photo.

Shurg: Avenue; Top: LB; Cropped pants: Avenue; Shoes: Hush Puppies

(Yes, that’s Sofi making a cameo on these photos).

Which outfit was your favorite?

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A New Friday Tradition: OOTW

I love clothes, and despite the fact that my clothing choices are limited because of my “plus size,” I pride myself on dressing as fashionably as possible.  I have tons of clothes – more than any one person needs, really – and I feel a point of pride when I write that I have not repeated an outfit yet this school year – that’s 5 weeks (25 days) without a repeat.  Well, except for Fridays when we’re supposed to wear our school pride colors, and a girl only has so much blue and gold gear.  This is during the week, mind you; on the weekends I often wear the same comfy workout clothes when I’m just hanging around the house or, well, working out.  But if I’m going out with friends and family, I definitely dress to impress whenever possible.

With that said, I thought it was high time to start a new tradition around this blog on Fridays – OOTW (Outfits of the Week).  I’m inspired by Heidi‘s Fashion Friday posts, but since I didn’t want to completely steal her idea, I figured I’d feature the outfits I wore throughout the week.  The side bonus of these posts will be that they’ll serve as a visual record of my weight loss through the weeks.

Sound fun?  I think so, too.  So let’s get started.

Sunday – yin yoga outfit.  The reason I’m featuring a weekend workout outfit is that I’m trying to wear more fitted clothes when I workout.  I tend to wear really baggy workout clothes because they’re safer and I can “hide” in them.  But again, as Heidi pointed out, wearing baggy clothes makes me look bigger than I really am.  I should start embracing my curves even when I’m moving and sweating.  With that said, I wore a much more fitted shirt to yoga on Sunday, and I felt great about it.  The shirt is one that I had purchased well over a year ago and when I first bought it, it was much too tight.  As you can see, it fits much nicer now.

Top: Lane Bryant; Yoga Pants: Avenue; Workout Bra: Champion (Target)

Monday – I love the animal print top in the unexpected colors.  I guess all these Jersey shows I’m watching (Jersey Shore, Jerseylicious, RHONJ) are starting to influence my fashion.

Top: Macy's; Necklace: Dress Barn; Pants: Avenue; Shoes: Reef (Zappos)

Tuesday – It was super-hot this week (in the 90s every single day), and I wanted to be as cool as possible. These palazzo pants are very thin and flowy, so they’re sooooo comfortable.  I feel like I’m wearing sweats to school when I wear them, yet they’re really dressing looking.  The shoes are flat sandals, but they’re patent leather, which sort of dresses them up a bit, I think.  I’m not sure if these pants are very flattering on me because they’re so wide-legged – they either camouflage my big thighs or accentuate them – what do you think?

Top: Torrid (2-3 years ago); Cami: LB; Pearl & Silver Necklace: gift from my mom; Pants: Target; Shoes: Avenue

Wednesday: I looked in my closet and saw nothing that felt cool and looked cute (do you ever have those days?), so I went next door to my sister’s closet and borrowed this top.  One of the many perks of having her right next door and being almost the same size.

Top: Mervyn's; Cami: LB; Necklace: Silpada; Cropped Jeans: LB; Shoes: Reef (Zappos)

That’s it for this week because Thursdays are college tshirt/sweatshirt days (to promote a college-bound culture) and Fridays as I said are pride days (blue and gold).

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In keeping with fashion, last Friday my mom and I went shopping for some new shoes for me.  Since I’m on my feet all day long, I need really supportive shoes, and since I have wide feet with a high instep, I’m not the easiest fit.  I’ve fallen in love with Clarks!  My last pair lasted 3 years and I wore them almost every single day during the week!  They’re still “functional,” but they have seen better days.  Since the time of sandals and open-toed shoes will soon be gone, it was time to buy a new pair of Clarks.

The 1st Pair is called UnMemoir: I found this pair right away and knew they’d be perfect because they’re very similar to the pair that lasted 3 years.  They’re incredibly soft and comfortable, and they have amazing support.  Plus, they come in wide width, so I can get my real size (7 1/2) instead of having to size up (which often causes blisters at first).  They very cute with pants/crops and I’ll wear them all the time.

You can almost feel that soft calfskin, can't you?

I think they're adorable for "comfortable" shoes.

The 2nd pair is called UnNotice.  I got them because they were a bit dressier, because of the heel.  They’ll be perfect with dresses and skirts.  (The other ones look a bit too “orthopedic” with dresses).  When the weather gets cooler, I’ll pair them with tights and they’ll be ideal.  I originally wanted to buy knee-length boots, but because my calves are so large, I just can’t find ones that fit/zip to the top.  I’ve given up trying to find them, at least for now.  They’ll be something I buy when I get to my goal weight, because I’m sure the width of my calves will decrease, along with everything else.

They don't look very impressive from this shot, but when I have them on, they're adorable.

I like that they have sort of a retro feel to them.

Each of these pairs was $115, but they are well worth the money for the comfort and support they provide.  Especially considering the fact that I’ll wear them day in and day out.  (I also have a pair of brown Hush Puppies that I’ll wear when I’m wearing outfits of that color scheme).

These shoes (and a couple of pairs of comfy ankle-length boots) are the reasons that I can’t wait for the cooler, crisper weather to arrive.  Well, that and the fact that I am so sick of this heat!  I love fall fashion and can’t wait to start putting pieces together.

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