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By kilax, February 28, 2009 8:21 am

I love Target for inexpensive “I’m in between sizes” clothing. A lot of my work pants are too big now (and the one pair that fits has a hole that needs to be fixed) and some tops are as well. I would love to go drop the cash at Banana Republic and buy the pants I really want (hello, Martin fit), but what is the point when I am losing weight?

I noticed something funny yesterday when I was trying on tops – everything I tried on was either teal or a ruby shade! I guess jewel tones are in!

Has anyone else noticed this? An abundance of emerald green, amethyst purple, ruby red, topaz yellow, sapphire blue, turquoise blue, and tourmaline green (color descriptions taken from here)? It seems that I read about these shades in one of my magazines… of course now, I don’t recall which.

These photos don’t do the tops justice – trust me, they’re cute. And what is the deal with the Target models? Are they not allowed a full head?

Is anyone else trying out the jewel tones?

I sure am! I just hope I can still wear my plum and mustard clothing. I invested quite a bit in plum, and have even been rockin’ a mustard top (although a timid one) lately.

Click here to read about another blogger who loves jewel tones! Oh, and after watching Star Trek: The Next Generation with Steven last night, I realized their uniforms are jewel-toned as well. Ha ha.

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By kilax, February 25, 2009 5:50 am

• I’m awake on the train ride to work and read the paper
• No one gets in my way on the walk to work
• I ride the elevator alone on the way up to my floor
• There’s no wait at the microwave to make my oatmeal
• No emails/phone messages at my desk
• My pants and shirt are hole-free (unlike yesterday…)

Hmm, makes me seem a bit anti-social, but that’s how like I like to start my day.

What’s your perfect start to the day?

I have a lot on my mind lately. There are some other things I want to post about, but I am going to split the topics up into two scheduled posts later today. I hate to bombard your reader, but I don’t want my topics to get lost in a “bullet list of topics” post.

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By kilax, October 30, 2008 9:22 pm

I saw this dress in an add for White House | Black Market and thought, “Ooo, I want that dress.”

Then, after thinking about it, for you know, a split second, I thought, “I don’t need a dress like that! What is wrong with me?!”

Nothing’s wrong with me. I just want a pretty dress, and a pretty occasion, and an excuse to look pretty and act pretty. Apparently, the print ad worked on me. Sometimes, you just want to dress up.

I’m almost done reading Valerie Frankel’s Thin is the New Happpy. I really liked the blurb of it that was in Self, and hey, what’s one more inspirational weight-loss book? Woo-hoo!

I don’t like it as much as I thought I would, but it’s not bad. Surprisingly (to me), my favorite chapter is the one in which Frankel describes when Stacy London, of What Not to Wear fame, comes over to her home and goes through her closet (this surprises me because it made me like London – I’ve always been weary of her after seeing the show).

Frankel is resistant about getting rid of her old, non-fitting, sloppy clothes. She thinks caring about fashion is superficial.

London goes on to tell her that caring about fashion for the sake of having the newest “in” item is superficial, but there is a difference between caring about fashion and having personal style. Having personal style can make you feel empowered, confident, and secure. It can make you respect yourself. It can express who you are on the outside.

Yeah, I am not explaining it very well, but it really clicked with me. I get what she is saying, because I do feel better about myself when I dress nicer. Even if it means wearing a nice top instead of a t-shirt with jeans. Or wearing some nice shoes on the weekend. Or pants that fit to work.

But I have to be careful. Because I am only now beginning to be excited about fashion, and don’t have a base of essentials to build on. I have to be careful not to buy things, like the dress above, just because it catches my eye.

I need to work on developing my own personal style first. I think I’m getting there. Slowly.

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By kilax, September 26, 2008 12:03 pm

Do you follow the wash instructions on your clothing?

Yesterday, I realized the pants I bought last weekend are “dry clean only.” I asked Steven, “Do you think I can put these dry clean only pants in the washer?”

“No.”

I guess that means I will ( be having him) take them to the dry cleaner.

I thought about this a bit, and realized I follow the instructions on my clothing when I first get them… to keep them “fresh” and “new,” but after awhile, it’s sort of a free for all. I’ll just throw a ton of random stuff in the washer, and hope for the best. I’m not mixing color-families, but I sure as hell am not reading those wash tags anymore.

Comments (11)

By kilax, September 21, 2008 8:11 am

I must say that I loved suze’s post “discovering my inner fashionista” – probably because I am thinking around the same lines right now. Please read it when you get the chance.

Suze writes about how she never thought fashion was accessible to herself, being a larger woman. She disregarded it and considered those concerned with fashion to be “vapid and shallow.”

But then she realized that there were fashionable pieces available to her. She started taking more time in her appearance, and realized that her size didn’t matter. Taking care of her image made her feel better, overall.

I can’t believe how close this is to what I am feeling. I ignored fashion, and wore the same slacks and button-down shirts for more than a year – just because I was overweight and didn’t feel like taking care of myself.

Once I started eating healthy and exercising, something just clicked in me, and I wanted to start dressing nicer, wearing my hair nicer, and being more coordinated in general. I find myself picking up fashion magazines, actually LOOKING at the ads and fashion spreads and magazines, and imaging how certain outfits would look on me.

And like suze, I thought all of this was ridiculous, vain and shallow. But now I realize how much better it makes me feel to be “put together.” I understand impressing other people isn’t the only reason to care about how you look – it’s really about feeling good being yourself. Yes, I want the my colleagues and clients to think I look decent, but putting more effort into myself… makes me a better version of myself. I am more confident and more cheerful.

Even as I write this, I feel a little uneasy. I think that’s because caring about fashion goes against everything I have programmed myself to believe, as a larger woman. But I am ready to fight that. Thanks for sharing it too, suze.

(Unfortunately, “caring about fashion/style” hasn’t been easy on my pocket book! I’ve even added a new “fashion” category here, so I can start sharing some of my favorite fashion items with you)

Comments (26)

By kilax, September 6, 2008 11:45 pm

I’ve been a little bit bummed all week – Steven’s been in Denver for a conference (he comes home tomorrow evening). And even though I lived by myself for so long… even in a foreign country, my daily routine feels all off with him gone! I feel like I am rushing through everything so I can just get to bed and sleep another night away. Have I lost my independence? No, ha ha! I’ve just become very accustomed and happy to spend so much time with him.

Anyway. It’s been awhile. Here’s what’s new with me:

• I am an aunt again! Meet Thomas Patrick – born on Thursday! Isn’t he perfect? Don’t you love his hair? No, I am not biased. He’s actually stuck in the hospital for some time because his white blood cell count is too high. They say it’s not serious, but you can say a little prayer for him if you’d like.



He is my older brother and sister-in-law’s second child. They named him after my dad’s brother (Tom) that passed away. I can’t wait to meet him!

• We spend Labor Day weekend with my family at their cabin on the Mississippi River. What a perfect weekend. The weather was AMAZING. We grilled on the beach, went on boat rides, tubing, sunbathing… and ate TONS and TONS of food. I don’t want to say that it was the perfect end to summer – because I don’t want to admit summer is coming to an end – but with our cold temperatures and rain all week, I think it’s safe to say it.

• Our one-year anniversary was Monday! The cake tasted JUST AS AMAZING as it did on our wedding. I think credit goes to my mom for wrapping it in a million layers of saran wrap. And I think the 3/4″ fondant the covered it also preserved it. Yummy. (And I can’t forget to give credit to Andrew and Courtney for perfectly separating it from the rest of the cake)

We didn’t exchange anniversary gifts, but decided to buy something nice together. I am happy that is the decision we made. I’d rather do that then buy something silly for Steven that he doesn’t need/want.

• I’ve been doing a lot of shopping. At my one-year review in May, my boss politely told me that I need to dress less frumpy. That is not how she said it, and she was really nice about it… and… I knew she was right. I looked like crap because I felt fat and crappy. Now that I’ve lost quite a bit of weight, I’ve been buying a lot of clothes. I know it is materialistic, but it’s really made me feel better about my appearance. Before I just wore button-down tops everyday. Now I am trying more trendy, form fitting things. I’m still quite a bit away from my goal weight though – so I may be too small for these in another year! We’ll see. I’m excited to see progress from all of my hard work.

Comments (12)

By kilax, June 18, 2008 8:03 am

Great.

All that time I spent this morning finding the right outfit to wear to my meeting? Wasted.

Apparently, my shirt is somewhat see-through.

Why don’t I ever realize these things before I get to work?

When will this week ever end?!

Comments (12)

By kilax, June 7, 2008 8:41 am

I used to have a pair of American Flag Pants, before I met Mr. Pronunciation and found out that flag was not pronounced like it rhymed with beg, but with bag, which I pronounced like “beg,” so it was all very confusing. Luckily, I was corrected. And still am.

I wore these pants with a USA Olympic shirt that had a lot of different flags on the back of it. I thought I was very cool and coordinated. I was a senior in high school.

I must have worn these pants in public? One time, I was shopping in the mall near my house (sadly, not for new pants), and a man offered me $25 for my pants.

Of course, I declined! These were my American Flag Pants, and I was going to Spain in less than a month! I had to wear the American Flag Pants in Spain (to bed, not in public).

A photo of me, and two girls who didn’t like me, eating chocolates, in Spain. Can you guess which one is me?

I wore that shirt last night to bed, but have NO idea what happened to the pants. Where are those pants?

Comments (13)

By kilax, June 4, 2008 1:47 pm

You know when you are just starting a new job, and want to look your best? You wear all of your most professional clothes, and get up early each day to do your hair and/or makeup just perfect?

Ha.

Apparently, I am SO over that. I’ve worked at my job a little over a year. And I think I’ve become comfortable.

I’ve turned into a schlump. And if that isn’t a word, I mean I’ve turned a bit… sloppy? Casual? I’ve given up trying?

I still dress to impress when I’m meeting with clients. But I never wear heels to work anymore. I almost always wear my hair in a ponytail. I almost always wear some button-down shirt, untucked, with pants (never jeans).

I look unprofessional.

It’s time to start caring again.

I’m getting a haircut on Saturday, so that’s a start… but where do I go to buy professional clothes, for someone a bit “larger” and not break the bank?

Because when you look like crap, it affects your attitude too.