So, admittedly, I am not the best blogger in the history of blogging. I'm hoping I'm not the worst, either. I get distracted by all kinds of crazy things; holidays, birthdays, shiny things, cute things, comicons, work, volunteering ... but I am going to make an effort to be better for all of those I want to pretend are reading this. So, onward! I'm a little scattered on Fridays, possibly more so today as my dog died last night. So I like to wear easy outfits. Things that are comfortable, don't take a lot of thought, but are still upbeat and cheerful because weekend! Also, you want to look at least a little cute because you never know when you might want to go hit the town for a few beers or a couple glasses of wine.
Every awesome tale needs a pretty legit villain. Sometimes they are a bit more creepy and sometimes a bit more lonely. The Sword in the Stone - as every good Disney Baby knows - had Mad Madam Mim, a woman that might have been more lonely than anything else, and had more than her fair share of crazy. Madam Mim is possibly one of my top ten favorite Disney Characters. She is loud, brash, doesn't take crap from anybody, and very much is her own person. Plus, she turns into a giant purple dragon and who doesn't want to be able to do that? Today we are going to honor the proud little witch herself and focus on animals and happy pink and purple colors!
If you are going to go with bold colors, ladies, don't mix so many of them that people will have a hard time looking at you. Try to stick to the same shade range with a few softer accents. To celebrate Mim and Spring I picked a rather darling 3/4 sleeve knee length dress fitted to the waist and then flaring softly for the skirt. I like the folds falling over the hips, adds room to those pesky shapeless spots we Y ladies have a hard time with. The simple scoop neck is high enough that cleavage shouldn't be too much of a problem (if you are busty like myself you might still want to grab a camisole for underneath.)
Not all ladies are shaped the same (I will never stop harping on this!) and this is why we have accessories like belts! No matter what I do, I have extra room around my midsection in dresses, things aren't usually made for people with breasts larger than a C. Hence the belt. Belts nip in that fabric and show off your shape, an easy fix that I realized the other day has kind of become my staple. I have 17 belts. 17! I mean, I thought it was a lot at first, but then I realized I wanted more in multiple colors. I could segue off here, well I did segue off here but then I deleted the three paragraphs because who really needs three paragraphs on belts when we haven't even gotten to the second outfit yet?
Onward to the rest of the accessories! Springtime is Chilly here in Seattle, so a nice loose knit sweater is great to toss on over the top of the dress for in the office. Try not to pick a bulky sweater, as that is just going to add rather volume to your shape, you want something a little sheer and that will fall neatly along the lines of your dress. You also want leggings or tights. I found the tights with the tentacles printed on them and knew they were perfect for Mim (and me, I ordered a pair.) With Mim, it's the colors and accessories that really make the outfit. All those animals she turned into? Oh yes, that make perfect fodder. You can't have too many different animal prints and faces on your jewelry with an outfit like this. Mix metals, textures, and styles for a fun and funky cast to an otherwise sedate (save the color) outfit. After that you just toss on a pair of low heels (it's Friday after all) and a matching bag and you are ready for the office!!
For all my Pear shaped ladies out there, I give you an A line dress! You should already have a few of those, they should be a staple in your wardrobe really. No one wears a tailored A line (or a pencil skirt) like a girl with hips. So, to show off your shape I have paired the bold, but simple, dress with a fun, purple, bolero and scarf set. The scarf adds a bit more bulk and warmth to the neck, giving the illusion of a narrower waist because who doesn't want that? Speaking of waist, toss a narrow belt on at your natural waist, the slimmest part of your torso, just to make sure that dress tucks in properly to your body. It's my go-to easy fix.
For this ensemble I picked the hot pink leopard print. Partly because I didn't want the same leggings and tights on both outfits, and partly because they just make me really happy. With all the purple accessories already being worn (belt, scarf, bolero) I added purple shoes, but I chose a fun, bright pink purse to go along with it. It's big enough to hold your tablet (that is kind of a rule for purses with me these days) but not so huge it looks like you are trying to smuggle frozen turkey into work. There is such a thing as a purse that is too big, in my opinion.
I put higher heels on this one, but I liked the color (and the shoes) and kind of just rolled with it at that point. After all, this is about doing the same inspiration on two different outfits. They are similar, obviously, but not identical. Just as no two women are identical. Speaking of, I know I usually tend not to put as much info into my second outfit, because it's repeating a lot of things from the first, so instead of talking about jewelry (though I totally bought that ear cuff, just thought you all should know that it's awesome) I thought I'd just get to the hair and makeup.
All these bold colors you put on your body are already making eyes go to you. As such, I vote for simplicity in the makeup department. A sheer shade for the eyelids (a soft pink or gold) and a soft pink lip and you should be good to go. Be simple with your hair as well! Leave it down or toss it up in a loose bun or ponytail. With all your accessories and the bold colors of the outfit going crazy with the hair and makeup will make it look a bit too over the top. This is work, after all. If you like over the top, toss some more makeup in your bag and go wild at the end of the day! Remember, always pillage before you burn! Stevie
