Shoe Power

 

The other morning, as I was gettin ready for work, I grabbed my favorit pair of summer heels, and found the heel of one of them chewed down to almost nothing.  That’s right.  My puppy chewed the heel off my favorite pair of shoes. 

Fashioning a National Identity

 

Sarah Jessica Parker on the set for the second Sex in the City movie

Anyone who likes this blog would probably find this interesting.  Sarah Jessica Parker will be doing the voice-over for the audio guide to accompany the exhibition.

Alterations

My husband sent me a link from an online magazine about plastic surgery and high heel shoes.  To sum it up, the newest thing you can now Botox is your feet.  It lasts a few months and can make wearing 5 inch heels tolerable.  This article reminded me of an article I bookmarked a month ago on  The Skinny Jeana Workout.  It is basically a series of recommended movements to get the kind of body that can squeeze into uncomfortably tight jeans.

The Halloween Experience

As the weekend gets closer, I am reving up for a Costume Party my husband and I will be attending on Saturday.  It all started when I saw a Cleopatra costume I really liked in a magazine.  My husband said I could pull the outfit off and he would go as a mummy.  He immediatly began googling how to do this himself.   

I, on the other hand, let him know that the costume he liked for me was $85.   We decided I should shop around a little, for several reasons.  One was the obvious waste of $85 for a one night wear, and two, I knew if I wore it, it would be obvious I just paid a lot of money for an uncreative costume for the sole purpose of showing off my legs (it wasn’t slutty per se, but it did have a short skirt instead of the long skirt of a traditional Cleopatra).

After our discussion, something struck me.  There are generally three options when choosing a Halloween costume:  1) Expensive costume from magazine or from a store, 2) The version in a bag that is more economical but usually as a whole, more skimpy and cliche, and 3) A homemade costume.  

Pretty Woman: Workin It

Well, it’s that time of year again.  The weather is starting to turn.  Days are shorter.  Back-to-School preparations have begun….Summer is coming to an end. 

One thing I love about the midwest (even though I complain) is the change of seasons. With a new season comes a new wardrobe.  Whether it’s going into storage or into the mall, you can start putting away the clothes you have been wearing for the last couple of months, and refresh.

I don’t know about you, but beautiful clothes always cheer me up (even if I can only get to look at them).   And there is no shortage of them in fashion magazines right now. 

Labeled Art

Megan Fox in a casual summer dress

Well, summer arrived here in Chicago…with a vengeance.  My fiancee is holding me responsible for the past week’s 95 degree heat wave due to all my complaining and whining when it was cold.  Amazing that my complaining and whining brought summer, but somehow failed to get the curtains we bought a week ago hung…But I digress.

With the heat wave comes a whole slew of fun summer dresses, floral prints, and an array of flip flops.  And I get to stare at it all behind my sunglasses (that are less conspicuous than usual because the sun is actually out and blazing!) walking the streets of Chicago on my lunch hour. 

Size Really Doesn’t Matter…When it Comes to Fashion

I was doing my normal internet readying with coffee this morning, and what interested me today was an article on all the trendy plus size clothing lines coming out.  The article analyzes the plus size fashion market and compares the success and demise of various brands in the sector. 

I recently started a new workout routine and eating plan.  My weight has been fairly consistent without really dieting or trying to loose weight.  I just love physical activity, and I feel better when I eat better.  Plus, being healthy is important in being self sufficient.  Being able to move a couch without any more reinforcements than my fiancee, for example, is invaluable. 

And I’m not gonna lie – I want to look physically fit!

The Importance of Dressing to Impress

When the media started printing stories about Obama taking off his suit coat  in the Oval Office, loosening the dresscode of the Bush era, it got me thinking  about my personal experiences with dress codes, and various reactions I’ve received when deviating from them (whether intentional or otherwise).

The word dress code alone makes me shudder and remember my grade school days of being stopped in the hall by teachers, and being asked to put my arms flat by my sides to makes sure my shorts were fingertip length; my high school days of receiving a Coca-Cola T-shirt because, while carrying my school books, it appeared my shirt showed part of my stomach…

Winter White No More

When I set out my work outfit last night, it was following an evening with my fiancee grilling our dinner and eating  on the porch.  It was really nice outside in the northwest suburb of Chicago I recently  moved to from the city.  Well, that was last night.

This morning it was windy, rainy, and miserable.   Due to my new favorite cosmetic item – sunless tanner – I had set out a skirt, no tights, and one of those cute ruffle sleeved tops  I am starting to see everywhere.  Normally, I would need at least a few Saturdays baking in the sun before I even consider exposing bare legs, and I’ve always been afraid of sunless tanner.  Well, we haven’t had enough nice weather to get a tan..  So despite my visions  of streaks and Lindsay Lohan-like orangyness that can’t be hidden because, well, it’s your skin – I took a chance.  I may sound dramatic here, but it’s not like purchasing a lipstick, which you can wipe off, that is too orange.  

Dressing the Part: The Proper Role of Fashion in the White House

Michelle Obama's Vogue Cover

I’ve been a little down this week, so in an attempt to cheer myself up, I decided to stop at the bookstore to indulge in my two favorite things – coffee and fashion magazines (not to mention the lovely smell of all those books).  In perusing, I noticed Michelle Obama is on the cover of the March issue of Vogue.  All political associations and viewpoints aside (I also wrote about Sarah Palin’s fashion choices during the election, and Jackie O’s status as a fashion icon), I love all the media attention Michelle’s fashion choices are receiving.

As American fashion struggles on in a time when flaunting economic status is a faux pas, it is refreshing to see America’s first lady taking the role seriously and dressing the part.