Noun:

"the act of causing to become beautiful or handsome "

Saturday, October 16, 2010

"Delicious Autumn! ..."

"...My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns."
- George Eliot

I sort of like having quotes for titles. :)

I got to reading my friend's blog and thought "oh. i have one of those." and then I thought I should update it because that's what all the cool kids are doing.
And what are the cool kids wearing?
Well, if they're cool, probably not enough, because it is fall and thus, the weather's getting colder, and it's windy and rainy! Silly season changes. Quick! Let's tilt back towards the sun, eh? Unfortunately, the place I live only has like, two warm days a year (kidding, kidding), so it's been hovering in the fifties (around 11 C for those of you who aren't American) recently. And raining.

So getting dressed for school becomes something of a challenge on occasion. My school's temperatures are odd, to say the least! The further you are from the first floor in the middle, the colder you are. Unfortunately, the first floor, in the middle, is the weight room and the girls' locker room. It's useful to wear layers so that you can shed them when you get too warm, but you can keep them on when you're freezing your toes off.

Useful! :)

So instead of talking about clothes, I'm gonna be really excited about makeup for a second here. I've gotten contacts for the school year, right? and ohboyohboyohboyohboy. I can do sooo much with them now. I can wear pretty makeup. And for some reason, the contacts bring out the green in my eyes, which makes me extra pretty. So I'm really excited about that. And I LOVE fall makeup because in the fall and winter I tend to wear more lipstick and less eye makeup than I do in summer and spring. I'm so stoked for looking pretty!

Maybe sometime I'll post a picture of what I've been looking like. :)

Bye loves!
<3<3Spoonsie

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

On Hipsters

Let’s get this one out in the open right now. I’m not a hipster. I don’t listen to indie music, I’m only pretentious about singing (and even then… yeah I’m pretentious about singing), and I think things are cool even though I didn’t hear of them first. I don’t wear Ray Ban glasses (although mine are black plastic frames, they’re by tempo), and my wardrobe does not consist of things that were bought to look secondhand.
That being said, my best friend is a hipster. She’s a HUGE HIPSTER. In fact, a lot of my friends are. Kids who don’t really care about fitting in and kids who are obsessed with the idea of not fitting in and being as indie as possible, well, we must gravitate to one another somehow.
So today I dressed up as a hipster. Some high-waisted straight-leg jeans, knockoff converse, black tank top, layered necklaces, white men’s button down with the sleeves rolled up, hair kind of skuzzy looking and no makeup, with a UB beanie over my hair.. I’m also wearing my glasses rather than contacts today. And I carried a messenger bag (like all the cool kids do, mine has Strong Bad on it!).
Well, being a hipster is fun. But it certainly isn’t for me. Although I was comfortable, I didn’t really enjoy the feeling of having my sleeves unroll of my shirt get all slouchy. That being said, I may dress up as a hipster more often. A hipster boy, that is. XD
Unfortunately, I now want to listen to obscure indie music and all my indie friends are busy right now. Oh well!

Tata!
Spoonsie <3<3

(Confession: I do read something positive. XD)

Monday, July 12, 2010

Apologies...

I just wanted to apologize for being so catty in some posts. I'm not going to say which ones because I think if there's a shining example of it, I'm going to delete the post. That's not who I want to be. I'm primarily interested in fashion, but that doesn't mean I should put other women down for being too heavy to wear a swimsuit or too flat chested to wear something or whatever.

I'm really sorry, to all of you.

<3Spoonie

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Some might say...

DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE I AM ONLY PARTIALLY RESPONSIBLE I AM NOT ADMITTING TO BEING RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY GRAMMATICAL ERRORS OR SPELLING MISTAKES OR REALLY CRAPPY PHRASING. CUT ME SOME SLACK. IT'S REALLY LATE, OK?

It's bad to blog at one two (it was one not... well, it was one a while ago, but last time I looked, and then I looked again and WHOOSH. Where DOES the time go?) in the morning, but who cares what they say?

Anyways, I've been up late looking at things for a birthday party I'm going to on Saturday, and considering how to do my hair and makeup and clothes and such. The party is supposed to be whimsical and ridiculous and a tea party, and sort of Alice In Wonderland-y (so, acid trippy? that doesn't really fit the girl...) themed. So I'm putting together this outfit, and I've got a white dress, with cute black flowery patterns on the bottom of it. It's got a sweetheart neckline and a slightly puffy skirt. I had the thought of using fake flowers to make it look even more exciting, and then things just steamrolled from there.
Fake flowers EVERYWHERE.
On my HAT (which is a huge black straw hat with a big ol' brim), on my NECKLACE, on my DRESS, on my WRISTS, on my SHOES, on my ANKLES, on my FACE-- what's that? On my FACE?
Yes. Face. I'm taking some of the petals and gluing them to my face, specifically coming down from my right eye. This may not be a good idea but I'll never know unless I try, will I? I'm going to test it out when I get up in the morning, to see if they'll stay on for a few hours. I'm also painting swirly patterns with makeup around the other eye.
I'm also really excited because today I spent some hours (some serious, hard working hours) making a miniature top hat for one of my best friends :3. She's dressing in a less flowery way than I am, more lace and ruffles and prettiness. She's making her boyfriend dress up, too. (Please don't kill me. Please. I won't post pictures of you, honest -- WAIT SHE'S MAKING YOU WEAR RED?? WITH THAT HAIR?? AHHHH. NO. AH.)
Can you tell I didn't really plan this before I started writing? xD Yeah, yeah, I know. Bad idea. Oh well. I love whimsical things. I try to act a little whimsical when I get dressed. Obviously, not full-out whimsical like this shindig, but a little bit, even if it's just the scrabble piece I wear every day around my neck, or something like that.

In other news, Barnes and Noble has a little special featured end-of-shelf thing about Steampunk fiction. I peed.

alright, i'm going to bed. xD I should NOT blog at night.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Secrets

I'm going to tell you guys a secret. OK? Here goes nothing.

I've always wanted to be beautiful. Not beautiful in a normal "wow she's beautiful" way. Beautiful in a "people will stop and stare as I walk down the street" way. I want to be a face the people remember, a body that women would kill to have.

But I'll tell you another little thing. I've accepted, mostly, that this isn't what I'm destined to have, and I won't have it. Why? Because it's unrealistic. I'm sure those kind of beauties exist, but I'm not one of them. There's not much of a market for brown haired, brown eyed, olive skinned girls in the Great Beauty world. I'll settle for regular beauty. So I work for it. Why? Who knows. I want to be liked, I suppose.

For years, I thought that, if I were beautiful, people would like me, and everything in my life would fall into place. I suppose that grew and morphed and now I accept every rejection in my life as a physical failing. I think "If only I were prettier, XYZ would be different".

Understandably, this means I don't take rejection very well. So I tend to need a LOT of encouragement if I'm going to do anything remotely resembling telling a guy I like him or something like that. It's not that I'm a coward, because I'm not. I'm just... More nervous about stuff like that than I should be.

Anyways, I'm losing the point.

The point is that I think it's good to be a regular pretty girl rather than some ultimate supreme beauty. I'd rather be beautiful inside than outside, and I can make myself that way. Beauty, as many notable people have said, isn't just skin deep. It's a way of bearing yourself, a way of showing kindness to everyone you meet, of being gracious and graceful and extending love. So that's what I think I'll endeavor to do even more now than ever before.

So this blog post is for me as well as for you, to hold me accountable to this.
I won't get discouraged anymore, and I will try at all times to be as beautiful inside as I possibly, possibly can.

<3<3Spoonie

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Materialistic

So, much as I'd like to post a little bit of a nonserious thing and just do all the posts I'm supposed to get done, I'm not going to. I'm gonna be a bit serious right now.

Hmmm. I'm trying to think of a good way of phrasing this. I'm not rich. I'm not poor, either, but I'm certainly not in the same economic class as many of the people who live in my town. By this town's standards, I'm lower-class. So, it's a little painful when I see things I want, I want BAD, but I can't afford. Even when I (eventually) get a job, that money's going to go towards going to college, not towards getting pretty things.

What brought this up is that I've been shopping for a new bathing suit recently. Not because I desperately need a new one. I don't. It's more of a keeping-up-with-the-Joneses thing. My friends can buy beautiful new bathing suits and clothes and such, and I wear the same bathing suit I've been wearing for three years. It's not an ugly bathing suit and I don't wear it much, so it's not like it's worn out or anything really. To be honest, it looks pretty good on me. But there are times when, for me, I'm ashamed to wear the same thing over and over again. I'm ashamed of my plain navy bathing suit, even though there's nothing wrong with it.

The mother of one of my best friends <3 asked me about bathing suits, because I was sitting with my friend as she was buying a bathing suit from Victoria's Secret, and I said my mom was getting me one from the Bon-Ton. Well, actually it ended up having to be one I didn't like nearly as much from Walmart, I think. I've settled.

So yes, I wear the same clothes I bought in 8th grade. Cool. I wear clothes that my friends gave me after they were done with them (and I love them a lot). I wear hand me downs and giveaways and DIY'd clothing. I don't know why this makes me feel ashamed or like I'm less of a person or less worthwhile or less... Something, but it does.

I guess it's something to think about. I try not to be bitter or covetous but it's really really hard sometimes. I think writing all of this out has helped a bit actually. Hm...

<3<3Spoonie

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

"It is, in my view, the duty of an apple to be crisp and crunchable...

...but a pear should have such a texture as leads to silent consumption."
Ha, Floam thought she was getting her summer post. Silly Floam. NOT TODAY.
Today I'm writing for a different friend because I like her! This friend ia a PEAR shape. Like me! (well, I'm slim so I can lie and say I'm an hourglass as long as I don't gain weight. XD)

Friend describes herself as kind of hippy and boobs that are there if you REALLY look for them.

LET'S START :D

Starting at the top once more...

To make your top look bigger, wear light colors, patterns, textured fabric. Anything that really keeps the attention there rather than elsewhere (as an example of this, i'm wearing a high waisted black skirt today and a BRIGHT BLUE tank top with white stripes).

FANCY BLOUSES:
Because the Pear is smaller on top, she can get away with wearing all sorts of fancy patterns and fancy necklines. All those shirts with ruffles on the neck or built in folds that make normally-sized girls look HUUUGE? You can wear them and not look ridiculous! It's great!


See those ruffles? That's cool. That's a good look for you.

WIDE, DRAPED NECKLINES:
Wide, draped necklines look good on you, too, Pear! They accentuate the bust and draw attention to your face and neck, as well as making them look more elegant and graceful. Look for draped necklines, wide necklines, V-neck shirts, scoop neck, boat neck tops, anything really, that leaves a lot of area wide on your collarbone area. Also, collarbones are sometimes considered to be one of the sexiest parts of a woman's body, so there's that too. XD



I'm not too keen on the color of this shirt, but it does show what i want it to! :D It drapes and moves right for what I wanted to show. All those folds and drapes and stuff! Mmm.

Do we have to talk about our bottom halves...?
Yes. Yes we do. It's okay, Pear. You're ~womanly~. All those curves down south? They're cool because they mean you can have lots of healthy babies. Which means that boys see that subconsciously and are like O__O HOT.
Wear dark colors on the bottom (so darkwashed jeans, dark trousers/skirts anything else).

WIDE-LEGGED JEANS/TROUSERS:
Wide legged pants help to hide your thighs a bit, and they also make your whole figure look more balanced in general. Remember: Balance. High waisted jeans will make you look rounder there, so I wouldn't go with those unless you're sure you can pull them off. Mid-rise jeans are best, with plain pockets and seams. Adding visual interest there just makes your hips look wider, after all.
Look at those nice jeans. Yes ma'am!

SKIRTS:
A-line and flared skirts look best on pear shapes because they don't cling to the hips and instead skim right over them to show off your (usually) buttkicking calves and such. Once more, go for simple, dark styles. Here's a place where you can get away with high waisted clothes, so run with it to play up those pretty tops!


Obviously, her colors are backwards but that's okay because her skirt's so plain and her top is patterned.

Accesories, yuss?
Well, shoes aren't accessories, but pointed shoes will make your figure look longer and more elegant. Avoid stilettos, but go with nicer elegant heels, and seriously don't wear chunky shoes, since they'll make you look, well, chunky! Remember, open toed shoes look better than closed-toed shoes (and they're good for painted toenails!)
As a Pear, you can wear lots of accessories successfully, so run with the layered necklaces because they'll add visual interest at your bust, which makes your figure more balanced. Don't go crazy though!

GOOD LUCK! :D


<3<3spoonsie

Friday, May 28, 2010

Red really isn't my colour...

But that doesn't stop me from having a sunburn!
I HAVE A SUNBURN WHAT NONSENSE IS THIS??
XD Either way, I got a sunburn today at school doing henna with the Muslim Student Association (this makes hella sense...) and then sitting in the sun at Cobb's Hill with some friends. It was pretty chill. Except actually pretty hot and sunny.

Anyways, today I finished up my schoolweek in feminine dress. I wore a crazy aboriginal skirt my mommy brought me from Australia over a brown tank top, with some off-white converse and a cool necklace made out of some nut that i got at One World Goods (well I didn't. it's from there though. my friend got it for me).
It was pretty cool and fun overall!
Anyways, I really must go, for my back and shoulders are absolutely killing me and i'm gonna go put more aloe on and maybe take a cold shower. ow. ow. ow. ow.

OH.
before i go.
i have something to say!!
Today I hung out with this awesome girl i know. She's pretty and fun and funny and fdlakjfhdl very cool overall. I had a blast! I gave her some of my old clothes and tomorrow and stuff I'm going to do laundry all day to get my room a bit cleaner so I can give her MORE clothing.
if she reads this, here's a secret message for her:
I love you lots, and you're beautiful. :] You're like a sister/best friend/awesomething all in one. <3

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Yes, I was there too! And you know what they said?

(Some of it was true!!)


So THURSDAY! Day FOUR! I've made it four days wearing ONLY skirts or dresses! And it's not as hard as I thought it would be! I just have tomorrow and then I'm done (sorry Maidens of Worth, I can't do this for more than the school days. I doubt i'll change out of my PJ's on Saturday so I don't think that counts and Sunday's already gone)! TODAY I'm wearing the same brown skirt as I wore the other day, with cute black old fashioned boots and cream colored socks pushed down. On top i've got a black tank top and a black DIY'd The Clash T-Shirt. I think this is one I might put on lookbook now that I have one, which will be a blast. Same bracelets as ever, since I don't take them off (same with my cross!).

I have a clowlick (or to my Britlandish friends, a cowslick... Why the "s"? Is it like "cows lick" or "cow slick"? I've never understood) so I just switched my bangs to the right and I'm not sure what I think of them. Usually I part them to the left but my cow(s)lick kept making them look silly so I ended that nonsense.

Photo of the day?




Photos: Dave Benett, Getty Image Dimitrios Kambouris, WireImage Samir Hussein, Getty Images


Ke$ha... I'm not going to start on Halliwell or Lady Gaga. They're freaking Ginger Spice and Lady Gaga. You can't exactly criticise them for not dressing at the peak of fashion. It's one reason they're both famous.

But Ke$ha. Let's not combine the two? and dirty boots are okay for something like walking around in a pair of ripped skinny jeans but not at any big event where you're likely to having your picture taking (Radio 1's Big Weekend, in this case).

Geri, you can pull that outfit off, and more power to you. Lady Gaga, you're Lady freaking Gaga... But don't combine the two. Please?

Sorry for being so bitchy today! =D

Oh here. I just took this in class (bad spoon! bad!) and you can see my cute boots since I couldn't find a pair like them on google images.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

This is a title...

So it’s Wednesday! Which meaaans that it’s day 3 of my week in feminine dress. And today I found a dress. =D It’s from the Gap and has tons of little O’s all over it. I like it a lot! It’s empire waist and pretty. A tank dress! That’s what it’s called. Can’t you tell I’m a little tired?
So today I’ve been listening to Sixx:AM and stuff and it makes me want to dance or be all badass but mildly ‘80s looking. Not a good look for me, haha!

You know whose style I’m totally in love with? Fashionwise, anyways. Gala (another blogger of strategic WIN proportions. I agree with her about just about nothing serious – or at least not her methods and stuff – but she’s just the cutest thing ever and is very witty and fun!), and Carla Bruni, well, French political women in general. But when she’s in public, she’s just so pretty and well put together and such. And in this picture I found of her next to Rachida Dati (the justice minister, to whom Bruni was – pardon my French – a huge bitch) I was like “whyyyy are the French so fashionable!?” And then I remembered that it’s France and that’s what they’re known for.


Carla Bruni (L) and Rachida Dati (R)

I like how professional and yet unique Bruni looks. Her grey suit is nice and reserved, which is always good for a political figure. American political women tend to rock the suit. Not. I like how the belt and the purple jacket add a fun bit of playfulness to an otherwise boring outfit.
And Ms. Dati is just... Oh my. (Does anyone know the proper title for a female French justice minister??) I love how her outfit is so simple and then you have this AWESOME floral skirt and those boots which only a French politician would ever really be able to wear without being criticized for wearing stripper boots (Well, she might have been but I don't speak much French and it's unlikely she'll be talking about grapefruit...). But the shoes like perfectly match her belt and the skirt and top match so well and her skirt is just FABULOUS. My only problem is that the top seems very casual BUT anything much dressier would have made her be TOO busy since the skirt is the focal point of the outfit.

Also, just as a side note. Rachida Dati is in her 40's. She looks FANTASTIC.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

A Week in Feminine Dress

So, this week I'm doing an experiment. The girls at Maidens of Worth did something a while back where for a week they wore only skirts and other modest clothing. I decided to try it, because I have a lot of clean skirts and I'm too lazy to wash my jeans AND it's really really hot out.
Let me define feminine dress first: I will dress modestly and feminine-ly all week. Skirts every school day, and modest shirts. Generally looking like a lady.

Day 1
So, yesterday was my first day. I wore a high-waisted skirt brown tweed-type skirt that hits my knees almost and a Kinks Phobia Tour shirt my dad gave me, with the sleeves tied up. It was a little difficult to wear because I worry all the time that the movement of my backpack against the back of my skirt will make it ride up and I'll have a serious wardrobe malfunction. I think overall it went well though! It helps that I got a bunch of compliments on my clothes and how cute I looked! n__n;

Day 2
This would be today. I decided to go away from the skirt route and wear a dress today. My dress ias black with white polka dots. It hits my knees and looks like a 1950's swing dress. I love it! It was a gift from my friend Kei, and I wore it for my rockabilly costume at halloween. <3. It's the bomb. The fabric is light enough that I can wear it all day in the heat (it's 84! in May!!) and not be too hot. I have a blue tshirt with darker blue polka dots underneath it. I already got one person telling me how nice and cool i looked, and how cute my dress is. :D I'd like it a lot better with a big belt, but I don't own one.

--

Anyways, that's what i've been up to for my week of feminine dress so far. It's pretty cool, I think, to do this.
I think I do it because I want to be more ladylike in what i do. It's hard to be un-ladylike when I'm in a skirt. Much easier in a pair of jeans. I'm not going to switch out of my jeans permanently because I love them too much. And certainly I can't get rid of my shorts; what would I do gym in otherwise?
I like skirts! I do! I know that makes me weird and I have one feminist (feminazi?) friend who will tell me that dressing like this means i'm just conforming to what society deems feminine etc etc. But I like it! I do! To me, wearing skirts and dresses is cool because it's something that women can do that men can't really do in public (unless it's a kilt in which case I wholeheartedly approve). I think it's feminine and people shouldn't argue with me because I like it, and it's me saying "To me this is femininity, and I'm going to do this because this helps me to feel empowered as a woman." Sort of like I think the truest feminists can say that they don't want to work outside the home, and that they want to stay home and be homemakers and housewives. But I guess most people don't agree with me. Oh well, I'm obviously the coolest one around (kidding!).
Sorry, I know this mostly wasn't fashion-related. But in a way it was. This is a week in which I'm rediscovering my feminine side, and not dressing in jeans and tshirts every day like I often do. It's where I put thought into what I'm wearing and what image that portrays.
Peace out, guys!
Love,
Spoonie

Monday, May 17, 2010

Prom Prom?


So Saturday was my high school junior prom. Aside from a ton of Prama, it was pretty rad. But MAN I wish I had brought some extra dresses for the girls who forgot to put clothes on when they left the house.
Just kidding! But seeeeriously. The girls were barely able to cover their… lady bits. Or something. O__o; I think it’s interesting to see how prom dresses have changed over the years.
In the fifties, dresses were made with tulle skirts and sweetheart necklines, in general. They were good for dancing in, and they were just super cute and feminine and adorable.
And then there were the eighties. Hemlines went up, at least one shoulder disappeared, and colors went from the fifties’ pastels to electric colors. And today?
Well, I’m not sure I can explain this. Girls are walking out of their house on prom night in tiny tiny dresses. They’re breaking the first rule of being really good and sexy: only show off one asset at a time. Also, it helps if you don’t make out with your boyfriend (or someone else…) all night. Not to mention, tiny dresses don't help to avoid any awkward wardrobe malfunctions. There was a girl at prom whose boyfriend yanked her skirt up while they were making out. If say she'd had the same amount of cleavage showing but a longer skirt, she'd have looked classier/less cheap, and everyone in the vicinity wouldn't have seen her underwear. Maybe a different date would have helped... But anyways, if you've got no leeway, if something slips or rides up, you're going to be a lot more embarassed than if you've given it a few inches of move-room. It's very nice.


Seen here: a bad idea. Also, get your pants tailored. ALSO. Those shoes are WAY too big for you, kid.


So, my suggestion might be novel, but… wear a sweater? A jacket?
Anyways, have a safe prom night to those who haven’t had it yet, and don’t do anything you’ll regret later. Just remember – don’t do stuff you wouldn’t watch your mom to see you doing.
Trust me, it works. XD

EDIT: @Cory:
It's not the showing off of cleavage I mind, or dresses above the knee. It's when girls are COMPLETELY unclassy and stuff. The people I have in mind went past being a kid to being downright slutty. And I really don't toss that around that much because I know how much being called a whore sucks.
I'm the first one to admit that I show off my cleavage and make a big deal out of the fact that I have breasts. I do! They're lovely and squooshy and if I'm sitting juuust right I can leave a pencil there and it won't run off.
I have a butt too - it's kind of hard to miss. And I'm all for above-the-knee things, too. I personally choose not to wear them often, but hey, I'm not going to condemn you for that. The difference between a pair of shorts and a REALLY SHORT SKIRT is that if you slip up, the world is going to see a lot more of the goods than most people want them to see, or want to see.
Also, changed the image.

Sunday, March 28, 2010

For Cory

Dear Cory,
This is as close to an update as you're getting until I've got some things sorted.
Sorry my friend.
In the meantime, I'll give you a crime against fashion.



See that?
That's what we like to call "holy crap that's a man in shorts and leggings".
I don't think I need to get started on this.
If it's cold enough to want to wear leggings.
Wear.
Pants.

Love,
Mary.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Why Dress Well?

So, I'm sitting at school with the hordes of girls with their pants tucked into Uggs (okay, seriously, who ever thought that pajama pants tucked into Uggs was a good idea? honestly, guys) and it occurs to me, "why dress well?".
WE~ELL.
For starters, if you're in a minority that's often associated with one image or has a negative stereotype attached to it (like being black, no offense), dressing well can be the difference between being overlooked and being taken seriously. My friend Matt is Belizian and he once told me that his father told him that he'd have to look good all the time because he has to compete with white guys for girls. I wasn't thinking of girls at the start of this paragraph, but it's true. And Matt does dress really well, so he must have listened.
People take you seriously when you dress well - if you look frumpy and unconfident, people will assume you're frumpy and unconfident, that you're not sure about what you're talking about. Clothing, as Mercedes Lackey wisely pointed out in One Good Knight, is armor. The queen dresses lavishly so that people underestimate her intelligence and she can totally pwn them. She also uses her daughter's clothing to make people NOT look at her daughter, and also uses it to throw her daughter off-balance; her clothing has changed, so she's less comfortable and confident in herself.
You've heard of "dressing for success"? That applies everywhere, not just in business. Obviously, people dress their best at an interview, whether for a job or for a college, but people judge you everywhere you go. I'm a highschool student, so in general, people are going to discrimate against me wherever I go, people are going to have an eye on me because people in my age group aren't always... prudent in their actions. And if I look like a hooligan, it won't help matters at all. There used to be a drug store right near my school that would make all students leave their bags by the door so that we couldn't steal things - they wouldn't dream of telling an adult with a huuuuge purse to leave her bag.
The fact of the matter is that if you take the time to dress well and don't look like a hooligan, people won't treat you as if you're going to do bad things and judge you right off the bat.
People who dress well are, right off the bat, more attractive than someone who doesn't. If you are well dressed, you won't constantly be fussing with your clothes, and you'll be more confident, knowing that you look good.

So I guess the moral of the story is: Dress well so that people will like you more.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Modesty

Wowza, the girl next to me is writing too. But I think she’s writing for class – it’s about fur. xD I’m such a creeper.
Anyways. Today, I’d like to make a shout-out to a lovely blog I read, which is Maidens of Worth. Anna and Miriam describe themselves as “Two maidens desiring to be maidens of worth in God's sight”. I really appreciate reading their words, because even though our worlds are vastly, vastly different, we’re all young women growing up in a world in which it’s hard to live in a holy way.

Anna, Miriam, and any other girls who make the choice to live modestly have to make a lot of really difficult decisions. What’s immodest? Is this shirt okay, if it’s under another one? Are these pants immodest because they’re too tight?
I once read a really interesting question, although now I can’t remember where I read it for the life of me…
Is it immodest to wear a bathing suit on a nudist beach, thereby drawing attention to your own body?

Now granted, I wouldn’t be on a nudist beach at all, unless maybe I was in Europe, but even so, there will be people there in swimsuits as well. Dictionary.com defines modest (in terms of dress) as “having or showing regard for the decencies of behavior”. In today’s world, though, I don’t think that’s necessarily right. I know that some of my behavior would drive my Victorian or earlier ancestors to despair, but to some of my friends it’s so old fashioned its crazy!

Here’s Anna this past November with a friend (Anna’s the one in the brown skirt). I can’t dress like that. A) I can’t get the clothes, even if they would suit me, and B) they wouldn’t suit me at ALL.


Here’s a different woman, Alex Curran. She’s not immodest – ostentatious, yes, but not immodest. She’s not showing off excessive skin. My only qualm is that her heels are REALLY, REALLY high. Not something you want to walk around in for a while. That’s more of a practicality, though, than an actual issue with modesty.
So what am I wearing? I can’t take a picture of it now (although actually, my friend might. Who knows. She’s going to take pictures of me, as usual, in like five minutes. Acks, better write faster), but I’m wearing flamboyant skinny jeans (they’re turquoise with black checkerboard pattern on them!), under a dark grey/black short dress with brown boots and a black button down with pearl buttons. That could hardly be called immodest. Flamboyant, maybe, but not immodest (it’s the pants). Personally, I don’t wear these pants without a very long shirt or a dress over them because the zipper hates me and doesn’t stay zipped and I’d rather not be embarrassed in public.



So, I totally forgot where I was going with this. Oops. Well, new point!
I think that modest dress is overall more attractive and better. A girl who can dress herself modestly, without showing off all of her, uhm, assets, has class. She doesn’t need to show off her skin because she’s got something else. In not showing off everything ever, she’s leaving a bit to the imagination, letting you wonder. Isn't wondering better than knowing everything all at once?

Being immodest also makes you look, well, cheap. After a point, you'll just end up being almost abhorrent to the people who see you because they're naturally turned OFF by someone looking cheap.

Granted there are exceptions to every rule.
But seriously.
Cover it up.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

An Apple A Day Keeps the Doctor Away

Which is not to say, of course, that I'm going to eat you, dear...

So, my friend Floam told me that I should blog about her body type, which, as we have determined with rigorous scientific testing (read: "DO YOU HAVE A BIG BUTT? DO YOU GAIN WEIGHT ON YOUR STOMACH?!") is an apple shape.

So, I'm going to dress her, or at least tell her what she should wear to suit her body type.

Start at the top:
TUNICS: Tunics are good for apple shapes because they'll skim over the stomach and hide the fact that there is extra weight there. Tunics are also very versatile. Much as I hate to say it, they can be worn with just leggings if they're long enough, or with jeans of any type. There are also a million kinds of them. Cut the sleeves off a baggy t-shirt and take in the sides a bit, and you have a long, pretty tunic with a sort of rock'n'roll look, but a pretty, beaded tunic will look formal and elegant when need be.


Seeee? One very cool shirt, made of an old baggy tshirt.

EMPIRE: Empire waists cinch you where you're smallest - just under the bust. When they are tight there, then they'll skim loosely over the stomach and the eye will follow that and ignore it. And they make your boobs look bigger, if you're boob-challenged.

seee? pretty!

WAISTCOATS ARE WIN: Waistcoats. Wins. A dark waistcoat over a light colored tank top makes your arms look pretty and also makes your stomach look smaller because the dark color and the light color. It's a visual effect thing.

SHIRT LENGTH: Long shirts are best because they can smooth out any sort of muffin top, and it will negate any chances of having an awkward tummy escape-attempt. Shirts that end at the widest point of the hips make your hips look wider.

NECKLINE: Wearing a shirt with a low neckline and some flashy attention-grabbing necklaces is good, because it keeps the eye upward and not on your stomach. It'll also have the effect of making your boobs look bigger.

OTHER NOTES: Light layers will make your midsection look smaller. Chiffon is good for this, but really any sort of light thing. Black is slimming, but dark colors work well too. Don't wear SUPER tight shirts because that's just not flattering on anyone.

Okay so now that that top is done, the bottom:
PANTS: Wide-legged pants will help balance out your figure. If your weight is concentrated in your upper half, having more volume at your lower half will help you look balanced and not top-heavy. For warmer weather, wide-legged capris will show off your feet and ankles but have the same effect. Skinny jeans. So fashionable, right? Well, unless you're wearing a long top over them, don't wear them, because they'll have the effect of instantly making you look more top heavy than you are because there isn't a lot of volume on the bottom.

SKIRTS: As an apple, you're probably top-heavy, so wear fuller skirts. Wear them with a fitted top, and you'll look looovely and balanced. Heavens above, don't wear miniskirts. They make you look even more top heavy than you are. Wear skirts that have high waistlines, at your natural waist-ish, because they'll smooth out your stomach and hide any strain in your shirt.

And last, but not least, a word on dresses:

Don't wear something that will emphasize your stomach. Dresses that have built in folds along the stomach will be good, as long as they don't un-fold over the stomach because that will make you look heavier.

Friday, January 1, 2010

Hel-Looks

Bwahaha, Hel-Looks.
Have you seen it?

I'm entering a competition called Miss Doll Europe as Finland, and I figure since Helsinki is in Finland, I should use Hel-Looks to see what people in Finland wear.

I'm appalled, sometimes.
Other times, I'm impressed.




That one is particularly bad, I think.
So bad.
So bad.

I can't even begin to describe how bad.

And then there's super cute stuff on there, like this:


So yes. Go check it out. Laugh yourself silly at the people there.

Hel-Looks