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Friday, March 30, 2012

Israel bans underweight models in ads


Did any of you hear the news that Israel has banned the use of underweight models in ads? My initial reaction, when I read about this a few weeks ago, was approval. Models in Israel now have to provide proof that they are not malnourished by the World Health Organization's standards, which states that a person with a body mass index of below 18.5 is malnourished. I think it's wonderful that Israel cares enough about its citizens that it would try to do something to prevent the development of eating disorders in its girls and women. Plus, I think we’re all aware of how prevalent “thin worship” is in the media.

But when I started to think about it more, I decided I’m not totally on board with the idea. For starters, a woman who is a dedicated runner could have a BMI below 18.5 and still be considered healthy. Now, it’s not likely that a marathon runner is going to want to be a model, but you never know. If this law was passed to promote health in Israel’s models and citizens, then maybe more attention should be focused on the condition of the models’ bodies rather than their weight. A chain smoker could be overweight and extremely unhealthy, whereas an avid marathon runner who eats well could be underweight by this standard, but still healthy. Yet only the former would be allowed to model in Israel.

Also, there are women in the world who are naturally skinny, and try as they might cannot gain weight. So even if one of these women wanted to be a model in Israel, she would be turned down because her appearance could inspire anorexia in young girls, even if she doesn’t have anorexia herself. “Skinny” is just as valid a size as “overweight.” Some people try so hard to make larger people feel good about themselves that they resort to making skinny people feel bad about themselves.

In the article I linked to above, they give an example of a woman who is 5-foot-8 being considered underweight if she weighs less than 119 pounds. If you weighed 118 pounds at that height, you couldn’t be a model. If you weighed 119 pounds, you could. One pound is not much difference, and is almost certainly not an indication of increased health, and yet that’s all it would take to get a girl a modeling job that had been previously denied to her because of her weight. Since “thin worship” is still an issue, I don’t think these models are going to try to exceed the required weight. In fact, I think they’re going to try very hard to weigh as little as possible while still meeting the requirements, because “thin” is still what people want to see. Most models wouldn’t be willing to weigh 130 pounds, even if it would be healthier, if they could still get jobs at 119 pounds. Changing the law isn’t going to change the way people think, and if they think “thin” is what’s attractive, then that’s what models are going to strive to be.

I would really love to hear all of your thoughts on this issue! Do you think the law is a step in the right direction? Do you think it’s misguided? And how do you think people in your country would react if they tried to pass a similar law?

Two-minute outfit


This is what happens when I only have two minutes to throw together an outfit. To be fair, some days that would result in a t-shirt, jeans, and tennis shoes, but the other day it resulted in this, which I was pleased with.



Floral dress: Target
Black sweater: Target
Black tights: American Apparel
Black wedge boots: Lulu's
Sunglasses: Oscar de la Renta from TJ Maxx
Necklace: purchased in China
Silver bracelet: won in a giveaway
Ring: In Pink

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Stripes and floral


Sometimes I'm surprised by the outfits Josh likes best. He said this was one of his favorites out of my recent outfits, and since he tends to like it best when I wear jeans and a t-shirt, I think that means he's finally coming around to my slightly offbeat styling of dressing. It only took four years.

I found these floral pants at H&M a few weeks ago. They make my already large hips look shockingly large, but they're such fun pants that I don't care what they do to my figure. Sometimes I just want to wear a piece of clothing because I like it, not because it flatters my body.




Striped shirt: Old Navy
Floral pants: H&M
Black flats: Kathy flats from ShoeMint
Red hat: Nine West, thrifted from Village Merchants
Spider necklace: Bauble Bar
Black flower bracelet: possibly "borrowed" from my mom

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Double the fun


I've always felt that one of those unspoken fashion rules is that you should never wear more than one leopard print item in an outfit, but I decided to try it anyway on Sunday afternoon, and ended up loving it. I don't think I'd ever wear a leopard print skirt and leopard print shoes together, but I liked the look of the matching hat and shoes.

Last year I actually tried on the sweater and the pants together at Anthropologie and loved the color combination, but it took until now to wear them together officially. When my mom saw this outfit she said, "Those are...interesting colors." And as long as someone thinks my outfit is interesting, I'm satisfied. They don't even have to like it, as long as it catches their eye.




Blue sweater: Anthropologie
Jean jacket: thrifted from Rerun
Rust colored corduroy pants: Anthropologie
Leopard print heels: Sam Edelman from Nordstrom Rack
Leopard print hat: Albertus Swanepoel for Target
Wooden earrings: church craft fair
Gold watch: free from a family member
Gold bracelets: In Pink
Brown belt: thrifted from Goodwill

Monday, March 26, 2012

Technophobe


On Sunday the weather was sunny and warm enough for bare legs - for about two hours. Then, during the weekly Costco lunch date Josh and I have (I know, we're so cool), the clouds and the wind swept in, and I was freezing in this outfit.

So Josh got a smartphone on Saturday! I had the chance to get one for free when he got his, but I turned it down. I'm a bit of a technophobe, and very resistant to change. I was one of the last people I knew to get a cell phone and join Facebook, and I'll probably be one of the last people I know to get a smartphone and join Twitter. (Although I may not ever be able to bring myself to join Twitter, because the thought of saying "I just tweeted" makes me snort with laughter.) I'm a bit old-fashioned in that I miss the days of landline-only phone calls, where people couldn't reach you when you were out running errands - but I also really appreciate having a cell phone for when my car breaks down, or if I need to ask Josh a question when I'm away from the house. How do you guys feel about tech stuff? Do you love fancy phones, or are you someone who doesn't even have a cell phone? (And if you don't, I applaud you!)



Dress: vintage, bought at an antique show
Jean jacket: thrifted from Rerun
Blue and green wedges: Nine West from Nordstrom Rack
Sunglasses: Oscar de la Renta from TJ Maxx
Green earrings: B. Lee Designs, gift from my parents
White flower necklace: bought in Oahu
White belt: Forever 21

Friday, March 23, 2012

Treat yo' self


Over the past week Josh has worked about 80 hours, which is unusual. (And thank goodness it's unusual!) Each day I got to see him for no more than an hour or two, and it was kind of a bummer. Finally yesterday, after working 27 hours in a row, he got to have a whole afternoon and evening at home. After he took a nap for a few hours, we headed out to the store to have a mini version of Tom and Donna's "treat yo' self" day on Parks and Recreation - we bought beer, soda, chips, chocolate, and magazines (okay, those were just for me!), and lounged around the whole evening and watched TV. We're also going to have a "treat yo' self" weekend, where we'll go out for a nice dinner somewhere and then buy Josh an iPhone. And maybe we'll find other stuff to splurge on too, because we really just like saying "treat yo' self" every time we buy something fun :)

Oh, and this outfit is what I wore on Treat Yo' Self Day. That's your connection to the photos :)



Pink and orange striped shirt: Venice tee from StyleMint
Denim skirt: Gap
Black wedges: Lulu's
Black hat: Fred Meyer
Gold necklace: Forever 21
Bracelets: H&M and In Pink
Black belt: thrifted
Black tights: American Apparel

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

One of those old ladies


This lime green hat made me feel like one of those old ladies at the grocery store who everyone stares at because she's wearing bright colors and odd clothes that most people would think are not age-appropriate. (Kind of like the ladies on one of my favorite blogs, Advanced Style.) I have always wanted to be one of those old ladies. I can get away with wearing clothes like this now without feeling out-of-place because I'm young, but I hope I still wear neon yellow sweaters and lime green hats when I'm old. (Maybe not the five-and-a-half inch heels, though!)

I wore this outfit to welcome the first day of spring yesterday, but spring decided not to show up. The cold weather, rain and fog showed up, though. Yay. I couldn't decide if I liked the sweater better tucked into the skirt or untucked, so I included a photo of both. Untucked is more unusual for me, but I liked the slouchy look of it.


Yellow sweater: Gap
Green skirt: thrifted from Crossroads Trading Co.
Blue boots: Steve Madden Carnaby heels from Zappos
Green hat: free from my aunt
Blue necklace: thrifted

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

My name is Jones. Indiana Jones.


Here are pictures from a few days ago, where I decided to dress up as Indiana Jones. Not really, but doesn't the hat look like something he would wear?

This was only my second time wearing this vest. The trouble with having a wardrobe almost entirely full of brightly colored clothes is that it's hard to work something into the rotation if it's in a softer shade. So far I've only found three colors that go with this vest: brown, olive green, and white. Even black, which is generally what I turn to when I want to wear an unusual color, looks odd with this vest.


Brown turtleneck: Kohl's
Green vest: Anthropologie
Jeans: Levi's from Urban Outfitters
Brown boots: Jessica Simpson from Macy's
Green hat: vintage, gift from my dad
Gold necklace: Evidence Jewelry, won in a giveaway
Gold bracelet: free from a family member

Monday, March 19, 2012

Snow and daffodils


I felt like I was pretty bundled up for a day in the middle of March when I put on this outfit, but once I went outside I could have done with a few extra layers. I assumed that because there were daffodils blooming, the weather would at least be above freezing, but then it went and snowed on all the daffodils. (To be fair, it only snowed/hailed for five minutes. Then the sun came out and melted all the snow. Spring is so schizophrenic.)

I hardly need to mention this, but...I wore my new shoes! The verdict: they're not as comfortable as all the other heels I own, but they're not uncomfortable. On the plus side, I did get a fantastic amount of positive attention from these. I do love it when people praise my shoes - it's oddly validating :)



Black turtleneck: Old Navy
Black faux leather skirt: H&M
Black tights: Forever 21
Boots: Irregular Choice from Solestruck
Blue earrings and bracelet: B. Lee Designs (gifts from my aunt)

Friday, March 16, 2012

Crazy shoes

So I did something the other day that I never, ever do: I impulsively bought a pair of $150 shoes. (I'm not saying this to brag, by the way! There's a point to this.) These shoes:


Oh, and they look like this from the side:


That's right, they're crazy shoes. And I promise you, they are ten times weirder and more striking in person.

The reason I bought them was a bit ridiculous. I'm going to be in my friend Rachel's wedding in a month, and all the bridesmaids are supposed to pick out their own spring-colored shoes. So I ordered a lovely pair of seafoam green Jeffrey Campbell wedges, but when they arrived they were too small, and when I went to re-order they were all sold out. Then I spent hours online trying to find a different pair of green shoes (since the other bridesmaids had already claimed the easier-to-find colors, like blue and pink), but I couldn't find any that I liked in my size.

Needing a break, I hopped over to the Solestruck website, and found the pair pictured above. It was instant love once I saw the side view, and I was sleepy, and feeling sick, and so tired of searching for wedding shoes that the crazy thought passed through my head: "Maybe Rachel would let me wear these in her wedding." I ordered them immediately, and when they arrived yesterday I got to laugh at myself as I realized how absurd it would be to wear these shoes to a wedding.

Unfortunately, after wearing them around the house for a good two hours, I am now deeply attached to them and can't bear the thought of sending them back. And that's why I'm telling all of this to you, dear readers: what do you think I should do? I understand that most of you would never wear these shoes - either you don't like statement shoes, or they're not appropriate for the office. Thankfully, though, I love statement shoes, and don't work in an office :) While I wouldn't wear these multiples times a week, they do go with a surprising amount of things in my closet. What do you think? Is $150 just too much to spend on a pair of crazy shoes? Should I be a responsible adult and send them back?

Simple outfit


I loved this outfit so much, and I'm a little sad that these photos didn't capture just how cute it felt to me. It was fairly simple, and I think that's why I liked it so much, because I very rarely wear simple outfits.

I'm really looking forward to the weekend. I've been sick all week, so I can't wait to lounge around tomorrow and maybe watch an entire season of Scrubs (I just started watching it on Netflix - it's hilarious) and drink a few pots of tea. Weekends are usually when I cram in all my social activities, but sometimes it's nice just to spend a Saturday doing absolutely nothing.



Beige sweater: thrifted
Denim skirt: Gap
Red trench coat: Calvin Klein from Costco
Black tights: American Apparel
Black flats: Kathy flats from ShoeMint
Leopard print hat: Albertus Swanepoel for Target
Gold necklace: Evidence Jewelry, won in a giveaway
Gold watch: free from a family member

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Hippie-ish


I felt very hippie-ish in this outfit, with the headband, loose top, and fur coat. (Faux fur, I might add. I'm sure real hippies would have never worn genuine fur.) Even though I have a style blog, at heart I'm still a jeans-and-t-shirts kind of girl. (As are most people who live in the Northwest. It's just the way we're bred.) Getting dressed up is fun, but if I'm running out the door to do some errands, or just lounging around the house, I'm almost always going to put on jeans and a t-shirt. So this outfit was nice in that it allowed me to wear those comfy clothes that I naturally gravitate towards (jeans and a baggy sweater), while still retaining some interesting elements (like the headband, coat, and heels).



Black sweater: free from my aunt
Brown faux fur coat: vintage, from an estate sale
Jeans: Levi's from Urban Outfitters
Brown boots: Union Bay from TJ Maxx
Headband: Forever 21
Brown belt: thrifted from Goodwill
Bracelet: In Pink

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Lumberjack lady


What you can't see in the top photo is how rainy and windy it was when we took it - though you can definitely see the effects of the wind in the photo below. It was my own special Marilyn moment, and it was too funny not to include. (Plus, it would have felt weird to have a post with only one photo.)

I felt a bit like a lumberjack in this outfit, with the men's green wool shirt and thick socks, but the pearl necklace (which is hard to see in these photos) and the skirt felt very ladylike. Sometimes I appreciate how deceptive photography can be - in reality, this shirt (which was borrowed from Josh and was several sizes too big for me) made my upper body look fairly burly, but thankfully I don't look too brawny in these pictures.


Green shirt: borrowed from Josh (originally from Costco)
Red plaid circle skirt: vintage, from an antique show
Brown boots: TJ Maxx
Red hat: thrifted from Village Merchants
Pearl necklace: from my mom
Brown belt: thrifted from Goodwill

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Teal


There's nothing quite like a pair of $10 teal high-waist flare pants to brighten up a weekend, am I right? I found this pair on the sale rack at Urban Outfitters on Friday - I suspect they were there because they have a 34-inch inseam, which means that even someone who is 5'8" like me has to wear them with five-inch heels to prevent them from dragging on the ground. Lately I've been trying to buy clothes that I can wear more regularly, like my black flats, but there's something to be said for the thrill that comes with impulsively buying something insensible (but totally awesome) like these pants.

I put on this outfit on Sunday morning, and right before we left the house I realized that the pants just may be too sexy for church. Yes, it was a weird thought. Even though I immensely like what these pants do for my hips and butt, I really didn't want people staring at those body parts in church, so I threw on a long cardigan for the service. In retrospect, I think even the color of the pants was too much to wear to my church :)



Floral shirt: Georgia tee from StyleMint
Teal jeans: Urban Outfitters (here in orange)
Green cardigan: Gap
Blue boots: Steve Madden Carnaby heels from Zappos
Gray hat: H&M
Earrings: free from my aunt
Pink bracelets: In Pink

Monday, March 12, 2012

Sequins and rain boots


Josh and I went downtown for lunch on Saturday, and since it was rainy and I knew we'd be walking the whole way, I made sure to build my outfit around my rain boots. This outfit probably would have looked cooler with my space age wedges, but sometimes you just have to go with practical footwear. This was only the second time I've worn this black dress (the other time was here). It's so short that it doesn't lend itself easily to styling - I think I'll always need to layer a skirt or leggings underneath it.



Black turtleneck: Old Navy
Black dress: ModCloth
Black leggings: Target
Gray rain boots: Hunter from Nordstrom
Spider necklace: Bauble Bar
White stone bracelet: In Pink
Belt: thrifted from Rerun

Friday, March 9, 2012

Sunshine and a snowy mountain


This was an outfit that really deserved a better setting in which to be photographed - maybe a field of wildflowers instead of a backdrop of a snowy mountain, since it was about 65 degrees outside when we took them. I talk about the weather a lot on my blog, don't I? I guess I'm just an old lady at heart. I like to stay at home and knit, I grumble about skateboarders and technology, and the weather is honestly one of my favorite topics of conversation.

I'm excited that Daylight Savings Time is coming up in a few days, because the extra hour of light means we'll be able to take photos in the evening again! We've been doing them when Josh comes home for lunch (which is why I've rarely strayed past my rooftop for photos the past few months), and it makes for a bit of a rushed meal. Plus, I've missed that wonderful, soft evening light.



Floral peplum top: H&M
Blue skirt: Anthropologie
Blue and green wedges: Nine West from Nordstrom Rack
Sunglasses: Oscar de la Renta from TJ Maxx
Green earrings: B. Lee Designs, gift from my parents
Pink necklace: gift shop at Legacy Emanuel Hospital
White belt: Forever 21
Pink bracelets: In Pink

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Functional


I used to care much more about functionality than aesthetics when it came to clothes. If you had looked in my closet two years ago you would have found a lot of jeans, t-shirts, sweatshirts, flat shoes - and only one pair of heels. It wasn't that I disliked wearing skirts and dresses and things like that - I was just in a phase where I preferred everything I wore to be super functional. If you were to look at my closet now, it would look a lot different - I have thirteen pairs of heels (yes, I went and counted just for this), and a few dozen dresses and skirts. I'm very much into pretty clothes now - or at least clothes that look interesting - and it doesn't always matter if they're comfortable or not.

But recently I found myself wanting a nice pair of black flats. My old pair were wearing out and were no longer comfortable, and I wanted something cute to wear while running errands instead of just tennis shoes. Honestly, I kind of hated the idea of buying flats, because they almost never look as interesting as heels, and I am notoriously bad about buying sensible things when there are impractical things to tempt me instead. But I ordered a pair of these black flats from ShoeMint (a sister company to StyleMint, which I mentioned a few months ago). Considering that I didn't spend more than $10 on each of the flats I have in my closet, paying $64 for these was kind of painful. (They're $80 originally, but I had a discount code.) But dang, they're cute! And comfortable. I feel pretty proud of myself for actually spending my clothing money on something useful for once, instead of just buying another blouse or skirt that I don't really need.




Black shirt: Forever 21
Fuzzy black cardigan: gift from my aunt, from Macy's
Leopard print pants: thrifted from Salvation Army
Black flats: Kathy flats from ShoeMint
Sunglasses: Oscar de la Renta from TJ Maxx
Gold necklace: Evidence Jewelry, won in a giveaway
Ring: free from my aunt

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Fancified

I'm mildly amused by how high I'm holding my chin in this picture - maybe I just felt proud to have my photo taken?

I had jury duty on Tuesday. I didn't wear this outfit - I wore jeans and a sweatshirt instead because, well, I just didn't care enough to look nice. When you know you're probably going to have to sit in a room reading a book for eight hours and then have to walk a mile home, looking nice is probably not going to be high on your list of priorities. I got released at noon, though, and then came home and got all fancified for myself and Josh. I know some women hate it when they hear others say they got dressed up for their husband coming home from work, but you know what? Half the time Josh sees me I'm wearing sweatpants, and honestly I just want to give him something a little more appealing to look at every now and then. Maybe that's un-feminist of me, but I'm okay with that.

The last time I wore this skirt was in July (here). I got burned out by wearing it so much during my (failed) 30 for 30 challenge back in June, and gave up wearing it for seven months because I was just sick of seeing it. But I had a craving to wear it yesterday (some people crave food, I just crave clothes), so I mixed it with a bright shirt (also worn here) in an attempt to beat the gray sky blahs.




Pink blouse: free from aunt
Black cardigan: free from a friend of my aunt
Purple paisley skirt: thrifted from Rerun
Sunglasses: Oscar de la Renta from TJ Maxx
Pink earrings: Simply Jo Designs
Hat pin: not sure
Gold leaf cuff bracelet: In Pink
Black wedges: Lulu's
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