Pages

Friday, September 24, 2010

Fashionable Friday: Do You, Part Two

This is part two of last week's Fashionable Friday: Do You post. I want to give some pointers on shopping, on keeping organized and even a tip to look 10 pounds lighter.

I love to shop. Always have and it didn't matter the store. When I was a kid living in New York my mother use to take me to thrift shops and I would play for hours with old shoes and bags and hats. She also taught me that name brands did not have to cost a fortune and we regularly stopped at a place called Loehmann's. They are the original TJMaxx and Marshall's.

As I got heavier, I realized shopping wasn't always so much fun. When you haven't embraced your new size, shopping can actually be a drag. Especially when you see your old size and have to skip a few hangers to get to your new size. It can be downright depressing.

When you become a mother, shopping whether depressing or not suddenly becomes an Olympic sport. You get in, get out and are done. Half the time you get to the store and look longingly at the women's section. If you always loves shopping, the love doesn't go away. But the ease of spending hours in the fitting room does. There is nothing like a toddler who wants to look under all the stalls or crawl under your own stall to get away as you have pants half hiked. While before it might have been depressing, now it's just not fun. Period.

My secret weapon for shopping now? Online. I especially love shopping at stores that will let me return the items to their brick and mortar locations. Target, Old Navy, Gap, Kohl's. If there is a spend a certain dollar amount to get free shipping - do it. You can order something in several sizes, several colors. You can order jeans and try them on at home and take back what doesn't fit...without ever seeing a sales associate roll their eyes.

My second weapon is looking for inspiration from magazines. You can mimic your fave celeb's style by looking for similar pieces. I know some of you say you have the worse sense of style but you probably aren't giving yourself any credit. Maybe your style is just eclectic. Maybe you are ahead of fashion. Either way having a go-to picture or idea is helpful when you are perusing sites.

Thirdly, when you shop, shop in full pieces. What I mean by that is if you find a top you love, make sure you have pants and shoes that you know can wear with the top. There is nothing more frustrating than to buy something and suddenly realize you have nothing to pair it with. Save yourself the stress and either purchase a whole outfit or mentally put the outfit together. This doesn't mean you won't have impulse purchases, it just means those will be minimal.

Lastly when new items come in? Get rid of pieces that don't fit, that are worn out, faded, etc. If you haven't worn it or forgot you owned it? Give it away, donate it, use it as rags. You will never feel like you have the right items if mixed in with new stuff is old stuff taking up space.

And now for the big tip to look 10 pounds lighter. One word...bra. That's right ladies, you have to get right with your boobs. Half the women reading this (all 5 of you) are wearing the wrong size bra. Wearing the right size will change the way you walk and stand. Many of the major department stores have bra fit specialist that can help you find your size. I suggest either Macy's or Dillard's. My favorite place though is once called Intimacy. You can pretty much find any style bra in sizes up to K. And they don't even make you feel funny for having one girl bigger than the other. Check them out here. I will admit, be ready to spend some $$$ on a good fitting bra. I suggest having at least 2 that are really good. You should never wear the same bra day after day (guilty=me) as your bra needs time to breath and reclaim its shape. So once you know your true size find it at regular store (Target, wal mart, etc.) and wear that one around the house, etc.

I hope my tips and suggestions help you get a better picture of how you can do you. I sometimes forget my own tips but I'm really working hard to do me. Looking put together doesn't have to be hard or overwhelming. Like me, you just have to take things slowly.


I will gladly take suggestions or questions about fashion and use it as my next post, so if you have any, send them my way!

3 comments:

  1. Oh man, I long to wear a normal bra again that doesn't snap off for insta milking...there's nothing worse then the nursing bras. They suck. And you end up wearing them for a long time, everyday. I've yet to find one that holds up the sisters, looks sexy, and like Walmart is accessible 24/7.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Like Circus, I'm all about the snap-ons too. Would you believe I'm wearing a 38E nursing bra? No fair. My giant boobs make me look like freaking Shamu. Even worse is I'm only a month into nursing so I have to haul these things around for a long time coming. This is just further evidence that God is a man.

    ReplyDelete
  3. @ Circus: Initmacy does make some really nice and sexy nursing bras. I didn't do them the first time around but I am thinking I will get at least one. The first nursing bra I got was from Walmart...I used it for about a week or so and now it hangs in the closet. I did find a decent one at Motherhood Maternity. I have been wearing a nursing bra for 19 months now. I can't seem to get the Boy to stop nursing! I want a break before baby #2 arrives!

    @Heather: I feel the same! If I can't get the Boy to stop for a few months I will be wearing a freaking nursing bra for like 4 years or something! So. Not. Fun.

    ReplyDelete

Something to say? I love reading your thoughts!