The True Fashionista Series Thus Far

The True Fashionista series has been one of the most fun projects I have ever done on Wardrobe Oxygen. It has been a thrill to share the women who inspire me on a daily basis, and it has been so great to hear how many of you have found new favorite blogs because of it.

While I plan to continue the True Fashionista series, it won’t be a weekly occasion. I have run out of individuals who have been in my queue. I am still waiting for responses from a few and know I will encounter more amazing personal style in the blogosphere and in real life so I think this series will continue on a monthly basis. I encourage you to check out the 33 stylish women I have already featured on the blog; click their image to view their individual profile and their answers to my True Fashionista questions.























As always, I learn so much from all of you. If you know of a woman who has inspiring personal style, let me know! You never know, she may be featured on the blog!

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Ask Allie: Dressing a Top-Heavy Figure

I am a 5'3" 165lb 40DDD woman who has no hips or butt but a mommy/muffin top. While I have a few additional pounds I am not plus size. I look horrible in button down blouses but find that a fitted top shows the bulge and loose tops makes me look pregnant because of the bust. HELP!!!

I feel your pain. It seems that in the apparel world, curvy means plus size, or else you have hips/thighs/a rear. For voluptuous women who are not a true hourglass, it can be extremely frustrating. Earlier in your letter you also mentioned that your life needs more of a jeans wardrobe, but you’re not afraid of trends, color, heels, or the occasional skirt.

[collage source]

First thing, check out surplice and wrap tops. Such tops come in pretty much every fabric, from silk to cotton to jersey and they are awesome for a busty woman. While some styles may feel too low-cut, others will flatter (and some can be modified with a strategically placed safety pin or a camisole). These will elongate the neck, flatter the bust, and show that you have a figure and are not pregnant. The gathering is also great for disguising a muffin top. As you can see from my collage above, such tops can be dressed down or up with ease. If you do wear such a top with a skirt, one with a bit of fullness (a-line, swing, pleated) would be a good choice to balance your bottom half. Another great choice is a wrap style with a soft peplum (like the purple one above). I have this top from MICHAEL Michael Kors and love it because it flatters my bust, hides my tummy, and balances my figure without needing a lot of volume on the bottom. I’ve worn this top with white jeans and sandals, boyfriend jeans and booties, and silk harem pants with heels.

Keep this idea in mind when shopping for most anything. Wrap dresses are available year-round at every pricepoint. A simple jersey sleeveless wrap dress can be thrown on with sandals for running errands, a wrap maxi is a great summer staple even with flip flops.

To balance the body, trick the eye with choice of color. Have the color or white on the bottom which will draw the eye there and make that part look a bit bigger, and the dark color on top will minimize the bust and give an illusion of balance. This is a time where a contrast shoe can be good because it also tricks the eye into seeing more of an hourglass. A black top, white skinny jeans, and black or a bold color of shoe is a great combination for a figure like yours.

Your figure is made for belts, which give the illusion of an hourglass figure.  A skinny belt in a contrast color, or a wide elastic belt will cinch the body (and will also gather the fabric to help disguise a muffin top).

Finally, get bra fitted at LEAST once a year. We busty women are more likely to have our size change on a regular basis, thanks to the occasional weight loss/gain and gravity. No offense to Lane Bryant and Victoria’s Secret, but I highly recommend visiting a lingerie boutique where staff is professionally trained to deal with a variety of sizes, body needs, as well as a variety of brands. Not every brand will fit and flatter every woman, while one may swear by Wacoal, another may have loyal allegiance to Bali. A bra boutique or high-end department store’s lingerie department will have the variety and expertise to help you find the perfect bra for your figure and wardrobe.

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If I could Start Over: #Project333 Inspiration Update

With my first Project 333 post it got me thinking about what I should have in my closet versus what is currently in there. I love using Polyvore to feel out an idea or capsule wardrobe – seeing the pieces together sans models or distracting backgrounds helps me imagine mixing and matching and seeing them on my body instead of another’s. After making the set of my current wardrobe choices if I did do Project 333, I made this set of what would be better choices:

You can see it’s not drastically different. Still have the white jeans, the black pants, the boyfriend jeans, the silky slouchy tee and of course an Old Navy Vintage v-neck tee. But I realized I needed what I had, but slightly different. Let’s take the striped top for example. I have a TON of striped shirts, but none are quite right for the summer. I have short sleeved, but it’s a boatneck, or it’s a scoop but the stripes are too small, or it’s sleeveless, or has too long of sleeves for the warmer months. Or black skirts – I have one in taffeta, or a pencil that’s a bit too tight and short for versatility. My black ponte dress is cute, but a bit too low-cut to work at the office without a scarf or jacket.

I saw the need for more versatile tops.  I like having a drapey silky sexy top to wear with white jeans for a Date Night or concert, but my current one can't be worn really anywhere but there.  Something like the gray silk top in the collage above could be worn to work tempered with black pants and a scarf, or under a blazer.  I also realized how many times I wish I had a long gold statement pendant - something unique but no color so it can dress up or down and be a classic.  I recommend them constantly but I don't currently own flat gold sandals and need to replace them.

As I mentioned in my Summer SAHM wardrobe post I find printed dresses to be better for summer than solids, and I don’t have many that are prints right now because I haven’t found many I like. I realize the reason may because I am shopping by pricepoint more than actual style. The older I get the more I am realizing that sometimes you need to spend more on an item to get what you actually want, and in the long run you spend less because you stop buying “almost not quites”.

I just don’t want to shop like I used to. I could spend an hour scrolling through online shops for entertainment, for boredom. I’d look for something that would fit and flatter, but also look cool on the blog. Brighter colors, unexpected silhouettes, a statement accessory. While I love you folks, it’s pretty silly to shop for the blog and not for life.

So this potential wardrobe is very very similar to the last one, but a bit harder working, versatile, and polished. It’s inspiring me for this season to be more thoughtful with my shopping, be it quality, quantity, where it was made. Knowing I’m buying less means it’s easier to stomach a higher pricetag.

Next step is gutting my closet.  Last week  I went into the back of my closet to get my black matte jersey maxi dress to wear to a wedding and I learned two things: the matte jersey maxi dress looks dreadful on me now (had it altered to fit the year Emerson was born and well, the breasts and shoulders are very different now), and I forgot about a black drapey handkerchief hem dress I got on clearance at Ann Taylor last fall. While I was thrilled to find the dress (and wore it instead to the wedding and loved how it looked), I was horrified to have items in my closet I didn’t know about. Come on Alison, you know better and that’s what you constantly preach! So a closet gutting is in order, knowing there will be huge holes and lots of empty space and possibly a panic attack about how few pieces I have for summer. But I think with closets less is more, fewer pieces means less drama in the mornings and fewer opportunities to make things work or buy things I don’t need to make the “almost not quites” work.

As for the Polyvore set, it has transformed my shopping list and is a visual reminder of how my wardrobe SHOULD and CAN look.  I look forward to seeing how this exercise progresses...



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The Best Part of Waking Up: Folgers Jingle Contest

There are two thing I must have to get the day started – music, and coffee.

As soon as my alarm goes off, my music goes on. Sometimes it’s FM radio, more often than not it’s Spotify where I love learning about new artists and making playlists of my faves. My daily outfits are often influenced by the music I listen to – be it poppy, romantic, slow, fast, emotional or inspirational. I start my outfit posts for the blog at home before I head to the office, drinking a steaming cup of coffee (cream, half a Splenda please) and listening to my tunes. I often take the rest (or more) of my coffee with me on my commute, listening to my iTunes through my car speakers.

When I think of both coffee and music I think of my morning routine, but I also can’t help but think of Folgers, who has one of the most iconic jingles in history. I think we all know that the best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup!

Composed by Leslie Pearl, that original and iconic Folgers Jingle debuted in 1984; since then the Jingle has since been transformed into country, gospel, jazz, R & B, folk, Celtic, and a cappella versions. They even have versions from Rascal Flatts and Aaron Neville on the Folgers Jingle site. Folgers has a fabulous competition going on where emerging artists can enter with their version of the famous Jingle. Entries were judged on factors such as creativity/originality, musical performance, and adherence to the creative assignment.

The Folgers Jingle Contest has narrowed down to just ten finalists, and the talent is remarkable. I encourage you to check out these amazing artists and vote for the best. What a fantastic opportunity for one who is talented and passionate, your vote could change a musician’s future. Not only can your vote change the artist’s life, but also yours. With each vote you can win awesome prizes like free Folgers Coffee, iTunes® gift cards, signed CDs from Jingle Contest spokesperson Gavin DeGraw, and even a $10,000 grand prize!

Be sure to vote for the best Top 10 Finalist in Folgers' Jingle Contest! Meet the Top 10! Take a look at Folgers® Jingle Contest Finalists, and listen to the tracks that earned them a spot in The Top 10. Cast your vote once every day through June 19th. Vote now! Before you vote, follow the Road to the Jingle on Facebook to see how they traveled the U.S. to track down the Top 10 contestants!

Remember, you can vote once a day through June 19th!

Click here for official rules.


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