Wednesday

Today was a very early morning.  No picture.  I am wearing my burgundy colored dolman-sleeve sweater from LOFT, brown trousers (Semantik's Athena Bree from Nordstrom - love these pants), my Sofft brown croco T-straps, a tortoise shell and gold necklace and a thin gold bangle.  Same makeup as yesterday and second day hair.

So here's a picture of my office, the area next to my desk:

Not thrilling, but it is a slight change.  Before, over this cabinet I had a print that was lots of primary colors, and the Picasso print was hanging on the wall.  Nothing but the bamboo on the cabinet.

I switched it out with this Georgia O'Keeffe print, got some Liberty of London for Target frames on clearance, and the new plant pot on clearance at Michael's to switch around the color story.  The cool tones have been a nice change - very soothing and serene.

I have a bulletin/dry erase combo board over my desk and the cork used to be wall to wall photos.  I recently removed all except two photos - me, my husband and Emerson at a wedding, and my husband and Emerson snuggling under the covers in our bed when she was a few months old.  I still need to play with the board, but the reduction of photos is also calming.  I am considering bringing in some fabric and tucking it under the frame of the cork to cover the boring brown.  Again, all about the cool aquatic tones.  It just seems appropriate for summer, and it is a nice contrast to the bright red office door, and the primary tones of my office mate's artwork on his walls.

Today I also took some cleaner to my desk, monitor, etc.  Improving the energy in here.

I spend so many hours here, I should treat it well and make it a place that is comfortable and enjoyable.  IU already feel the difference!

Shopping Karma

Everyone is getting on the Amazon bandwagon and I couldn't be more thrilled about it. Everywhere I look, another online retailer is offering customers to rate and/or review previous purchases. The trouble with shopping online is that you can’t touch, feel, or try on your item before purchase. Even with easy (and sometimes free – hello Zappos!) shipping and return policies at many retailers, returns are still a hassle and take time.

Enter the beauty of customer reviews. Reading them, you can see that a fellow pear-shaped woman found the trousers flattering, but a fellow tall woman found they ran short. And look, that dress you are considering to wear to your friend’s wedding? Well some other woman bought it and admitted it was perfect for such an affair, and wore it to one recently garnering many compliments and feeling perfectly dressed.

One big reason Amazon is so successful is because not only do they have customer reviews, but they have so many. When I was searching for a convertible carseat for my daughter, I was able to weed through literally hundreds of reviews for each brand and style – reviews organized by rating, by date submitted. Reviews were rated by fellow shoppers for their helpfulness, and many reviews had comments on them providing additional insight. I had narrowed down my choice to two brands, and these reviews on Amazon helped me make the final decision – a decision I have been happy with for months.

Do you practice shopping karma? When you make an online purchase, do you return to that retailer to offer feedback? Often we read the reviews, make purchased based upon the reviews, and then never go back to offer our own feedback. Give that which you wish to have in return – lots of constructive feedback on your purchases.

Speaking of constructive feedback, think about your review before you hit the ‘submit’ button. When saying the dress was tight in the bust, did you also mention your shape, your size, and what size you purchased? If you think the pants run long, please be sure to mention your height and if you believe yourself to be long- or short-waisted. Did you end up having to pin the neckline or wear it with a camisole? Was the hemline too short for work but perfect for drinks with friends? Did the color state it was emerald green but you found it to be more of a muted leaf color? Let other people know. Your detailed, constructive feedback may encourage other shoppers to do the same. And their detailed review may be the very one that helps you pick that perfect something that has been missing from your wardrobe!

Tuesday

I know, hideous pic of Emerson.  I was trying to get a pic of us together since we were both in orange but she was a busy bee this morning - lots of singing and running around before I headed to work.  With that cute sun top are some balloon knit shorts from Gap in the same color, and I even have sandals for her in the same shade.  Super cute!

So my order from Overstock.com arrived.

I am glad that they have easy returns.  Wah!

So I ordered this dress.  Mega cute, well made, but totally cut for someone who is 5'8".  I looked as though I was playing dress-up.  The dress hit almost to my ankle bone, the waist started at my hips, the shoulders too broad.  Definitely a brand that makes their 14s not just wider but bigger everywhere.  I think if I were a size 6 and my height it would fit great. The color was a bit... intense.  Almost a neon red.  Also the fabric is a bit thin - excellent for a hot summer day, but with this color I would have had to wear nude undergarments and the type that go invisible under thin cottons.  If it came in petite and a darker color, I would reorder.

I also ordered these shoes in yellow.  They looked comfy, I think yellow is a bright that works as a neutral (could go with 90% of my wardrobe because I don't ever wear yellow.  Imagine with gray, black, navy, white, blues, greens, tans...) and I am always a sucker for wedges (and I really want the new TOMS wedges in yellow and this was cheaper and more work appropriate).  Yeah, these run narrow.  Super narrow.  I have fat feet, but I couldn't fit more than the edge of my toes in the toe strap.  And you can tell that the strap in back that holds the elastic to the shoe isn't elastic... well it's shiny patent leather.  Which I don't think works with braided rope and elastic.  Leather - sure.  Nubuck?  Why not.  Canvas?  Yes.  But patent leather made the shoe suddenly look cheap.

And finally I ordered this dress.  I usually have success with MICHAEL Michael Kors.  I was envisioning this dress with the self-belt replaced with a brown leather belt, my brown croco T-straps from Sofft, maybe my long turquoise necklace from Allison Dayton Designs.  Well as you see, I AM wearing it... but at 5pm today I am NOT loving it any more.  And I don't think I loved it when I left the house.

The fabric is awesome - a crinkly sheer fabric that doesn't feel cheap.  The body is lined in a dark coral acetate that doesn't cling.  The neckline is elasticized and if you so wish could wear it off the shoulder.  The wrists are also elasticized - and the sleeves are bracelet-length, not full length.  I liked all these features, and I think the print is cute in person - a dark coral/pumpkin shade with ivory, olive, and very minor touches of pink.  It doesn't look gaudy or cheesy.  The length is perfect for me - right at the top of the knee.  I think if I were taller it would be too short for the workplace.

The problems - I got the XL and then remembered that this line runs big.  I probably would have done better with a Large.  It fits, but it balloons a bit.  The self belt is just the sheer fabric.  I think I actually would have liked there to be a layer of the coral acetate or even some interfacing in it to give it more durability.  It looks best when it lies flat, but because it's so lightweight it become all smushed and looks more like a rope than a 2" band after sitting down a few minutes.  And the elasticized neckline is fun, but because I don't go to work baring my shoulders, I find the normal sitting of the neckline to be a bit dowdy.

I also found the dress doesn't look good on me with a wide belt under the bust.  It is too flowy to handle a solid belt at the waist unless it's slouchy.  And I don't have the bod for a slouchy belt at my waist/hips.  I ended up tying the self belt right at the bottom of my ribcage - where I am still narrow, but low enough that I am not all "Hello Boobies!"  Yeah, the elasticized neckline does make the bust area a bit poofy, and I am not a woman who needs added poofiness in her bust area.

I am wearing it with my brushed gold "twig" bangles from Ann Taylor, big thin gold hoops from Nordstrom, and a gold rope necklace from J. Crew.  And yes, the brown croco T-straps from Sofft, though now owning the dress I think it would have looked better with a shoe that was tan or beige or even gold.

So the Overstock.com route was a bust this time, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't shop for clothing from them again.  The clothes are excellent quality, they just weren't the best choices for me. 

Monday

 She did say cheese and smile... but the dog was more exciting than the camera.

So I slacked on charging up the camera this weekend.  I was able to capture this pic, but it was a slow moving camera with a flashing signal letting me know this may be my last before it shuts down.  The battery is currently charging in my office.

Today I am wearing a black matte jersey wrap dress from Ann Taylor that I got last year.  It has flutter sleeves, is the same silhouette as my blue print one.  My dark red patent T-straps from Sofft, green necklace is from NY & Co.  Silver cuff, no earrings.

Hair is second day - yesterday I washed, conditioned, then added my magic potion - Frederic Fekkai's Glossing Curls.  Scrunched and left.  By time I got to my destination (husband's cousin's house for her son's 3rd birthday) my hair was soft waves/curls.  Today I woke up and some of it looked a mess so I brushed only the ends, put sections for a short time around the curling iron to smooth and re-wave, and then hit the whole thing with Elnett to attempt to fight against the horrible DC humidity.

Makeup is Almay Smart Shade Anti-Aging makeup in Light Medium, Tarte bronzer, Revlon ColorStay shadow quad in Neutral Khakis, Stila Lip Glaze in Fruit Cake, DiorShow mascara. 

Saturday ran a BUNCH of errands.  I wore a different black matte jersey dress from Ann Taylor from a couple years ago and my Banana Republic slingbacks (I like dressing up to shop - you get better service and feel better about yourself).  Yesterday we went to my husband's cousin's house for a very laid back get together.  I wore my Seven jeans and a black jersey top from Max Studio that I got at Marshall's last month.

Product Reviews - Almay

I was at CVS near work buying a birthday card for a coworker and it was the week before Bonnaroo so I was roaming, seeing if I could find any beauty product that may make my trip more terrific.  Almay products were on some deal - buy one get one 50% off or something.  I needed waterproof mascara, so I figured might as well do Almay.  And their foundation that goes from white to color has always fascinated me - did it really work?  Or was it like mood lipstick that was green in the tube and fuchsia on every person, regardless of skintone?

Almay One-coat Nourishing Thickening Waterproof Mascara - It sucks.  Can I end the review now?

I guess I should explain WHY I think it sucks.  It doesn't clump, it does leave lashes feeling relatively soft even though it is a waterproof formula.  But it smears, it flakes, it makes my eyes itch and blur and burn.  This wasn't just when I was sweaty at Bonnaroo, this was 30 seconds after applying it.  I went to use my regular makeup remover and it wouldn't come off, just smear everywhere.  I couldn't see, I took out my contacts and they were coated with the mascara.  In all my years, I have never had such an experience.  I had to throw away my contacts because I couldn't get the mascara off of them, yet I still had raccoon eyes.  I had to scrub with makeup remover and then almond oil to get off the mascara.

The masochist I am, I tried it again.  While on vacation.  WTH was I thinking.  Yet again, I experienced pain, blurred vision, destroyed contacts and raw skin trying to take off the mess.  The tube was left in the hotel bathroom's trash can.  FAIL.

Almay Smart Shade Anti Aging Foundation/Makeup - This stuff is AWESOME.  Seriously, I haven't enjoyed a drugstore foundation since L'Oreal True Match, and that love affair fizzled when my skin went from durable 20-something (and early 30-something) to  mid 30-something who has gone through pregnancy, birth, lack of sleep and too many tanning beds in college.  It no longer seemed to blend and disappear like it used to.  I ended up switching to powders, creams, and tinted moisturizers because regular foundations looked too obvious on this new face.

I chose the anti-aging mainly for the higher SPF, but figured if L'Oreal True Match sits weird on my skin, maybe I am of the age where the anti-aging products will be kinder to me.  Dunno, but this stuff pretty much rocks. When it comes out of the tube, it's a weird grayish white color with teeny specks in it - sort of reminds me of Breyer's vanilla ice cream.  I tried rubbing it on a piece of fabric and it stayed the weird white/gray color.  I rubbed on my hand and it blended pretty well.  Rubbed it on my face and it blended GREAT.  Seriously, this stuff disappeared like a tinted moisturizer, but covered like a classic foundation.  Layering a bit more would cover small imperfections.  I tried it with both my Redpoint and Laura Mercier concealers over it, and it didn't get weird or cakey.  It lasted all day, and I couldn't feel it on my skin.

This stuff isn't great in the extreme heat, but it's a fabulous daytime foundation for work and errands.  I can easily put it on, a bit of bronzer and some mascara and feel polished.

Oh, and I got the Light Medium color for my tone.  This color worked pre-Bonnaroo and even after when I ended up getting a bit of a tan.  I usually wear Light Medium shades in most brands, often find foundations to be too yellow or too pink.  This wasn't either - it was a beige color that disappeared and evened my skin tone.  WIN!

Friday

I haven't charged my camera's battery since Bonnaroo - will this weekend so I can post some pics.

Speaking of Bonnaroo, will have some recap posts soon - they are taking a bit longer to have all the details.

Today I am wearing a coral scoop tee from Gap, my Express pareo around the neck like a scarf, my Seven jeans and Sofft brown croco t-straps.  Gold hoops and two thin gold bangles from Ralph Lauren.

Last night was my first Weight Watchers meeting.  My husband got the oppportunity to have a meet and greet and then free seats to see Peter Frampton and Yes in concert, so I would have had to take Emerson to WW.  My mom decided to stay at our house and watch E and let me go to the meeting alone so I could focus on it, and then she will start next week.  My mom rocks!

So she picked me up from the Metro and dropped me off at the meeting location.  Same spot it was at a few years ago when I did Weight Watchers.  Entered, almost same setup in the room, and even the same people weighing people in!  

The plan is different from the last time I did it.  Yes, you still track points, but the rest has been modified.  Points are figured out not just by how much you weigh, but based upon your age, height, lifestyle, and whether you nurse (I am still nursing Emerson but only like 2x/day so I talked to the leader and she suggested 2 points added instead of 5 for now, and then reassess in a couple of weeks or if I am hungry).  There are still activity points and such, but these are aspects I won't be informed about until I have had a few weeks of Weight Watchers under my belt.

I decided to sign up for the Monthly Pass, because I figure it would force me to attend since I have already pre-paid (and it's cheaper - $9.95/meeting versus $14 if you pay each visit).  For $39.95/month, I can attend as many meetings as I wish, AND I have full access to all the eTools on the Weight Watchers site.  This I thought was cool... until I visited the site.  This isn't cool, this is AWESOME. 

 You can click to see more detail of the online Plan Manager

There is this Plan Manager tool which tracks all your points and Healthy Checks, helps you calculate them, keeps everything all organized.  I have already made this a second tab that will open as soon as I open my Internet each day.  This tool is super awesome because you can type in "Laughing Cow" and it will show all the various Laughing Cow products, serving sizes and points.  This works for basic foods too, like the garbanzo beans and zucchini that I had for last night's dinner.  The Monthly Pass is automatically taken from your credit card or PayPal account so you don't have to pay at each meeting - just bring your card. 

The meeting discussed portion control, which was so good for me because I think that it my biggest weakness.  I am married to a very active 6'5" man, and even though I make my portions smaller than his, I know I eat probably twice as much as I should when at home.  While the meeting was taking place, I look across the room and see a high school classmate - we recently reunited on Facebook and found out we lived in the same town, but had yet bumped into one another.  So I moved over to her side to say hi.  The crowd was 99% women, but women ranging in age from highschoolers to grandmas, and all shapes and walks of life.  After the meeting, the leader met with me, two other newbies and a regular who wanted to stay for some reinforcement/inspiration.  Of course the leader sold all the Weight Watchers brand of stuff during her spiel, but I didn't feel overly pressured. 

I walked home, as that the meeting was only about a half mile away.  Figured no better way to start this life change!

For dinner I cooked up my favorite garbanzo beans - I put a bit of No Stick in a pan, add rinsed and drained garbanzo beans, and then some Kosher salt, pepper, garlic powder, cayenne pepper.  Cook on medium, constantly stirring so they don't stick.  The beans will start popping and get a crust on them.  Once they were cooked, I removed them from the pan and added thin zucchini strips that I made with a veggie peeler, and a touch more No Stick.  The leftover spices stuck to the zucchini.  I only cooked a short moment, long enough for the strips to wilt a bit.  I served the beans over the zucchini.  This way of cooking the zucchini made it taste buttery and almost like pasta.  And the garbanzo beans cooked like this is crunchy and salty and a healthy replacement for French fries.  The dinner took... like 10 minutes in total.  I considered putting canned diced tomatoes or spaghetti sauce on the zucchini, but my husband wasn't home and I knew I couldn't consume a whole container.  This was super good just as is.

So anyway... I have started!  I'll occasionally write about my WW journey here, but will write about other stuff too.  There are so many fantastic Weight Watchers-themed blogs out there, I have no desire to attempt to be one.  This blog is primarily about fashion and my style journey.  However life affects style, so I will talk about WW just as I do about Emerson, or my trip to Bonnaroo, etc.

I have been a real slacker at Wardrobe Oxygen, but it isn't dead.  I will post in the future, but will only post when I have crafted what I believe to be a useful and well-written post.  No more crap to fill the Google Reader.  I am still posting at my baby blog, though that blog too has become a bit of a hodgepodge about Emerson and some about home decor and random thoughts.  Maybe some day I will merge some blogs, but I don't think all people who care about cloth diapers or baby-led weaning care about my new pair of shoes, and I don't think all of those who care about my new pair of shoes care about weaning Emerson from her pacifier.  Also, those who want style advice don't necessarily give a darn what I am wearing to work on Wednesday. :)

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

Another Coming Clean Post...

I know I haven’t posted a lot. It’s because… I hate my wardrobe.

Yes, Alison Gary, author of Wardrobe Oxygen has a closet full of stupid stuff. No staples, no go-to pieces. A bunch of things that don’t fit, don’t flatter, or don’t work with her lifestyle.

Today I am wearing one of my few go-to work outfits – black pencil skirt, white ribbed tank, green cardigan, scarf tied to make a necklace. But the shoes are my black patent t-straps which don’t go as well as the peeptoe pumps but my feet are still hurting from Bonnaroo and those high heels aren’t going to cut it. And the tank has been worn a lot and is a bit stretched out and meh looking. And my hair is a mess because my husband gave me a head massage last night while watching something on the History Channel about real pirates of the Caribbean and I didn’t have time to shower this morning.

Yesterday I wore my Muse knot-front dress.

The day before I wore my blue print Ann Taylor wrap dress.

Last week was a bunch of dresses too, because that’s what I have a lot of. And that’s what fits. I have even tried to figure out ways to make my Bonnaroo sundresses work-appropriate. No luck.

Yesterday I decided, so what if all I wear are dresses. But if all I am going to wear are dresses, I need to get a few more. I don’t have enough clothes to get through the work week without… well without wearing a stretched out white wifebeater with a pencil skirt. I went to my go-to sites – Ann Taylor, LOFT, Nordstrom, Gap. No inspiration. Dresses I liked were not in my size or price range. So I Googled brands I love – Calvin Klein, Maggy London, London Times, Muse. I also hit the other department stores online – JCP, Macy’s, Dillard’s, Lord & Talor, even Saks. Not much luck. So I thought… what store online has a great return policy if I hate these things, doesn’t cost a lot to ship, and will have 14 and 16 but not plus size?

Overstock.com!

Overstock is where I got our living room rug, storage bins for the shelf on Emerson’s changing table, the velvet quilt on our bed. I have never bought clothes there before, but I know they carry great designers. And even better, they have great reviews by customers.

And even better, Overstock.com is partnered with Ebates. And you KNOW I love Ebates. Seriously, I have made over $500 with Ebates just this year alone. Why shop online if you don’t first hit up Ebates.com? With Ebates, I would get 4% cash back on my entire purchase at Overstock.com. So I went to Ebates, searched Overstock.com, and went to their site.

I ended up getting a pair of yellow espadrille wedges and three dresses. My fingers are crossed, and I will let you know how they work out. I feel good about it based upon reviews and the silhouettes of the dresses.

I have done something else which I know will help my wardrobe situation. I hate to post it, but figure I should because posting it, making it public puts me accountable.

I have signed up for Weight Watchers.

I have been meaning to do this for MONTHS. I did Weight Watchers in the past and had some success. Two readers of this blog that have become virtual friends have had recent great success with Weight Watchers. I was going to start last week but my husband had to sub last-minute for a fellow yoga teacher that evening and with letting him get ready and get Emerson settled and all, I couldn’t get there in time. And I wanted my first meeting to be at the location I plan on going to on a regular basis.

Okay, I just realized that if you sign up for Weight Watchers online through Ebates you get $10.00 cash back.  How cool is that?  LOVE you Ebates!

To encourage me further, I asked my mom if she would like to join me. We did WW together in the past and it was fun to do it together. We would often go to dinner together after, having a nice low-point meal, celebrate losses, discuss plans and menus for the upcoming week.

Today I brought my lunch – brown rice and a fantastic stew-like thing my husband made last night with fresh veggies and beans and lots of spices and no fat. And then I found out we would have lunch at the office – Pizza Hut pizza and salad from Cosi full of gorgonzola and pistachios and sweet dried cranberries. I was thinking… I could keep the brown bag lunch for tomorrow and enjoy my last chance at Pizza Hut lunch today. I went into a conference room to help a member of upper management set up her laptop for a Webmeeting. This is a woman I find very cool and inspiring – we used to take lunchtime yoga together, she recently had a baby, and has been so influential at this company and in her field. Well she opened up her Internet browser and guess what her home page is – Weight Watchers. Yeah, pizza wasn’t going to happen for lunch today after that sign!

Me and my sister at Dave Matthews Band at Bonnaroo - the only picture of me that I liked from the entire trip.

So anyway, I am trying to make some great strides in loving myself. This body is a great one – it is beautiful – it created and nourishes my child, it carried me miles in the Tennessee heat at Bonnaroo, it loves my husband and treats me well. Well I need to respect it, and treat it well in return by clothing it in pieces that flatter it and match my personal style, and by losing excess weight that it is carrying.

Oh, and Sunday I spent an entire hour tweezing my brows and other random facial hair. Something I took for granted two years ago, but now see as decadent as a weekend at a spa. And it feels good to look in the mirror and see groomed brows. I recently got a haircut and color, and plan to have it be a more regular occurrence. I am making baby steps to bring style and self-love into my daily practice. And with it, my full personal style WILL return!

Like Mommy...

The cheap Mardi Gras beads aren't good enough for my Emerson - she needs to raid my jewelry armoire. 

Sorry I have been MIA - got back from Bonnaroo very late last Monday and since then I was sick, then Emerson was sick, and now my husband is sick.  Will be back to blogging quite soon!

Remember Who You Are

I am a huge fan of shopping online. Many women hate it because you can’t try before you buy, but I love it because it helps me keep on track.

Lately I have been shopping in stores to find proper clothes for my upcoming vacation. It will be hot so I am trying to find lightweight sundresses. I will be attending a music festival, so I have been looking for hippie-esque florals, embroidery, gauzy fabrics. This isn’t my norm. To add to this, my figure is still in flux after having a baby last year. The breasts are a different shape and size, the arms are smaller and firmer from hoisting a toddler, but the tummy has yet to return to its original size. Shopping outside my favorite online brands and retailers, trying on in fluorescent-lit cramped fitting room and searching for a style outside my personal norm is making me feel a bit like a fish out of water.

And it is making me get very close to a couple retail mistakes.

Today at lunch, I stopped by Filene’s Basement. I grabbed a handful of sundresses, a few pairs of Bermuda and city shorts, and a couple breezy summer tops in fun prints. I got into the cramped, smelly, dirty fitting room and tried on their first top. Hideous – too tight in one place, gaping in another. I looked at myself in the reflection, and hated what I saw. This morning (and even in the office rest room before heading out) I saw a pretty woman with beachy waves in her hair, soft pretty makeup, a feminine figure. In my own white trousers, but paired with this wardrobe monstrosity, I felt old. And fat. And saggy. My shoulders slumped.

I tried on a navy jersey tunic with embroidery at the wrists and neckline. The colors were a bit subdued, but it didn’t make my body look terrible. The embroidery was dark red and ivory; I don’t own any ivory pants to make it a nice work outfit. Guess I could pair with jeans. I don’t need any tops to wear with jeans but it’s kinda cute and only $19.99. I put it on a separate hook, planning to purchase it.

Next, I tried on a purple jersey dress – it had a surplice neckline, elastic at the empire waistline. It sort of looked like a night gown, and actually resembled the silhouette of my navy dress that I wore in this post. However the shoulders rouched and had ties which added interest. The purple color was not my favorite, but it was flattering. I could pair it with a wide belt over the elastic waistband… it’s only $29.99. I could wear it on the drive down to the music festival and be comfortable in the car. I could wear it to work with the belt and some heels. I could jazz it up… it was put on the hook with the navy tunic.

Then I tried on a dress from Calvin Klein. It was black with a round neck. Sleeveless, fit and flare with a self belt and origami-like folds at the hem which added interest and a bit of stiffness to enhance the fit and flare silhouette. The fabric was a slightly textured cotton, the dress fully lined. It was one size too small – I could zip it up but it was way too tight. But this dress… it was me. THIS is my style – clean, simple, modern, classic with a touch of interest. I am not a faded navy bohemian tunic with jeans. I am not a grape-colored nightgown that I struggle to make sassy.

I should have known – I have other pieces from Calvin Klein in my wardrobe that are just as flattering to my figure as well as my personality.

I returned every item to the fitting room attendant. I went back and searched for the Calvin Klein dress in the next size, but it wasn’t there. But that too-small dress reminded me of who I am.

Don’t get lost in the sales, and remember that crappy lighting and poorly fitting clothes do not mean you are any less beautiful. There is nothing wrong with having some brands or retailers that you shop at exclusively. It’s better to have a small collection of pieces that love you, respect you, and tell your story correctly, than a large collection of pieces that require work to fit you – be it your body, your lifestyle, or your soul.

There are clothes out there that can work for you. Don’t settle. If things are almost right, consider a tailor or seamstress to get them to perfect. Buy that item and then try it on at home in proper lighting with proper undergarments and footwear. Variety is not the spice of life when it comes to a hard-working and reliable wardrobe. Style comes from knowing yourself and your body, not from having a rainbow in your closet. If you don’t know who you are, take a friend or relative shopping with you. Search online for celebs or fashion bloggers who have similar figures to you. You can also refer to this post for some help in finding your personal style.

Don’t sacrifice yourself for a sale; don’t choose quantity over quality, and never forget who you are inside.