Open
Scenes from a Friday night…

We started at @littleblackbirddc a new wine bar in Cleveland Park where we had great food, drink, and conversation into the evening. We then headed down the street to @atomicbilliards for a whole different experience and to keep the conversation going. I treasure my friendships with @sylviacolella (who had a birthday recently), @districtofchic, and @blonde_inthedistrict they’re the real deal 🥰

My dress is @adamlippes borrowed via @renttherunway and Cheetos with Sauvignon Blanc is a really fun pairing!
Open
Night and day…

Met three dear friends for an early dinner that went on until after the sun set. Great food and conversation with some great women!

The dress is @adamlippes and I borrowed it from @renttherunway. The bag is @jcrew and a splurge but I regretted not buying it the last time they offered this bag and this color is SO me. I mean, look how great it is with these many years old suede heeled sandals? Meant to be!

This color combination makes me so happy, and this dress was comfy even after a decadent meal. We all deserve to experience comfort and joy with our wardrobes! 💛🩷

Follow my shop @wardrobe_oxygen on the @shop.LTK app to shop this post and get my exclusive app-only content!
https://liketk.it/4jnDf #ltkplussize #ltkmidsize #ltkover40 #midsizestyle #genxstyle #over40style
Open
If @thechicks are in town you can bet @debbiefaye78 and I will be there! So when we heard they were coming to @merriweatherpp we were so excited. And their concert did not disappoint. As always, a phenomenal show! If The Chicks come to your neck of the woods I highly recommend you go!

Okay I know you want to know about what we’re wearing! 

My sister’s caftan is from @anthropologie (bought this summer so maybe you can find on resale sites).

I’m wearing a @bananarepublic dress also from this summer with the @universalstandard denim chore jacket and a hat I got from a @madewell collab a year or so ago. I glammed it up with some gold chains and gold drop earrings, but kept it comfy for a night of standing and dancing with @birkenstock sandals.

This was my first big outing since my eye surgery, and with a pocketful of eye drops I felt good (and grateful we splurged for good seats!).

Follow my shop @wardrobe_oxygen on the @shop.LTK app to shop this post and get my exclusive app-only content!
https://liketk.it/4jcBL #ltkmidsize #ltkover40 #midsizestyle #genxstyle #usinthewild #concertstyle
Open
For years I’ve trusted @somaintimates for the right bras and the right fit but it had been a while since I visited a Soma boutique to try on all the styles they currently have for a large bust. I must say I was impressed! Knowledgeable staff, extensive collection in larger sizes, and some of the most comfortable and innovative bras in up to H cups! Each body is different but what I loved:

- The Stunning Push-Up: targeted for the DD+ customer gives amazing lift and great shape under fitted knits.

- The Unbelievable Lift Scoop Balconette: sexy, supportive, and so lightweight!

- The Embraceable Wireless: I’ve recommended this wireless bra for large busts for years and was in need for a new one! 

- The Stunning Support Smooth Balconette: this is the perfect t-shirt bra for large busts with padded straps and disappears under knits

- The Stunning Starlet Multi-Way Strapless: recently improved for more support and more comfort, this wireless bra stays put and gives fab shape

I also picked up some of Soma’s iconic Vanishing Edge panties which keep you line-free. The whole Vanishing collection is genius. I loved being able to donate my gently used bras at my local Soma boutique to give to those in need. We all deserve a lift and Soma strives to achieve that. It’s why I’ve been a fan and customer for years and am honored to partner with them. Soma is the perfect fitting bra solution. Visit the link in my bio to shop and to find your local Soma boutique! #SomaPartner #SomaBraFit #SomaStartsWithMe
Open
If I close my eyes you can’t tell one is still bloodshot 😜

Still recovering from my eye surgery but feeling more myself. Getting dolled up helps me feel me. Bright colors and bold jewelry have been signature Alison since I was a kid! 

Sweater: @favorite.daughter 
Earrings: Amazon
Necklace: @_jennybird (old)
Ring: @realmfinejewelry 
Bra: @lovebravissimo 
Lipstick: @glossier 
Pins as “cufflinks”: vintage

Follow my shop @wardrobe_oxygen on the @shop.LTK app to shop this post and get my exclusive app-only content!
https://liketk.it/4j0LM #ltkmidsize #midsizestyle #over40style #ltkover40 #genxstyle
Open
It was so funny and so quick I couldn’t not share! I bought this @hulkenbag a year ago and use it all the time. Carting shoot supplies, groceries, packing for road trips, and carting donations. This weekend @thenewdealcafe in @cityofgreenbelt hosted a community clothing swap so I made sure my family and I went through our summer wardrobes to gather that which we no longer needed or fit.

This wasn’t the first clothing swap and folks in town know my style (and my job) so there were some waiting for my arrival. Look how fast I cleared out this big bag! Speaking of the bag one other swap attendee said she got herself a Hulken after seeing mine in action!

It’s so great to know our old clothes are getting a good life and this bag makes carting them to the cafe so easy! I got my Hulken on Amazon, it comes in other colors and sizes too: https://amzn.to/48iTY4Y yep the bag is as great as all those ads you see on social media, I’m a big fan!
Open
I had to see… I asked my husband how often he thinks about the Roman Empire, and then asked our 14-year-old 😂
Open
#ad Go through my archives on Wardrobe Oxygen and one thing is clear: my family and I are a fan of @bombas socks! From their no-slip no-show socks to their iconic crew socks, Bombas makes great socks for the whole family while having a great heart.

Socks are the #1 requested article of clothing from homeless shelters. For every item purchase from Bombas, one is donated to someone experiencing homelessness. 

Save 20% on your first purchase at Bombas with my exclusive promo code: WARDROBE20

Follow my shop @wardrobe_oxygen on the @shop.LTK app to shop this post and get my exclusive app-only content!
https://liketk.it/4ipHy #bombas
Open
Happy gotcha day, Oscar! Four years ago he came into our life and we are so happy to have in our family!

Oscar was a rescue and came with some… quirks. Over the years we have come to understand him and he has come to trust us. He’s a diva, a snuggler, he could play catch for hours, and he’s my husband’s shadow. 

We’ve never had a small breed dog before and it’s a whole different experience. But we adore Oscar and couldn’t imagine our life without him! Thank you for coming into our life Oskie McGoskie! 🐾❤️
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Lifestyle, Entertainment · July 10, 2012

Women, We Deserve Better

This article may contain affiliate links; if you click on a shopping link and make a purchase I may receive a commission. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. 

(Warning – Spoiler Alert! Do not proceed if you haven't yet experienced Fifty Shades of Grey or Magic Mike and wish to do so)

Last week I remember sitting in my living room telling my sister we women have come a long way, baby. That we’re CEOs, we as bloggers are defining preferences for all of America, we’re bringing back midwives and pissing off politicians. We’re even getting entertainment made just for us, and it’s not another Meg Ryan/Jen Aniston/Kate Hudson cryfest/rom-com or YA lit that makes us into squealing teenagers.

And then this past week I experiences this entertainment made just for us by finishing Fifty Shades of Grey and seeing Magic Mike. And now I think… women… we deserve better. And while we have come a long way baby, we have so much further to journey, even with such basic things as entertainment.

Yes, it’s awesome to have erotica on the New York Times Bestseller list, and to have movies like Magic Mike after decades of Showgirls and Burlesque. The thing is, these forms of entertainment are sub-par and we’re ignoring that fact because we have been so starved for such things to exist. We have relied for far too long on movies that will show full-frontal nudity of 50 women and only the silhouette of a man’s ass, and crappy Harlequin romance novels where men ravage delicate women and they love it. Fifty Shades of Grey and Magic Mike are just as poorly written, poorly executed, and degrading as the entertainment we women already had, just with more dollars behind them.

Fifty Shades of Grey

Wow, I thought the Twilight series (which inspired this series) was poorly-written, Fifty Shades makes me want to give Stephenie Meyer a Man Booker. E.L. James used “fancy” words where they weren’t needed and then when a thesaurus would have been helpful, she reused the same word over and over and over. Come now, having the same adjective three times in one paragraph? The continuous use of Inner Goddess? And by a woman who was a naïve virgin before she met this man?

Let’s delve into the actual content. We have here an inexperienced woman who has an orgasm the first time she has sex ever, and with a very well-endowed man. She proceeds to have orgasms left and right after that from completely new experiences, and experiences that would leave many well-experienced women comfortable with their bodies turned on, wanting more, but not likely coming over and over. Of course I will get into the fashion – what kazillionaire wears black jeans with a white linen shirt and pair of black Chucks? And what's up with mega detail about music or a helicopter, and not enough detail or explanation about other things like WTH Christian does to be a kazillionaire.

We have a man who is pretty much a psychopath – extremely controlling, jealous, abusive (I don't mean S&M)… and we women are to find this to be alluring and sexy and desirable. So desirable that the protagonist is left so upset she hugs a deflated Mylar balloon, tears falling on its metallic Charlie Tango surface.

So we have a stupid clueless girl that learned absolutely nothing during her four years of college majoring in English Literature who meets a 27-year old Edward wannabe with a fleet of Audis who emotionally abuses and fucks with her left and right, can’t dress, and writes completely lame old-man emails. We have a lack of an actual plot, horrific writing and lazy editing, and we are to cheer for erotica written for US WOMEN?

Magic Mike

Cast of hot men, great topic, poor execution. I would have adored having a campy Showgirls-esque film that starred men, but this wasn’t it. This also wasn’t 8 Mile or some coming of age story. It was a sad film that didn’t know what it wanted to accomplish, and it was obviously written by a man who thinks he knows what women want.

mike and brookeMagic Mike & Doo-doo Face

If I could re-write Magic Mike:

  • Mike would have some job that gave him a paycheck. Even if he sold phones for T-Mobile at the mall 10 hours a week, it would make more sense. He wasn't stupid, by the age of 30 you'd think he'd realize walking around with piles of bills would look shady and hint at illegal activities and after years of bank rejection he'd realize a simple mall job would give him legitimacy without ruining his stripping gig.
  • Mike wouldn’t make furniture from crap on the beach, but with wood and his hands. Let’s see Channing Tatum shirtless, covered with sweat in a workshop planing wood. Sun coming in the window, sawdust catching the rays as he rubs his hand on the table to ensure it's smooth from sanding. I can't think of a woman who wouldn't want to see a few minutes of that in a movie.
  • Big Dick Ricky wouldn’t hurt his back picking up a woman who is the size of 75% of the audience going to see the film. Come ON screenwriters, WTF???
  • There would be more penis. We have plenty of full-frontal nudity of women in every film, but hardly any of men. I know that movie ratings are sexist, well then be more creative with camera angles and silhouettes and hints of what we COULD see if the camera was just to the left or stayed on that scene a second longer.
  • There’d be more dancing. Channing Tatum dancing is a sight to behold. It is the only thing that kept my attention through the movie, and there was just not enough of it. He’s not my cup of tea, but when he dances… I become a Channing Tatum fan.
  • There would be more character development. I loved the peek into Dallas’ home, seeing Joanna with her fiancé and how Mike reacted, knowing what Brooke did for a living, etc. There wasn’t enough of it and too much construction site, rainbow-hair girl writhing on an ottoman and passing out in red and blue lights.
  • The protagonist would be a bit more endearing. She constantly had, in the words of my husband, “doo-doo face.” I understand they were trying to make her seem ambitious, level-headed, and serious, but she just came off as though she had a stick up her ass.

These things (especially the one about the woman hurting the stripper’s back) made me really wonder who this movie was made for.

So maybe I sound as though I, like Brooke, have a stick up my ass, but I just feel that we women deserve more. We deserve quality writing, quality plot lines, and sexy stories that respect women and provide positive protagonists. We deserve to get off, find things hot and steamy, and not have to deal with stupid or “bitchy” female characters. While both Brooke in Magic Mike and Ana in Fifty Shades of Grey were supposedly intelligent women, they were very simplistic characters who have poor taste in men. Ana dealt with domineering fucked-up Christian, Brooke leaves domineering first boyfriend, but then at the end of the movie instead of talking all night with distressed Mike, she propositions him, going against both her ethics (so we are led to believe), and what he actually is looking for (real relationship and understanding).

Where’s the intelligent, independent women who get the guy? And the guy who has a brain, a dick, and a heart? THAT is the fantasy and erotica that we deserve. Who wants to write a screenplay with me?

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In: Lifestyle, Entertainment · Tagged: feminism

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Since 2005, Wardrobe Oxygen has offered real-life style advice for grown-ass women. With years of experience as an apparel visual merchandiser and personal shopper, Alison Gary provides advice on how to achieve personal style no matter your age, size, or budget.

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Sep 26

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Scenes from a Friday night…

We started at @littleblackbirddc a new wine bar in Cleveland Park where we had great food, drink, and conversation into the evening. We then headed down the street to @atomicbilliards for a whole different experience and to keep the conversation going. I treasure my friendships with @sylviacolella (who had a birthday recently), @districtofchic, and @blonde_inthedistrict they’re the real deal 🥰

My dress is @adamlippes borrowed via @renttherunway and Cheetos with Sauvignon Blanc is a really fun pairing!

wardrobe_oxygen

View

Sep 23

Open
Night and day…

Met three dear friends for an early dinner that went on until after the sun set. Great food and conversation with some great women!

The dress is @adamlippes and I borrowed it from @renttherunway. The bag is @jcrew and a splurge but I regretted not buying it the last time they offered this bag and this color is SO me. I mean, look how great it is with these many years old suede heeled sandals? Meant to be!

This color combination makes me so happy, and this dress was comfy even after a decadent meal. We all deserve to experience comfort and joy with our wardrobes! 💛🩷

Follow my shop @wardrobe_oxygen on the @shop.LTK app to shop this post and get my exclusive app-only content!
https://liketk.it/4jnDf #ltkplussize #ltkmidsize #ltkover40 #midsizestyle #genxstyle #over40style

wardrobe_oxygen

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Sep 21

Open
If @thechicks are in town you can bet @debbiefaye78 and I will be there! So when we heard they were coming to @merriweatherpp we were so excited. And their concert did not disappoint. As always, a phenomenal show! If The Chicks come to your neck of the woods I highly recommend you go!

Okay I know you want to know about what we’re wearing! 

My sister’s caftan is from @anthropologie (bought this summer so maybe you can find on resale sites).

I’m wearing a @bananarepublic dress also from this summer with the @universalstandard denim chore jacket and a hat I got from a @madewell collab a year or so ago. I glammed it up with some gold chains and gold drop earrings, but kept it comfy for a night of standing and dancing with @birkenstock sandals.

This was my first big outing since my eye surgery, and with a pocketful of eye drops I felt good (and grateful we splurged for good seats!).

Follow my shop @wardrobe_oxygen on the @shop.LTK app to shop this post and get my exclusive app-only content!
https://liketk.it/4jcBL #ltkmidsize #ltkover40 #midsizestyle #genxstyle #usinthewild #concertstyle

wardrobe_oxygen

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Sep 19

Open
If I close my eyes you can’t tell one is still bloodshot 😜

Still recovering from my eye surgery but feeling more myself. Getting dolled up helps me feel me. Bright colors and bold jewelry have been signature Alison since I was a kid! 

Sweater: @favorite.daughter 
Earrings: Amazon
Necklace: @_jennybird (old)
Ring: @realmfinejewelry 
Bra: @lovebravissimo 
Lipstick: @glossier 
Pins as “cufflinks”: vintage

Follow my shop @wardrobe_oxygen on the @shop.LTK app to shop this post and get my exclusive app-only content!
https://liketk.it/4j0LM #ltkmidsize #midsizestyle #over40style #ltkover40 #genxstyle

wardrobe_oxygen

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Sep 11

Open
Happy gotcha day, Oscar! Four years ago he came into our life and we are so happy to have in our family!

Oscar was a rescue and came with some… quirks. Over the years we have come to understand him and he has come to trust us. He’s a diva, a snuggler, he could play catch for hours, and he’s my husband’s shadow. 

We’ve never had a small breed dog before and it’s a whole different experience. But we adore Oscar and couldn’t imagine our life without him! Thank you for coming into our life Oskie McGoskie! 🐾❤️

wardrobe_oxygen

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Sep 8

Open
I can see clearly now…

Actually I can’t, but things after my retina surgery are much improved! My next appointment is in a month and I’m cleared to get back into the world (with some restrictions to protect my eye).

With a sclera buckle, it changes your eye shape and now I am nearsighted again (I had lasik a few years ago). Once the eye is stabilized I can get glasses or contacts but until then I’m 20/20 in one eye and right now 20/60 in the other. But the eye is healing beautifully and I feel positive!

And I could see clearly enough to fall for this poppy-colored cotton jumpsuit from @pistoladenim. It comes in a few colors but this one is my favorite. I went with XL (im@a 14, sometimes 16) and likely could have sized down but I enjoy the relaxed fit and the drawstring waistband to create shape. And hello zipper closure making it super easy to get on and off!

My husband took this photo right after my eye appointment, I think it reflects my positive attitude and feeling of hope! 🧡

Follow my shop @wardrobe_oxygen on the @shop.LTK app to shop this post and get my exclusive app-only content!
https://liketk.it/4idXm

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Sep 5

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I’ll be a bit quiet on here and other channels because I had eye (retinal) surgery this past weekend. I was having what I thought were ocular migraines but come to find out I was experiencing lattice degeneration, which is thinning/holes in the retina. I had surgery Saturday for my right eye and later on they’ll work on the left eye, which isn’t as bad and can be remedied by laser, in office.

I share not because I’m Mrs. Frizzle meets Iris Apfel as I recuperate at home, but because this whole thing has been a lesson on trusting my gut. And I want to remind you to do the same.

As we get older our bodies can feel like strangers. Things are constantly changing and it’s easy to just assume your annual physical will catch anything wrong. But if you slow down and listen to your body you’ll know when things are just a sign of aging and life and what seems unusual. That nagging issue may be something more serious.

And if you’re seeing flashing lights, floaters, spiderwebs or other odd eye things get checked out ASAP. It may be nothing but take it from me, it may actually be something. ❤️

Okay, going back to my big sunglasses caftan recuperation life!

wardrobe_oxygen

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Aug 30

Open
Ladies who lunch…

While in Savannah, I made sure to get lunch reservations for me and E at @theoldepinkhouse she loves the color pink, historic homes, and ghost stories so it was a perfect choice! 

Built in 1789 on Reynolds Square, there are stories of guests seeing ghosts, cutlery and wine bottles moving along with an elegant and truly delicious dining. 

While we didn’t see any apparitions, we did have a lovely lunch with impeccable service and after toured all floors of the home. I highly recommend a visit if you’re visiting Savannah!

My dress is from @cosstores (no longer available); hat is @furtalk and bag is @talbotsofficial (no longer available).

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Aug 29

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Scenes from a week in Savannah… 

The three of us (and our dog Oscar!) had a warm and humid but wonderful time exploring Savannah, Georgia earlier this month. Our daughter visited this gorgeous city last summer with her @girlscouts troop but wanted to return to experience more. We let her choose our adventures and play your guide and it was awesome. We cannot wait to visit again, though next time it won’t be August 🥵

For more of our trip check the “Savannah” highlight on my profile page!

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Aug 28

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Stripes are always right…

Y’all know I love stripes and when @universalstandard came out with their Breton-stripe dresses and tops I HAD to try them! As expected, the quality is stellar, the fit boosts my confidence, and I appreciate the range of colors (5 different stripes to choose from) and sizes (00-50). For reference, I’m wearing XS but preferred S for the top and I usually wear a 14 or XL in other brands.

The tote is @able and it’s a soft yet durable leather that just looks better with time. This color (cognac) is one that transitions nicely from summer to fall. 

Follow my shop @wardrobe_oxygen on the @shop.LTK app to shop this post and get my exclusive app-only content!
https://liketk.it/4hkEF 

#usinthewild #bretonstripes #midsizestyle #midsizefashion #size14 #over40style

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