What happened when I tried NOT to wear black

Tonight our Bunco group has its annual Christmas party, and this year we are gathering at a restaurant where we will have a private room for dining, a gift exchange, and Bunco shenanigans.

Bunco shenanigans? What does that even mean? We are mature, intelligent, conversant, lovely people who behave properly.

ANYWAY, yesterday I was on a quest to find the perfect Bunco Christmas outfit. I wanted something festive and bright and (dare I say it?) sparkly. I wasn't totally against black, but since I get teased a lot about how much black I do wear, I decided that it had to be paired with something ... festive and bright and sparkly.

I shopped most of the morning and came home with FOUR dresses--a lavender/taupe shift, a grey and white sweater dress, a plum color A-line, and a dark purple swing dress. Not one had a smidgen of black. I planned to try them on, style them in a variety of ways, and then keep the one I liked and return the rest.

Well, I tried. I really did. But in the end I returned ALL of them.

I'm sorry but none of them were ME. One was too matronly, one had a weird neckline, one was just bleh, and the sweater dress (which I actually liked) was waaaay to short.

So I delved into my closet and styled a fitted long sleeve black shirt with an ankle length red skirt and black booties. Simple, clean lines. No fuss, no muss.

I was me again.

But I'll still do sparkly with some bangles and these ...

The Girl in Black Wears Blue

ONCE UPON A TIME I was walking through a department store between seasons (when winter merchandise is almost gone and spring merchandise is just starting to trickle in) when I spied this blue fitted wool coat on a clearance rack. It was the ONLY coat. The original price was a little over $200. I hadn't planned to buy a coat, but between the clearance markdown, a one-day sale, and a coupon it was marked down to ... wait for it ... $14. How could I resist? The fact is, I couldn't. THE END.

Once Upon a (Stitch Fix) Time

It's taken a while for me to jump on the Stitch Fix craze, but a couple of weeks ago my sister-in-law mentioned that she tried it and was hooked. She also gave me a coupon, so I decided to give it a try.


If you don't know, Stitch Fix is an online styling service which works like this: once you fill out a style profile, a personal stylist will select wardrobe items to fit your tastes, needs, and budget. The items are mailed to your home and you have three days to try them out. Every box contains five items of clothing, shoes, or accessories. You buy what you like, and send the rest back in a prepaid envelope. (You are only charged after you make your selection and the $20 styling fee is applied as credit toward anything you decide to purchase.)


When the first box arrived it was exciting! A package! Of clothing! All hand-picked for me! The items were individually wrapped, and there was an envelope containing photos of each item styled in different ways. The contents of my Stitch Fix box included: a pair of black skinny jeans, a gingham top, a black tunic, a white top, and a chunky bracelet.


I liked everything in the box, but didn't love everything. The skinny jeans didn't fit right, the white top was too big, the chunky bracelet was similar to one I already owned, and the black tunic had a weird cutout that showed my bra strap. I ended up keeping the gingham top and returned everything else.


What's nice about this service is that you can leave comments about what worked and what didn't, so I left detailed notes for my stylist. I also mentioned that we would be going on vacation soon and that I would like my next box to include items that were cool, packable, and wrinkle-free. I then scheduled my second box for this week.


This time I received a pair of sky blue skinny jeans, a white off-shoulder top, a cream tunic, a maxi dress, and a cross body purse. I immediately dismissed the cream tunic (because off-white is hard to pull off without it looking dingy) and the off-shoulder top (because the ruffles were all wrong). I made a mental note to tell my stylist NO RUFFLES in the boobies area. I was intrigued by the jeans which were soft and fit perfectly, but they were a stretch material that I knew would lose their shape. I set them aside. That left the purse and the maxi dress.


I liked the purse, but it was a smaller size than I was used to. I had to think about it.


Finally, the maxi dress. When I first pulled it out I loved it. The solid navy top offset the colorful skirt, and the combination actually made me consider wearing a bold pattern. But then I turned the dress around and saw that it had a cutout in the lower back and I thought, "Oh, heck no."


Let me just say that if I had been in a store, I wouldn't have even bothered trying the dress on. I would have dismissed it without a second thought. But because I was in the comfort of my own home I decided to at least see what it looked like. And I completely changed my mind. The dress fit like it was made for me, it was very flattering, and the cutout was tiny and not immodest. It definitely was something different, which nudged me a few steps out of my comfort zone. And sometimes that's a good thing!


So I kept the maxi dress and returned everything else.


After two shipments what are my thoughts on Stitch Fix? Although I kept only one item each time, I am going to continue for a while. The web site is user friendly, the shipments are easy to schedule or reschedule, and since I am diligent on providing feedback I know my stylist will get a better feel for my likes and dislikes.


I look forward to receiving my next box ... just no ruffles, please.


(If you're interested in checking out Stitch Fix, let me know and I'll send you an invitation!)

My Kind of Touchdown

This past Saturday I decided to leave the guys with their Penn State victory while I went to Ulta. I had my obligatory $3.50 coupon and an ad for a free flat iron with a purchase of a Hot Tools hair dryer. Then, I opened a credit card and received an extra 20% off AND a free Urban Decay eye liner. THEN, the sales associate gave me five really fantastic free samples. Ulta trip = my touchdown victory!

When there is too much testosterone in the house ...
I head to Ulta.

Free samples (and decent size, too) make my day!

It Began with a Little Box of Hair Color

This morning I had an appointment with a little box of hair color which, after the application, shampoo and styling, made me feel like a new person.


In fact, with the new hair color and the perfect (read: not humid) weather, I was on track to having a good hair day.


And anything is possible when I am having a good hair day. So with a spring in my step I headed out to run some errands, none of which were exciting -- bank, Costco, Office Max -- but the day was bright with the sunshine of possibility.


Then I made an impulse stop at a furniture consignment store.


Y'all.


As you may know, I have been re-doing our rec/entertainment room and scouring the internet for various items: farm table, lighting, accent lamps, and two parsons chairs. The chairs were suggested by a very talented friend who thought that Parsons chairs would add a little contrast/color to the wood farm table and chairs. I liked the idea, but didn't like the prices I found at Pier One, Wayfair, Amazon, or Joss & Main (prices ranged anywhere from $80-$160).


But in that consignment store this morning, I stumbled upon two BRAND NEW Parsons chairs. For only $27 each. Including the beautifully custom designed chair covers.


And my day kept getting better: Joe arrived home safely after being gone all week, no school or work tomorrow means a three-day weekend for all, Georgialina Billiards (who has rescheduled their appointment twice) is finally here changing the cloth on our pool table, and I lost five pounds.


Okay, kidding about the five pounds. I think. But clothes are fitting more loosely, so I'll just go with it.


I'm telling you ... a little box of hair color. That's all it takes.

When something is too good to be true ... sometimes it IS true!

A few months ago I visited a new web site which offers custom dresses for women. Basically, after selecting one of five suggested dress silhouettes, you are taken through a step-by-step process in which you can select the neckline, sleeve length, skirt style, and fabric of your dress. The fabric colors they suggest complement your hair, skin and eye coloring, all of which you provide during a preliminary questionnaire (along with bust, height, waist, and hip measurements).


The site is very user-friendly, and their Look Book offers some pretty suggestions. I enjoyed creating a dress but didn't order anything because HOLY MOLY was it expensive! So I exited the site and never went back.


Then today I get an interesting email. A representative from the site contacted me explaining that in their effort to fully launch and promote the site, and because they are trying to get women to try this new process of ordering custom made clothes, they were offering me a FREE dress ... I would only have to pay shipping and handling.


I was excited, then suspicious. Free? As in totally free? No hidden costs or taxes? No exorbitant shipping and handling fees? I even called Joe over and asked his advice. I then decided to contact the company, and they not only verified the offer, but provided an estimate of the shipping and handling cost.


This was the real deal.


So this morning I spent an hour selecting my dress silhouette (tailored with princess seams), the neckline (open neck), the skirt (A-line), and the sleeves (I opted for sleeveless). In selecting the fabric I almost, ALMOST picked black. But I could just hear my Jiminy Cricket sister yelling in my ear, so I compromised and selected a fabric with a tiny black and white swirly pattern (a fine Italian matte stretch, medium weight with easy drape and stretch).


It's a simple dress, with clean lines, and it will be custom made for me in New York City's garment district. And here is the most unbelievable part. On the site, the dress retails for $500 (custom made clothing in NYC = EXPENSIVE), but after I entered my special promotion code my total was only $15. Well, $14.50 to be exact.


Just out of the blue, something like this happens. I must have a fairy godmother lurking somewhere in my backyard.


Now if I could only find my other glass slipper ...

A Story that Ends Rather Abruptly

Once upon a time (this morning) a somewhat young-ish girl needed a break from writing, so she decided to go to the shopping.


Now because this somewhat young-ish girl is going on a little trip this summer, she thought she'd start planning her Italy wardrobe. So with visions of outfits dancing in her head -- outfits to wear while walking around Rome or while cruising along the Amalfi Coast -- off to the mall she went.


She shopped here and she shopped there. She had a coffee at Starbucks. She shopped upstairs and she shopped downstairs. She even shopped outside. Three hours later ... THREE HOURS! ... she returned home. Here is a list of what she bought:


A black tank top.


THE END


P.S. If the girl's sister calls to yell at her for buying yet another black tank top, the girl will politely say, "I have no idea what you are talking about."

What are you wearing?

Did I stay up to watch the Oscars?
No.

Have I seen any of the Best Picture Nominees?
Yes. The Help.

Did I just spend a perfectly wasteful 20+ minutes scrolling through the Oscar fashions?
Yes.

My three favorites?
Ta-dah!

(fyi, the following represents another 20+ minutes in choosing and uploading)

And what am I wearing?
Workout clothes.