Failure in the Fitting Room

Well my darling fashionistas, I just returned from one of THE most miserable shopping trips of my life. My company dinner is coming up in a week and I thought I'd go out and pick up a new dress. Maybe something with some sparkle and flare, or perhaps something classy and timeless. I didn't have a look in mind, I just wanted something fun. Well, the shopping gods had another plan for me today and apparently it was to see how far they could push me before I had a full on adult temper tantrum in the middle of the Nordstrom dress section.

I mean when I telll you I tried on dress after dress, I'm not lying. It could have qualified as a shoppers workout. The lovely Nordstrom associate even brought some dresses in to try but nothing was workin' it...well, there was one but it was $250, of course, and I just wasn't looking to spend that on a Christmas party dress. Look, I'll be honest, I've put on a few, we'll call them 'holiday', pounds but it was unreal how bad these dresses looked. Many of the styles that are popular right now are a straight fit which if you know me, is not exactly tailored for my shape. Yeah, I have some tush and I'm not about to walk around in a dress that looks like sausage casing. Yikes!

However ladies, I have to say that in a dark, torturous time like this it's very important not to fall off the deep end and drown yourself in ice cream or whatever your treat of choice might be. Just go home, take a few days off, and give yourself some time to get ramped up for another shopping extravaganza. We all have these days where nothing fits or if it does, you look like death. It just happens and there is no freakin' explanation for it. You have to remember it shall pass and you'll have shopping luck again, usually when you least expect it. I usually have mine when I'm shopping for someone else or my bank account is a little light:-(

I'll be honest. I was upset, came home, and went straight to the sink to take out my frustration on the dishes. "Yeah, dirty dishes, take that!" My sister came home and asked how it went and I immediately responded with a curt "TERRIBLE! I'M FAT! NOTHING FITS!" Not the most rational of responses but those dresses and fitting room mirrors hurt my feelings. Hmph!

So, here I am blogging about my experience to get it off my chest and let it go. I just have to accept this tragic day and try again. That's all you can do. Shopping success is both unpredictable and precious. When you are on a streak you almost want to keep riding the wave because who knows when it's going to end! Just remember those times of success when you are about to have a meltdown from a self-esteem crushing trip. Find comfort in knowing you're not the only one and, it's just a shopping trip. Worse things can happen. Just think of people in the 80s when they had to sift through tiered skirts and puffy sleeves hoping to find something that offset their big hair and sky-high bangs. Eeesh. 

Ladies, I hope this helps in some small way. I love to shop and I love the hunt but even I have my craptastic days where I just want to throw in the towel and write off shopping forever, but then I take a nap and snap back to reality. Some advice for those cursed days, hit the shoe section. You'll always find a little 'happy' in that department;-)

Love and shoes,
Kim  

Scarf it up!

A friend of mine shared this video with me and I'm in love! Now that we are approaching windy weathers with brisk temps (hopefully soon!) we need to be fully armed with the most current of fall fashion trends!

Have you ever whipped out your scarf and thought to yourself "how many ways CAN you wrap a scarf?" Well, wonder no more. I have the answers, ladies, and it's 25!!!

Watch the video below and get ready to have your mind blown...when it comes to scarves:-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=d0Ugkc05l24

My faves are The Bunny Ear, The Magic Trick, and The Braid. What are yours?

Love and shoes,
Kim

Two is better than one

Sad news day in the shoe world for me. I think ('think' only because it's too hard for me to fully commit to tossing them in the trash) I have come to the end of the road with my favorite pair of black pumps. I know! You're saying "what? why? I can't believe this news. How are you going to cope!" 

I actually went through two pairs of this shoe, one in black patent and one in black leather. I had to part with the black patent ones about two years ago and now, the time has come for the leather pair. *TEAR* I have had them resoled and reheeled in order to squeeze as much life out of these kicks. I LOVE this shoe and everything about it. It is simple, comfortable, and went with everything. I've been on the hunt for a replacement pair for a while know b/c I could foresee what was on the horizon, but I haven't had any luck finding a pair that can compare. 

This goes to show, ladies, if/when you find the perfect black pump, buy two pair (or possibly three!). I wish I had snagged another pair but alas, they don't make the style anymore...and believe me, I've checked on amazon, ebay, nextag, etc. I even did one more search this morning. It was a total bust.

Hear me now, a great pair of black pumps is a crucial 'must-have' and I am just devestated that mine are kaput! But have no fear. I'll go on. After I get through the mourning stage of these stems, I'll regain the strength and focus to get out there again and look for my next fab black pump. However, none of them will be able to replace the Nine West Luceros. UNLESS, someone wants to donate to the Christian Louboutin dream shoe fund;-)

Ah well, a girl can dream. *sigh*

I thank you for humoring me on this melodramatic post. I realize it's not late, breaking, national news, but if there was ever a place to rant and rave about your favorite pair of shoes, this is the spot, and I welcome it!

Love and (the perfect pair of black) shoes,
Kim

Hats off to those with flair...and my best friend, Meg

Well, we are at the foyer of fall and it's time to get your wardrobes ramped up for the 2 months of cold weather we will experience here in HTX.

I've never really been a fan of fall/winter clothing. I'm much more of a sundress/sandals kind of gal, but I'm starting to form a better appreciation for this season and it's fashion as well. Aside from the typical sweaters, coats, and jeans we all arm ourselves with, my faves, of course, are the accessories. I love me a scarf/hat combo with some cute gloves to top it all off, now I just need the weather for them!

Other than fall, the Royal Wedding kicked off a hat/fascinator frenzie, and my best friend, Meg, turned to me for advice on etiquette regarding these toppers.

First things is first, if you are wearing a fascinator, it stays on. You don't need to remove it when indoors or even inside a Church. Just think of it as an extension of your hairstyle!

Now hats are another story. Women don't necessarily follow the same rules as men, however, being the sophisticated ladies we are, there are a few standards we need to uphold. Lucky for us, the rules have relaxed a bit since the 20th century!

In general, you should remove your hat if you are going to work, if your hat is blocking someone's view, or if you are in a place of worship. If you are shopping, catching some lunch with friends, or going out to a bar, these are more casual events thus it being acceptable to leave the hat on.

My advice to anyone is if you feel inappropriate, chances are, you should remove your topper. Just be considerate to your surroundings, the event, and to other people.

This blog post is dedicated to and inspired by my beautiful friend and birthday girl, Meagan, who took a step in the fashion forward direction recently and not only bought herself a hat, but donned it to work one day. She snapped a photo of her new fabulous accessory. Doesn't she look radiant and Parisian?!

Happy Birthday, Best Friend! I hope you have a fabulous birthday filled with style, love, and plenty of delicious cake.

My hats off to you today and forever!

Love and shoes,

Kim

Mixin' and Matchin'

I've been at the malls quite a bit recently and I feel the need to comment on the new trend of mixing patterns. One word: LOVE. If done correctly, you will be embarking on a whole new edgy, creative, and unique look.

The whole trick to mixing is to have a color in both patterns that serves as an anchor and ties the whole look together. Polka dots and stripes, stripes with a floral, leopard with polka dots, leopard with floral, and the list goes on. It opens your wardrobe and offers more options without even taking a step into the mall. For instance, you have a flowy tank top that is black with white rosettes and some red piping. Take a black and white striped blazer with some jeans or a cute skirt and you've got yourself a winning mix and match outfit. Or you want a new take on your work clothes. If you have pants with a small plaid pattern you can mix it with a floral top or even a bold stripe. Adorable!

Some people think this trend is ridiculous, but I think they just don't know how to execute the look. Let me break it down in a different light. Think about your home furnishings. When you pick out patterns for couches and chairs, you don't normally have everything in the entire room the same color and pattern. If you do, you are probably the same person that doesn't understand this trend and most likely won't try it.

My advice, as with any trend, is to start small, slow, and get advice from a trusted friend. You don't want to end up like the sales associate at Langford Market who styled herself within an inch of her life with every pattern she could find in her closet. This is the extreme and shouldn't be mimicked. If you have a patterned shirt in your closet, possibly a gingham button up, look at your scarves and see if you have anything that will blend like a paisly or floral print. Remember, the key is to look for a color that flows in both pieces. You can do this, ladies! I have fashion faith in you!

As a side note, this trend reminds me of every little girl between the ages of I-can-dress-myself and junior high. They just get up and put on any shirt with any bottom because they love it and now as adults, we're doing the same thing. Who knew we had cutting edge fashion ideas at the age of 5?

Be creative. Be unique. Be you with a patterned flare....if you dare;-)

Love and shoes,
Kim

Shop till you drop!

This past weekend I took my good friend (and first official client!), Amanda, on a shopping extravaganza. I'm not kidding. It was a 5.5 hour shopping event. I get on a tangent and can't be stopped until you pump the breaks for me.

This trip came on the heels of our Great Closet Purge of 2011. You see, Amanda is married to this lovely man, Andrew, who hired me for her birthday to do a closet audit and personal shopping trip. I think it's only fair since she was the one who gave birth to their adorable son, Jack.

Amanda found herself in a position a lot of mommies find themselves in: Post-Baby Mystery Body. I've never had a baby, much to my mother's chagrin, but I've had a lot of friends who have and they've basically described it as waking up one day in someone else's body. You don't necessarily know how to dress it nor do you want to. Change is hard for anybody, especially after having a baby. You want your pre-baby body back but the unfair tragedy is that it doesn't come back over night and the fact is you need clothes in the meantime that fit and make you feel good about yourself, no matter what size. Unless, of course, you are Gisele Bunchen. She should be tarred, feathered, and nibbled to death by ducks. But let's not get sidetracked.

Amanda is a beautiful, young, new mommy who is working on getting back to her pre-baby size but needed some clothing that fit her NOW and is stylish to boot. Her main request was jeans, pants, and casual attire for a quick trip to the grocery or a few drinks with friends. Mission Accepted!

We hit the mall and we hit it hard. We were taking no prisoners and the sales associates saw us coming a mile away when we had stacks of clothing that needed to be brought to the dressing rooms. I got a little attitude from the fitting room attendant at Express but HE can get over himself. Let the record show I'm a very polite dressing room attendee. I hang up all clothing items and fold what needs to be folded. So there! (insert face with tongue sticking out).  

We started at LOFT. I know it might seem a little square but I was strictly thinking about pants. I've had luck there a few times before but I have to admit it's hit or miss. Saturday was a miss. I don't know what the deal is but apparently they think women like to wear their pants up around their boobs? I don't think so. After we were done there we went to Express where they apparently think women, or tweens, like to wear their pants right above their lady parts. Again, I don't think so. We did find some great deals in the Sale section. She ended up getting some cute casual navy rolled crops, white straight leg pants, and two tops. Our next stop was Gap where we hit the motherload for jeans. I have to hand it to Gap. They seem to have a wide selection of styles and appreciate the curves of a woman. Thank you! She ended up getting two pairs of jeans, one pair of black casual pants, and some tailored shorts that can be carried into fall with the addition of some tights! Score!

Our last stop of the day was at Macy's. At this point Amanda had tried on about 2,000 pairs of jeans and was nearing the end of her rope. We managed to squeeze in one more fitting room session and found a great skirt and two tops. She mentioned the golden word 'shoes' but once we made our way over to the shoe section, it was time to call it a day. Like I said, I get on a roll and must be told when to stop!

The main highlights of this shopping session were to find great looking clothes that made Amanda feel sassy again and to also retrain her brain into trying on new styles, colors, brands, etc. If you want to beef up your wardrobe you have to be willing to swim in the deep end and take some chances. You have to pack your patience and try things on! There are very few of us, if any if we're being totally honest, that can just buy off the rack. I always stress that you shouldn't purchase something if it doesn't make you feel good, or better yet, fabulous! However, don't turn your nose up at something if it just needs a little tailoring. A quick hem or taking in the waist is not the end of the world. Also, don't get stuck on 'styles'. People say "oh that's not me" or "I would look silly in that!" and it's just not true. Don't pigeon hole yourself into a certain style. Be willing to explore. Amanda was a great sport, had an open mind, and in the end, purchased some great items. I must admit, I still have a few ideas in mind
for her;-)

Remember, building your wardrobe is an ongoing process. Think of it as a revolving door. You must purge and reload. Keep it fresh but also stocked with go-to items that you can throw on and dress up in a pinch.

For those of you that are visual, photos of her treasures will be coming soon. Stay tuned, fashionistas!

Love and shoes,
Kim

When the Sales Align

Sometimes in the world of shopping, the Fashion Gods smile down on you when you least expect it. You won't know of the reason, so just put on your most comfortable shoes and run with it!

Yesterday I woke to a note from my sister saying she wanted to do some light shopping. I, of course, was on board 100%. She didn't want to spend a lot of money but wanted to get some cute items that she could wear out and about, whether it be a trendy bar or just a fun dinner with friends. We decided to go to Express and Forever 21. Forever 21 you say? Yep. When it comes to fashion, you can't always put your nose up to low-priced clothing. Sure they probably won't last as long as say a Calvin Klein or Michael Kors top, but they are great for getting something trendy without breaking the bank.

After finding a parking spot on the very top floor of the garage, or the surface of the sun as I like to call it, we got our mindset in order. The mall can be very intimidating and annoying on a weekend, but for some reason, it's more bearable with a funny buddy to get you through the crowds. We walked into Express and started to case the joint. There were sale signs everywhere so it was just a matter of getting a dressing room so we could start the fitting room fashion show. You know, where you are in side-by-side dressing rooms giving each other a play by play on what's going on with your current item then opening the door and looking at each other to give your opinions. Usually, it's either "oh that's cute!" or "I mean, it's not bad" If you get the latter of the two, put it back and move on.

Katie, my sister, was set on some white jeans but the cut of the waist was just a little ridiculous. I'm not sure why ultra low is even an option. They fit like a glove but she wasn't sold on having her waistband sitting just above her lady parts. She decided on a charcoal shirt with a silk front and some dark skinny jeans while I settled on some great pants for work and a sparkly top (can't wait to rock it someday soon!) We saw the signs for tops that read "Buy one get one 50% off" so I added her shirt to my pile to save a few bucks. We make our way to the register and my items, two tops and a pair of pants, came to $110. I see the sales associate whip out a coupon from underneath the counter, which I later referred to as 'the magic card from Heaven', and voila! My total dropped to $68!! Katie and I looked at each other with eyes as big as saucers but didn't say a word in fear we'd jinx it. Katie was up to bat and she also got 'the magic card from Heaven'. When we were walking out of the store we were like "what just happened?!?! should we look for more stuff!?!" But we didn't, we pressed on to the next store.

Katie was bummed about her white jeans and still wanted a pair so I suggested Gap. I new they had a wide selection of fits and colors. When we arrived, the white jeans were all sectioned off at the front of the store as if they knew we were coming. They were all on sale, but more importantly, on sale for $11! Yeah, eleven freaking AMERICAN dollars. She tried them on and loved them. She got the LAST pair in her size and length. We were at the register on a high from finding not only a pair of WHITE jeans that looked great but also for a price that you can't beat with a stick. The sales associate scanned the tag and the total came out to...wait for it....$6.67! WHAT! I was so shocked my knees buckled and I jokingly asked "are we in India?" Katie just stood there with her mouth open and laughed in disbelief. I mean, it's like they were paying her to take the jeans off their hands!

Again, we walked out happy like we just won another medal at the shopping Olympics. Gold, of course. So if you're keeping tabs, that makes a cute new top and awesome white jeans for Katie. But what's an outfit without accessories? Forever 21 was a few doors down so we ran in there to see if they had any cheap, cute options to offer. I love this place for accessories b/c by the time they've fallen apart or lost their luster, I'm usually over the piece and I'm only out $7-$10 bucks at the most. We found a multi-colored, multi-strand necklace with knot detail. It was perfect and only $7. Sold! We figured that her yellow or green wedges would be the perfect pop of color to top off this outfit. All in all, she got an entire outfit for $35 and it all started with a $17 charcoal shirt from Express. She felt great, looked amazing, and got compliments to boot!

The only thing more satisfying about new clothes and accessories is new, low-priced clothes and accessories. The sales aligned and we reaped the benefits.

The malls might be intmidating, but if you never give them a chance, you'll never be blessed by the Fashion Gods either. So buck up and give it a try every once in a while. You never know what treasures await you.

Love and shoes,
Kim