Thursday, September 27, 2012

Obsessed

Thursday, September 27, 2012
Did you know that if Barbie was a real woman she would not be able to physically stand up because of her proportions? She'd have to crawl on all fours in order to move. I remember reading this on BBC News on Barbie's 50th birthday.  Why is it that the allure of a small waist drive women crazy? I think I've currently become obsessed with peplum for that reason. Not because it's particularly flattering on me because it's not. I don't think it makes me look hot or anything but cute will suffice.  You know what I think? I think Peplum is the fashion industry's way of making us eat less!! How you ask? Every single one of my peplum tops cinches my waist so tightly that I literally cannot eat more than 50% of my food. Who knew? Not only does it serve as one of the season's trendiest pieces (just check out the Bergdorf website) but also doubles as an appetite suppressant. Add that to the list: caffeine, almonds, ginger and peplum.

And now the pics . . . Peplum over the summer oh and Barbie . . .

                                                 


 I swiped this pic from the BBC News website.  I don't own it.










Tuesday, September 25, 2012

DIY: Peplum

Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Did you know that the word peplum derives from the Greek word peplos? Which is the Greek word for tunic.  Google it.   Peplum is supposed to be big this fall.  I love anything peplum.  I mainly wear it for one reason.  I'll reveal that reason in a later post.   I also love soft t-shirts.  J crew has the best soft tees.  Love! I went to Target the other day and a pack of men's Hanes tshirts was $22! Weren't they like $10 before? Anyway, as I was perusing the women's section at Target I had a great idea.  I will make my own t-shirt!!! Sort of.  Not just any t-shirt.  A peplum t-shirt.  A perfect combination of style and comfort.  Yay me for my great ideas! After I googled "how to make your own peplum top" it turns out others have done it before me but I got a general sense of how to conjugate my own and here goes . . . .

1. You need two shirts.  One your size and one about 2-3x larger.
2. Decide how far down you want the peplum on the regular sized shirt.
3. Draw a line where you want the peplum and cut the shirt one inch below that. 
4. Decide how long you want the peplum.  Add an inch to it. Cut that from the bottom portion of the second t shirt (the larger one). 
5. Stitch the bottom edge of the t-shirt to the top edge of the peplum.  Make sure they are right side out (that took me forever to figure out).  See pictures below.   You have to make sure you pleat it as you stitch it. Or some people gather the ruffle beforehand.

Voila!

I hope the pictures help. I hand stitched everything because my sewing machine is in storage and I prefer to hand stitch because I still don't know how to fully use my sewing machine. 

I can't wait to wear it, it's super comfy!

And now the pics . . .



OOTD: Peplum top from Anthropologie, Burberry jeans, House of Harlow cuff 











Thursday, September 13, 2012

I'm not crazy . . . YAY!

Thursday, September 13, 2012
Remember the very first time you called a crush?  Your heart was beating so fast you felt like it was going to beat right out of your chest.  Well, that's how I feel EVERYTIME I have to make a phone call.  I can talk for hours on the phone if a close friend or a family member calls me but they have to call me because it takes a lot for me to pick up the phone and call someone.  For years I've been avoiding making phone calls.  Now as an adult my husband has to call and schedule all of my appointments because even calling my doctor's office is a huge ordeal.  My heart races, I get shortness of breath.  The works.  Even calling my mom is hard.  I wait for her to call me or if it's been a while since I've spoken to her I call her and it's not that I'm avoiding her, but the thought of picking up the phone paralyzes me.  There's maybe five people I can have long conversations with on the phone and that's after they call me.  There are so many friends that I want to call and say: Hi, how are you? but I can't.  Last night I was telling my friend about it and she said: that's strange, why don't you google it.  So I did.  Don't you just love google? I googled: phone anxiety and BAM! I'm not the only one.  According to one of the websites, www.allaboutcounseling.com, "Telephone phobia is marked by an unreasonable and extreme fear of taking or making phone calls. While many people may encounter phone calls that will naturally make them nervous (such as a telephone job interview or a call from a doctor), someone with a telephone phobia actually has a deep-rooted social phobia or social anxiety disorder that makes most or every phone conversation a source of fear or angst."  I always thought it was just me but it's not and I'm sure there's a lot more people who suffer from it but are too embarrassed to say anything because when you tell someone "oh, I'm sorry I haven't returned your call because I have a phone fear" it sounds crazy.  Well there's no need to be embarrassed anymore.  Learn all about phone fear and how to treat it here. Here's another link with information.  I am so happy I found all this.  Now if only I could find a celebrity to bring awareness to the situation.  Oh wait, I googled and what do you know?  Kanye may have it too.  I found it here. 

I read that pictures attract more readers to blogs but I have no pictures for this one so instead I leave you with Lady Gaga and Beyonce . . . . Telephone



Tuesday, September 11, 2012

My First

Tuesday, September 11, 2012
My first memory ever is from the age of 6.  It was the fall of 1988 and my kindergarten class was lining up to go to the restroom.  On our way to the restroom our teacher asked us who we were voting for in the upcoming election.  Mind you I was 6 years old.  My response was simple: I am voting for Michael Dukakis.   My friend Karen wearing her retro orange and purple flowered dress responded the same way.  Why I remember this is beyond me but I remember it.  Life is full of firsts.  Your first kiss, your first dance, your first job, your first love but most importantly in any woman's life she always remembers her first pair of designer shoes.  For me it was a pair of Stuart Weitzman red boots that my mom bought me from a flea market when I was 17.  Love! As I matured my love for designer foot wear just grew stronger and most recently I've become obsessed with Charlotte Olympia.  I picked up my first pair a couple of months ago.  On sale from neimanmarcus.com.  I absolutely love them! Comfort and style all in one beautifully crafted shoe.  What do you think of the leopard on leopard? Yay or Nay?

Now the pics . . . 

Meet Delores!






OOTD: Vince silk blouse, Current/Elliott jeans. Charlotte Olympia heels, Rebecca Minkoff bag







Monday, September 10, 2012

Help.

Monday, September 10, 2012
Previously I mentioned that I wanted to volunteer.  So I started my research.  Just a general google search: Volunteer opportunities.  BAM! So much.  The more I looked into it the harder it seemed.  I thought I could pick a place and go volunteer.  Done but no.  I found this great website:www.volunteermatch.org.  You can search opportunities by city or state.  It was so hard for me to find a place to volunteer because a lot of them require a 6 month to a year commitment which I cannot commit to right now.  A lot of the opportunities require a background check.  I had no idea but I guess that makes sense.  I used to volunteer at a soup kitchen with an organization I was a part of in college and someone would just set up a date and we'd show up.  I guess it's a little more complicated now.  I was feeling a bit discouraged but then I came across another website www.volunteerguide.org.  I like this one a lot better.  It gives you ideas based on the time you want to spend . . . minutes, hours, volunteer vacations: 1 week, 2  weeks, up to 4 weeks.  The opportunities range from simple things like donating your out of date glasses to more elaborate projects like building a school.  You can donate glasses to the Lion's Club or mail them directly to New Eyes for the Needy.  After scouring the site for ideas I settled on something small but that I feel would make a great difference.  I decided to send happy mail to a sick child.  Hugs and Hope and Post Pals are organizations who feature recipients.  Post Pals is based in the UK so I decided to stick to Hugs and Hope which features children all across the US.  I chose a young boy who suffers from retinoblastoma, eye cancer.  He likes music so I decided to send him a radio so that he can listen to his favorite radio station.  Instead of sending him a plain greeting card I wrote him and his parents a note and made him a bag.  He can use it as a lunch bag or as a trick or treating bag next month.  I will mail it tomorrow.  I hope he likes it!   I have decided that I will go through the list and each week send someone something.  Hopefully I can brighten someone's day.  If you'd like to help make sure you read all the guidelines and the kids bios.   I think this is a good start to my volunteering career.  After this I'll start looking into more time consuming projects.  What do you think? 









Friday, September 7, 2012

FNO

Friday, September 7, 2012
Last night was Fashion's night out.  FNO was initiated by Anna Wintour, the fabulous face behind Vogue, in 2009.  It was meant to encourage shoppers to shop during the economic crisis to give the retail industry a boost.  To stimulate the economy I suppose.  Basically to encourage you to spend but now it's become so much more.  The first event was held in NYC and now it's gone global with 19 countries participating in the event.  Last night was loads of fun.  Consumers wearing the latest trends flooded the streets of Georgetown.  The line for free facials at Kiehl's was out the door.  The red carpets were a big hit and the make up counters inside the tent were packed with fresh faces.  I love to people watch so I had a great time.  It's also a great time to be inspired.  Fashion has no limits and it's great to see how differently fashion can be interpreted by others.  I can't wait until next year!  I chose to dress comfortably and I wore white . . . after labor day because I'm a rebel.  Not really but I'll pretend.

OOTD: Black pleather peplum Zara top, white rag and bone jeans and Charlotte Olympia platforms.

. . . and now the pics.  My photog was in full effect last night. 




















Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Changes

Wednesday, September 5, 2012
A lot has happened since my last blog post. Let's see. Our best friends got married. It was a beautiful wedding. The bride wore a gorgeous Reem Acra dress and crystal Stuart Weitzman shoes. The groom wore a Hugo Boss tux. I wore a David Meister gown and my hot date wore an Ermenegildo Zegna suit. The bride's sister wore a beautiful Carolina Herrera gown. I was in a sea of beautiful dresses, beautiful shoes, and beautiful people. Everyone had a wonderful time. I love weddings. I love love!

We also just got back from a weekend in Cancun! It was so relaxing. I think I need another vacation already. We were there for a friend's birthday. It was so much fun! We went to the wedding on Friday and the next morning at 6 AM we were on a plane to Mexico.

Oh and I gave my resignation letter to my current employer. Scary but exciting.  My last day is September 15.  So far I know I'll be working part time 4 days a week. I currently work 6 days a week so it'll be a good transition. I'll have so much time on my hands. I want to volunteer.  Work, eat, sleep and save the world.  I think that's what I'll do!

And now the pics:  My photog. aka V did not have his fancy camera so my iphone pics will have to do. 


Palm trees




View from our balcony. Cancun 2012


My shoes!  Any place is a good place for Louboutins!

  

                 
V and I at the wedding.  Gorge!



The bride's dress: Beautiful. 
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