Edition 52: Fashion Friday

Yesterday morning Caroline decided to wear this cute pink camo outfit that I bought for her at the end of last summer. Since she’s grown about five inches in the last four months, the pants are no longer pants, but rather more of a capri. I was just thrilled that she wanted to wear something other than jeans.

She put the whole outfit on and I asked her if she wanted to wear her tennis shoes. No, no she did not. She wanted to wear her Barbie mirrored platform dress-up shoes, which she would have been completely allowed to wear over my cold, dead body.

When I told her no, I caused her to “have a lot of tears” and then she headed back to her closet to find a more suitable alternative. She emerged a few minutes later wearing red and white striped socks with a googly-eyed Santa Claus on the side with some red, sparkly mary-janes. It was a fashion combo that looked adorable during the holiday season, but doesn’t necessarily translate to late February. Or paired with pink camo.

I told her she was more than welcome to wear the ensemble to school. In fact, my exact words were, “It’s your prerogative, but for the record, those are Christmas socks.”

And then I had a moment of total clarity where I realized what’s missing from my workout playlist on my iPod. BOBBY B! Old school Bobby B. Because it is my prerogative.

Anyway, before it was all over, she changed out of the Christmas socks into her Hello Kitty! socks and traded the pink camo capris for a pair of jeans. And somehow I managed to get her into the car and off to school without having to to medicate myself.

I may enroll her in private school just for the uniforms. The wardrobe issues have me hanging on to my sanity by a very thin thread, my friends.

Now for the questions.

1. Several people are asking the same basic question: “What about skinny jeans? Am I too old for them? How do I know if they are right for me?”

I’m going to be totally honest and say they might be right for you. They might be everything you’re looking for in a denim partnership and, if so, I wish you and your skinny jeans a lifetime of happiness.

But, for me, they are wrong. It’s not a jean journey that I’m willing to take again. I wore skinny jeans for many, many years, but the majority of those years were before puberty really hit and I developed hips.

The only reason I would personally buy skinny jeans would be to tuck them into a pair of great boots, but I just cannot imagine that I’ll ever go back to the skinny jeans with flats or heels combo. That particular brand of fashion ship has sailed for me.

However, all that being said, they are in style. If you can pull them off, both figuratively and literally, then more power to you. I don’t think there’s an age limit as much as there is a figure limit.

My opinion is that by the time you’re in your late twenties to early thirties, it’s more important to wear something that is truly flattering than to bow to the current trends.

To prove my point this is a picture of A MODEL wearing skinny jeans. A MODEL. She probably eats one celery stick a day with a lemon water chaser and I still think she’d look better wearing jeans with some sort of wider leg.

2. Brandy asks: “Where do you find cute, but affordable scarfs? And purses. I want a cute purse!”

I linked to this on my Stuff I Like page yesterday, but I would totally check out Primo Purses if you’re looking for a fun, affordable purse. They’re going out of business and everything is 40% off. Another great site to find affordable, trendy purses is Aldo.

As for affordable scarfs, they are everywhere right now. Walmart has them in every color for $5.00. FIVE DOLLARS. In the words of the tacky ammunition catalogs that P gets in the mail, that is CHEAPER THAN DIRT.

Especially because the price of dirt has skyrocketed in these tumultuous economic times.

And if you are like me and only venture in Walmart during times of excessive desperation or while participating in a scavenger hunt that requires you to take a picture of an elderly woman covered in tattoos and smoking a cigarette while riding a Rascal scooter, then you might prefer one of these darling scarf options.

Remember, it’s the year of the scarf.

3. Joan asks: “What is your solution to the muffin top? Please don’t say pilates.”

Oh Joan. I promise I won’t say pilates.

I believe that you need to become friends with some body-shaping garments. They are a marvel of modern fashion and make any outfit look better. Spanx makes a phenomenal body-slimming cami that has the ability to corral a muffin top. And Target sells a less expensive version called Assets, but I’ve heard it doesn’t have quite the power of Spanx.

There is one other brand I’ve heard great things about called Yummie Tummie. They are body-slimming tanks that come in a variety of colors and, while they are a little pricey, it’s almost worth it just to be able to tell people you’re wearing a Yummie Tummie.

4. Jessica asks: “I’m going to a rehearsal and wedding in March where the dress code is semi-formal/formal. What can a girl on a budget wear?”

Well, the ideal scenario when you’re on a budget and need two dresses, is to find a friend that’s your size and borrow something. And if you don’t have a friend in your size, then you might want to make a new friend to expand your social horizons and your wardrobe selection.

In all seriousness, your best bet is to probably go somewhere like TJ Maxx or Kohls. It can be hit or miss, but if you dig through the racks you might find some really cute dresses.

And because I hate to not link to something, I think something like this cherry taffeta party dress would be precious for the rehearsal dinner and this black halter party dress could totally work for the wedding paired with some pretty patent heels and sparkly jewelry.

5. Stephanie asks: ” While browsing today at the Fashion Show mall, they had a fashion show on swimwear for the season. Several of the models/ensembles involved wearing gloves with swim suits. There were a variety of lengths and textures- wrist length, elbow length, etc. My husband informed me that maybe its the Summer of the Glove, (I then kicked him in the shin) but it prompted me to ask you if this is a style trend that I was not informed of?”

Oh, I hope so!

Because I know when I’m wearing a swimsuit, my primary insecurities revolve around how my hands look.

Y’all have a great Friday.

I’m putting up Mr. Linky if anyone has any fashion advice they want to share with the group.