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You are here: Home / Fashion / Edition 60: Fashion Friday

Edition 60: Fashion Friday

May 1, 2009 ·

I realize there have been moments this week when I’ve made light of the fact that we are in the midst of a swine flu pandemic, so I feel like in all fairness I should be serious for a minute and provide some tips on how to avoid contracting swine flu. Fortunately, my friend Corrie sent me this photo which serves as an excellent reminder of behaviors that should be avoided.

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You’re welcome.

And seeing that pig serves as an unwelcome reminder that swimsuit season is right around the corner. Only the Shred can help me now.

Several of y’all have emailed with questions about swimwear and I wish I could produce some miracle of modern spandex that would solve all your woes. Just remember that you have nothing to fear except the fear of a swimsuit.

I don’t even know what that means.

In the interest of laziness and the fact that it’s way late since I stayed up to watch a live video feed of the Compassion bloggers in India, let’s start with a few tips that I blatantly copied and pasted from last year’s swimsuit edition of Fashion Friday.

When trying on a swimsuit:

1. Make sure you actually move around in it like you will when you wear it. Bend over, lift your arms, and move around to make sure everything stays in place. Because when your child takes off a full speed towards the deep end of the pool, you don’t want to have to worry about the girls falling out in mid-run.

And, hypothetically speaking, if your pool has a brand new slide that you decide to go down to impress your daughter, you don’t want to have to worry about almost losing your bottoms. Hypothetically speaking.

2. On that point, try different sizes to get the right fit. If the bottoms don’t have enough coverage, then try different bottoms. Going up a size isn’t going to necessarily help and may just give you saggy bottom syndrome once they are wet.

3. As painful as it may be, look at yourself in a three-way mirror to make sure everything you want covered is actually covered. Just a quick look is all it takes, don’t torture yourself.

4. Last of all remember that NO ONE will be more critical of how you look in a bathing suit than you. Every other mama is a lot more worried about how she looks than how you look. Find something comfortable that you feel good in and call it a day.

I realize this advice is over a year old, but it is still relevant. There are certain truths that will always remain and those are a few of them.

Now for a few recommendations:

If you’re looking for a suit that may perform a few miracles, then Lands End is a great place to start. They have swimsuits that offer all-over control and have a cute retro look to them. There’s also this halter-style one-piece that offers control.

If you need a little (or a lot) of underwire with your swimsuit, then one of my favorite sites is Aerin Rose. It’s a great line of swimwear with one-pieces, tankinis and bikinis that all have great support. Plus, they’re having a sale right now.

Here are a few more links to sites that have good swimwear selections. Beachbliss, Figleaves, Swimsuits for All, Lion’s Lair Specialty Swimwear, and Best Swimwear.

And here are a few suits that will get an extra shout out just because I think they are so cute. I love this Tommy Bahama suit, this paisley one-piece , and this darling tankini.

One last thing, check out all the cute cover-ups. I am particularly in love with this one and this one that can be worn as a skirt or a strapless cover-up.

Of course you could always go with something like this, rock a side ponytail, and channel Chrissy Snow from “Three’s Company”.

On a completely unrelated note but of much greater substance and importance, there are not words to describe the power of this post by Melissa and this post by Angie from the Compassion India trip. Both left me in tears as I read them yesterday. INCREDIBLE.

Y’all have a great Friday.

Here’s Mr. Linky if you have something to add on a fashion-related note.

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  1. Karen

    May 1, 2009 at 5:10 am

    As I was reading the first part of this post (not the pig part, the bathing suit part), I was thinking, “Lands End!” “Lands End!” And there you had it first! How smart am I? I love their grecian-looking suit.

  2. Jill

    May 1, 2009 at 6:13 am

    You are cracking me up about the swimsuits. I was talking about this w/some co-workers yesterday. My p.o.v. is that no matter how thin, no matter how great your body…we’ll still all find something wrong with it. None of us is ever really happy w/how we look in a swimsuit. But if there is someone out there who is–please prove me wrong!

  3. Becky

    May 1, 2009 at 6:24 am

    That picture is totally great!!!

  4. Sarah at themommylogues

    May 1, 2009 at 6:27 am

    I have to get up off this chair to go do Day 2 of the Shred, only I’m not sure I can lift my arms. And my thighs are arguing today as well. There is no way I can make it 30 days.

  5. JoLynn (jl)

    May 1, 2009 at 6:44 am

    Not techie enough to add a linky but there are some great suits from Athleta (website or catalog) and they are now a GAP store so if you’re ordering from GAP, Old Navy or Piperlime, etc. You get one shipping rate!! Just thought I’d throw that one in for everyone!!

  6. It Feels Like Chaos

    May 1, 2009 at 6:58 am

    Some great advice and cute things! I really like that cover-up that can be a skirt or dress!

  7. Kelley

    May 1, 2009 at 7:24 am

    I would just like to say that you are costing me money. I purchased the dress you suggested last week from Francesca’s and it came and I love it from the depths of my being. You really should write a book or something – I think you would outsell Rachel Zoe by a mile.

  8. the domestic fringe

    May 1, 2009 at 7:28 am

    Great swimsuit advice! I like all the links. You’ve chosen some good places. I especially like the one with all the underwire suits.

    I need a new one, but hate to actually buy one.

    -FringeGirl

  9. PinesLakeRedhead

    May 1, 2009 at 7:59 am

    Too funny! I just posted the same exact photo on my blog. My hubby emailed it to me this morning. Amazing how fast the internet works!

    Now I need to go back and read your fashion advice.

    Have a great weekend!
    Erica

  10. Michelle

    May 1, 2009 at 8:07 am

    Although a wonderful post with some great ideas, my blood pressure is still rising at the thought of swimsuit season. I think I will wear a sweatsuit at the beach with a photo of me in my 15yo body with that little purple bikini and walk around with it taped to my head. That shouldn’t raise eyebrows at all.

  11. Kathie

    May 1, 2009 at 8:08 am

    That picture made my day – I am so tired of hearing about swine flu! and I love your sense of humor.

    On a side note, I have been reading your blog for quite a long time now, but this is the first time I’ve commented. You have an awesome style of writing and I look forward to reading your post every day. Thank you!

  12. jennifer

    May 1, 2009 at 8:09 am

    i had a hard time moving on to swimsuits after the swine flu prevention awareness photo. i’m sending this to our pediatrician. we saw her, herself a mother of 8, yesterday for a well-baby appt and a portion of our conversation went as such: “any concerns?” “no” “not even about the swine flu?” (smile) “no, should we be more worried about that than the other flu strain that outwitted our vaccine 2 weeks ago?” (smile) and then we went back to talking about our non-shrinking waist lines that must yet be related to our babies and not the left-over easter candy the kids ignore. i’m so excited to share such enlightened information with our pediatrician on the topic of the h1n1 flu AND bathing suits. this is why i’m a proud follower. God’s blessings.

  13. Lisa

    May 1, 2009 at 8:18 am

    I’m so glad you included Lands’ End in your advice! Have you tried their “My Virtual Model” on the website? I think it’s amazing- my model looks so much like me it’s scary, but I can get out of an awful looking swimsuit with just a click of the mouse, and I’ve discovered some styles that look decent that I probably wouldn’t have tried on in the store. You still have to put on the real thing eventually to know if it’s right for you- but what a way to narrow the options down!

  14. JenT

    May 1, 2009 at 8:19 am

    My mom sent me that picture!

  15. Barb @ A Chelsea Morning

    May 1, 2009 at 8:20 am

    I almost fell out of my chair, I’m laughing so hard at that photo. Your remark about how it reminds us it’s swimsuit season was almost the fatal blow. 🙂

  16. Sara Campbell

    May 1, 2009 at 8:20 am

    You just seriously make me laugh.

  17. Elaine

    May 1, 2009 at 8:25 am

    The best part about the swine picture is the smile on the pig’s face as his nose is getting a wet willie!

  18. Musings of a Housewife

    May 1, 2009 at 8:26 am

    Ugh. Swimsuits. That is all.

  19. Mel

    May 1, 2009 at 9:04 am

    That picture is precious. I’m just thrilled that swimsuits with shorts and skirts are cool again.

    And I don’t care how good or bad I look in a swimsuit, I will NEVER EVER walk around a water park in my bathing suit.

  20. Cheri

    May 1, 2009 at 9:14 am

    Friends of ours, when asked if they want to go swimming with us always replied, “We’d love to but (fill in name) still wears her grandmother’s swimsuit and there’s a hole in the knee.”

    My kinda people, folks. MY kind of people.

  21. rrmama

    May 1, 2009 at 9:40 am

    I swear by Lands End swim wear. Their virtual model rocks!! I have purchased my suits from there for the past three years and I couldn’t be happier. It covers eveything it says it’s going to cover!! And at my age I need all the covering I can get.

  22. sasha

    May 1, 2009 at 9:46 am

    This may be rather lame, but I’m compelled to share… I swim in a class three nights a week, and I have noticed that the women who work at the pool and wear bathing suits each and every day seem to walk around as though they are wearing street clothes. (and by that, I don’t mean that they wear the clothing of prostitutes… just to be clear) They are seemingly unconcerned by jiggling thighs and whatnot. And they also do not have perfect bodies… they just seem to be confident. I find myself really appreciating that and thinking that perhaps it is the most important thing when wearing a scrap of fabric, aka a swim suit.

  23. Courtney

    May 1, 2009 at 9:47 am

    I got this same email! The funny thing is that this pandemic was traced back to a young boy in Mexico who lives by a pig farm! HAHA! Thanks for the tips on swimwear!

  24. A Hornberger in Houston

    May 1, 2009 at 10:19 am

    easily the best picture ever!

    And all this swine flu news is yet another wonderful excuse to stay in our air-conditioned homes and out of this wonderful humidity!

  25. Kate Craig

    May 1, 2009 at 10:40 am

    Yeah, I really don’t think I’m comfortable wearing something called a “romper.” Plus, she might look hot with it on, but how awkward is she going to look trying to get it on and off?

  26. Angela

    May 1, 2009 at 11:10 am

    I agree that Land’s End has terrific swimsuits. Yes, they’re pricier than one you might find at, say, Wal-mart or Goody’s (shudder), but they LAST. Plus I love it that many of them come in long torso, a must for me. 🙂

  27. Corrie

    May 1, 2009 at 11:30 am

    So glad you enjoyed the photo. 😉 You know, I always have a wealth of knowledge on the subject of health and wellness…feel free to seek my advice any time. LOL

    And Lands End suits are great but never have enough “support” for me…I’m anxious to check out the Aerin Rose suits! Thanks!

  28. Sue

    May 1, 2009 at 11:31 am

    Land’s End has great stuff. Personally, though, I just make every attempt to avoid needing to don a swimming suit AT ALL.

  29. Mary-Kate

    May 1, 2009 at 12:03 pm

    I love your advice about swimwear. I got a really nice one this year from Land’s End…the price was a little high but I think it was worth it to finally have one that cover everything perfectly and that I feel very comfortable in. Love your Fashion Fridays!! Good luck with the shred!

  30. Sunni

    May 1, 2009 at 2:00 pm

    Thanks for the swimsuit advice! Great variety and cute pics! Love it!

  31. lisalou

    May 1, 2009 at 2:43 pm

    what i wonder is …
    what dad took that picture? because no mom is thinking “what a great shot!”
    no, she’s trying not to gag while snatching her tow-headed treasure up and baby-wiping that face pronto. being pregnant again, i’m trying not to hurl right now.

  32. Pam D

    May 1, 2009 at 4:15 pm

    That picture reminds me of taking my then 2-year old son to the local fair. As he leaned his face in close to the fence to look at the enormous hog, the darn thing sneezed. Pig snot, mud, and hay do NOT make a great facial, but they DO make for a great picture. (so does llama spit, btw.. I think my son may be a magnet for barnyard bodily fluids). Anyway, I just had to laugh at how sassy you are–a couple of days on the Shred and you’re all up in our grill about swimsuits. Gah!!!

  33. Tiffany Pifer

    May 1, 2009 at 7:22 pm

    Hi sweetie, I found your blog through a friend and I hope it’s ok if I follow you!!!!

    Tiffany
    http://www.thepiferfamily.blogspot.com

  34. sarah

    May 1, 2009 at 8:02 pm

    lands end DOES have amazing stuff! love it!

  35. BethC

    May 1, 2009 at 8:17 pm

    I AM LAUGHING OUT LOUD AT THAT PICTURE!
    Thank you!

  36. Megan

    May 1, 2009 at 9:10 pm

    I’m totally lovin’ that Tommy Bahama Swimsuit. That bow is SO ME!

    I’m thinkin’ I might need to order the Shred if I plan on wearing that though! haha!

  37. Lauren

    May 1, 2009 at 11:03 pm

    Great swimsuit links! Thanks for all the great research!

  38. Amanda @ Serenity Now

    May 2, 2009 at 10:28 am

    Hi, Big Mama! Good tips today. I have a Fashion Friday question, but I wasn’t sure if I should post it here or email it you. Which do you prefer? 🙂

  39. Elaine at Lipstickdaily

    May 3, 2009 at 6:36 am

    Dude . . . the picture is just . . . disturbing. And I was advising readers only yesterday to avoid kissing pigs!

  40. Elaine at Lipstickdaily

    May 3, 2009 at 6:38 am

    PS . . . . a couple of months ago, after great hesitation because I NEVER buy swimsuits online . . . I got the Lands End all over control swimsuit that you link to . . IT IS AWESOME. It does an awesome job of, well, all over control. Plus BFF didn’t even crack up when I suggested I look like Marilyn Monroe in it!

  41. Elaine at Lipstickdaily

    May 3, 2009 at 7:22 am

    PPS . . . we have an award for you over at lipstickdaily!

  42. Abby

    May 3, 2009 at 1:12 pm

    I went to the mall this weekend and I saw a bunch of bathing suits with skirts. Is this something new this summer? I was confused. Itty bitty tops and then the bottoms have a skirt. I thought the skirt was for the person who wants to cover up (like after having a baby:)).

    I posted a mr linky about some new HOT shoes I got:)

  43. Rena Gunther

    May 3, 2009 at 5:29 pm

    I’ve received several emails of that pick. The latest said Swine Flue Prevention Tip.

    We’re eating bacon and eggs tonight. HMPH?

    This post was right on time for me… my two oldest girls are buying my swimsuit for Mother’s Day. I haven’t bought a new swimsuit in six years.

    Sad.

    I’m going with a one piece this year. The big 40 is coming up and it’s beyond time. Not even a Tankini for me…

    Believe it or not, I found one at Urban Outfitters. It’s a vintage style and I’m crossing my fingers it works out. Ordering online can be very scary when buying a swimsuit.

    And last….I actually bought a romper like that several years back. I KNOW. Scary. But it was actually comfy and fine for the beach.

    Thanks for the tips…

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Melanie ShankleMy name is Melanie and, in some strange twist of fate, I’m also known as Big Mama because I started this blog in July of 2006 when my daughter, Caroline, was not quite three years old and I was in the process of convincing her that BIG girls use the potty and BIG girls don’t have pacifiers, thus she thought BIG was the highest compliment in the land and began referring to me as BIG MAMA.Read More

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When she left home at the end of last summer it felt like an ending, but what it has actually been is the most beautiful beginning to the future God has written for her. And it’s a reminder to me that the best prayer we can pray as a mom is, “God, this one is yours. You are the author of her story and I trust you to write an amazing one”. ⁣
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(Photo by @doubllel)
In light of all our construction issues this week, In light of all our construction issues this week, I felt like it was time for a special edition of grown up story time because I remembered I actually wrote about the poor tile job in our shower years ago in Sparkly Green Earrings. ⁣
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This is when it pays to have a written history to help myself  remember I shouldn’t have been surprised by anything that transpired this week.
A friend texted me this photo the other day. It wa A friend texted me this photo the other day. It was taken my last semester at Texas A&M and I’m with a group of friends at a Wes King concert at Wolf Pen Creek. (Shout out to those of you old enough to remember what a gift Wes King was to Christian music in the early 90s.) I had recently found my way back to God after a long hiatus and wasn’t entirely sure how I ended up at this concert with some new friends who wore Jesus t-shirts, but was so grateful to be there because I felt content and happy for the first time in years. ⁣
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The point of this picture is that if you look on the left you will see a young Perry Shankle with glasses wearing a white t-shirt. And if you look on the far right you will see a young Melanie Marino with an aggressive side part. I don’t think we even spoke to each other at the concert that night. No one would have put us together because we were complete and total opposites. And I like to think God laughed knowing what was ahead. ⁣
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A year later, we started dating. And three years from just about the day this photo was taken, we were engaged. And currently, we’ve been married almost 25 years and are cleaning out the attic together today which is the height of romance. What I’m saying is dream big, kids. You never know what is waiting right around the corner, right in front of you, that will change your life. ⁣
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Side note: If you look closely you’ll see that my friend Jen and I are sitting on a blue striped comforter. Perry still sleeps with that exact comforter every single night so what I’m saying is that on that night back in 1994, he had no idea he was with his future wife and a blanket he would treasure, lo, all these years later. God is good. ⁣
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We went to the wedding of the daughter of some dear friends and it was at the same church and the same reception venue as ours was almost twenty-five years ago. ⁣
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We agreed we barely remember anything about that day. It’s all a blur. But we agreed we like each other more now than we did all those years ago when we had no idea all that our life together would hold.  And that feels like a win because I was pretty crazy about him then. ⁣
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Congratulations to the new Mr. & Mrs. Glass! Loved celebrating with you. 💕
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The truth is waiting makes me feel anxious as I worry about timelines and what ifs and when I’ll have answers. And it dawned on me today that waiting is really the crux of Good Friday. ⁣
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I think one of the most powerful moments in the Bible is when Jesus is on the cross and with a loud cry breathes his last breath. Mark 15:38-39 says, “The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”⁣
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Think about that. The sky has grown dark, the earth begins to shake and then as Jesus cries out with his last breath, we learn that what has been an impenetrable, thick curtain in the temple - there to separate us from the Holy of Holies - tears in two. It’s powerful enough that this centurion, a battle-tested leader in the Roman army, witnesses it and realizes Jesus is absolutely who He claimed to be. ⁣
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Jesus’ death and resurrection are the moments that changed eternity and gave hope when all was lost. The ultimate victory of good over evil. But there was also waiting. ⁣
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The centurion may have realized that Jesus was the son of God, but everyone had to wait to see what that meant. They didn’t know the stone would be rolled away. They didn’t know the crucifixion was just the beginning of a story of hope and redemption. All they knew on Friday was pain and loss and darkness. They had to wait for Sunday and they didn’t even know what they were waiting for…maybe just a small sign of hope. ⁣
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Don’t we do that? Question if He’s good or if He will come through for us? Wonder how things will work out when all seems lost? Is He who He says He is and what does that mean for our life?⁣
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Here’s what I know. Jesus is the wonder our heart is waiting for. He is our peace, redemption, and salvation. He breaks strongholds, takes away our fear and shame, redeems what has been broken and lost. He does more in our lives than we even know to ask for. We are never so broken that He can’t restore us. ⁣
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All that we wait for, all that we hope for…HE IS.

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