Author: Big Mama

I didn’t know if Fashion Friday was actually going to happen because last night we attended our very first Wassail Fest. Or, as Caroline called it, Waffle Fest.

And there was really no getting over the disappointment of discovering there was nary a waffle to be found at a Wassail Fest.

Instead, there was lots of wassail.

Hence the name.

Before we went wassailing, we ate dinner with some friends at The Gristmill which makes a chicken fried steak that will make you praise God that cows were invented so that they could be butchered, covered in batter and fried to a crispy goodness smothered in cream gravy.

Of course Caroline couldn’t have cared less about the chicken fried steak. She was much more excited over two things.

Raccoons right below our table eating mass quantities of the tortilla chips she threw their way.

No, they weren’t possessed. I just am a poor photographer.

And a hand dryer right in the bathroom stall that caused her to squeal with delight and jump up and down.

We really need to get out more.

Anyway, after dinner we went a-wassailing which is much easier than going a-waffling. The maple syrup just makes it so messy.

By the end of the evening, Caroline was wassailed out.

So, I debated not doing Fashion Friday, but then I came to my senses and realized that fashion must prevail. Would Anna Wintour push back an issue of Vogue because she spent an evening in small town America drinking questionable wassail?

Oh no she wouldn’t. She would get that issue of Vogue on the shelves, all the while wondering what the heck happened to her life that she ended up drinking wassail made by people who work at the Bodacious Hair Salon.

If Anna can do it, so can I.

1. Nicole asks: “Do you think it is still trendy to wear the monochromatic sweat suit look? You know, the black velour pants w/matching black hoodie? Or is it more appropriate to wear, say, brown cottony pants with a white hoodie? ”

Nicole, you don’t know how much I have debated this question in my mind. I think my issue with the velour jogging suit goes back to J. Lo and her days as Jenny from the block when she was constantly photographed in a hot pink velour jogging suit.

I mean say what you want about J. Lo, but the girl singlehandedly brought back a trend that had died a swift death sometime around 1978.

I guess my point is I don’t know if the matching velour set is the trendiest item around, however, I think it is still in style. The trick is the color selection. In my opinion, chocolate brown is the hottest color right now for a matching jogging suit. And if you’re looking for a good one, Old Navy has their velour hoodies and pants on sale for $12.50 right now.

The other key to this item is the cut and fit. The pants should not be too snug and, for all that is decent, watch the visible panty lines that go hand in hand with velour pants. Also, the jacket should be fairly fitted and not hang down, otherwise it just looks sloppy and like you’re trying to hide something.

I also like the look of mixing and matching your velour pieces. In fact, just yesterday I had on some maroon colored velour jogging pants with a charcoal gray tee and my denim jacket. This is what I like to call my sweatsuit alternative a la Tim Gunn.

And one last tip, while wearing the jogging suit you may want to refrain from singing, “don’t be fooled by the rocks that I got, I’m still, I’m still Jenny from the block…” because that would just be sad.

2. Sheila asks: “So this is more of a beauty question but what the heck. I’m looking for a good red lipstick. I have a red Christmas sweater that is a true red, not a brick red, maybe it could be called apple red? I don’t have anything in my collection. I don’t want to spend more than $10 so no Lancome or Estee Lauder.”

Maybe it’s because I spent two years wearing braces and didn’t really care to accentuate my mouth, but it has been forever since I’ve worn a red lipstick. I think red lipstick is a tricky proposition because if it’s too bright it can cause you to look like a bad imitation of Joan Crawford.

And that would just be unfortunate.

I ordered some plumping lip glaze by ELF cosmetics and have really enjoyed it. It comes in a color called Ruby Kiss that may be just what you are looking for. The best part? It’s $1.00. So if it causes you to look cheap, at least it was cheap.

Another idea is to look for a lipliner in the right shade of red. You can use it to LIGHTLY outline your lips and fill them in, then add a coat of clear gloss over it to give your lips a more subtle, natural shade of red.

Two last tips, if you are going with a strong lip, remember to go softer on the eyes. You don’t want to look harsh and overdone. Also, you may want to check out your skin tone to see if a warmer red (orange undertones) or a cooler red (blue undertones) will look best with your complexion.

3. Amazing Racer asks: “I have a most important Fashion Friday question. Is this sweater the ugliest thing you’ve ever seen, or could I be misconstruing it as you did Nena Marcus’ fashion jackpot?”

You are not misconstruing this sweater.

While it is not necessarily the ugliest thing I have ever seen, the reindeer have the terrible misfortune of being placed in an extremely awkward location that make them appear to be climbing mountains.

Which causes me to hear “Climb Every Mountain” by Julie Andrews in my head. And I’m pretty sure that’s not what Ralph Lauren was going for when he designed this sweater.

Maybe he’d had too much wassail.

Or too many waffles.

Y’all have a great Friday!