Wearing a Belt

What girl nowadays wears a belt? I don’t. I often hear my brothers hollering, wondering where their belts went, but I’m never left looking for mine because I don’t even own a real belt.

The main reason I have shied away from belts is, I’m short, and therefore wearing a horizontal line around my waist would have the effect of cutting me visually in half, making me look shorter than I already am.

However, I did not say that it would be impossible for me to pull of a belt, or that it’s impossible for any short person to do so. Or that only tall people can wear them! A lot of different styles that are difficult to pull off in one form, work out in another. A wide leather belt, positioned low on my waist would, for sure make me look short and stumpy. So how to pull off a belt?

• First: Wear a monochromatic outfit if you are going to wear a belt on the outside of the garment — either a dress, or a top and pants/skirt that are the same color and you will not run the risk as much of cutting your height visually in half because of the unbroken line of wearing all the same color.
• Second: Choose a belt that is skinnier. A thin horizontal line around your waist is better than a thick one. And if you can, purchase a belt either in a light metallic color, or match your belt to the colors in your outfit instead of trying to create a shocking contrast.
• Third: Position the belt higher up – at least on your natural waist, don’t be afraid to wear it even higher! It would be a good rule of thumb to wear the belt around the thinnest part of your waist, to draw the eye there, instead of around the thickest part of your waist.

Some outfit ideas for incorporating a belt:

• A short sleeved jersey dress and a metallic colored belt, positioned high on the natural waist.
• Pants, printed blouse, skinny double-wrap belt in a coordinating color with the printed blouse, or a neutral metallic color.
• Denim pencil skirt, short-sleeved blouse, short sleeved regular length cardigan – halfway buttoned – and a skinny belt around the natural waist on the outside of the cardigan.
• You could also tuck a blouse into a pencil skirt and wear your skinny belt around your hips for a polished look. But be aware, that this is harder to pull off, because you’re positioning a horizontal line around a part of your body you might not want to emphasize, and tucking your blouse in breaks up that unbroken line you might be going for.

Summer Clothing (What to Wear)

I set the ball in motion, writing about what NOT to wear during summertime, now I need to give my readers some ideas of WHAT to wear during summertime, and what items from my closet I keep constantly employed during hot summer days. It doesn’t take much to have a functioning wardrobe, but it does take the right kind of items. I’m not saying that you should own everything on this list– a lot of what you should own depends also on where you live and what sort of circles you frequent. Do you live in the country? Then an easy going, jersey summer dress might be more practical for you than a tailored, formal dress that might be appropriate for the city. Or a light-weight cardigan might be better suited to breezy summer nights than a dressy jacket.

During the summertime I love to wear bright colors, but only when paired with another neutral item. I wouldn’t, for instance, pair a kelly green t-shirt with a kelly green cotton skirt, but I would pair a kelly green t-shirt with a denim skirt, or combine a kelly green skirt with a cream colored top. Too much color can make you look like you just stepped out of a time machine from the 80s. In the summertime, I stick to buying 3-4 different neutral bottoms, like denim clamdiggers, a denim skirt, or chino pants, and buy more vibrant tops to pair with them. You could also do the opposite, and buy a lot of vibrant skirts in various patterns and just stick with a handful of white/brown/cream colored tees and blouses, too.

Summer Tops

• I would not make it through the summer if I did not own any high neck camisoles, which are an absolute MUST if you are going to wear any sort of sleeveless top or dress, because most styles today are simply cut too low. If you are playing peek-a-boo every time you bend over then you need to layer a camisole under that top or dress. These camisoles from Shade Clothing are thin enough to not add extra bulk, and the stretchy camisole acts as a sort of shaper underneath your top, which also keeps others from seeing the outline of your bra.
• Knit sleeveless tops. I have no problem with wearing sleeveless tops, just as long as bra straps remain hidden, and the straps on the sleeveless top are not really skinny– if it’s impossible to hide your bra straps without wearing a strapless bra, then it isn’t the right top for you.
• Looser fitted tank tops, like this one, that have a higher neckline and are made out of knit material. There is a difference, between wearing a looser tank top, and wearing a super tight, low cut, thin one that reveals every lump, bump, and outline of your bra.
• Sleeveless cotton blouses to pair with straight clamdiggers, walk shorts, or a denim pencil skirt.
• 2-3 high quality (thicker material) t-shirts, one in a neutral color, and one or two in a bright color.

Yes, I know this J. Crew t-shirt is expensive, but the reward is for those who are patient. I bought a few t-shirts from J. Crew, not that long ago, marked down to $6.99 which is just as cheap as any price at Target, or Old Navy.

• Short-sleeve 100% cotton blouses. Instead of wearing a tight, spaghetti strap top that gets hot, and sweaty, and sticks close to your body, try wearing a looser, woven cotton top, whether it be a trapeze, empire line, or tailored baby doll style.

Summer Bottoms

• Dark denim clamdiggers/pedal pushers/cropped jeans, what have you. The important details are: they are a flattering knee-length, they are a darker wash which makes them instantly dressier and more appropriate for wearing out, or to events, and they are straight cut, which accommodates loose fitting tops and blouses. A lighter wash looks great, too, when you are dressing casual. Or you could try white clamdiggers, too.
• Lightweight denim trousers, or cotton chinos. Shy away from anything that has very much stretchy content in the material of the fabric, such as elastane, polyester, or spandex– Lightweight cotton is a heck of a lot more comfortable in 110 degree weather.
• A denim pencil skirt or an a-line denim/cotton canvas skirt to pair with those breezy cotton tops.
• A full, printed cotton skirt. One of my favorite outfits is a full, vibrant cotton skirt paired with a neutral, short-sleeved tee, and heels. What a fantastic 1950s look!

Dresses

• Short sleeved or sleeveless Jersey dress.

A jersey dress is one of the most comfortable pieces of clothing to wear on a hot summer afternoon. The simple beauty of wearing an easy, one piece garment is unparalleled. In this day and age of grungy jeans, and short shorts, it takes some courage to step out of the house in a dress. You might even be labeled as fussy! But slip on a dress, throw on a light-weight, short sleeved cardigan, and step into some flat, casual sandals and you’ll never go back.

• Short sleeve or sleeveless, tailored, summer day dress. A crisp cotton dress is an indispensable outfit for spring and summer weddings– paired with a jacket, heels, and small clutch.

Outerwear

• A short sleeved cardigan for breezy summer nights when a coat is too heavy but that sleeveless top is leaving you freezing. Or the air-conditioned building that you have to sit in for a several hours every day is absolutely frigid.
• Denim/linen jacket. A white denim jacket can add instant pizzaz to jeans, a blouse, and heels for a smart, going out outfit on a summer evening. Add it to a jersey dress and flat sandals for a Sunday outfit. A plain denim jacket can work well, too, as an extra layer to a summer outfit, but it’s more laid back than a white jacket.

Shoes

• Flat sandals. And I don’t mean rubber flip-flops, those are so casual they should be limited to the beach. I mean these sort of flat sandals. Flat sandals are a necessity if you are on your feet all day, and you can wear them with everything. A slip on style is a good choice if you’re the sort of person who is always hurrying out the door. But if you have 2 minutes to spare, an inexpensive pair of gladiator sandals is a stylish and comfy choice, too. Just don’t spend more than $40 on a pair because it is a trend.
• Mid-heeled pair of sandals for wearing with skirts and dresses– shoes with some sort of heel, even if it is only one inch, really aid in creating an unbroken line which keeps a girl from looking stumpy. I personally prefer wedges for their stability.
• Okay, I do make a concession for flip-flops, when wearing them to the store, or casual outings– I wear them frequently for that purpose. If it’s possible, find a leather pair which will last and look better for longer than cheap rubber flip-flops.

Accessories

Here I fling the door wide open for my readers to choose and wear every and any type of accessory, be it an orange linen scarf, a white watch, a lemon yellow belt, a cherry red bangle, a metallic headband, a canvas printed purse, a floppy straw hat, black, retro, oversized sunglasses, or a long pendant necklace. The list goes on an on. Accessories are cheap, and the easiest way to add extra personal style to your outfits.

Summer Clothing (What not to Wear)

It’s May Day. Summertime is close. I can feel it in my bones. I can also see it on every street corner from the way girls and women are beginning to dress.

New catalogues and emails in my inbox all make me feel like my money is burning a hole in my pocket (gotta be careful there!), but the following is a list of a few things you WON’T be finding me buying, and you’ll NEVER see hanging in my summer wardrobe:

Simply immodest list

• Skin-tight, thin, tank tops; I don’t care how hot the weather is, wearing less clothing doesn’t necessarily cool you off. Besides, we can all see the complete outline of your bra.
• Spaghetti strap blouses or camisoles as a top. I’m not particularly fond of layering short sleeved tees under a spaghetti strap blouse, either. It’s an immature look for anyone over 14, and if you had to buy something else to wear under the top, why’d you buy it in the first place? I’m not talking about v-neck tops that might require a camisole underneath, I’m talking about shirts that take a whole other shirt to make it look decent.
• 3in. inseam shorts. First, nothing looks good stretched tight across your bum. Second, shorts that short almost always end at the thickest part of your leg which, unless you have sticks for legs, will make your legs look thicker. Not flattering. A 5in. inseam is better, 7in. is good, too. If you must wear short-shorts then keep the look limited to your house.
• Above-the-knee-skirts. You may not be wearing a “mini” in the absolute technical sense of the word, but you’re coming close to it. Do you know just how far up your thigh we can all look when you sit down? Again, wearing above-the-knee skirts and dresses, is also just not flattering from a sartorial point of view because the hemline of the skirt ends at an awkward spot, highlighting the thickest part of your legs. Stick to the universally flattering hemlines of “right above the kneecap,” “middle of the kneecap,” or “right below the kneecap.”
• Thin, low-cut dresses, sporting lots of cleavage. Into this category I also put strapless dresses, spaghetti strap dresses, and halter dresses. “Put a sweater on over that honey, even I feel cold.” Can you tell me why it is acceptable to show cleavage in the summertime? A sunburn on that area of the anatomy probably hurts!
• Above 4in. high heels. 3in. is pushing the limit, especially if it’s a wobbly stiletto heel– 3in. ain’t so bad if the platform of the shoe is sturdier, and I love a good pair of heels. But wearing 4in. sandals with that short skirt isn’t a killer look, unless you’re trying to kill yourself by breaking your ankles.
  

Simply unflattering list

• Voluminous baby doll or hippie blouses and knit tops. I like the look of a more loosely fitted top over more closely fitted jeans, or a skirt, but baby, you could hide an elephant under that thing! Have you ever had anybody tell you that you look pregnant when wearing a baby doll top?
• Performance sports sandals with your smart-casual outfit. You were doing good until you chose your footwear. Are you planning on going on a hike in those? The internet offers thousands of better footwear choices that are just as comfy as those ugly sandals you are wearing.
• Baggy capris that end right above my ankles, or halfway between my knees and my ankles. If I wear these then I visually cut my height down by a foot AND I look like Huckleberry Fin. To maintain a streamlined look that doesn’t compromise my already short height, I stick with straight, knee-length denim clamdiggers, or shorts. For a really classy look try white denim, though you may find it hard to keep clean.
• Horizontally striped t-shirts. That is, t-shirts with wide horizontal strips. Horizontal stripes DO make you look larger, trust me. If you can find a horizontally striped t-shirt that has very thin or very light stripes, then by all means wear it, but as a rule, vertical stripes will always look more flattering on everybody, and I think that it is a more polished look.
• Super light colored, acid-wash jeans that are so baggy you trip over them with ever step you take. Are you headed to a redneck party? I’m partial to slightly lighter colored jeans paired with a high-quality t-shirt, and linen scarf when I’m going for a casual look, but don’t waste $40 on a pair of jeans that you’ll regret having 6 months from now.

Well, that isn’t a complete list. But it details some of my greatest dislikes about summer clothing, be it immodest or just plain ugly. Stay tuned for a list of summer wardrobe items that I endorse and do wear during all summer long.

Spring Tops

Clicking on a link in an email from Layers Clothing, I was browsing their website and noticed they had some shockingly cute, modest, short-sleeve knit tops that would be perfect for Spring or Summer!

Take a look:

These were just three of my favorite tops, make sure to browse the rest of their clothing.

Casually Dressed Up

Casually dressed up? “Getting dressed up is such a pain,” you say! You’d rather be dressed to the nines or wearing something closely resembling pjamas than find a happy medium that says you care about your appearance but isn’t overwhelmingly foppish and stiff in appearance. It’s hard, I know. So how about wearing a dress?

I can hear the boos now. You thought I would have stuck to jeans and a t-shirt with a piece of jewelry thrown in? Maybe, possibly, a denim skirt, but a dress? That’s going too far, dresses are fussy and impractical! Are they?

A dress can feel as casual as shorts and a t-shirt but makes a far greater impact on the wearer and those who see her wearing it, because a dress is the quintessential feminine garment. It makes you feel and act like a lady and you’ll find yourself being treated like one, too. If you came to this fashion blog expecting me to only post about outfits that are jeans and pants and clothing items that hide a girl’s femininity, you came to the wrong place. I encourage my readers to embrace their God given femininity, not by only wearing skirts and saccharinely sweet clothing pieces, or immodest styles, but by wearing mature and feminine clothing that is an expression of their femininity and personal style.

The key to wearing the quintessential feminine garment and not feeling silly or overly dressed up is in the material of the dress and the accessories that you pair your dress with. Choose a day dress that is composed mostly of washable, durable cotton or a sturdy jersey/viscose blend. In keeping the style casual, choose soft leather flats, or flat sandals (not rubber flip flops), a laid back jacket, such as a military, or denim jacket, a casual canvas/straw tote, and an accessory or two, like a watch/bracelet, and a scarf.

Casual Dress by Anna Friedrich featuring J Crew bags

The above items are mostly from Boden, an English clothing co. that has an online store that sells to the U.S. I have bought several items from them now and have never been more impressed in my life with the high-quality fabrics, patterns, and construction of their garments. If their prices are a bit steep right now, wait around for a few more months and they will have a fabulous sale with affordable prices on all their summer stock.

Playing with Color

Some people are not confident about wearing bright colors. This is understandable, it’s hard to pull off a bright color when you are wearing a large amount of it in the form of a shirt or dress, and frankly, some people don’t look good in bright colors or have no clue what colors look best with their skin tone.

This outfit I created uses a grey backdrop to highlight the vivid, summery colors of the handbag and belt. The neutral grey of the outfit will tend to look better on warmer, browner skin tones; it would wash out my pale skin and blonde hair, for instance, but you could replace the grey with white, or light brown, or a darker grey. As a summer outfit, I shy away from black because black is quite a statement in itself, and also ruins the summery “aura” I was trying to create with the lighter colors.

Using a neutral background and adding a bright splash of color works with many different accessories, too, a bright green linen scarf, blue sandals, or even a bold statement necklace all achieve the desired effect

Neutral with Color by Anna Friedrich featuring J Crew belts

* As my long time readers know, just because I use or link to a more expensive piece of clothing or accessory, I’m often using it as an example, I’m not advocating buying that particular item. Items similar in style and color are easily found at a far cheaper price than some of the items that I link to, and I usually end up buying those less-expensive items myself.*

Out and About Outfit

When I’m out running errands and doing shopping I want to be comfortable, but also look stylish and put together. How to make those two conditions mesh together in a stylish, yet comfortable outfit is hard; I don’t want to look like I just got up!

My solution has been, when I go out, to wear dark rinse, mid-rise, bootcut jeans, a bright colored t-shirt, a cardigan, or lightweight, cotton jacket in a neutral color, one piece of jewelry, usually an eclectic bracelet or necklace, and comfy leather flats, or my Converse sneakers.

Out and About – by Anna Friedrich on Polyvore.com

Mix up this outfit by trading out your necklace for a linen/cotton scarf. Be careful not to go overboard on accessories, keep it to 2-3 at the maximum; you don’t want to look like an overwhelming mess! And, of course, a girl would never go anywhere without her purse. I chose J. Crew’s canvas tote, which is pretty, but a little pricey. However, I like the canvas material, and lighter color for a springtime purse, and Target and Gap carry many different, less expensive versions of this sort of purse. I threw in the Anthropologie hat as a fun accessory, I love the look of this hat and prefer the feminine, lighthearted straw version of the fedora, to the more edgy, black and white or striped, cheap looking versions that can be found at Target. Bonus points to any girl that can bravely wear a hat out in public. It’s a good look, but it takes some pluck to not feel completely self-conscious while wearing it!

March is Marching In

March 1st. In like a lion, out like a lamb. Or so the saying goes.

How can you take advantage of the coming spring weather with your wardrobe?

First, trade in that heavy wool coat, or puffer, for a lightweight trench:

Try this trench from Gap for $54.99. Don’t like the color? Gap offers a whole host of colors to pick from. Don’t like the price? Wait around for a couple more weeks and the price will drop, or head to Target where I saw plenty of pretty, nicely priced trenches to pick from.

Trade out your long sleeve tees and sweaters for a soft knit top, or high quality tee, and a lightweight cardigan:

This little cardigan is also from Gap and comes in a wide variety of spring-like colors. Pair your soft knit top/tee and cardigan with either dark denim jeans, or a denim skirt for a smart, and casual look.

Give your boots and loafers a well deserved rest, and when the rain lets up, slip on a pair of brightly colored flats for doing errands, it will make you feel much more jaunty:

Lastly, nothing says spring more than wearing a flowy, slightly tailored, jersey dress:

I know I’ll be wearing and combining many of the above articles as spring quickly advances.

Anna

Favorite Silhouettes

Some of my favorite outfits that receive the most compliments are when I create a contrast, or a silhouette, with the clothing pieces that I combine, for example:

An empire-waist blouse or knit top with straight legged jeans, and low heels or flats.

Wide-legged trouser jeans paired with a streamlined top or a top with an inset (defined) waist, and heels.

A pencil skirt topped with a feminine blouse, and low heels, or flats.

A pencil skirt and a fitted knit top with a dramatic scarf for a modern 1920s look.

A full knee-length skirt topped with a tailored, simple blouse or a knit tee or top, a statement necklace, and boots in wintertime, or high heeled sandals in summertime. This is one of my all time favorite feminine looks and has a 50s vibe.

See the pattern? Creating a contrast between your clothing pieces and accessories is an easy way to construct an unique outfit that makes you look put together and modish.

J. Crew T-Shirt Review

J. Crew sells expensive clothes. But for good reason. Their clothes also happen to be high quality; the colors and feel of their clothing is radically different when compared with the colors and feel of clothing from Forever 21.

J. Crew’s prices do not remain indefinitely in the $$$ range though, they have this ongoing sale called the Final Sale where their older inventory, and inventory that isn’t selling that well is marked way down for consumers who want lower prices, like you and me, (btw, if they don’t have very many items in the sale section come back tomorrow, their inventory there fluctuates between lots of items and not very many). A couple of weeks back, as I was perusing this sale, my eye was caught by this t-shirt*:

It was marked down to $6.99, and, at the time, there were more colors available at that price than there are now. However, the price was appealing, very appealing (cheaper than Target, and just as cheap as Old Navy, this is J. Crew we’re talking about here), and so were the colors. Bright, beautiful, high-quality colors, offered not just in the basic black, white, and grey.

I decided to bite, and ordered it in 2 colors.

This t-shirt didn’t disappoint when it arrived. Unlike others, which have a tendency to either be extremely see-through, or so thick and stifling that I feel like I’m wearing a souvenir from a vacation, this little tee was juuust right. The length hit me a little bit below my hip, the v-neck was not too low, though it was still low enough to perhaps necessitate a cami or tank, and the weight and quality of the actual material itself was a thing to behold. This was a t-shirt that was neither transparent, nor a blanket. This was a t-shirt that would hold up to numerous spins in the washing machine. It fit a true size small and was neither a medium, nor an x-small. It hugged me in all the right places, but not too tightly, and the fine ribbing of the cotton material gave the t-shirt a more wholesome look, rather than if it had been made of skin-tight, regular t-shirt material.

This is a t-shirt that will easily mix with my jeans and pants, but also with all my different styles of skirts, full and pencil.

So, when you go to buy more t-shirts at Target, or Old Navy, just remember that you can get them for the same price, and in a better quality at J. Crew. That $15.00 price tag on the t-shirt won’t last long either, within a few weeks I expect this t-shirt will debut at $6.99.

*Note: J. Crew has a problem with their links right now, it’s not my fault, but if you go to their website and search for “perfect-fit short-sleeve V-neck tee” then you can find this t-shirt.*