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 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.

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!

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.*

Building Blocks

I mentioned in my previous post about not wanting to buy very much this season. I want to keep my new wardrobe items to a minimum and give my outfits creative looks by adding accessories. But, it would be impossible to survive with just those few items that I picked if I didn’t already have staples in my wardrobe that I rely heavily on every time I create an outfit.

If you’re literally starting from ground zero this upcoming spring, here are my recommendations for building blocks in your wardrobe:

1. One, to two pairs of jeans. I like having a pair of bootcut and a pair of straight legged jeans because it adds more variety to my looks and it’s easier to pair blousier, looser tops with my straight legged jeans, and fitted, knit tops with my bootcut jeans. I can’t say it enough times, buy dark rinse jeans for an instant dressier, classic look. Don’t buy jeans that look like this.

2. A good bra or two, or three, is very much part of your outfit; choose a bra for good support, lining, and smoothness, and then forget about it when you are wearing it under your outfit. Get it replaced every few months if it is getting worn and stretched out!

3. A light trench coat or rain jacket for windy spring days.

4. A cardigan for layering over t-shirts and blouses. Cardigans, in all sorts of styles and colors, are widely available in stores like Target, Old Navy, Gap, and AE. Pick up one, or two in a bright and a neutral color.

5. A full and a straight skirt in easy to wear fabrics, cotton, denim, or light wool for Sundays, or dressing up occasions.

6. Shoes! The ever classic Converse, a pair of mary-janes, a pair of bright flats, boots, and a pair of pumps are what I need to survive the last blasts of winter, and chilly spring days, which in most places it’s still too cold to wear open-toed shoes. I’ve learned the hard way that it pays off to buy an actual shoe, not a cheap imitation made at Payless, or Old Navy. Those sorts of shoes can be worn just fine for short periods of time, and if you’re looking for an inexpensive way to spice up your shoe wardrobe then those are the places to go. But, if you need serious shoes for walking around town, then buying cute, comfortable shoes is a must. The struggle is to find cute, comfortable shoes. Don’t fall for the trap that, in order to be stylish, you must always wear heels. With the loads of shoe choices out there, opt for flat boots, mary-janes, ballet flats, pumps with a 1-1.5 in. heel, or Converse sneakers when walking around city blocks.

7. A black, and white camisole is a must these days when tops and dresses are lower cut, or made out of thin material. I even prefer wearing a camisole with my t-shirts to create a smooth contour, and to make sure when I’m bending over that I don’t play peek-a-boo.

Anna

Buy This not That

Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Scream all the promotion cards, and websites with 30%-60% off prices. Yes, hurry indeed and buy our ill-fitting, poorly made merchandise because we will soon be out of business.

Right now is time for good deals, so keep a look out for low-priced items and combine them with promotions codes, easily found online, to get a fantastically priced bargain. But, do NOT be seduced by a piece of clothing, no matter how lowly priced it is if it’s cute, but a little tight, cute, but you really don’t need it, cute, but unworkable with the rest of your wardrobe.

As my wardrobe has grown over the past year I’ve learned by trial and error what I should have bought instead of items that now occupy space in my closet but are difficult to incorporate into outfits. Too easily seduced by needing something right away and settling for an item that was less than it was worth, or an item that was so-so, but not something that I really loved, or that was compatible with the rest of my wardrobe, I’ve wasted many a dollar on shirts that are too short, sweaters that are too tight, shoes that are painful, and jewelry that I’ll never wear. All those $5 and $10 keep floating around my mind, nagg me, reminding me on what I could have spend them on.

1. Instead of a 3/4 length hoodie that only works with short sleeved tops, I should have bought a long-sleeved hoodie in a neutral color; white, cream, black, grey, and paired it easily on casual days in the wintertime with long-sleeves and jeans.

2. Instead of a lightweight, long-sleeved cardigan that gets rumpled easily and gets lumpy when paired with t-shirts and blouses, I should have bought a thicker weight sweater, still long-sleeved, in a neutral color that will easily stand up to heavier tops during wintertime.

3. Instead of the low-heeled loafers that slip off my feet and don’t look good paired with socks, I should have invested in a pair of Converse shoes that are a more fashionable choice than sneakers but are just as comfortable and look classy and retro paired with jeans and a t-shirt, or casual top.

4. Instead of blah-colored, pullover sweaters that are cute on the hanger but when put on hit me at the widest point of my hips, I should have invested in a long-sleeved, fine-knit pullover sweater in a longer length that ends just above my crotch area. But NOT one that emphasizes my hips and makes me look like I don’t have a waist.

5. Instead of a couple of cotton blazers that don’t fit easily over my tops, I should have bought a trench or a cropped trench for those times when a wool coat is too heavy but a sweater by itself isn’t enough.

6. Instead of ugly-as-sin bracelets and necklaces that might, possibly, look cute if I squinted my eyes and wore them once in an unnoticable manner, I should have invested in more simple looking, elegant jewelry. It needn’t be expensive, but a necklace that makes a statement when worn with a demure top, a more simple necklace, a bangle bracelet, and (if my ears were pierced) medium-sized silver hoops, and black, drop earrings would be plenty to choose from when adding accessories to an outfit.

7. Instead of cheap eyeshadow, powder, and foundation, I should have invested more Almay and Neutrogena products, focusing more on skin products than on eye makeup products. The current trend for makeup is to focus heavily on the eyes, than on the skin, I think that one should focus more on glowing, healthy looking skin than on heavy eye makeup. I use Almay eye concealer, a small amount of Almay foundation, only in the spots were I need more coverage, a light dusting of Neutrogena powder, and a bit of rose colored, Neutrogena blush for my skin. I do believe that my eyes are the focus of my face, so I use makeup to emphasis them, but not in a blaring way. I line my top lid only, usually with a black or dark brown eyeliner pencil, sticking close the the base of the lashes, and then give my eyelids a dusting of light tan, or nude colored eyeshadow, and then put Maybelline mascara on my lashes.

So stop, think twice, and remember a few of the items listed here the next time you are out buying!

Thanksgiving Outfit Ideas

What to wear on Thanksgiving Day?

1. Staying at home outfit:

>Dark wash jeans, bootcut, or straight. Dressy enough to impress any guests, relaxed enough to move around in and comfortably eat your Thanksgiving meal in. I’ll be wearing my dark wash, straight legged, American Eagle jeans.
>Simple knit top, tunic, or sweater, in a longer length. I’ll be wearing my black, mock turtleneck, knit top from Banana Republic.
>Statement piece of jewelry, or scarf. Pick ONE piece of jewelry that compliments the top you’re wearing, either earrings, or a ring, or a bracelet, or a necklace, or a scarf. Not two combinations
or else you’ll overwhelm your outfit. I’ll be wearing either my skinny purple scarf, or a bracelet.

2. Going over to someone’s house outfit:
>Dark wash jeans, jean trousers, or black/brown/grey pants.
>Simple, no-fuss, knee-length skirt, either a straight style corduroy or denim skirt, or a fuller skirt.
>Knit top (see above), sweater, or blouse in a complimentary color, style, or length to your pants/skirt choice.
>Again, a statement piece of jewelry, or a scarf.
> Hosiery (if it’s cold were you are.) Black, brown, or a muted color.
>Low-heeled pumps, or ballet flats.

Makeup ideas. Keep it simple and clean, as always, not too heavy, but not 0 makeup, either.

Hair ideas. As one of the cooks today I intend to keep my hair up in a bun, or ponytail. If you are a guest, then you can keep your hair down if you like.

Colors that say “Thanksgiving” to me: Rich, but muted, purples, dark greens, cranberry reds, mustard yellows. Either pair a colored top with a neutral bottom, or wear a neutral outfit (like I am, black top, dark wash jeans) with a colored accessory that will make the outfit “pop.”

Everyone have a happy Thanksgiving!

More Than Just Lipstick

What’s the difference between a pit bull and hockey mom? Lipstick; and a $150,000 wardrobe.

Under the weather, preoccupied with work, too many books going at once, are a few of my excuses for not posting on this blog lately, but when I saw this headline today I felt compelled to write a quick little blurb and pass on the link to my fellow readers:

$150,000 Wardrobe for Palin May Alter Tailor-Made Image

As one lady on a fashion blog astutely pointed out: if you bought 20 pairs of shoes that cost $1000 each that only comes to $20,000. WHAT do you spend the remaining $130,000 on? Is the stress of campaigning and interviewing with the Katie Couric’s of the world so high that Palin needs to spend thousands of bucks on facial and spa treatments every day after her work is done?

Is this just an unravelable mystery?

Anna