Sorry sorry sorry!!

I know I’ve been a deadbeat blogger recently… but… school. and all of that.

How much do we love this nail polish though??

Yeah, not a great picture, but hey… it’s what you’ve got so deal with it. Mad Men on tonight. For all those of you who do not watch mad men, I highly recommend that you start. Also, if you want some more opinions on what movies/tv I like, head over to my other (and first) blog here!

Heels, Heels, Heels

I think that shoes aren’t appreciated enough, specifically, my shoes. I have a fabulous collection of all kinds of shoes and NO ONE. EVER. SEES THEM. This is mostly because I never have anywhere to wear them, but I would appreciate some one once seeing my shoes! So… why not here?!

First off, like I told everyone, you should get a pair of classic black and/or nude pumps. I happen to have both.

Suede, and perfect, these are my go to shoes for everything.

Patent “leather”, these are also fantastic. While, they do shoe off some toe cleavage in this picture, they actually are fabulous in real life, and the heel is so high it makes me about six foot. Intimidating, no?

While those are good for the colder weather, we all need something for when it’s warmer!

A low heel, with these amazing little poppies, they ridiculously expensive shoes (although I love shoes, I’m a shoe cheapie, so those above were naht that much) are amazing. Beautiful color, and the perfect accessory, they go great with anything white or black on a summer day.

Since these are navy I have never found really anything to wear these with beyond a white dress, but I love them. Although pretty classic, the twist in the front gives it an unusual bit.

And then there are just shoes for fun. Summer, winter, whenever, these shoes, we always love right?

Slingbacks are sexy, and I love the little sparkles on these.

These are probably my favorite pair of shoes ever. Hard to walk in, and screaming hooker, they are just on the edge of prostitute to get away with.

These on the other hand are not on the edge. Full on hooker.

Look familiar?

Carrie Bradshaw in the opening scene of Sex and the City 2! (okay so I had shoe envy…)

While this is not nearly all of my shoes (I believe I have three other pairs of wedges, a pair of Steve Madden shoes which when I wore in Boston Once, people literally thought I was a stripper and tried to inquire about my prices, countless gladiators, including some from Vienna, as well as some heels that simply didn’t make my list favorites (or were too hard to get on to take a picture). I can’t wait to wear heels every day when I have the opportunity! As you can see I’m well prepared.

Saturday in the Park

Today was one of those perfect, absolutely once in a lifetime days. The weather was fantastic, hardly any clouds, the temperature perfect, and so I headed downtown with my mom for a great day in Boston. We started in the Boston Common, walked through the gardens, wandered around Beacon Hill, then headed over to Newbury, grabbed lunch, and a fantastic bag.

It’s the perfect color brown, and will go with anything–it can be casual or dressy, it’s big so it fits over my arm, it’s got cute, tiny gold details that aren’t too much, just enough to dress it up a bit, it has a ton of space and quite a few pockets for fitting all of my stuff into (and is perfect for traveling in style). IT’S PERFECT!

(sorry for the less than perfect photo quality…)

While I’m not a huge bag person, here is my advice on bags. First of all, pick one that won’t go out of style fast–mine for example, while does have a few modern flourishes, is pretty classic and can be used for years to come. Also, don’t pick a bag that’s too small–not only because you can’t fit all of your stuff (which actually you probably can) but because small emphasizes big! If you are carrying a tiny bag against your arm, your arm in comparison will look bigger! Although I hate to say it, big backs (along with really big everything else) puts us more into proportion (this rule also goes for jewelry, jean or pant butt pockets, etc).

Here’s to the passing of Earl, and the beginning of a fabulous fall.

All dolled up…

I know that I said I was going to do scarves next, and although scarves are probably my favorite article of clothing after sweatshirts, at the request of my dear friend I am going to do a post on dresses.

Since I’m doing dresses, I might as well go on to do tights too! In the fall, I find that tights are a go to article underneath anything that isn’t, well… pants. So, here we go!

There are many many different types of dresses. Formal, semi-formal, casual, sundress, etc. Well, I’m going to do two types–casual and semi-formal. Let’s start with casual. Okay, so first of all, a trick with wearing a casual dress you want to be slimming is that usually dark colors are the more slimming ones, but they are also the more formal colors. For example, I have this black sleeveless dress that I wear a lot at the beach and it’s completely informal, and like literally makes me look 8 months pregnant, etc, but people think it’s really dressy because it’s black! Dumb. Anyway, a definite trick to less formal is the length. I would say go for the knee or a few inches above. Mini dresses are not flattering!! A few inches above the knee is fun, and slimming, but anything above a few inches is bad bad BAD. The knee I find is a good place because it doesn’t cut off your leg at all, and is still short enough to be considered casual. Usually material is another indicator of formal-ness. For slimming effect, don’t choose anything too tight that’s also too thin. Form fitting is always good. Do not choose things that are poofy because those make it loose. A lot of the time people think that loose is good, but actually it makes you look bigger than you are. I find that having a tighter waist that then flares is always slimming. Also, try to go for fabrics that aren’t clingy, because those show lines, etc that we don’t always want to show. Also, I find that if you have a dress that is way too flowy, a belt is a great way to fix that! I have one go to belt that I always use and it’s helped me with SO many outfits, so invest in one. It’ll pay off. So.. yeah! Now we can do pictures which I know is all we want to look at anyway.

Fall-casual dresses by autumnlavish featuring crochet dress

In between casual and semiformal I’ll do tights. So, tights are a great way to add something fun to an outfit. My tips are that tights should be in a dark color (white tights aren’t slimming, and while they’re fun, they don’t do anything great for the figure) and that patterns should be kept to a minimum. I have a few tights with plain pinstripes or zigzags, but if you want to wear tights that are extremely detailed be aware they draw attention to the legs, and usually to the thigh if your dress doesn’t cover there. Tights are great for wearing with fall outfits because you can wear shorter things without freezing. ALSO do not buy expensive tights. Tights rip easily. You will be sad when you buy tights for a lot of money and they rip on your toenail. Trust me.

Fall-Tights by autumnlavish featuring nylon leggings

Now on to semi-formal! Sooo formal wear I recommend going to the knee. I really think that that’s appropriate and makes it a little more formal. I also recommend darker colors, but patterns are fun, just not too outrageous. I love halters and halter like dresses because they emphasize the top and not the bottom. Also (and this is true with all tops) dresses that are v-necked or scoop necked, etc, show off the thinnest pat of your body and draw the attention up. Again, dresses are more slimming when you show off your waist! So make sure not to wear a mumu–that’s bad. Also, this is one of the most important: SLEEVES. NO CAP/BABYDOLL SLEEVES. They cut your arm at the fattest point and make your arms look HORRIBLE. Either do no sleeves, long sleeves, 3/4 sleeves, or something in there but NOTHING CUT LIKE THAT. ALSO no ruffles. Ruffles are meant to make bigger, which is why small girls with no boobs wear lots of ruffles on their boobs because it covers the fact that they have none. If you do not need to look bigger, don’t wear ruffles. Okay, picture time! (This is everyone’s favorite part, right? I mean, it must be. It’s mine!).

Fall- semiformal dresses by autumnlavish featuring rayon dress

I haven’t mentioned that I have a show obsession have I? Hmm… just maybe. I definitely recommend investing in a pair of black and nude pumps. They go with everything, are simple and classic. A heel that tapers down is good, but stilettos are not! They make you look like you’re being held up by something that can’t handle you, and they emphasize that you are bigger than your heel. More on shoes later though… that’s a whole other million blog posts. Maybe I’ll do a post on some fall shoes…. boots!

Keep tuned in lovelies 🙂

I’m Back!

Although I kind of abandoned this blog for a little bit, at a dear friend’s request I shall revive it. Although it’s possible it will again fall by the way side after school begins and all that, I think it’s still fun, and so we’ll see where it goes!

Although fall is coming up, and I HATE having to go back to school and all of that, fall happens to be both my favorite season AND my favorite clothing season! I love being able to go out in jeans and a sweatshirt, but still being able to get away with shorts and something a little heavier on top. It’s fantastic. One of my favorite reasons for fall is I can break out my leather jacket! And here begins my first fall dressing section…

Oh, leather jacket, let me count the ways I love you… Okay, so I’m not THAT in love with it, but it is quite a find, I must say. I happen to have picked it up in Turkey while I was there a few years back, and while I highly recommend Turkey in every way, it is a tad inconvenient to fly off just to pick up a leather jacket… but I do have some suggestions for leather, or really any jackets in particular. First of all, do not make it too short OR too long. Cropped jackets are not flattering. They emphasize your stomach, and it’s hard for anyone to pull them off. Jackets that are too long stretch over the hips and emphasize those–the only time to go longer than hip is in the winter with bigger, coats, but when dealing with fall jackets, we want to go tighter, and lighter, so no stretching over hips!! I’d say they should stop about two inches above your hips–it emphasizes a thin place right above your hips. Also, don’t pick anything too outrageous. You want to make sure that your jacket will last through seasons, and that it doesn’t draw too much attention to any unwanted areas which bright colors sometimes too. If it’s bright (and I do own a bright purple jacket, I admit) it must be BLOCK PRINT. Yeah I think that’s it. We can move to pictures now.

Fall, jackets by autumnlavish featuring leather jacket

I’ve decided to do fall stretched out. So, for now, there’s jackets (leather or otherwise). Next up: scarves!! Stay tuned 🙂

Aspirations

"Sometimes when people get what they want, they realize how limited their dreams were." – Joan Holloway, Mad Men

Plinky

I’m trying out this new website called plinky. It provides a prompt when you just can’t seem to get anything in your head to write about. I probably won’t use it very often, but I think that it’ll be fun sometimes.

Dressing for the Heat

During the winter it’s easy to bundle up and feel secure in comfy sweaters, long pants and scarves, but in the summer we lose this luxury. I am a summer clothing fanatic and absolutely adore when the warm weather roles around. But often showing skin also shows self-confidence concerns. I have found my away around this.

First order to business is to find many very cute casual dresses. In the summer, it’s even better if they’re not skin tight since being lose will enable them to be cooler. I myself like to find ones in bright colors, and fun prints, but the occasional solid block one is good for accessorizing. Dresses that fall at the knee are usually a good length–they don’t cut your leg short, but still aren’t too conservative (unless it’s a maxi dress and then there are totally different rules). Also, strap wise, either go for longer sleeves, or nor sleeves at all. Cap sleeves accentuate the width of the arm and are not flattering in the least.

Summer Dresses by autumnlavish featuring Forever21 dresses

Next is to find a great pair of shorts. Now, I know that shorts can sometimes start a controversy. I have read all of those plus-sized advice columns that say, find shorts that go to or just above the knee. I disagree. Unless they truly are Bahama shorts, they should be at the regular place on your leg. I’m not saying go to find a short that shows off your butt because that is the worst idea I’ve ever heard of no matter what size you are, but find a short that you feel comfortable with the length. Make sure it’s short enough not to cut your leg off, but long enough not to accentuate anything we don’t want to see. My staple pair are linen, a little loose and extremely comfortable. I also recommend buying shorts a size larger so that they aren’t too tight and actually allow you to look like your a little too small for your clothes, accentuating tiny-ness (for jean shorts, boyfriend cut always help with this goal).

summer shorts by autumnlavish featuring GAP shorts

Last, find great accessories! Just because it’s summer doesn’t mean those go out the window. Sunglasses are ALWAYS a must, not just for fashion purposes but for the safety of your vision. Find some that fit your head, and remember that big is in–don’t get too small, it just looks ridiculous. A great hat is always fun and can add to the ensemble, great for avoiding too much sun on your face as well. Shoes are always a must, and while flip flops are a summer staple, I recommend finding some great gladiators–they also add a little extra.

summer extras by autumnlavish featuring Monsoon shoes

So go! Have fun in the sun! Don’t let your fear of summer clothing hold you back, but accentuate what you’ve got and be proud. Find flattering outfits, and flaunt it.

Observation

Today my family and I were watching some dumb TV, and while my parents went to go grab a drink in the kitchen I watched an ad for an upcoming show about overweight children losing weight. In addition to this, there have been ads for a new show called Huge about a girl sent to a “fat camp” by her parents. These shows disturb and offend me. If someone made a television show about anorexic children/adults gaining weight, people would think it was distasteful and disgusting. Why is this any different with losing weight? Why is it that people who are overweight are publicly displayed to the world while those who are too thin are left to their own privacy?

As someone who has struggled with weight my entire life, I find it sad that people think that being too thin is sad while being too heavy is funny, or amusing, or “that person’s fault”. As someone who has been on countless diets and done more exercise than many of my thinner friends have in their lifetime in one week, I would like to protest this mindset. While it is true that sometimes people don’t try to work on their weight and can lead to their own weight issues, there are those of us who have tried and are afflicted with medical issues that prevent us from our goals.

So please, next time you see someone who you think brought their condition upon themselves, think twice about their situation and how they might be doing everything right and are prevented by uncontrollable means.

Summer Suits

So because I’m no newbie to blogging I’m just gonna start this right off–no silly introductions or getting to know me kind of things. I’ve kind of discovered that no one likes those anyway, so let’s go!

Since it is summer I thought the first issue I would tackle is swim suits. For all of us who do not have swim suit bodies, this is a nightmare. For years and years I convinced myself that I could get away with wearing a bikini, and now own a small collection of absolutely adorable ones, and not that I have thrown away the dream of one day being able to go to the beach with almost nothing on, I have realized and accepted that at the current moment I am in no position to do so.

The first time I tried on a shape-advancing bathing suit I was humiliated. I kept thinking to myself that this wasn’t me, and that I shouldn’t be wearing one. But to be honest, I have come to love and appreciate them. Now, I can go to the beach with so much more confidence, and while I use to never take my shorts and t-shirt off, obtaining simply dreadful tan lines, I know feel the ability to walk around in the swim suit I actually come in instead of regretting wearing something that doesn’t quite fit me.

While these suits can be kind of pricey, I have found some great ones at stores such as Land’s End.  I know that this not exactly fashion at it’s highest, but they do have some great, simply, classic swim suits that I have found work great for me throughout the summer months.

A few of my favorites that have gotten me through the past couple of summers are the classic black bathing suit, this one with a twist in front, giving a little something extra. While it comes in other colors as well, I own it in black and always think of it as my go to suit.

This suit is great. I find that when looking for a one piece, it seems as if you always get stuck in the same rut–same patterns, same shape, etc. While this does only come in block colors, the one shoulder gives it something extra and makes it so much more fun than wearing the same old shape that one pieces always come in. Though, it does give you some kind of weird tan lines, so I might watch out for those.

Also, not a specific suit in particular, but I find that although many of the suits at Land’s End are simply block colors, there a few great ones that come in some prints that I have yet to find anywhere else. They’re not absolutely fantastic, but I find that one pieces can often become boring because of the lack of color diversity. But, in this case? Not true. Their prints aren’t too overwhelming as to become outlandish, but do make a suit something different from the normal every day one piece! For example, I have one with a bamboo print that I adore (unfortunately I can’t find it on their website, because it’s very possible it was a sale item last year….).

While that is my advice for those of you (like me) who can’t afford to spend hundreds on swim suits, and in fact would rather spend it on something else, my suggestions for some great swim suits is to head to Macy’s. There’s one in particular I have had my eye on for forever! This one is terrific. It’s far beyond the typical one piece (love the strapless!) and comes in some fabulous colors.

My last piece of advice is to not always go after black. While black is slimming, I find that get so bored with having 5 different bathing suits that all look pretty much the same. Go for a print! Even if the print is black and white, it mixes it up and leaves you feeling good in your choices instead of feeling limited.

So go to the beach! Grab a great towel, a great read (I recommend the Millennium trilogy by Stiegg Larson, I haven’t been able to put it down!) and a friend and head out to soak in the sand.

Beach by autumnlavish featuring Yves Saint Laurent sunglasses