An All American Girl

After peeking through my favorite blogs today, I feel a bit under-dressed ! I am liking the monochrome looks with shoes as the accessories, so when I found these lavender suede sandals for a song at Penny's, I snagged em' up, ( under 4 dollars!) . The thrift of the month was this Perry Ellis American satchel for six dollars yesterday. My knees literally wobbled as I picked it off the little purse tree. It could be because I was wearing platforms too :) I also have on a purple tank that showed through the sweater, but ya can't really see it here. Mixing textures made the outfit more fun as well.  I still can't get over the perfect leather satchel. The thrifty Gods were definitely smiling down on me !  This outfit made me feel kinda All-American and demurely sleek, with a touch of trendy.  I even wore my Aviator's and my hair IN the scarf  like the New York street stylers ;)   Watch out SJP !

I actually wore these home from my trip last week, which by the way I was pulled over for speeding !!! I nearly crapped myself, and handed him my credit card when he asked for my license. I offered him some fresh green beens and then proceeded to beg for mercy. He finally laughed and wrote me a warning ! Whew ! If only he knew I was writing a poem, taking photos of my shoes, eating donuts and applying make-up just moments before :)

And I must apologize in advance for all the crazy widget graphics.

I am loving playing with this site "Lunapics". You can do all kinds of funny stuff with your images for free, and It is so much fun and did I mention Free ? ;)

Sweater: Dorothee' Bis (TJMaxx)

Skirt: AE, cotton/thrifted ~ Scarf:thrifted ~ Shoes:JCPenny's ~ Over-Knee-Socks: Target

Sunglasses: Walgreen's ~ Tights: Covington,Sears ~ Satchel: Goodwill !

I'm On A Mission

Calling all you hard working, outfit posting, passionate bloggers to join in my mission ! I am determined to be the first woman over 30 to be featured on Weardrobe. This is not for the light weights. This is War !!! I have been a fan of Weardrobe for many months. Back in the days where you could look through tons of photos for inspiring bloggers who shared your interests, style choices and made some pretty cool outfit combos, I hesitantly created an avitar, and began posting my choices. This is about choices. The right to choose who we want to look at, without scrolling on and on and on and on..... Are you with me? If so, strap on those highest heels, the war paint we like to call "make-up", and grab your lipstick and a bottle of water.  I still visit the site, and still post my outfits, but am growing weary. I need some inspiration. So, I decided to start e-mailing them with every new photo I can, by clicking on the "featured" arrow, and getting down to business! If you see my photo, and you are a willing soldier of this campaign, hit the "Like" button. This is for all womankind! This mission is kind of like being the first female to set foot on the moon, the first female to break the glass lens!!! O.K. so it's more a mission of someone who needs a real job, but Hey! I still have goals! I AM every woman. Every woman who wishes for one sweet second in the lime-light. Who's with me? I want to see real women, in real street clothes, and maybe even standing in the street, darn it ! O.K. Enough already...... My blog is probably being deleted from their blog roll at this very moment :)............My outfit......... Kind of my battle garb !.............

I am really a live and let live kind of gal, but since I don't save lives with my bare hands, I can at least type and hit send pretty well :) Look out Weardrobe, Here I come !!! I will wear ya down ;)

A traditional tunic ( which I bought in red and gray also ). I like the way it is fitted, then draped with a low waist. Great for gorilla warfare. Belts don't sit well on my natural waist, as I found out, I'm an H shape and should wear them lower ( who knew? ) The site called www.insideoutstyleblog.com has a lot of neat facts about the why's and how's of outfits. They tell you why the pink and red combo you liked on someone else doesn't look the same on you due to the color palettes / color wheel  science. It's very interesting!  The belt is a skinny,studded F21 over an Old Navy cloth belt, Hat: Targei', Sunnies: dollar store, Necklace: the W place (thanks Kathryn!), Sandals: very old, Bag: Targei' clx. Leggings: F21 ( I think they're Heritage 81 ).

The photos really don't do this necklace justice.

Boo has been enjoying her time in the sun! She doesn't look a day over 10, but she's 18! Yikes! They grow up so fast :)

I did my roots, finally! See, I do have hair, but it is so hot!!!

The deets:

Earrings: Claire's.

This is my "Ya better watch it" pose. ( Actually, my Where are u Bitty-Bitty? look )

There she is..... Whew!

She's definitely getting into it !!! ( I need a drink )

 

Here are some out-takes and Weardrobe photos:

It's so friggin hot !!!

" Faded Looking" shots:

The blatant sexuality pose.

The big yellow butterfly prop photos ( I forgot them yesterday!)

The artsy-fartsy black and whites:

What do ya think? The first 45 yr.old featured blogger?

I'm really just kidding. ( Kinda ;)

SHINY COINS AND GOLDEN WISDOM

I love blogging! You could say I'm obsessed . First I want to thank all my wonderful new friends for their support, and say a big HI to my new followers! It means so much to feel appreciated and that others enjoy my point of view, even if you don't always agree with me. That's what's so beautiful about well rounded women. We encourage each other to be ourselves without apologies!!! O.K.... about my outfit !

It started with these shoes I thrifted. I believe their from the 80's. I loove the cameo faces on them! Just a year ago I would have not given them a second glance, but fashion blogging has made me appreciate all kinds of styles and not be stuck in one certain box. I now check all the little boxes! I still veer towards boho, but LOVE to mix it up and not be afraid of change. After all, fashion should be fun! An expression of our creativity and beauty. I will add a really neat editorial from Glamour at the end of this post. It really will be the most important 433 words you may ever read. It moved me to tears. But............... Back to the outfit!

I usually start with an accessory I want to wear, or shoes. Then I added my all time favorite pant by El Hurache. They have bleach stains and I originally bought them as p.j.'s, but they are the perfect baggy and gotta love a tie-waist and 100% cotton. I've had 'em for years. The more u wear 'em, the better they hang!
Then, a thrifted sequined top I bartered down to a dollar at Salvation Army. I love to mix styles, so I added a bohoish macrame' belt. A thrifted scarf and aviators and done. Eclectic City ! (Sorry about the cig. I'm trying to quit - send happy vibes to help me :)

Think about how many sequins it took to cover this top (a few are missing, but I don't mind). How much time it took to sew them on. I wouldn't sell it for a thousand dollars if I had to do all that beading!

THE MOST IMPORTANT 433 WORDS TO READ THIS MONTH

No matter how sophisticated and grown-up we become, everyone has her insecure days. In this excerpt from her new book, Eve Ensler celebrates the true power of a woman. Read it and send it on to a girlfriend you love.

Dear Emotional Creature: 

I believe in you. I believe in your authenticity, your uniqueness, your intensity, your wildness. I love the way you dye your hair purple, or hike up your short skirt, or blare your music while you lip-synch every single memorized lyric. I love your restlessness and your hunger. You possess the energy that, if unleashed, could transform, inspire and heal the world.

Everyone seems to have a certain way they want to be-your mother,father,teachers,religious leaders,politicians, boy-freinds,fashion gurus,celebrities,girlfriends. In reporting my new book, I learned a very disturbing statistic. 74 % of young women say they are under pressure to please everyone.

I have done a lot of thinking about what it means to please: to be the wish or will of somebody other than yourself. To please the fashion setters, we starve ourselves. To please men, we push ourselves when we aren't ready. To please our parents, we become insane over-achievers. If you are trying to please, how do you take responsibility for your own needs? How do you even know what your own needs are? The act of pleasing makes everything murky. We lose track of ourselves. We stop directing our lives. We forget what we know. We make everything O.K. rather than real.

I have had the good fortune to travel around the world. Everywhere I meet teenage girls and women giggling, laughing as they walk country roads or hang out on city streets. Eclectic girls. I see how their lives get hijacked, how their opinions and desires get denied and undone. So many of the women I have met are still struggling late into their lives to know their desires, to find their way.

Instead of trying to please, this is a challenge to provoke, to dare, to satisfy your own imagination and appetite. To take responsibility for who you are., to engage. Listen to the voice inside you that might want something different. It's a call to your original self, to move at your own speed, to walk with your step, to wear your color.

When I was your age, I didn't know how to live as an emotional creature. I felt like an alien. I still do a lot of the time. I am older now. I finally know the difference between pleasing and loving, obeying and respecting. It has taken me so many years to be O K with being different. With being this alive, this intense. I just don't want you to have to wait that long.      Love, Eve Ensler 

Eve Ensler's new book is I Am an Emotional Creature: The Secret Life of Girls Around the World.

( from Glamour Magazine, March 2010 )

I pass this on to all of you!

Love, * Reva *