Daily MelWear: Red Leopard

Hi everyone!

A couple of you guessed my self-imposed challenge for the week, although I suppose I didn't make it very difficult. :) My challenge is to attempt to wear pants!

Here's the funny thing: I used to HATE skirts and dresses.  I was too much of a tomboy. Skirts and dresses were way too girly and I didn't like them. 

After the past several months of my style evolution, they've become my staple. They're simple, comfortable and it's easy to find ones that are flattering.

Now trying to go back to wearing pants is difficult for me! All of these pants are from YEARS ago. They're all the same silhouette so trying to come up with new looks is no easy task. And I don't find them particularly comfortable.  I think maybe I need to lose a few more pounds for them to fit comfortably again. I'll work on that.

But for now, I'm finding inspiration in other bloggers! This outfit was inspired by Kimberly's post from yesterday. I don't own a leopard print jacket (although now I wish I did!) but I do have this blouse that I thrifted.  Red and leopard is fun for me so I opted for my red tank instead of the turquoise like Kimberly wore. Add a belt (would you expect anything else from me?) and some red/black pumps and I'm ready to rock. Or roll.  Or just go to work.

 How was your Monday? I hope you're all having a great week so far!

Today's outfit:

Leopard Blouse: Salvation Army

Red Tank: Charlotte Russe

Black Slacks: Charlotte Russe

Black Belt: Salvation Army

Red/Black Pumps: Payless

Daily MelWear: A Challenge

Hi everyone! How was your weekend? Mine was pretty great! Saturday night I threw a surprise party for my husband (I did take pictures of my dress but will save those for another post) and it was GREAT!

This week I decided that in light of recent events, I'm going to impose a fashion challenge on myself.  But I'm not going to tell you what it is. Although you're all really smart and can probably figure it out. You can take guesses though. I don't have a prize for the winner; just the satisfaction of knowing you're right. :)

This purplish-pink shirt has been in my closet for a while and I've thought about getting rid of it several times. I really like the floral embellishment on the left side which is why I've kept it, plus I think the bright color is really pretty, but it's a little too big, the shoulders slip down and it's kind of long. 

I put it on over top of the black dress that I wore to church on Sunday and kind of liked the idea of layering something underneath. I didn't wear it on Sunday so I figured I'd try it today. My first instinct was a black shirt but then I decided to look for another color that would play nicely and the green just jumped out at me. The gray slacks and silver stilettos were the neutrals I needed, along with the black necklace and belt. 

Honestly I think these pictures turned out a lot better than the outfit did in person. I do really like the color combo.  The sleeves are still slipping down so mayb next time I'll pick a shirt with sleeves to layer underneath instead of a tank. 

So how was your weekend? Do you have any fun plans for tonight or this week?

Today's outfit:

Purple Floral Tee: Plato's Closet

Green Tank: Target

Gray Slacks: Kohl's

Silver Stilettos: Payless

Black Necklace: Wal-Mart

Daily MelWear: TGIF!

I don't know about the rest of you, but I am SO glad it's Friday.  

I can't even begin to express how awful this past week has been.  Wednesday's post was just the tip of iceberg; that's not even the half of it. 

Part of me wishes that I could go into detail about things because you are all so supportive and kind and WISE in your advice and responses, but that would be neither smart nor professional.  So I won't. Suffice it to say that while I adore my co-workers, the patients are great and the work that I do is okay, the actual working environment is not healthy.

I'm trying very hard to change my attitude.  I know that I make the choice in how to react to the environment around me.  This depression is hard to shake, though. I feel stuck because right now, I get Fridays off with my daughter.  I have yet to find another position where that is possible.  What I'd really like is to somehow work from home (doing something with the computer: writing, transcription, etc.), but I don't enjoy working on the phone and customer service/reservation agent/sales rep positions are the only ones that I've found thus far. 

Enough whining. Sorry!

Today I just wanted to be comfortable.  I really considered throwing on some sweats and leaving it at that. Except that I don't even own sweats.  And my house gets up to 80 degrees in the afternoon; it's so hot right now that our AC can't keep up. Then I figured I might as well get dressed. This strapless denim dress is so versatile and gets a lot of use on weekends.  The cardigan great for warm weather because of the cap sleeves - and by the way, it's a really pretty purple but looks blue on my computer, not sure why. The belt gives everything some shape and it's elastic so it's still very comfortable. 

And then there's the leopard flats. Can't go wrong with those. :) 

Notice the lack of jewelry? Yeah, that's me just not feeling it right now. I may add some if we go out to dinner tonight.  

My husband had a great birthday yesterday! His audition for The Mouse went really, really well so we're hopeful about that position. Keep praying! Tomorrow we're going to dinner with some friends for his birthday. I have no idea what I'm going to wear and may hit Ross in the afternoon if I can. If I come up with something decent, I'll take pictures.

By the way, I'm WAY behind on responding, reading and commenting right now (that seems to happen to me a lot) so if you haven't heard from me, that's why.  I'm trying! :)

What do you all have planned for tonight? Do you have any fun plans for the weekend?

Denim Strapless Dress: Ross

Purple Cardigan: Plato's Closet

Black Belt: Kohl's

Leopard Flats: Target

Friend Friday: Fall Fashion

The past few Friend Friday posts have been some rather serious subjects. This week Katy decided to lighten it up a bit to discuss Fall Fashion!

1. What new fashion trend are you looking forward to sporting this fall?

This is kind of a loaded question for me. Six months ago, I was dressing differently than I am now. My style has evolved in such a few months that I'm not sure where my "new" style will take me in the fall.  Last fall/winter, I never, EVER would have thought to wear booties with dresses or skirts; they were strictly for pants/jeans and only my knee-high boots would come out for skirts and dresses.  I also wore pants ALL of the time. It was extremely rare for me to wear a skirt or dress.  So this time around, I'm excited to get a lot more use out of my booties and to start wearing tights and leggings!

2. Which item in your closet is most likely to be your go-to transition piece?

I'm thinking my white cardigan with the lace back. It's so pretty, lightweight, 3/4 sleeves and perfect for the warm fall weather typical of Florida.

3. What item from last year are you looking forward to reinventing this fall?

My red booties! Not sure you can really reinvent a shoe, but I'm excited to get more use out of it with skirts and dresses this year!

4. What is your favorite part about this time of the year?

I don't really have a favorite part about fall.  My favorite season is winter because of Christmas.  Fall in Florida doesn't bring about much change weather-wise so it's kind of like an extended summer. The only difference is that school has started and Halloween is coming.  Maybe that's my favorite part - candy!

5. Will you be attending any fashion events this fall? 

Sadly, no. I'm not aware of any local fashion events and I don't really have the money to attend any kind of conferences or travel anywhere else. 

Be sure to check out the other Friend Friday posts by visiting Katy's blog! There are a ton of great bloggers who participate!

Daily MelWear: Little Lady

Happy Thursday, everyone! I’m so glad I have tomorrow off.

First off, I want to thank all of you for your comments on yesterday’s random post about my “too short” dress.

I honestly would not have made it through the day yesterday without getting all of your comments in my email. Your encouragement, support, empathy and advice were needed far more than I can express. YOU are the reason that I started blogging and wanted to become a part of this community! Thank you so, so much for taking the time to share your thoughts with me – and that goes for EVERY post, not just yesterday’s! Thank you!

In reviewing our corporation’s attire guidelines, we’re permitted to wear skirts ranging in length from mid-calf to ankle. Apparently showing your knees at all is a no-no. My particular department is a little bit more lenient; however, clearly not as lenient as I thought.

We’re also not allowed to wear open-toe shoes (I’ve whined about that on numerous occasions and as lenient as my office might be, that is one rule by which they do abide. I can’t even wear peep-toes and that makes me so sad!), our earrings are not supposed to extend below the earlobe (yeah, I don’t follow that one), our necklaces are to be only thin gold or silver chains with small pendants if necessary (don’t follow that one either) and there are some other things in there about not wearing colors that are too bright or patterns that are too bold.

So yeah, I guess I do get a lot of leeway considering how overly conservative our dress code is.

There was serious consideration this morning about wearing a suit. But then I thought maybe that was going a bit too far. I tend to be rather sarcastic and facetious and opted instead to take a more subdued, calm and professional approach in today’s outfit.

I’ve had this shirt for a while; it was a birthday gift from a co-worker and I’ve been stumped as to how to style it. I saw Kate’s post last week where she wore it with a skirt and belt and a light bulb went off! Thanks for the inspiration, Kate!

I did throw on the blazer for good measure. That’s just a little bit of my sarcasm.

AND – today is my husband’s birthday!!! Happy birthday, Pat! Not like he reads my blog, but whatever. As I’m typing this, he’s at Disney auditioning for an opera singer gig. He is PERFECT for that so I really hope he gets it! If you think about it, please pray for him! He really wants this and I want it for him. What a great birthday present, could you imagine?!

Okay I’ve gotten too wordy again. Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Today’s outfit:

Tee: Wal-Mart

Skirt: Target

Belt: Salvation Army

Brown Studded Heels: Wal-Mart

Green Necklace/Earrings: Beya

Brown Blazer: Ross (I think…)

Going Against the Code

You guys...

I just had to share this and get it off my chest.

My supervisor just pulled me into another office to discuss my attire.

She informed me that my skirt yesterday was questionable and today another supervisor made a comment about today's dress to her.

She provided me with a print out copy of our company's dress code and asked me to review it again.

I wanted to point that her skirt last week was well above knee length, which is what prompted me to assume my skirt length was also acceptable. But I didn't.

So apparently yes, I do need to go shopping for some new skirts because even as short as I am, my skirts are too short.

A part of me really feels like crap and I kind of want to cry right now. But I have a meeting to go to.  So I won't.

Daily MelWear: From Day to Evening

I'm so glad it's Wednesday! Normally I'd much prefer Fridays but today I'm just glad it isn't Monday and I only have two more days to work. 

Tonight we're going to a birthday party for a friend at a Greek place that has belly dancers on tables and all sorts of crazy antics.  My husband and I haven't been here yet but everyone keeps saying it's awesome, so we're excited.

This outfit is my attempt at the simplest way to go from day to evening.  It's proof that a cardigan and belt can make practically any outfit look more office appropriate.

Still, the dress is a bit too short. I can't wait until I'm able to wear tights and leggings. Then again, I really hate cold weather (hence the reason I live in Florida).

I do really love the rosebud details on the waist! I had to cover them up with the belt because I just need the belt with this cardigan, but isn't this a great detail?

Enough whining! How was everyone's evening last night? Do you have any fun plans for the rest of this week or is it just work until the weekend?

Today's outfit:

Black Strapless Dress: Ross

Blue Zebra Cardigan: Wal-Mart

Black Belt: Kohl's (came with another shirt...that I apparently rarely wear.)

Leopard Heels: Payless

Pink Necklace/Earrings: Beya

Daily MelWear: Purple, Gray and White

Oh, scrubs are comfy.  I'm really glad I was able to wear them yesterday.  As one commenter mentioned, I probably would yearn to get a little more dressed up if I was required to wear scrubs, but it would be nice to have the option.

Anyway.

This outfit is comprised entirely of items from Plato's Closet during Tax Free Weekend! Except the shoes. Those were on sale at Target. And the belt; that was from Wal-Mart.  Okay, MOST of the outfit is from Plato's Closet. Technicalities.

I think the skirt is a little short for work (How does that keep happening considering that I'm not even five feet tall? Shouldn't most skirts be too long on me?) but my boss wore one that was even shorter a few weeks ago, so I figure I'm just fine.

I love the embellished neckline on the gray tee.  I wish I had some gray pearl earrings to add but I only have white (ahem, FAKE) pearls. It's nice to not have to worry about jewelry though! I just wore my watch that I have on every day and I was good to go.  I tried on my wedding rings again too.  Still too small.  I'm back down to my pre-pregnancy weight, but my rings still don't fit. How annoying.

Guess what? Monday is OVER and we all made it through (relatively) unscathed! I'm going to celebrate with some coffee.

How was your Monday? Do you have any exciting plans for today/tonight?

Today's outfit:

Gray Tee: Plato's Closet (Charlotte Russe)

Purple Cardigan: Plato's Closet (Old Navy)

White Skirt: Plato's Closet (LOFT)

White Belt: Wal-Mart

Floral Flats: Target

Daily MelWear: Gettin' Comfortable

Well HI! It's Monday! I'm trying to psyche myself up! It's not working!

Oh well.  It was worth a shot.

This outfit is one that I've worn before, but deleted the pictures before I uploaded them.  Duh.  So I wore it again and took more pictures.  These pictures came out kind of crappy-like because of the time of day. Sorry about that.

I saw someone else wear a shirtdress with another shirt underneath and I thought to myself, "Why on earth did I not think of this on my own?!" It's a great way to rework this dress.  It's not a full shirtdress so I'm not able to layer another dress underneath it, but a shirt...that I can do.

I must admit that this is NOT what I'm wearing to work today.  Someone asked me on FormSpring why I don't post more casual, weekend outfits. Since I'm not wearing anything particularly thrilling today, I figured it was the perfect day to post a weekend outfit. I wore this on Saturday when we ran errands, trying to sell some things to make some extra money, went to lunch and then just crashed for the night.

Saturday's outfit:

Chambray Shirtdress: Wal-Mart

Black/White Striped Tee: Macy's

Teal Belt: Salvation Army

Gold Floral Shoes: Target

Pink Necklace/Earrings: Beya

As some of you may (or may not) know, I work in the research office for the diabetes outpatient clinic at a local hospital. We do studies on new glucose meters and medications and comparative studies too. I'm the administrative assistant and the only person in my department who is not a nurse. Although many of the girls who work the front office at the clinic are also non-clinical, they all wear scrubs every day. 

However, my boss has informed me that I can only wear the hospital-issued scrubs (they were actually an employee appreciation gift!) no more than once a week, and I'm not allowed to wear any other type of scrubs. Her reasoning that I shouldn't wear scrubs is because I'm non-clinical and she wouldn't want a patient to mistake me for a nurse or medical assistant and ask me questions.  Apparently it's out of the question for me to just state that I'm not a nurse, cannot offer any medical advice and they need to contact their doctor with concerns.

Anyway, I haven't worn scrubs EVER because she made me feel like she'd really prefer that I don't wear them at all.  However - she's off today so I'm wearin' 'em! I considered wearing a belt but then I thought that would be entirely unprofessional in this type of uniform.  I did make it my own a little bit with the necklace and hairband. Plus my Sketchers sneakers are SPARKLY!

I'm so comfy today. Although the shirt is so baggy that with it tied, my butt looks like one of Cinderella's stepsisters' butts. (Is it obvious that I'm a mom when I compare my butt to that of a Disney character? Oy.)

Today's outfit:

Black Scrub Pants and Teal Scrub Top: work-issued

Sketchers Sneakers: DSW

Necklace: Wal-Mart

Hairband: can't remember - either Wal-Mart or Target

So is there anything you wish you could wear to work all the time? If you are a stay-at-home-mom, is there anything you wish you had the opportunity to wear more often?

Friend Friday: Conspicuous Consumption

Katy mentioned that this week's Friend Friday topic is something that is a heavy topic in the world of style and fashion bloggers. Being completely honest though, it's not something that I've thought about in regards to what other people should or shouldn't be doing. I try very hard to not judge how people spend their money or run their blogs. Hopefully that won't make my answers too boring!

1. Do you think fashion blogs are often just conspicuous consumption? Are some?

I do think that some are. There are quite a few that post weekly or even daily about sales and what they're buying this time.  Sometimes, honestly, I do get a little bit jealous because they talk about how this $100 dress is now on sale for $50 and it's such a steal! Well...I can't even afford a $50 "steal". I buy dresses at Ross for $10! That's about what I can afford. So my goal is not to buy as much as possible, but rather to work with what I have more creatively, to buy things from thrift/consignment stores or serious discount stores, or to find things on deep discount. I only buy things full price from places like Ross, Wal-Mart and Target.

2. As bloggers do we have the obligation to explain our personal financial status, how we pay for the things we showcase, if we have debt, etc...

Nope. No one is obligated to explain their personal financial information. If people want to read about financial topics, they can read financial blogs. Fashion bloggers don't have to explain a thing. 

3. Critics often say that fashion bloggers should use their money to support more worthwhile causes than clothing themselves in a different outfit daily. What's your reaction to this?

I don't use my money to showcase different outfits.  I try to create outfits by reusing pieces as much as possible in an effort to not spend money, which will hopefully encourage other people to work with their current wardrobe too. Besides, everyone has their own opinion about what constitutes a worthwhile cause.

4. Since you started blogging, do you spend more money on fashion and beauty products?

Well, definitely not beauty products because I'm just not into that.  I have my core make-up products that I use and that's about it.  As far as clothing, I'm finding myself wanting to shop more often than I used to, but now I have a goal of finding great things on clearance or in thrift stores. I don't care so much anymore about the newest, full-price pieces. Yes, I love trends but I need to find the ones I can get least expensively!

5. Life is about more than what money can buy. What are the things that top your list of what life is all about?

Loving God. Spending time with my family. Making sure they know that they are my top priority. Raising my daughter to be confident, independent, dependable, wise and in love with God. 

Daily MelWear: Walkin' on the Wild Side

I remembered yesterday that I have a three hour meeting this morning. 

Mornings are usually when I try to catch up on blog reading and commenting.  As much as I love my iPhone, this isn't something I've been able to use it for. I have an app called MobileRSS (there are three of them; I'm using the free version) that is REALLY fantastic and I love it - except for one HUGE flaw.  The vast majority of the time when I click in the box to type a comment, the keyboard pops up for a second and then goes away.  Over and over and over again.  It won't stay open for me to type anything. 

It's so incredibly frustrating.  When I try to visit the blog's actual site using Safari, I can't see the captcha to submit my comment.  I can see the captcha in MobileRSS, but then I can't get the keyboard to stick so that I can type a comment. I"ve tried other free RSS Readers but with all of those, I also can't see the captcha. 

I know that I'll have time during this meeting to catch up on my blogs but I want to be able to comment too! I'm really, really frustrated by this.  I don't want to spend money on another RSS app that might have the same issues, so I'm trying all of the free ones so far. 

Plus I have a meeting with my boss this afternoon so I'm pretty sure that I won't have any time other than during this meeting to get caught up.

Do any of you have any iPhone app recommendations?  PLEASE?!

Okay so on to the outfit: like I said, I'd forgotten until yesterday that I had this meeting to attend.  I work for a HUGE hospital but don't actually work in the main medical plaza, so I rarely see anyone else in the organization other than my immediate co-workers.  Since I'll probably be meeting people today I wanted to look professional, but still myself. 

This outfit is similar to one that I wore during my pre-blog days.  I saw another blogger wear something along these same lines and it reminded me of what I'd worn before, so I decided to try another version of it for this meeting. I like the subtle pattern mixing between the zebra sash and the leopard pumps. Everything about this outfit is super comfortable. I also have a blazer that I didn't photograph, but that's only in case the meeting room is cold. 

So seriously...please let me know if you have recommendations for RSS apps for the iPhone. 

And...I'm done. Have a great Thursday, everyone!

Today's outfit:

Black Skirt: Kohl's

Red Blouse: Kohl's (I think...I suddenly can't remember)

Zebra Sash: Ross (came with a shirt)

Leopard Pumps: Payless

Daily MelWear: Secret Lace

This outfit is inspired by a few bloggers.  Several of you yesterday wore light outfits with dark accessories, and I loved the contrast.  Also, Jenny from Closet 365 created a project for herself recently where she re-styled all of the dresses that she's worn to weddings in the past few years, in an attempt to get more use out of them and to prove that great dresses don't always need special occassions. 

That reminded me of this dress, which I wore to my brother's wedding about five years ago.  Since then, I've worn it to church (I think...) and that's about it.  It just hangs in my closet.  I really like the floral print and think it's a great dress, although on its own I think it might be a little juvenile for me at this point.  At any rate, this cardigan is one of those that I bought at Ross over the weekend and I thought it'd be perfect to pair with the dress so that I can wear it to work!

I threw on the black belt and shoes and I was set to go.  And LOOK - look at the back of the cardigan.  Isn't that fantastic?! I love this cardigan. It's just so soft, lightweight and gorgeous with the lacey back.

Yay! I wonder if this dress would look okay in the winter with black tights and a black sweater. Hm.  Thoughts to ponder.

AND - it's Wednesday! In case you weren't aware. {Just call me Captain Obvious.} That's means Monday is long past and we're closer to the weekend!

How was everyone's Tuesday? Do you have any fun plans for tonight?

Today's outfit:

Dress: Ross

Cardigan: Ross

Belt: Kohl's (came with a shirt)

Shoes: Wal-Mart

Necklace: Wal-Mart 

Daily MelWear: Flower Girl

Good morning! I had a great time reading over your comments and thoughts on yesterday's post about replying to comments.  It seems like some of you already have a great system in place that works for you and some others are in the same boat with me, trying to figure out what will fit in best with our blogs and our schedules.

If you haven't already, go back and leave your two cents! Or one cent.  However much you've got.

So last night, I came home to a yummy spinach salad that my husband made from a recipe in Men's Health magazine.  Light, delicious, healthy...and then we had some homemade chocolate guinness ice cream to top it off.  Negate much? Eh. We just had a little bit.

I'm having mood swings with this outfit.  This skirt is actually one of the strapless dresses that I bought at Ross over the weekend. I have quite a few fun, casual outfit ideas in mind but it was more difficult for me to come up with something office appropriate.  At first I didn't like this version.  I thought the neckline of the tee didn't look right.  Then I pulled the skirt up higher, pulled the tee down so it fit tighter and I kind of liked it again.  Added the necklace and heels and it was okay! Then I got to work, saw it in the mirror and I'm not sure again.  I'm wondering if the skirt is a little too full for my short self. It might work better with an untucked shirt (still belted, of course). I don't find this to be a very professional outfit at all, but at least there's nothing about it that is specifically inappropriate for work.

What do you think?

Today's outfit:

Floral Skirt (Strapless Dress): Ross

Pink Tee: Target

Brown Belt: Salvation Army

Brown Studded Heels: Wal-Mart

Floral Statement Necklace: Target

Daily MelWear: Blue and Red - and some questions!

Hi everyone! Are you glad it's Monday?!

Yeah.  Me neither.

This weekend was lots of fun and I really didn't want it to be over.  My parents kept our daughter overnight so we went to dinner with some friends, slept in, went for scones and coffee and were surprised to see a very good friend of mine there too.  I haven't seen her in years so it was great to see her and her husband, and meet their baby girl. We'd planned to do some tax-free shopping but I just wanted to stay there and chat with her for hours. So we did.

Eventually we had to leave for our family barbecue which was TONS of fun in the pool. 

I tried to do some shopping after that at the mall, but you guys...I'm OLD.  I walked into Charlotte Russee and was a little overwhelmed with all the good stuff.  My budget was pretty small and I can't break myself out of the mindset that I need to get as much as possible for as little money as possible (see? OLD.) so I ended up not trying anything on and heading to Forever 21.

Big mistake.  That place was a madhouse.  There was a waiting line for the dressing rooms, too many people to move freely, half the stock was on the floor, the music was too loud...ugh. 

I ended up going to Ross and getting a few things that I've been wanting (jeggings, a long white cardigan and a vest - I also picked up two strapless dresses that can also be worn as skirts OR as tunics, so yay!), while my husband took The Princess to get some ice cream.

My husband hadn't been feeling well that night so we decided to sleep in on Sunday and skip church.  We had a leisurely breakfast at home, then my father-in-law got there in time for lunch and more shopping! We went to a children's resale store and bought TONS of twirly dresses.  That's all she's been wanting to wear lately, so I didn't even pick up any dress that didn't twirl.  We got a few pairs of shoes too. I'm so grateful to my father-in-law for taking us shopping for her with each season! She's got some great stuff that she should be able to wear next year too, because I bought the next size up, and then once winter hits, he's planning to take us shopping for warm clothes. Yay!

Then while she napped, he stayed with her so that my husband and I could head over to Plato's Closet where I got a few more things I've been waiting to get: a basic yellow tank and a white skirt.  I also bought a gray tee with jewel embellishments on the neckline and a purple cardigan.

Hooray for tax-free shopping!

Okay so this dress...I bought this when my daughter was just months weeks old and I had to find something to wear to my friend's wedding rehearsal dinner (so this was WAY before I lost the baby weight - but it surprisingly still fits okay!). It was in November so I've always associated this dress with winter and I've always worn it with a black cami underneath.  Today's outfit is a testament to how style blogging has changed me.  I'm wearing this in the summer time with the sleeves pushed up and I added red accents! I'm excited to see how I can remix this dress now that my view on color combos and layering has changed. 

And now for my questions: since I'm still really new to this whole blogging thing, I need to know how you guys feel about responding to comments. 

To be honest, I very, VERY rarely ever go back to a post after I've commented on it just to see if my comment received a response.  In fact, I think I've maybe done that twice. Ever. For the most part, I leave comments and then I just kind of hope to hear back from the blogger in some other way, shape or form.

So here are my questions:

1. Do you want me to try to respond to comments that you all leave by posting another comment of my own?

2. Is there a better way that I could be responding to comments, via email or something else?

3. Should I respond to all comments or only the ones that ask a question or otherwise warrant a response?

Let me know! I value your opinions very much. Thanks for sharing them with me!

Today's outfit:

Dress: Ross

Red Tank: Plato's Closet

Red Snakeskin Belt: Salvatin Army

Red/Black Pumps: My mom (Payless)

Turquoise Necklace/Earrings: Wal-Mart 

Tax Free Shopping!!!

For those of us that live in Florida, today through Sunday is the one and only Tax Free Shopping Weekend for 2010. 

To see if and when your state participates, along with any restrictions, check the link here.

My husband and I are planning to do some shopping tomorrow for ourselves (because YES! It includes adult clothing as well!) and then on Sunday, my father-in-law is coming into town after church to take us shopping for The Princess. 

So excited!  Are you planning to take advantage of your state's Tax Free Holiday this year? At which stores do you think you'll shop?

PS - some reminders! Don't forget to follow A Working Mom's Closet on Twitter and Facebook, ask me anything on FormSpring, and send me an email  at {aworkingmomscloset (at) gmail (dot) com} just to say hi!

Friend Friday: Size

For this week's edition of Friend Friday, Katy is asking questions about body size. Considering the wide range of body shapes and sizes in the style blogging community, I think this is a fascinating subject and I can't wait to see some of the other bloggers' answers!

1. Should someone's size stop them from fashion blogging or having a voice in the community?  

Absolutely not! I can think of several women who are bigger than me (well, I'm short so that doesn't take much) and several women who are teeny tiny, and I feel like they all have such fabulous style! The style blogging community would be sorely lacking without their contributions which have NOTHING at all to do with their size.  

 

2. In your opinion, can the term "curvy" and "plus-sized" be used interchangeably when it comes to fashion?

I don't think so.  I think that a lot of women who aren't plus sized are still curvy.  Curves have nothing to do with what size clothing you wear. Curves have more to do with your body shape. 

 

3.  Many people make the argument that catering to plus sized women would promote being overweight as "okay".  What do you think?  Should more designers be catering to plus size women?

I think designers should cater to plus size women as much as they cater to any other size.  Designers don't have the right to regulate the size of women and should consider it their jobs as designers to give ALL women the ability to feel fabulous in their clothing.  

 

4.  Should the mainstream fashion industry be showcasing more plus size models?

Absolutely. There are so many plus size women that are drop dead gorgeous! Size has nothing to do with style.  Size may affect a person's confidence, which in turn affects how that person dresses, but there are people who are confident in who they are regardless of their body size, who let their style shine, and those are the people who should be modeling!

5. For you personally, how do you view your size, the struggle with it through the years, your ideal size, etc...

I've always had issues with my weight.  I was overweight most of my life and lived in the shadow of my older brother, who was involved in all sorts of sports, captain of the swim team, Mr. Popular and I felt horrible next to him.  I felt like my friends were only friends with me so they could come over and see him. As I grew up and started exercising, I did start losing the weight - but I also got into the entertainment business where most of my friends are entertainers (and still are - although now I'm a mom with a desk job) so I am constantly comparing myself to these beautiful, thin, "perfect" girls.  After I had my daughter it was a HUGE struggle to lose the baby weight.  After working so hard at it, I'm terrified of gaining the weight back so I get nervous when I think I may have gained a few pounds. But that's just me. I have a lot of other issues to work through, too!

So to my readers who don't participate in Friend Friday, I'm really interested to hear your thoughts on this too.  Let me know what you think in the comments.

Daily MelWear: Paparazzi

Lady Gaga is playing on the radio right now.  I couldn't come up with a title for today's post, so I stole her song title.

Lack of creativity much? Eh.

Thank you all so much for your sweet comments, for stickin' with me through the ick-ness and through the practically duplicate outfits.  I was amused by that.  Clearly I like printed skirts and purple tops. Has anyone else done that, blatently copied themselves? Please tell me I'm not the only one.

So today is a new day and I'm feeling lots better! Still a little tired, still feel warm all the time when I'm usually complaining it's cold, still a little sore in the neck/shoulder area BUT - I'm not nauseous, my head doesn't hurt, my body doesn't ache and tomorrow is FRIDAY!

Whee!!!

Plus I had a little extra time this morning and was able to grab a cup of coffee before I left the house. I have more caffeine in me than I usually do when I write. Can you tell?

I've worn this dress a lot.  I found it in my closet a few months ago; it was my mom's. She gave it to me when I was pregnant because it was just a little too small for her and she figured it would fit me.  Well, it was too small for me too but I hung on to it.  Not sure why, because it didn't fit me after I had my daughter either but now...NOW I'm glad I kept it.  I've gotten a lot of use out of it! And I have some fall remixing ideas for this dress too.  

I do think I need a solid yellow belt, though.  I'm not really enjoying the yellow/orange combo in this one.

Not like we really have a fall in Florida.  The changing color of leaves doesn't really happen.  They go from green to dead brown and then back to green again. *sigh* I still love Florida.  I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. 

So how has your week been going?  Got any big plans for Friday?

Today's outfit:

Dress: My mom

Black Cardigan: Kohl's

Yellow/Orange Belt: Salvation Army

Black Bow Pumps: Wal-Mart

Black Necklace: Wal-Mart