A Few Things To Bring Up Today!

There's a lot to share with you on this post.

1.  I bought a great pair of espadrilles at TJ Maxx (online price was $70...I paid $29.99). And, just like a million years ago in high school, they rubbed blisters on my heels right away.


 I used to spend the first month of school wearing bandaids on my heels every day until my shoes were broken in...or my feet were.

There was not the great solution and outstanding product that you can buy now and, trust me, these are amazing!

  

I buy the nude ones at Payless Shoes for under $5.  You peel the sticky back off and place them in the counter part of your shoe. They cushion and protect and prevent chafing and rubbing.  I buy them in bulk because almost every shoe I wear tries to cripple me. The only negative is that the glue doesn't really hold as well as I'd like, so a little Gorilla Glue when they let go will fix you up perfectly.


2.  I was sitting in church a while ago and was gobsmacked at how many women were wearing white clothes and the labels inside were big, bold and obvious.  So I want to say, unless you really care about the washing instructions or if you want everyone to know it is a designer piece, you should cut those obnoxious labels out. Use manicure scissors and cut the labels as close to the seam as possible.


It's like those tags on your pillows and mattress that say "do not remove under penalty of law"...their message is not for you, but for the sales team. You have complete authority and permission to remove any and all labels from your bedding and your clothes. Now!


And how many times have your tags stuck out of your back neckline?  End that problem by removing your tags the same time you remove the price tags. Besides, those tags frequently show your size! Yikes!



3.  A friend just shared with me a list of cosmetics firms that do not test on animals and is cruelty free. Sadly, L`Oreal is not one of them (RIP) but there are many other firms that are affordable.  I have posted it below from Pinterest. And quit buying from firms that think torturing animals to sell cosmetics is acceptable. It isn't.


4.  I recently bought two workout, racer back bras at Marshall's for only $12.99.  I have resisted buying workout bras because they all have padding. But, happily I discovered, that padding can be removed and stuck into a drawer.  I don't want "the girls" to salute anyone but I also don't want them to be enhanced. So if you're like me, take `em out and put them away. Go buy new ones periodically and don't forget to lift weights....they grow bones better than taking calcium!




So with that in mind,




Until next time, I remain stylistically yours,

Sooz

I Read Something Really Wonderful! So I'm Sharing With You....

I found this online, contacted the author, and obtained her permission to post it in my blog. This is such good advice and I wanted to share it with you all! (I have taken the liberty to edit some of her strong language). Please let me know what you think.

From a Fellow Blogger (Rubber Shoes In Hell)  

Things You Shouldn’t Wear After 50

 February 5, 2015 by Michelle Combs 

Google ‘what not to wear after age 50’ and you will have your pick of thousands of articles telling you what looks terrible on your old ass body.

I want to point out to the writer who wrote the ‘no-no’ article, you need to remember you are writing for women over age 50, not preschoolers. I don’t think I’ve said ‘no-no’ since my youngest was a toddler.

We could spend hours studying the clothes we shouldn’t wear and the slang we shouldn’t use and the makeup techniques we need to retire.

Here’s me, weighing in on this topic.

You are over 50 for f***'s sake. Wear whatever you want. If you’ve made it to 50 and still need to consult articles on how to dress appropriately then you are so missing out on one of the best things about being over 50. One of the best things about getting older is realizing that we don’t have to spend our energy worrying what other people think and we get to be comfortable in our own skin with our own freak flags.

Still, there are a few things that women over 50 really shouldn’t wear:

1.  The weight of the world. When you wear the weight of the world on your shoulders, you age. If you like the feel of the world’s weight and don’t want to give it up, then try scaling back a bit. Perhaps just wear the weight of a few of the smaller continents. For instance, I am only wearing the weight of Australia and a made up country called ‘Michelloponia’. I think they have a slimming effect.

2.  Shame and regret. So few people can carry this look off. Most of us just end up looking haunted or like we were forced to eat liver and onions. Shame and regret are especially hard to wear after fifty. Wearing shame and regret past fifty is one of those things that make your eyes all red and runny looking. The downward spiral just snowballs from there. Once the eyes get old lady looking, then you have to re-evaluate the wisdom of black eye liner. I say give up wearing shame and regret and f*** giving up on black eye liner.

3.  Rose colored glasses. Oh, sweetheart, you know who you are. Those glasses do nothing for you. Not only do they make you look like you’ve been smoking weed for days, they also keep you from examining life and your surroundings realistically. Yes, reality sucks, but by the time we hit fifty, we need to suck it up, take those glasses off and dick punch reality into submission. Or just get some really big dark sunglasses instead. They cover all manner of sins.

4.  Stiff upper lip. There is a time and a place for the stiff upper lip, but damn, it can’t be worn all the time. Too much stiff upper lip causes those funky vertical lines between your upper lip and your nose holes. We don’t always have to be stoic. I’m not suggesting that you wear your heart on your sleeve, but that is a much softer look than wearing a stiff upper lip.

5.  Too many hats. Personally, I can’t pull off wearing one hat much less many hats. I don’t have a hat head. My hair poofs out and my ears look like car doors when I wear a hat. Wearing too many hats just exacerbates these issues. When you wear too many hats, it’s easy to forget which hat you’re wearing. For instance, are you wearing the ‘no nonsense corporate’ hat when you meant to wear your ‘quirky and kicked back’ hat? We’re not getting any younger, you know. Sooner or later you’re going to accidentally wear your court jester hat to the gynecologist and then where will you be? I’ll tell you where you’ll be. You’ll be in an undignified position and wearing a stupid hat is where you’ll be.

6.  Resting bitch face. Hahahahaha! Just kidding. Wear that one all you want. Although, it wouldn’t hurt if every once in a while, you had a welcoming and kind look on your face. At least that’s what I hear from other people.

There isn’t anything wrong with getting advice about updating your look or what to wear, but we are just inundated with that shit, aren’t we?

Who says what is appropriate? From where I sit, it seems ‘appropriate’ changes based on geography, social status, income and size. After a while, the advice becomes a confusing blur. I think I’ll just keep wearing my Keds and jeans and black tee shirts.

Oh, I do have one real tip. Stop wearing holiday theme clothes. Seriously.

So, I felt this had a valuable message in a fun, different voice than mine. She's right, about how to live your best life....including not wearing holiday themed clothes!

Until next time, I remain, 

Stylistically yours,

Sooz

All The World's A Stage...Except for Real Life!

My young friend, Ashley, asked if I could blog about wearing vintage clothes and doing so without looking costumey.

I told her it would be fun, so here goes!

Vintage clothing is very "in" and fun to wear and Ashley's correct....you don't want to look like you're going to a costume party or auditioning for a period play.

My favorite period of clothing is the `40s and `50s.  Sadly, so many others do too, that finding those clothes without paying a ton of money is a challenge. Katherine Hepburn, Lauren Bacall, Lucille Ball....those girls wore great clothes!






The trick to wear vintage is not to wear all the pieces together.  Don't try the hat, gloves, bag and shoes with a dress or pants.  Wear the outfit with contemporary accessories so it is obvious that you know what is current style and appreciate the older styles.



Do not wear your hair or make up in vintage style when you dress in vintage clothing. It will look exceedingly contrived, if you do.





Recognizing that whatever period of fashion you like, you can wear it appropriately by mixing it with modern accessories, contemporary hair styles and muted make up.

There is a young Dutch woman on Instagram (anneliesvanoverbeek) who does bear a striking resemblance to Audrey Hepburn and dresses in Audrey's style, as well as Edwardian styles. She buys vintage style hats, tops, coats and dresses.

     She's first, Audrey is the 2nd photo.

Check her out and see how vintage can get you a lot of followers if you use the looks appropriately.

It doesn't matter what age you are, vintage pieces can be fun, stylish and express the inner you.




Fashion is fun and wearing clothes from another period is really great. But ladies, there is a fashion rule:  If you wore something when you were young, you should not wear it when you're older. That means big billowy bell bottom pants, tie dye shirts, mini skirts, go-go boots.  You know what I'm talking about. Unless you're going to a costume party or starring in your own Instagram feed!

Ashley, I hope this helps a bit.  I loved looking at the all photos to do this blog post!!




So in two weeks, I'll be back. In the meantime, I remain,

Stylistically yours,

Sooz