Dress: Belk | Tights: Target | Boots: Target
I really liked this dress the first time I tried it on. And I still do, months later. But I could never bring myself to wear it. Despite being basically the same cut as a pencil skirt and a short sleeve shirt, it's a lot different for me somehow. But I came up with some rules for wearing intimidating clothing that I thought I should share, because I finally got the balls to wear this thing out in public.
Wear it on a Sunday. I am lucky (?) enough to work one Sunday a month. The library operates on a skeleton crew of 1-5 people per department, public services staff only, so not nearly as many coworkers are around. I find this the best time to try weird clothing for the first time; my department coworker is really supportive of my style, and I think generally people are more forgiving of what I wear on Sundays because maybe I came from church and they don't want to offend what I wore in god's house.
Pair it with something comfortable. I don't mean sweatpants--though if that's what works for you, go for it--but other clothing that you know you feel good in and looks right. I've worn this tights/boots combo before, and I know it looks solid. Now isn't the time to go crazy with new colours and patterns and insanity.
Do one other bold thing. But! Now is the time to one small nibble of vibrancy that you're already comfortable with to offset the clothing. For me, I already know this lipstick is a friend, not a foe, and it's something I can rely on to take a little attention away from the dress. I don't recommend wearing a neon top with a neon skirt if it's your first time out with the skirt, but a bold necklace or something similar helps even out the attention you perceive yourself as drawing to your body.
Don't hide behind your hair. Seriously, don't. First of all, it looks a mess. Second, it's going to drop your confidence tenfold if you think you can successfully hide behind your hair. Pull it back this time and let the clothing shine. It's like ripping off a bandaid.
Remember that no one will remember this tomorrow. Seriously. No one cares.
While the rest of America celebrated the biggest sporting event in the country (the Super Bowl, in case you didn't know), I mourned the lost of my beloved football for another season. I anxiously await the Combine at the end of this month and the Draft in April, and then I can start counting down to training camp. But anyway--T. and I made some food for the Super Bowl (I mean...who doesn't?) and here's what came of that.
Erin of Plus Sized Pretty saw a picture of these fried pickles on Instagram and asked for the recipe, so here it is! Neither the dip nor the crust for the pickles are vegan (Erin is, I think!) but the recipe can probably be easily altered with egg, milk, mayo and sour cream substitutes.
The main difference between the recipe and my end result is that I used pickle halves cut into slices, and I skinned the pickles. (I have a thing about skin on food.) I was a little worried the lack of skin would cause the pickles to lose their structure and they'd be all flopsy, but NOPE. They were delish, you guys. I cut up a whole jar of Claussen pickles, which may have seemed aggressive, but we ate them all. And still had a ton of dip leftover.
I also made crabby snacks, which may sound familiar if you've ever read/watched Silver Linings Playbook. I shred a ton of sharp cheddar instead of using Old English spread, and I also multiply the whole recipe (except the butter) by four, so there is plenty of crabby to go on each snack. I also don't cut mine up--we eat these suckers WHOLE. And they are amazing.
This is what the crabby snacks looked like last weekend for the Pro Bowl. With a salad! Classy.
T. made brussel sprouts. They weren't terrible. I guess even on Super Bowl Sunday, you have to have reach some modicum of good health.
This is either my face after the blackout had been going on for 22 minutes or a response to yet another subpar commercial. The best ones were the Leon Sandcastle NFL Network commercial, the Budweiser Clydesdale commercial--of course! I cry like a baby every year at these--and the Tide Joe Montana Miracle Stain commercial. Everything else was a waste. For a while there I thought the game was going to be a waste too, but as everyone else has pointed out, the power outage really did have a positive impact on the 49ers. I thought we were heading for snoozeville before the lights went out.
And here's who we watched the game with. Not pictured: my parents. We had a great time until the blackout, at which point James Brown's insistence that the lights would be on in 15 minutes started to wear on me. He said it four times! Al and Cris would have handled it way better, that's all I'm saying.
(click for large)
Prinzessin Victoria Louise Poppy - Papaver orientalis by Colleen Parker
Watercolor, 2012
This beautiful piece of artwork is Salazar's pick for Style Imitating Art this week! I adore watercolor, and Colleen Parker has some absolutely gorgeous pieces. Take a look at her Tumblr if you have a chance. Anyhoo! Submissions should be sent to Salazar by Monday evening, February 11th. Great pre-Valentine's Day art :) Style on!
