FAUX PAS: Wearing Old Trends

A few years ago, when skinny jeans came back into style, I would have sworn the style wouldn't last.  Obviously, I was wrong, and I eventually caved in and bought a pair.  However, there are some trends that have come and gone, and yet I still see them.  Here's a smattering of some of the worst offenders:

First of all, what made these stylish to begin with?  I want to say I first started seeing these in the 2003-2004 area.  While most people had simple totes made out of various foil-packed beverage containers, there were some sophisticated designs like satchels and one admittedly well-done intricate clutch.  I appreciate the effort to recycle, but there are much more stylish bags out there made of recycled products.  I can still find these sold at yard sales, flea markets, and even in antique shops.

I had a pair of gaucho pants, and I'm not going to lie, I loved them.  However, I did come to accept that their trendiness was over after some time, and I stopped wearing them in public.  I do occasionally sleep/clean house/garden in them, but no one will ever see me wear them.  They're comfortable, but they aren't terribly flattering.  I remember my sorority wearing these like it was our job, but after the summer of I want to say '06, nobody ever wore them again.  Thankfully, the fabric on gauchos is thin, and most fell apart and were never replaced.  However, I did see a woman wearing these (with some fugly wedge flip flops) at Home Depot the other day.  If you are currently reading this post while wearing a pair of gauchos and are considering writing me a nasty email, please consider these wide leg yoga pants from Old Navy.  They are the same length, better fabric, and much more flattering.

Sing along with me, "I'm a slllllaaaavvvee foooor yooooouuu..."  Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera made low-rise lace-up pants popular as far back as 1999.  These, no-waist jeans, and jeans with the excessive fading that looked like your femur bone was showing were popular back in the early part of this century.


Whale tail.  Need. I. Say. More?  Along with the lace up trend as shown above, it became trendy to show off your thong above your pants.  I can remember back as a sophomore in high school the ever-popular teen catalog Delia's displaying a set of pastel-colored thongs with butterflies on the back straps that were meant purely to pull above your pants.  I can also remember my mom flipping out over said butterfly thongs and saying a few choice words about mothers who would let teenagers wear such things.

I'd have to say the crocheted sequin hobo is one of the worst offenders I still see on a near daily basis.  What's even more depressing is that the purse in question is usually beat up, missing half the sequins, and the handles are coming unknit. Please, stop the madness, and put the purse to rest.

This May Not Be The Most Stylish Summer...

Shortly after the beginning of March, I ended up with either the flu or a case of food posioning.  Either way, I laid on the floor in my bathroom for several days praying for nuclear holocaust.  After that, I've been on sort of an unintended diet.  I'm not going to lie, I need to loose weight. Since  March, I've gone down a size and a half.  Much of this comes from the fact I finally quit drinking so much Mountain Dew.  I still occasionally drink pop, but I can have a can of Sunkist or root beer, and be satisfied.  When I would drink Mountain Dew, I'd have like 3-4 cans in one sitting. 

I've also lost my desire for fried foods, again, not a bad thing.  Except for mozzarella sticks.  I have had the worst cravings for mozzarella sticks and no, I'm not pregnant. 

The worst part about losing weight is being in that stage where few of  my clothes fit and I'm hesitant to either A) buy smaller stuff and B) get rid off the too big stuff.  This predicament broke my heart on Sunday when I was choosing something to wear to a date.

I blame the movie Love Story. In the movie, Ali MacGraw's character wears a pair of white pants with a navy blue t-shirt and gold hoop earrings.  I can't tell you how much I feel in love with this look.  I've tried in vain to find a picture, and this is the closest I could come:



So I went to recreate this look, minus the amazing tan.  I located a navy blue polo, the silver Fashion Bug sandals from the previous post, and the most sensational pair of white jeans from Michael Kors.  I have to tell you about these jeans.  I got them late last summer, maybe early fall, at Marshall's for $20.  They fit beautifully, made my rear end look like a million bucks, and had the added bonus of not being see-through.  However, I did buy them right at the end of the season and only had the chance to wear them I think once.  So, I reach in my closet and pull these pants from heaven out for the first time this summer.  I pull them on and...they're too big.  Not just a tad too big, they're really too big.  I can take them off without having to unbutton or unzip them.  I haven't been able to find a pair that is anywhere near close to my beloved Kors pair, so I'm thinking of having them altered. 

I still wore the pants to my date, and thought I looked cute.  But I'm now afraid of buying new clothes, because I don't want to have to buy jeans and such now only to replace them again in maybe two months.  Belts can only go so far. 

Anyone else in this same situation, or have been before?  I'd love some advice.

It's SUMMERTIME!

Okay, okay, I know I said several weeks ago that I'd have some new posts up.  And I had them planned out and everything, it's just I didn't plan on being sidelined in the hospital for two weeks with walking pneumonia.  Once I was out of the hospital I had a lot of stuff at work to catch up on, so the blog has fallen by the wayside. 

Anyways, Memorial Day has officially passed, thereby bringing us the summer fashion season.  I now officially approve of the wearing of white, tropical prints, and Lilly.  Well, hell, I approve of Lilly anytime of the year, it's just so damn happy.  To welcome the suddenly much warmer temperatures, here are my accessories for Summer 2011:



I got one.  I FINALLY GOT MY HANDS ON ONE!  One of the purses I have most lusted for some time now is a Lilly Pulitzer Bermuda Bag.  It's the wooden handles that you see in the picture above, and there is a white lining that holds your stuff.  The beauty of the Bermuda Bag are the interchangeable bag covers, this one being an adorable pink and green Lilly hippo print.  These tend to go high (read=more than I want to pay) on Ebay, but I got the handles and three reversible covers for $40, which is an amazing deal as the covers retail for$20.  This cover reverses to a light pink embroidered with mint green flowers.  Here are the other covers:



The bottom one is the reverse of the hippo print.  The top left reverses into a mint green butterfly print, and the orange floral reverses into just a plain mint green.  Yes, this bag is much smaller than what I normally use, but at the same time, it will carry more than it looks.  I can get a French purse wallet, iPhone, keys, and a lip gloss in there and could probably carry another small item.  unfortunately, Lilly Pulitzer doesn't make Bermuda Bag covers at the moment, so I've been looking at Ebay and other places online to find some.  I haven't had much luck, but there is a website, All About You Design, that does carry a great selection of Lilly fabric and will make you a reversible cover for $20.  I haven't ordered from this website, as medical bills are causing my wallet great pains, but it looks to be a reputable site. 



This is another adorable Lilly Pulitzer clutch/purse.  This is actually a basket with fabric sides, with the pink ties you see.  This one is very small, I can get my keys, ID holder (if  I don't need everything in my wallet), and phone in there and that's about it.  I actually bought this back in January for $10 off Ebay.  They're now going for upwards of $70.  Crazy.



For those days I need to carry a bit more, I got this tote from the Calypso St. Barth for Target line.  It's a linen tote with the beautiful embroidered design on the front.  The linen has gold metallic threads running through it, giving it a lovely glow.  The only thing I'm not crazy about with this tote is the handles are very plastick-y feeling, but for the price ($16.99), I'm not going to complain too much. 



I picked up these wedges, also from the Calypso St. Barth for Target line.  These were $29.99, and also came in a turquoise wave/tie-die print.  These are not made with the same fabric from the tote above, the linen is woven more tightly, and these have a silver effect as opposed to gold in the tote.  They're surprisingly comfortable, I was able to get through an entire wedding and reception without dying to take them off.  For those who are interested, these shoes are pretty light, if you're not into heavy shoes. 



Normally, I say fashion goes to die at Fashion Bug.  However, maybe a month or so ago they had a 40% off Friends and Family sale, so I went in to have a peek and came out with these and an amazing pair of khaki Bermuda shorts for work.  I have super high arches, so a lot of sandals in this style don't fit well.  These fit well and are comfortable as well.  These have a silver piping around the outside of the sole which gives them great detail.  I think these are normally around $20-ish bucks. 

I really haven't purchased much in the way of clothing, I'll talk about that in my next post.