A few musings

Been doing a little thinking the last week or so of where my style is at, what I'm enjoying wearing, what I'm buying.... yada yada yada.... Here are a few musings on what I've discovered:

1. FIT IS EVERYTHING. Over the last two years I have done a ton of experimenting with various silhouettes and voluminous pieces. And I've enjoyed the heck out of it. But I've come back to the realization that for me, fit is everything. If something doesn't fit well and provide some level of figure flattery, I no longer want to wear it. And I'm finding this even more important since I've gained some weight.

2. LOWER BODY SLIM FIT. I feel best in either a slim fit pencil skirt or slim leg (not skinny) pants/jeans. Because I have a tummy and larger hips, A-line skirts or fuller bottoms just make me look that much bigger on my lower half. You bring in that magical taper of a pencil skirt or slim legs and I automatically feel slimmer and less sloppy.

3. FAVORITE SILHOUETTE - AGAIN. I have come full circle to my favorite silhouette of pencil skirt with flowy untucked blouse topped with a jacket. Pencil skirt because of what I just pointed out in #2; flowy untucked blouse because it hides any mid section issues; jacket because it adds structure and hints at a waist. This silhouette I find the most flattering on my shape and has always been a favorite regardless of my size. As the saying goes "don't fix it if it ain't broke". However, I have added more current versions of these pieces so there is some modern in my modern classic look.

4. EILEEN FISHER IS STILL MY FAVE. So during my experimentation with various silhouettes and volume, I became enamored with Eileen Fisher and now have several of her pieces in my closet. What I'm finding interesting is that despite coming back to a more fitted silhouette, her pieces are still what I reach for the most. Why? 'cause they are clothes that are truly made to move in, are extremely comfortable and are fuss-free. I'm glad that the pieces I bought were not her extreme volume items and so I'm quite happy to pair them with other more fitted items in my closet. In fact I just purchased her fold-over waist band slim black jersey pencil skirt and couldn't be more pleased. I will continue to add her pieces to my closet as needed/budget allows. I can say with absolute assurance that I will always have some EF in my wardrobe.

5. BACK TO REITMAN'S. I stopped shopping at Reitman's (a Canadian lower end retailer) for a while due to a variety of reasons but I have come back to the store. There are only three local brick&mortar options in my city for petite clothing and Reitman's is one of them. They seemed to have really upped their game this spring with trendy fits and colors and although the quality is not stellar, I have had pieces that have lasted several seasons in the past and at their price point, if they only last the one season it's not a big deal. I particularly like their sleeveless blouses for popping on with a pencil skirt and jacket.

6. JEWELRY/HANDBAG/SHOES: Are back to being extremely important components of my outfit.

Well that's it for now and thanks for popping by  :)

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Chin Length Bob - a work in progress

So most of you know, I used to have my hair in a super short pixie (pics 1 and 2). And I loved it but it was time for a change. I'm now wanting to have something with more movement, versatility to be straight and sleek or wavy (I can work my hair into waves with the right product) and in my mind, a wee bit more feminine and soft.

As I'm sure you can imagine, going from hair that's roughly 1/2 - 1 inch long and no two hairs the same length, to chin length in quite the task. Pics 3 and 4 show where I'm at today. I've getting trims and shaping every 8 weeks to allow growth between cuts. It is finally starting to get the shape and now my stylist will cut the back a bit shorter to begin creating the asymmetry. Having what she calls an "a-line bob" will allow my hair to have more movement and keep my thick hair from making me look like I have a poodle on my head. I'm still a good 3-4 months away from having the finished style but am finally past the "cut this off it's driving me crazy" stage. It's the growing out of the top and the fringe that now needs to catch up with the rest. And yes, I'm keeping my cranberry streak :)

Pics 5 and 6 are my inspiration photos and what I'm going for. Neither I nor my stylist can believe I've gotten this far - patience is not my strongest virtue :)

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The Pixie Reveal

Just got back from my hairstylist and wanted to show you the new "do". It's short, sleek and exactly what I was hoping for. Apologies for the lack of makeup and strange facial expressions :) . You can see I kept my cranberry piece in.

Just think how much I'll save in shampoo - lol!

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Well ladies, I tried

I've been growing out the top and side fringe of my hair as a bit more length is what is trending for hairstyles. There are days I like it and think it's looking good but I will be honest and say that overall, I hate it :(

My hair is thick and even with regular thinning, too much hair makes me feel frumpy and "humpy" (that's what my stylist and I call the back of my hair when it gets too think - "my mighty hump").

I don't feel like the longer hair has my spunkiness to it. Plus it is a giant pain in the you-know-what to style - having to blow dry with mouse and flat iron the heck out of to get my thick layers to lay properly. And it gets caught in my glasses and then in my eyes.

I have an appointment on February 11th and am pretty sure I'm going to get it cut super short again. That's if I can last until February 11th!

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"W-Hair to go in 2015?

As in what direction am I heading with my hairstyle? I'm working on growing out the top and fringe from my usual shorter asymmetrical pixie. I know that the hair trends for 2015 includes longer but I honestly cannot do too long - I don't have the face for it nor the patience to work with it.

I'm hoping that a slightly longer pixie-shag hybrid like the style in pic #1 is stylish enough? And of course, I love LOVE Jennifer Lawrence's messy pixie in pic #2.

Thoughts anyone? Suggestions?

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To grow or not to grow - that is the question

There were a few comments in my outfit post this morning regarding my hair and it's longer length http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....st-1391520. My stylist is away and normally I get my hair trimmed every 4-5 weeks but we're at 6 weeks now and I don't have an appointment until November 20th, which will make it 8 weeks before my trim. I wasn't able to get in with anyone else in the salon in my stylist's absence (they are booked solid) but I'm now kind of glad as I'm seeing what it looks like a little longer. And I'm surprised that I really really like it.

I have fine hair but a lot of it - as my stylist has said, I will never go bald. The silver in it has given it more body than it used to have - my hair is fairly straight but has a few kinks here and there.

As it's been growing, I'm liking the softness of it. Both in terms of how it softens my face, but also the actual texture of the hair - it feels nice when I touch it. Even hubby made a comment about that the other day.

I've worn my hair very short for a while now, with varying degrees in style. I will never grow my hair long - it doesn't suit me and my narrow face - but I'm thinking of growing it out a bit more. I've added a couple of pics of what I'm thinking of working towards - sort of a hybrid between a shag and a pixie.I don't like fussing over my hair too much but don't mind having to give it a quick blow dry and flat iron in the morning.

I would love your feedback - what do you think of the longer length now? Could you see me in something a little longer like the pics? or do you prefer me in very short hair? Thanks in advance :)

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Can I ask again about hairstyles? (Eta pics @ bottom)

So tonight is my hair appointment and I've been giving it a fair bit of thought as to what direction I want to head (ha ha....get it?...."head"....) in with my hairstyle.

Bit of info about my hair. It is pretty straight, although has gained some body with age, and very thick and requires a fair bit of thinning when I get it cut. It has the tendency to grow the fastest in the crown area and I can end up with what I call "the mighty hump" if left on its own.

Continuing with my desire for simplicity, I don't like to spend a lot of time on my hair. Right now it's much too long and thick for my liking and I need to both blow dry it and flat iron the front to get it to look decent. Hey c'mon...if I can have 10 more minutes of sleep in the morning, I'm going for it!

I'm also taking into account Angie's comments on my previous thread about haircuts (http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....cut-option) and would like to leave the sideswept fringe in the front for length and asymmetry. The asymmetry does work well to help shorten my fairly long and narrow face. I don't mind blow drying and flat ironing the fringe, I just don't want to do my whole head.

So here are three options I'm quite interested in. #1 and #2 are actually quite similar except that the sides and back of #1 aren't shaved and therefore are smoother and the sides/back of #2 are shaved but still has the longer fringe in front (although difficult to see at this angle). I love the front of #3 but am a bit concerned that the way the sides and back are shaped will only enhance my Mighty Hump and end up with me looking like a mushroom head.

I'm strongly leaning towards something like #1 - I love the shape and how light and easy it looks but would love your feedback.

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39 comments

What if I were to colour my hair?

I've been enjoying the lively discussion on IK's thread about colouring grey hair (http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....appearance). In that thread I was mentioned among others as someone who wears the natural look well (thank you ladies!).

Out of curiousity (and because I have a bit of time today) I'd be curious to know what you would think if I were to decide to colour my hair? would I automatically look younger? would it change my style? For the record, before the grey started to creep in, my natural hair colour is pitch black but I used to colour it a dark auburn.

BTW - I am NOT thinking of colouring my hair. This is a hypothetical situation only.

36 comments

Holiday Greetings

Because things are going to be hectic over the next few days, I just wanted to take a moment and wish everyone in the YLF family happy holidays!

Enjoy time relaxing and celebrating with loved ones, making new memories and reflecting on the old ones, and of course, some tasty holiday treats! For anyone who is missing a family member or friend this year, keep them close to your heart and they will still be with you.

Gain and Dusty Bottom send their Christmas wishes as well!

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For Anna, Astrid and myself

Here's some SYC inspiration for us:

http://frenchbydesign.blogspot.....quote.html

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