Lace & Leather

When I was a little girl, I was a Brownie Girl Scout.

Okay, you can stop laughing now. Yes, even I, the foul-mouthed, cuss-like-a-sailor lady you know and love, was once a badge earning, card carrying member of the Girl Scouts.

I remember going on my route to sell Girl Scout cookies (I was an entrepreneur in the making, even then. I was bound and determined to sell more cookies than any other girl, damn it, even if it meant batting my eyelashes, selling sugar to diabetics, or good old fashioned blackmail. ("Hey, Mr.________. Unless you want me to tell MRS._________ that you were canoodling with the mail lady last week in your garage when I was riding by on my bike with my friend Nicki roller skating next to me, you'd better buy 3 boxes of Thin Mints IMMEDIATELY. Actually, make it 4 boxes. That'll be $10, please!") I was the classic negotiator--Donald Trump could've taken lessons from this pint-size brat in a brown uniform.

Back to my strategic cookie-selling route, I would often visit an old lady who had unnaturally black, curly hair that ran down her back (a look that, to this day, I firmly detest for older women); a gaudy cocktail ring on every finger (for those of you who are going to laugh and bring up my diamond ring on every finger--shut your mouth and keep reading); hot pink lipstick that was mostly on her dentures,leather vests, or sometimes, even a skirt, and on every square inch of her thin, but aging, body--lace. The woman adored lace--even in the dead of winter, when it was cold, and you'd think she'd catch a draft or something.

Her husband catered to her, waited on her hand and foot, and I always wondered if you dressed like a lace covered whore, if that was really the secret to getting whatever you wanted out of your man. (I've never really tried it, and maybe that explains so much about my dating life.) Nevertheless, any box of cookies she wanted to buy, he'd write me a nice, big old check for the total, and give her a big, sloppy old man kiss on her Wet & Wild Lipstick coated lips. Well. There went the rest of the lipstick.

For those of you who don't want to necessarily look like one of my favorite former clients (when she passed away a few years ago, it honestly brought tears to my eyes, but, paying homage to my valued customer, I decided NOT to let my mascara run down my cheeks and mess up my lipstick with a Kleenex) you can certainly add a touch of lace to your own wardrobe with leggings, like these ones from H&M, or pick them up at Forever 21. Save money on this trend--it's not one that you want to wear head to toe, like my dear old friend, God rest her soul, but showing a little legging under a skirt or dress might be a cute way to incorporate the trend into your wardrobe.

I'm still convinced I would be the consummate business woman; I can sell snow to an Eskimo. But when I open my own boutique, and sell clothing to my own clients one day, I'll probably suggest that no matter how much you love the trend, ladies, small nuances are a better bet than over-doing the look.

Although getting your husband or boyfriend to do whatever you want isn't such a bad idea, either. ;)

Pretty Possibilities

I'm so excited to be able to wear my cute sundresses with my menswear blazers, especially my oversize ones. They not only add a little unexpected twist to my summer clothing staples, they let me extend the possibilities in my closet, and create more and more outfits that are "succeed while at work" appropriate, "go out for cocktails with the girls" appropriate, and "get compliments while shopping" appropriate. Whatever occassion you may be pairing these two pieces together for, you're sure to look just darling, like Charlize Theron.

Find adorable menswear blazers everywhere from Forever 21 to Charlotte Russe to Nordstrom, and also on www.revolveclothing.com, where you can find gorgeous jackets cut to perfection from a wide range of designers. Browse for yourself today, and create more fashion possibilities for those cute sundresses you wore all summer long.

Nothing But A T-Shirt On (Well, not exactly.)

I love comfy tees; I remember wearing oversize Hanes T-Shirts with cutoff shorts and flip flops in the 7th & 8th grade, when I wasn't as interested in high heels and mini skirts (as I was in my high school days.) I remember one of my cousins telling me "There's no way you will ever be a fashion designer or get into any kind of fashion school looking that way. You look like a slob. You don't even look middle class. You are straight street."

I laugh at him now, because he isn't even middle class. In fact, if this were a caste system, he would not be fit to scrub the feet of peasants.

Truth be told, I wore them because my body was changing and developing in my junior high days; I was struggling to accept the fact that I now had to wear a bra and that I had curves I didn't know what to do with. Some of my friends still had boyish bodies with no butts and no breasts; this was prior to Jennifer Lopez hitting the big screen and making my life wayyy easier. (This is why she will be one of my role models until the day I die.)

The cost factor was miniscule. My Mother loved it. She would buy me t-shirts at Target that cost less than my lunch money for a day of school, and I would try and glam them up with a cute necklace, throw on the same tattered pair of shorts that always seemed to fit and feel comfortable, and a pair of flip flops. Sometimes I'd wear Adidas with ankle socks (and at that time, that wasn't really in style. I wore them, anyway. They made my legs look longer.)

I still believe in wearing what makes you feel good. Eventually I became comfortable and secure in my body. I learned that having an ass and thick thighs isn't always such a bad thing (and ask the gentlemen, ladies, they do not object to looking at strong, thick, svelte legs-especially when they are bronzed, with a skirt brushing against them. I still believe some fashion staples can cost the same as a Happy Meal, and can carry you from runway to work to a night out on the town. I still believe that to look good, you have to feel good about yourself--and if it means only wearing a Hanes t-shirt and sandals, then so be it.

Hilary Duff is spot-on as usual, having jazzed up her shirt with a very ethnic looking necklace that is just gorgeous, and even though she herself is quite young, she is not any less fashionable. In fact, I would venture to say she is the most chic of the week, at least in my book. Go Hilary. It's your birthday. What is it? 19? 20? Whatever it may be, do your thing girl. Even if the top only costs $3.99.

For tops like Hilary's, at a fraction of the cost, hit up Forever 21, H&M, www.topshop.com, or Nordstrom, where I found comfy tees on sale, 2 for $20.

Not So Desperate

When I first started teaching 6 years ago, a girl who was in one of my English classes came in one Monday morning and loudly announced, "Ms. C, I was watching TV last night with my boyfriend, and we both looked at each other and said, wow, she reminds me of Ms. C!"

"Really?" I questioned. "And who was this character?"

"Well, she's on this show called 'Desperate Housewives,' and she's a high maintenance little Mexican woman. She has your same style and look, but the funny thing is that you kind of act like Gabrielle, too."

I spent the next several days contemplating my life choices and behavior, and whether or not I gave people the impression that I was anything like Gabi Solis on Desperate Housewives, cheating on her husband with an inappropriate younger stud muffin who plowed through a little more than her lawn.

Was I high strung? Self-absorbed? Always at the salon? Constantly shopping and worried about my figure?

Okay, well, maybe she wasn't completely off base.

I don't flatter myself to believe I am on par with Eva, especially considering that in real life, she wears a double zero and is built like a 6th grade girl, and I have plenty of junk in my trunk and I wear a size 4 or 6. Which, in Hollywood, is like a 20.

But I do love Eva's style, and most of the time, thanks in part to her stylist, Robert Verdi and her glam squad, including hairdresser Ken Paves, she generally looks striking, no matter where she is photographed.

This look? Casual for day, but the leggings? Oh, how much do I love leggings? They transition from day to night with a few changes in your outfit, and are comfortable and wearable. And right now, they're a fashion must-have.

I know that I can be a little spoiled at times, and I do love to shop and get beautified at the salon more than the average girl. But that's just part of the magic that is LC, and certainly, part of what makes Gabrielle Solis the TV star we all love, even when she says or does things we might hate.

And 'desperate' is the last word you'd ever be able to use to describe either of us.

For the best deals on leggings, check out your local Forever 21, where I found great leggings in various lengths, textures and fabrics this weekend, starting at $4.99. And check out Express, or www.expressfashion.com, where you can get amazing deals on quality leggings, like buy 1, get one half off.

Forever Feminine

I have an entire closet FILLED with beautiful dresses. Dresses are my thing. While I admit to loving denim and leggings, there's something sensual and feminine about a woman wearing a dress. I will admit that while I love receiving compliments from my girlfriends about whatever ensemble I have put together and styled for myself that day, I am very much a woman, and I like to wear pretty, femme, clothing with a sexy twist, clothes that make a man's heart race a little faster, or at the very least, flutter.

This morning when I was picking a dress to wear, however, I have to admit that there were some dresses in the closet that still had tags on and that hadn't been used yet. It was unfortunate, but the pretty dresses that were a little too dressy for daytime were still hanging there on hangers in my closet. Nevertheless, when I am shopping, I can usually always find another pretty dress to add to my collection. As you've probably read on my blog before, when I'm in a moment of confusion over what to buy, I sometimes tell myself I can wear the pretty dresses on dates (as if I'm actually going on dates these days--my dating life is truly nonexistent at the moment.)

Today when we were shopping at Forever 21, this adorable, beautiful, sexy dress caught my attention, and thinking about it now, I think I want to make a special trip back there tomorrow to pick it up. Sure, I will have to tirelessly devote myself to a squats-lunges-aerobic workout everyday so I look and feel fantastic in my new polka dotted dress, but it's a sacrifice I will make in the name of style.

And at $22.50, the price can't be beat, either. This steal of a dress is MY baby, but you can pick it up, or many others, at Forever 21 stores or online. This is yet another dress I will purchase and hope that I go on a date sometime this millennium so I can wear my new stylish steal. When you can look like a million bucks for a date with destiny, it's worth every penny...and this dress won't break your piggy bank, that's for sure.