Say No to Mean Girlness and Hello to Chambray with Brights

So Justin Bieber got himself into some trouble, eh? When I first heard the news, I was like this:

Nope. No shock. I only briefly heard the news and then tuned out. It was only later that I heard he was arrested for drag racing. Now, I know nothing of what I guess is a thriving underground drag racing scene, perhaps. I only have one experience with drag racing, so immediately, I pictured this:

That's right--Grease. I pictured Biebs in a car racing some dude with bad acne scars whose car has scary blades on the tires because he's a big dirty cheater. I wondered if his racing opponent received a token of love from his clearly not high school aged but is supposed to be girlfriend. And then I thought of Chacha DiGregorio.

And then my stream of consciousness took a giant leap. I wondered what ever happened to her, and most importantly, I wondered what she looked like now. How the years had treated her. So I Googled her. Sadly,  it turns out that the actress that played Chacha, Annette Charles, passed away at age 63 back in 2011. But before I learned that, I scoped her out on Google Images. And I thought to myself, "Wow, she looks great."

But then, I stopped to think...how freaking shallow of me! Why does it really matter what Chacha looks like now. Why do I care? What does it matter to me? And worse, did I want her to look bad?

This got me to thinking about a nasty habit I think many of us ladies have. Being overly critical of other ladies. You know you've done it. You've commented inwardly or outwardly on how someone looks before, or you saw a photograph of a celebrity and snickered. It's a harmless enough thing, of course. I don't think most of us are intentionally trying to be mean girls. Unless you won't let someone sit at your lunch table because they have sweatpants on.

Women can be competitive, and it's easy to measure up others, even if you quickly catch yourself and stop.

But when you think about it...maybe it isn't quite so harmless. I think that when we analyze what others look like, we are flexing the muscle behind that voice inside of us that sends us negative messages about our appearances. We give that voice some words to say. If we can find fault in a super model, a celebrity or the girl in the next cubicle, I think it just makes it easier to find fault in ourselves.

So I'm issuing an anti-Mean Girls challenge for everyone. This week, any time that you get that urge to critique yourself or someone else....force yourself to notice three attractive things. Not begrudingly. Really look. Really see. Because everyone is beautiful in their own way...especially you.

Now, I intend to practice what I preach, so here goes. Here's someone I have critiqued many, many times:

1. Miley really does have the body to pull off the outfit. She must train hard to have abs like that.

2. I never noticed that she has very blue eyes. They're actually very pretty.

3.After studying this outfit up close, she has monogram nails with her name on them in a typography look that's pretty damn cute. I might actually steal that look.

So there you have it. Now, you give it a try this week. Whether it's you or someone else, when you hear yourself saying those sorts of negative things. Stop and make yourself think three nice ones. Don't give your voice a chance to work out. It doesn't need to have abs like Miley's. The key to losing weight or feeling wonderful about yourself at a healthy one is being positive about who you are and getting that voice to be quiet.

.....Now for something completely different--SOME FASHION.

Until the end of February, I'll be doing some posts about different ways to wear Chambray shirts. I picked this piece because it's one that I never really wore much, but that I know many women consider a fashion staple. Before I lost weight, I never felt that comfortable in fitted blouses, so I'm anxious to rock a Chambray shirt now.

Before I go into my Chambray shirt stylings, I just want to talk a little bit about what I hope other people will get from this blog. My intention is to give basic ideas for outfits. My hope is that if you see a look that you like, you'll go to your closet and see what pieces that you have that you can use it to create it and then purchase whatever other pieces that you need to finish it off. I don't expect anyone to buy all the pieces I'm showing and buy that look. I want to give you ideas to make your own outfits. 

I will be providing buying guides for some pieces, so that you can get some ideas for purchasing pieces of a certain type to get a look you love, but again, that's only a guide. 

Now...here we go! Chambray three ways!

These looks all combine the Chambray shirt with a bright piece for a pop of color.

HOW TO WEAR A CHAMBRAY SHIRT 1

So here's the basics of this little beauty:

1. Start with your chambray shirt. Button it up three quarters of the way. (Shirt, AE Boyfriend Chambray Shirt)

2. Slip on a pair of bright capris. I chose coral because I'm crazy about that color right now. But you could use green, yellow, orange, red, anything that's bright and colorful. (Capris,  J Brand 8335 Harper Mid-Rise Capris)

3. Tuck the shirt partway in or leave it out, whatever you feel comfortable with.

4.  For your shoes, pick something strappy with an animal print, chevrons, polka dots or some other bold pattern that you like but in a neutral look. The shoes will add interest without clashing this way. (Shoes,10 Crosby Women's Dyls Platform Sandal,Black/Camel,7 M US)

5. Slip on one of those big chunky statement necklaces that are so fashionable right now. Keep the tones neutral like champagne, clear or white. (Necklace, Nakamol Crystal Statement Necklace, Sold out :(  )

6. Finish it off with a clutch or a shoulder bag with a simple shape. Pick a complementary neutral tone like this camel. (Clutch, Clare Vivier Foldover Clutch)


HOW TO WEAR A CHAMBRAY SHIRT 2 

And now for this bright fun outfit:

1. Slip on a striped t-shirt in black and white or gray and white. (Tee, Neon Rose Black and white stripe tee)

2. Pull your chambray shirt over it. Leave it loose or tie the ends in the front, whichever is more flattering.

3. Add a brightly colored maxi skirt. (Skirt, Fausto Puglisi High Waisted Viscose Skirt)

4. Choose cute shoes in a matching stripe (Sandals, Christian Louboutin Puglia 100 striped canvas espadrille slingbacks, sold out sadly)

5. Pick a color block bag that brings together all of your hues (Bag, Milly Logan Small tote)

6. Finish with a fun necklace that shows your style. (Necklace, Mod Cloth Good Style Omen Necklace)

HOW TO WEAR A CHAMBRAY SHIRT 3

 

And last but definitely not least as I think this is my favorite:

1. Start with the chambray. Button it up all the way but leave the cuffs undone.

2. Add a cardigan in a bright color. I went for coral again, but this look would be cute with pastels as well as neons brights. Roll up the sleeves of both your cardi and your chambray shirt to your elbows or to the middle of your forearms. (Cardigan, Moschino Cheap and Chic)

3. Pull on your favorite black pants. I like the shape of these flared beauties. (Pants, Armani Wide Leg Pants)

4. Add some glitzy heels. I picked hematite because of the beading on the cardigan (Shoes, Christian Louboutin You You Strass)

5. Pick a dainty purse to match your shoes. (Clutch, Judith Lieber Couture Crystal Slide Hematite Clutch)

6. Finish with one clunky bracelet. Match the shoes and purse, your trousers, your cardigan whatever you want. Size matters more than the color here. (Bracelet, AllSaints Amniote Bracelet)

So there you have it! Got a favorite look? Tell me about it in the Comments section. Tune in tomorrow when I'll be reviewing the Little Black Bag Subscription Box! See you then =)