3 Ways to Dress Your Best (most fun and favoritest) Self

By: Amy Kennedy

Have you ever looked at old pictures and wondered what the hell you were thinking wearing those pastel striped pants? Or, is that only me?

Yes I have a picture of myself in pastel striped pants, no, I will not post it here! I dubbed them my "clown pants" because, well, they made me look like I escaped from a circus.

Was that really the way I wanted to look, or was it easy and maybe comfy and no thought had to be involved? Yeah, I'm thinking all three of those.

Now, think about a picture or a time when you were wearing something that made you feel fabulous--something that garnered compliments from others, something that made you feel like your favorite self, your true self.

Don't you wish you could have that feeling more often? Of having your inside self be your outside self, or maybe having your outside self help your inside self get where she wants to be?

Look, I know looks aren't everything, neither are clothes or shoes or jewelry. But they sure the heck can make me feel good!

I have recently come to the conclusion that the reason I adore Halloween is it allows me to dress like parts of my inner self.

• Sometimes I'm all connected with the power of magic and I like to dress as the personification of that by donning a pointy hat and wearing black and holstering a magic wand. 
• Sometimes my magic comes through in a different way, with bright colors and scarves and lots of jewelry.
• And other times I like to be the adventurer, the seeker of knowledge, so I dress in vests and goggles, with plenty of gadgets at my waist...you get the idea.

All these "costumes" are really my fun inside me shining through to my outside.

In extreme.

But, once I figured out why I liked to dress up for Halloween I figured out how I could always have fun while dressing as the "me" I was on any given day. And in case you missed it, the operative word is FUN.

FIRST: 

LOVE your clothes. I am not even kidding, why wear meh when you could wear YES!? This is a tough one--people gift us with things we feel obligated to wear, right? All the time! And if it's our child, we feel even more obligated, ouch. 

So here are some scripts I am gifting to you: 

Thank you! (yup, that's it. If you rarely see them, just say thank you and then return it, if you do see them all the time, explain you had to exchange it, as it was too small, there was a small hole, it didn't look right on you, and leave it at that)

Okay, I only had one script for you--Thank you. It's really the best though, unless your husband gives you a brown fleece zip up jacket, then you say, "Really? Fleece? I will never ever wear fleece." But that's not the greatest script.

SECOND:

Do not own too many clothes. Once again, I am not even kidding. You dilute your wardrobe with too much detritus. I always need to relearn this one, I love going through my clothes at the change of seasons--I actually see what I have, I decide if I still L.O.V.E. each thing and if anything needs attention. 

Have you ever shopped in a store where you could barely move the clothes on the rack to see the next item? Well that's what happens in your closet--too many clothes EQUALS "I have nothing to wear."

THIRD:

Have fun. F U N. Add things that make you smile. That give you joy. I have an off white scarf with pink skulls on it. 

I adore that scarf--and I love to wear it with pearls, that's part of my fun with clothes, a sense of irony. I add two or three pins to my jacket du jour--a cameo and a name crest and an old school girl scout pin (they don't have to match, but there could be one thing about them that ties them together). 

I usually try to keep FUN to accessories, but sometimes it crosses over to actual clothing--the only thing to be careful of with FUN articles of clothing is they might not actually GO with anything. I have an awesome gauzy shirt. 

But I can wear this with jeans, black dress pants, I also wear different shells under it, black, orange, green--that changes the look of it.

That's it. For now. Next time I touch on style I'll dive more into the "themed" dressing, aka a Halloween closet.

What's your biggest wardrobe style challenge?

Talking to Strangers

By: Amy Kennedy

So, it's hot out. I mean melt the candles, burn the soles of your feet, let's go to the State Fair hot.

We decided to go to the mall instead, you know the one--the big one, the Mall of America. Dang right, 'Merica's Mall!

I loathe it. Okay, I don't loathe it, what I mean to say is, I hate it. Wait, what I really mean to say is, it's like going to the State Fair but without all the cool smells and sites. Just the crowd. And they're not even as interesting...for instance, no one is stumbling drunk and or wearing overalls. Not one person. And there are no cows or pigs, and certainly no Miracle of Birth barn...I digress.

But something happened today, which made me very happy we went to the mall. I talked to a stranger. And not any stranger, a young woman/girl stranger. Okay, a teen stranger.

Let me explain:
After doing what we came to do, spending large quantities of dollars (for prescription spectacles) we went to lunch, and let the 14 year old choose where to go. Buffalo Wild Wings was his selection. We sat at a high top, and after a little bit, a few tables over a large group of teens came in...maybe 12 of them.

One girl did not look like the rest--all the rest were kind of sporty/jockish/every kid. Nothing against that AT ALL--I own one of those (except he's exceptional)--anyway, she sort of got frozen out. All the girls were filing in on one side and all the guys were on the other. As she went to sit down, a boy broke rank and sat next to a very pretty girl on the girl's side, the other girl (the one different from all the rest) looked a bit lost, just for a moment, then she took a seat at the end of that row.

Now, here's the important part--she was so different from the rest of the kids.
Her hair was blue green, cut in a cool way in the front, kind of choppy layers, and she tucked the rest of it in a black beret (!) she wore a black and grey striped long sleeved shirt--I wish I had a picture! I had to keep looking at her...because she was the most interesting person in the joint.

Besides me, that is. Just Kidding, she was way more interesting.

Another girl had finally sat across from her and they were chatting...but she still seemed outside "the group" and I wanted her to know how cool she looked to me.

Now, listen, I understand that when a woman (of a certain age) tells a girl she looks cool, or she likes her shirt etc. that's like the kiss of horribleness and the offending item/style will probably never be worn again. So as we were getting ready to leave, I said to my husband and youngest, "Hey, wait, I have to tell this girl over there something."

My 14 y..o said, "No. Mom, you don't want to do that."
And, I thought, oh, he's probably right, she might get all embarrassed. But then I thought, young women are different from young men--girls should hear encouraging words from their *cough* *choke* *gasp* elders.

I stood in the aisle, hesitating, then I thought what the hell, and made my move. I walked over to her long table, walked to her open side and said:
"Maybe you'll hate hearing this from me, but you have more style than anyone in here."
She smiled and said, "Really?" and I said, "Absolutely." and she said, "Thank you!"

And I walked away. I could feel eyes on the back of me--the rest of the table asking her questions: who was that? What did she say? I smiled.

I am so happy I decided to talk to a stranger. Maybe she'll forget about it tomorrow, maybe she thought I was some crazy older woman, but maybe, maybe it made a tiny difference in her day.

I hope so.

So I'm challenging everyone to say something nice to someone you don't know (it has to be sincere) things you think, but don't say--try it, say it--talk nice(ly) to a stranger!

It’s the STUFF that Dreams are made of…

Stuff is probably the one thing we all have in common.

 The Stuff starts to accumulate when you decide to move out of your

 parent’s home, and into your own apartment. Now that you have your own space,

 the first thing you need to do is to fill it with your own stuff.

You decide what kind of stuff you want.

  Remember your stuff is an expression of your style. You also have to

 decide, right up front, what stuff will be displayed and what stuff will be put in

 kitchen cupboards or in drawers. Usually, anything that is functional is put behind

 doors or in drawers. 

When you start out to collect stuff, you have many styles to choose from.

 You can decorate with Victorian, French Country, Contemporary, Primitive, or

 Colonial, stuff.   

Keep in mind, your stuff reflects who you are.

There may come a time when you get bored with your stuff, and want new stuff.

 You can give your old stuff to family or friends, who like your stuff, or

donate to the Goodwill, or the Salvation Army – they like stuff too.  And while

you’re there, you might as well browse on the off chance you’ll find some stuff

you don’t have.

Finally, the day comes when you start thinking about downsizing your

space, and moving into something smaller.  You now (again) have to decide what

stuff you’ll sell, give away to family, friends or donate.  

The there will always be stuff you just can’t part with. So you put the

 sentimental stuff in boxes and take it with you.

You finally arrive at your new space, and unpack your stuff.  You arrange

It in the space you now have. The stuff you don’t have room for can always be

 Boxed-up and stored in closets or under your bed. That my friends, is just the

 nature of stuff.

Question:  Is there more stuff in your future?

Is Your Closet Filled with Nothing to Wear?

by: Joan Kennedy

According to the experts, 55% of the impact you make depends on how you look and behave, 38% on how you speak and only 7% on what you say, If you look well put together, you start with an advantage. 

Unfortunately we’ve all experienced times when we didn’t feel good about our appearance, and consequently, our thoughts focused on how we looked, and it made us uncomfortable in the presence of others. 

When you are satisfied with the way you look, you have an inner security which allows you to concentrate on things other than yourself.

To be well dressed doesn’t take a closet bursting with clothes, but rather having a few well chosen pieces in which you always feel at ease in. 

To begin with, never compare fashion to style.  Fashion is what’s happening in designers' show rooms, runways and in fashion magazines. To figure out your personal style, you have to come to terms with your body. Really look at yourself, then decide what you’d like to emphasize, and what you need to balance.  

Style comes through self-acceptance and dressing for yourself. Style is about utilizing the best aspects of you.

Through wise planning you can choose a few things that go together and look like many. That’s why it’s smart to select a basic color, such as black, navy blue, grey, brown or beige and build around it.  Neutral colors are also easier to accessorize.

Everyone needs to have one basic suit, so you won’t ever have to say, “I don’t have a thing to wear.” A suit with matching pants or skirt can be accessorized to create a variety of looks. The suit is a garment you will wear more often if you accessorize it with scarves, blouses, sweaters, belts, and jewelry, and will give your wardrobe versatility.

Once your closet is stocked with great basics, accessories are the easiest and most cost efficient way to update your wardrobe from season to season. Paying attention to fashion magazines, store windows and in-store displays will give you new ideas in accessorizing.

In the final analysis, a good basic wardrobe should consist of clothing with the look of simplicity, clean lines, good tailoring and good fabric. You want your wardrobe to reflect your inner strength and confidence.

As the old axiom goes, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”

What would you like your first impression to be?