the fashion chronicles, where it all began

ok.  still with me?  i feel like i should first explain why in the heck, after all these years, i suddenly decided to take up an interest in fashion.  i mean, it’s not like i was dressing in feedsacks or plainclothes all these years, but i did wear the same pair of orange keen sandals almost every day for 2 summers in a row and i recently realized that i haven’t bought any makeup (other than some clear lipgloss and maybe some new mascara?) since our wedding.  12 years ago.  yeah.

so why now?  it was the perfect storm.

factor #1:  i was recently lucky enough to receive a grand pile of free, awesome clothing.  handed down by a friend-of-a-friend who had lost enough weight that she couldn’t wear these clothes any more.  they are high quality clothes (at least compared to my stuff) and many of the pieces are very classy.  not so classy that i can’t wear them to work as a children’s librarian, but classy enough that i feel just a bit more glamorous when i wear them.  the best part?  these clothes were all 2 sizes smaller than what i had been wearing.  i was convinced that none of them would fit.  and yet they (almost) all do fit. and make me look thinner because they’re not so baggy.

factor #2:  shortly after inheriting this motherlode of lovely garments, i had my first professional bra fitting and learned that i am actually supposed to be wearing one that is two band sizes smaller and two cups sizes larger than what i’d been in.  nice!

factor #3:  already feeling a little giddy from factors #1 & #2, i stumbled across this blog post which led me to this blog which highly recommended this blog and i read through a few of their posts and realized…. huh.  i think i could do this.  i think i could upgrade my entire wardrobe by just adding a few new accessories to the mix and by learning how in the heck to wear a scarf.  and a belt.  possibly at the same time.  and maybe buying some new makeup.i don’t know who all reads this blog on a regular basis.  maybe you’ve all already figured out how to wear a scarf so you don’t look like an airline stewardess. and maybe you all already know the proper time of year to wear lip gloss vs. lipstick.  or maybe, there’s a few of you who, like me, are fumbling in the dark (literally.  the light in my bedroom in the morning is dim and sometimes i’m not sure my clothes actually go together).  let’s fumble together (tell me i’m not alone!).  and all you scarf-wearing, lipstick perfect readers can give us fashion tips in the comments.p.s.  please forgive these slightly odd “fashion” photos.  we are still figuring out our photoshoot rhythm (why is my face always blurry?  and what angle will not make my legs look teeny or my waist look enormous (my proportions aren’t quite this bizarre in real life)?  and when am i going to sweep my porch?).  perhaps part of the secret is in post-processing?  can you tell which of these shots i tinkered with?  is it worth it?