"Yicaury only you can pull that off..." I think I hear this almost every time I put on clothes, which is every day lol. A lot of people don't understand my fashion but they can't say that what I'm wearing doesn't make sense either and they can't explain why. Why my combination make sense on me but they would never be able to wear it.
Fashion is all about your personal interpretation. I always say I don't always match but my clothes always goes. So here are a couple of tips from me to you on how my brain works when putting an outfit together....(This post in going to seem very narcissistic but the reality is that I can only talk about what I know and what I know best is me lol soooo here is goes)
Never limit yourself to a "look". Try something new
I personally hate looking the same everyday. And when I go shopping I never have a certain look in mine either, so my closet is all over the place. I like to mix and match and keep things interesting. Everyday is a chance to try something new and I express that primarily through my clothes! Don't do the same thing every day, its boring! You never know what amazing things you will discover about yourself and body in new styles.
I love this dress, its easy to wear and very comfortable! Here I have accessorized it with a blazer (1.)for a more dress up look, with a belt and sweater (2.) for a semi casual look and with a shirt and thin belt (3.) for a casual relax look.
Dress for your body
I have been a curvy woman since I became a teenager, I am blessed with my mommas curves :). But with privileges comes responsibilities lol. Know what looks good on you and what doesn't. Don't try to fit into a smaller OR bigger size, both options are going to make you look bigger than you are. I hate people that feel all proud that they "fit" into their "skinny clothes" and just end up bulking and muffin topping all over the place...not pretty. Look nobody is going to see what size you are wearing, they are going to see how clothes look on you. If you dress with sizes too small you are going to produce chinchos (spanish for rolls) that don't need to be. Also if you dress too baggy the clothes will give you the extra bulk thats just not there. Figure out your correct size and buy clothes that flatters you figure not that mutilates it! Also what you put under your clothes is just as important. Get fitted for your correct bra size, panty-lines are never flattering and nobody wants to know what color your panties are! A little spandex goes a long way as well ;) no shame in wearing it. WITH THAT being said...I don't have a gut, instead I have good posture! Standing up correctly will take off 20 pounds, give you presence when you enter a room and if you have been blessed with plenty of fruit to go around, it will take away that back ache. A little sucking it in will go a long way, it will help you stand up correctly and strengthen your core. So here is how you do it, roll your shoulders back, suck in your stomach and stick your butt out...then relax a bit.
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Know the color wheel
I feel when people think of matching they think of the same color. I rarely match by color, I actually match my clothes by the style or look I am going for. I think this is what confuses people the most about my style. Knowing the color wheel and color harmony really helps you extend what you do with clothes. You don't only have to wear two colors at a time. You can wear as many as you wish as long as the look goes together. Example look 8. has four elements and they are all different colors but all elements go well. It is a complete look that is put together by style of clothing and not necessary by color. However knowing that blue and yellow are in the opposite side of the color wheel lets me know that the contrasting colors will look well together, like in look 6.
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Do your hair, put on a little eye liner
One one my biggest pet-peeves is seeing an amazing outfit with a horrible hairstyle! NOO NOO NOOOO! Please if you took the time to wrap the gift please make sure you pick the right bow to finish it off! And make sure its the right hairdo as well. No one wants to see an extravagant bow on a brown paper wrapped gift. Now the same thing goes to what you put on your face. Wrap your eyes and your face appropriately. Make-up is not to disguise yourself its to highly your beauty. You can match your makeup to your clothes but even better match it to the style of clothing, just like making outfits, but even better match it to your mood. Try a new technic, youtube it, try a bright lipstick instead of intense eyes. Frame your eyes not just with eyeliner but with a great eyebrows! If you take them out yourself, not saying you don't do a good job, but professionals are called professionals for a reason. Its better to have awful bushy eyebrows for a month or two then to have them for life! Let them grow out and have them PROFESSIONALLY done, then you can keep them up on your own. If you mess them up restart the process, I have done this a couple of times lol. Its worth it.
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Do your research
There in nothing wrong with following trends, most likely that will be all you'll find in stores. Look at what people are wearing and figure out why you like it. Is it the color or the silhouette it gives? See how to style an outfit with accessories, how to do your make-up to complete and compliment your look, youtube how to videos. We have all these awesome tools available, use them. Believe me it will make a difference. If you see something you like ask the person how they did it and if they can show you. In your spare time (AKA when your bored) try it out in your house just for fun, it will be a trial run ;)
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Shop in the old lady section lol
What I mean by this is don't limit yourself to a store or a section in the store. I find great cardigans in the elder sections in Macy's. I also don't let my budget control what stores I go into. You never know what you will find on sale or clearance. Example my hat from look 13 I got at JCrew on sale! $10.00 bucks! The bracelet from the same look I found at the Hallmark store!! Yeap the place where they sell greeting cards. People are surprise to find out that one of my favorite department store is JCPenny! Thats one of my secret places lol. They have great basics like solid pencil skirts and great blouses (look 11 and 12)! Don't underestimate what you might find in stores and in the section you might find it in! Did i mentioned the JCrew hat was in the men section...Also find other sources for clothes like vintage shops and second hand stores. The blazer I use in looks 1 and 4 is from a vintage shop I went into where I found the necklace in looks 4 and 15. The blazer from looks 9, 14 and 15 I got for FREE at secondhand place. The trick about this tip is to have a good and sharp eye. If it catches your eye HEY JUST TRY IT ON! You never know what you can do with it.
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Who said a bracelet can't be a headband (look 20)
Just because a store sells it as one thing doesn't mean you can't use it as another. I think this comes with my editors eye but I never see just one use for items. EDIT EDIT EDIT! I once found a great floral maxi dress in the plus size section in Target (use of previous tip lol) I tried wearing it long but for some reason it never worked so I tucked the bottom of the dress into my pants and made the dress a bubble top instead. Eventually I ended up cutting the dress and its one of my favorite summer dresses. I got feather earrings and lost one so I simply added the feather to another pair of earrings, no, they don't match but thats what makes them awesome! Also who said if it broke its no longer good, example the tights on look 7. They are net and it snag and I liked it so I did it on the other side :) Not for nothing but I got way more compliments than I expected especially from complete strangers.
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Canvases are white for a reason
White is a great starting place for any outfit. Its so simple which means it can go any direction you want. ACCESSORIES! There is nothing better than a blank canvas! You can be simplistic a la outfit 16 or crazy a la outfit 5. Use the current color trends to your advantage like coral a la 17 and mint a la 19. Sometimes keeping it simple is awesome. Another thing about white is that is a great alternative to black. Although white is the opposite of black is does not do the opposite that black does to your body...in short it doesn't make you look fat :). Built on it any direction you want! Now when wearing white please please PLEASE don't put white underwear under it! Its just adding another layer of white which actually makes it pop out more. When wearing white wear skin-tone underwear or skin-tone camisole and spanxs to hide it.
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Learn the rules and then BREAK THEM ALL!
What makes an outfit is the surprise element. Yeah you can follow the rules but sticking to them only limits your creativity. Don't care what anybody says, trust your gut, if you like it it's for a reason! I was never considered fashionable growing up and I'm still surprise how all this came about but it took me wearing what I wanted and putting it together although nobody got it, style will catch up to you eventually ;)
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Last but not least...
CONFIDENCE
If you don't have it you will never pull it off even if you took the outfit right out of a fashion magazine. Know who you are, embrace it, and decorate yourself accordingly.
Because even on the days you miss the mark, a la look 20 lol, people won't notice
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God always has a sneaky way of lining things up. A lot of times I think God laughs at us when we get up set when our plans don't go through. Is hard to understand that God has better and bigger stuff for us and that failed plans are really a segway to something way better. It just takes us trusting God to see it that way.
I had been receiving one constant message: God was guiding my steps. I had heard that same message everywhere. In chapel sermons, in songs, in conversations with friends, in readings and the freakiest was on a Fortune Cookie on FACEBOOK! EVERYWHERE! One after the other, over and over again. I was very upset that my main plan had been flushed down the toilet but God kept reassuring me that it was going to be all right, that HE had a plan.
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