Skinny Jeans.. The self-esteem killer

I love fashion just as much as the next girl. In fact, for someone who is not in fashion as a profession, I follow the trends pretty closely. I enjoy it. I like clothes, especially shoes and scarfs.

Sometimes it takes me a while to come around. Take for instance the pointy-toe pumps that were all the rage a few years ago. It took me a while to adopt the pointy-toe shoe trend. But when I did, I sported (admittedly) both boots and shoes with pointy toe.

The confidence crusher (A.K.A. skinny jeans)

Fast forward a few years later and out come the skinny jeans. I didn’t take to this fashion trend straight away either. I stood on the sidelines, watched and waited. I definitely witnessed a few misses, but when the time was right I jumped in. It felt odd at first, wearing jeans so snug. I had always worn my jeans loose, not baggy, but relaxed. The way I thought jeans were suppose to fit.

There is nothing relaxing about skinny jeans. I always feel the need to suck in my tummy or hid my back-side with a tunic. Let’s be honest, skinny jeans are a pain in the butt. If you have even the slightest love handles, it shows. A little tummy, it shows. They are fault-finding jeans. I guess they are called skinny jeans because only very skinny people can wear them.

Not wanting to end this blog on a bad note, I will say this in favor of the skinny jean. They are a great incentive for working out and staying in shape! And, they now have high waisted skinny jeans. Which are more comfortable than the traditional styles and help hold in any excess around the mid-section. Phew! Now, let’s wait and see what they come out with next.. and I hope it doesn’t have the word “skinny” in it.

Pinterest.. the new “it” site?

I recently came across yet another social site that lets you share all the things you love on the world wide web. I finally got on Twitter and am just learning about Tumblr when along comes 

I found out about Pinterest through a friend on Facebook. What drew me to Pinterest is all the pretty pictures. Seriously! Check it out and have a look at all the cool things you can see on one page. Granted, it is a bit girly as there is a lot of fashion, food and home decor.

Pinterest reminds of the wedding blog site StyleMePretty, “for style obsessed brides” (yes, that is the official tag-line). I cherished this web site while I was planning my wedding. All the ideas! The photos! It gave me inspiration and I spent countless hours scrolling through wedding after wedding.

How Pinterest works: Once you sign up (it oddly takes about a week to get “approved” by the Pinterest staff), you install the “Pin It” button which lets you grab an image from the web and add it to any one of your “pinboards”.

Check out my.. See anything you like?

Wishful Wednesday

One of my favorite things about getting married was getting to pick my wedding dress! Every bride is different and has her own style (and budget)! Just for fun, I thought I’d share some of my favorite dresses that I found while I was looking. Oh what fun!

Alice Temperley's Long Jean Dress

Without a doubt, this dress (above) is among my top faves! Maybe it’s the hippy look, the sheer simplicity or the beaded cut-outs, or all the above! I’ll never forget this dress by British designer Alice Temperley. I even had my own dress tailor made to follow the soft, flowing skirt! Simply the best!

Jenny Packham's Claire (left) and Eden (right)

No wedding gown list is complete with mention of Jenny Packham. Having travelled to Toronto’s bridal gown boutique, White, just a few times to try on Ms Packham, I am a huge fan! The gown that first caught my eye from Jenny’s collection is Claire. A dress designed in memory of her friend. Coming in a close second is Eden. Do you see a trend here?

While admittedly I didn’t look at many of Claire’s gowns, Claire Pettibone has a timeless, romantic essence to her dresses that did not go unnoticed. I’m hard-pressed to pick any one Pettibone design simply because I haven’t studied them long enough. But if you like what you see so far, check her out at http://clairepettibone.com/

Without further ado, the designer I love to love… Australian fashionista Johanna Johnson! Right up my alley, Ms Johnson does bridal gowns like no other. Simple (ah, love that word when it comes to weddings) and lovely. What do you get? Simply lovely! She even inspired my jewellery choice, but I’ll save that for another day!

The timeless Johanna Johnson

“I don’t care for most things.”

Not quite over my what does it all mean phase (although I do sense the end is near) I am seeking solace in strong, opinionated women who also happen to be writers.

Having read and absorbed Elizabeth Gilbert’s novel on the subject of marriage (Committed), I took notice of a particular study called the Marriage Benefit Imbalance. Now while this raises much controversy, the imbalance is still a legitimate theory in sociological study. The study argues that women do not benefit from marriage as much as their male partners do. And while current research and discussions surrounding this topic are far more complex than what I’m touching upon, I do believe the work does have its merits.

Besides Gilbert, I recently found myself drawing from another witty and liberated writer, Dorothy Parker. In honor of Ms Parker, herewith are a few of my favorite quotes:

That would be a good thing for them to cut on my tombstone: Wherever she went, including here, it was against her better judgment.

Constant use had not worn ragged the fabric of their friendship.

Heterosexuality is not normal, it’s just common.

All I need is room enough to lay a hat and a few friends.

If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at the people he gave it to.

Take care of luxuries and the necessities will take care of themselves.

Men seldom make passes at girls who wear glasses.

Women and elephants never forget.

How Big is Too Big?

I’m talking weddings here, people. Please folks..

What is considered a big wedding by normal social standards?

According to Yahoo Answers the consensus seems to be the guest count. A high guest count begets big everything. Bigger reception hall, bigger cake, more food, etc.. Fair enough. But then how many guests make for a big wedding? One hundred people? Three hundred? Five?

Further research seems to reveal that big weddings are defined by their cost. Big wedding = big cost. But if this is so, what is the value of a “big cost” wedding? According to a New York Times article (April 3, 2010) the average American wedding is $28,000. Another source claims $20,000 as the average wedding budget.

Costs and guests aside, allow me to throw out a theory here..

As with all things concerning a wedding, it is subjective. A big wedding, an expensive wedding, whatever it is; it means something different to everyone. Just as people’s tastes differ, as do their ideas of what makes a big wedding versus a small wedding, and expensive versus cheap. It’s all relative to the persons’ experiences, their preferences, and above all, their tastes.

The “W” word

Wedding.

Let me start by clarifying I have no problems with marriage or mating for life. I love partnership and union and everything like that. In fact, I’ve even found my mate. I’m all set.

Then why am I treating it like a dirty word?

Well, the simple ceremony which once represented two people uniting in marriage has become quite simply a cash cow. As soon as you mention the “w” word prices skyrocket. The wedding industry – indeed it is now an entire industry – is capitalizing on what should be your “big day”. I regret what has happened to the pure and simple marriage ceremony, where a dress wasn’t an overpriced gown and the dessert not a million dollar cake.

And whoever said your wedding day is the happiest day of your life? Um, I wish to object. I have the fortune of living some pretty spectacular days and cannot picture this day (as happy as it may be) topping all others.

An excellent example of wedding traditions gone wrong is depicted in the British film, My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding. Imagine being bruised on the hips or stuck in the car on account of your humongous wedding dress?! Hmmm…. something is not right here.

With so much pressure on the one big day it’s no wonder things are unraveling out of control. What happens if we remove these pressures and put our focus on what really matters – the celebration of marriage vows.