Llama, Llama, Run From Mama

In case you missed it, two llamas got loose today in Sun City, Arizona. No, I'm not kidding. The hashtag #llamasontheloose was trending and people were watching the whole thing unfold on TV. If you did miss it, Deadspin has condensed the entire chase and put it to some entertaining music. You can view that video (and see some hilarious gifs) here. 

It's pretty entertaining, I'm not gonna lie. 

In fact, it's been a nice distraction since we are AGAIN snowed in. 

We missed the entire week last week thanks to President's Day/Snow and we missed yesterday, today, and will miss tomorrow because of the same evil white stuff. 

Yes, I know up north they function with, like, 3 feet of snow and we shut down for 3 inches, but that's also because we don't have the equipment to take care of said snow. I think we have 50 plows for three cities to share, and that's including some privately owned ones. So streets don't get clear very quickly. 

I did shovel my driveway today. That was a great workout, and I felt productive as well. 

And after that, my family could get out of our house for a bit. Not for anything important, mind you, just to get dollar drinks (tea and soda) from Hardees and chicken nuggets for my notoriously picky father's lunch.

I kid you not. 

Since I've been home, I like to think I've been productive, but I haven't. I did do my budget for March and started working a bit on April and travel plans for the summer. I read. A lot. A whole lot. I researched. I was on Pinterest. I was on Pinterest. I was on Pinterest. 

Yeah...might have been on Pinterest a whole, whole lot. 

While on pinterest/twitter/online shopping, I came across the new swimsuit ads for ModCloth. 

Let me just derail for a second and explain just how much I love ModCloth. They have absolutely ADORABLE clothing that is, for the most part, reasonably priced. It's all vintage inspired and indie so no one is going to have the same dress as you. (I'm serious, the only time I've ever seen anything I own on someone else was one time a lady on jeopardy was wearing a dress I bought on ModCloth and the next day she had on another ModCloth piece, so she became the person I was cheering for). I digress. Anyway, here are some of the items from my most recent order (I NEED spring so I can wear these!)

 

Cute, yes?

They sell lots of things, but I'm a big dress wearer when it comes to clothes for work so...yeah. Also, losing weight is great but when a new season rolls around and you're smaller than you were the last time that season was here...not so good.

Again, digressing.

But that's not my #1 reason for loving ModCloth. It's also because they are using their own employees (REAL WOMEN) in their swimsuit ad and have taking the Brave Girls Alliance Heroes Pledge for Advertisers. (read more here) This is the pledge:

Basically, it states that the pictures in an ad need to reflect what the person ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE. 

It's a little scary how much is photoshopped in/out of photos these days. There was a leaked photo from Victoria's Secret where they had changed the color of the suits, taken away straps, eliminated any rolls and expression lines, and enhanced the women's cleavage. So, basically, not humanly possible. 

No cool, Vicky, not cool. 

But they're not alone. Lots of advertisers, magazines, and others do this. All. The. Time. 

But we're starting to see a shift. We're starting to see more companies take the stance against photoshopping, mostly from online retailers, but still, it's happening. Just take a look at the ad for ModCloth's bathing suits: 

Personally, I LOVE it. I hate body shaming, and while I am in the process of becoming healthier and losing weight, I also don't think anyone should be shamed because of the shape they are in. 

In my experience, you can't really effectively lose weight until you start to love yourself for who you are. So when I finally said "Okay, I'm 180 lbs, which is big for my frame. I have to accept that and rock that" things started to turn around. I ditched any clothes that were too small, except for a few "goal outfits", and rocked the body I had. Then I decided that if I really loved myself, I would take care of my body. It's a mind shift from the "I'm fat, I have to lose weight" idea. Soon I began to look at myself and say "I'm okay with this, but I can be better". And I am. I'm down quite a few pounds since then, and I even fit in two of my four goal outfits (yay!). And I'm not done. But I look in the mirror now and I know that I look good. And when I lose ten more pounds because I am taking care of my body, feeding it the right things, working out, getting regular sleep, etc., I'll still look good. But it's all about that acceptance. And these ridiculously skinny girls who are 7 feet tall and photoshopped and made-up and properly lit should not be the standard of beauty. 

This mentality is one of the main reasons I love ModCloth, because they are more about the individual and her style than cookie cutter "you must look like this and wear this" that you see at chain stores. And they have a cook feature where each product that is reviewed might come with the measurements of the reviewer or even a picture of said person in the dress/shirt/pants/etc. 

This means I can find a girl who is close to my size and see her/read what she has to say about an outfit. It's nice, because sometimes I'll read a comment and go "good, I won't buy this because everyone says it's not good for short girls with large chests..." Or "everyone says that it's short, but those people are all tall, so this should be the perfect length on my short frame." Or I look at the pictures and go "That looks so good on her! It would look good on me too!" 

You won't believe how much this improves shopping for me. It helps me make decisions, helps me not overlook fabulous finds, and generally lets me know if I'm getting a good product for my money. I highly recommend it. 

That's all for now, I'm going to get back to reading and enjoying my snow days :D 

The Modest Monarch: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge

Okay, normally I am not a celebrity stalker. Frankly, I think they are just like everyone else and should be left alone. However, I am completely and totally obsessed with the new Duchess of Cambridge's style. Not only because it is classic and elegant, but because it is MODEST. Not just modest as in covered up but modest in price as well. Let me explain.

Last week E! made a big deal about the fact that not only did the Duchess recycle a coat, she also recycled a dress. Shocking! It amazes me that anyone thinks twice about this. We all have clothes we like. We like how they fit, feel, and look on us. Raise your hand if you recycle outfits (I'll give you a hint, we all do it!) I found it refreshing. Yes, the dress is designer. Its also fantastic so why wouldn't she wear it more than once? Same goes for the coat. The only new thing in her outfit for Zara Phillip's wedding was the hat. Granted it was an expensive hat, but it's one we will probably see again. Plus she doesn't seem to be allergic to off-the-rack clothing. I'm pretty sure she's gone out in stuff from Banana Republic, Zara (which is really cute but very reasonable) and clothes that won't cost you your first born child. It's important to note that both she and her sister Pippa seem to not care where the clothes come from, so long as they are cute, but invest in nice designer bags and shoes, which is a smarter investment than a $200 shirt.

The other thing I love is the modesty. She looks fantastic but she can move without fear of, as my father always said, "giving someone the chance to autograph her underwear". And her clothes don't show too much of the girls. And that makes her prettier than some of these trashy hollywood starlets who think the less skin you show, the sexier. Maybe its because I'm a woman, but I just think they look cheap. You wear a $50 dress from Khols that fits right and looks good and doesn't show too much skin, you can look more expensive and well-dressed than someone in a $400 designer dress that leaves too little to the imagination. I truly hope the drop in hemlines and the more modest style of the spring and fall will carry over into next year. I hope with the influence of the Duchess, we may see a return of modesty.

I want this not only because I think that will make women everywhere look better, but also because I am tired of seeing spare-tires and muffin tops hanging over too-tight jeans, thongs and butts hanging out of shorts and skirts, and dresses that really are entirely too short to be a dress. Enough is enough, people. Really.

One more thing to discuss, in terms of looking fantastic on a modest budget, but investing in quality. It's called "Clinton Math". I named it this because it comes from Clinton Kelly and the TLC show What Not To Wear. It is a really great tool to help make decisions when shopping and identifying what is a good investment and what isn't. Here's how it works:

Look at the price of your item.
Example: LOFT sweater, $50

Ask yourself: how many times will I wear this sweater?
Example: At least 3 times a month from Sept-April, a total of 21 times

Now, divide the price of the item by the number of times per wear.
Example: 50/21=$2.38 a wear.

But because it is a wardrobe basic, we also have to think about how many years you will use it. For this I'll estimate at least 2.
So the math becomes 50/42 = $1.19 a wear. That's not terrible, especially for something that is work appropriate.

You have to decide for yourself what you want to spend for each type of clothing. $2 a wear for a wardrobe staple may not be a bad investment, but $2 a wear for pajamas...that may be a bit much.

So just remember divide the price by the number of times you think you will wear an item and that will really start to make you think about the cost of clothes.

au revoir

-Sara