Sunday, July 11, 2010

Looking beautiful...to ourselves

Inspiration can be found in the most unusual places. I wasn't expecting to find wisdom in the TV series Castle this week while watching re-runs with my roommate.

Castle is a crime drama about a mystery novelist who helps the NYPD homicide department solve murders. Rick Castle also has a 15-year-old daughter and a mother who lives with him.

His mother, Martha (played by the lovely Susan Sullivan), makes the following statement to her son while helping her grand-daughter shop for her first prom dress.

"She already has body-image issues. It's an intrinsic part of being a woman. Every woman in the world has some part of herself that she absolutely hates: her hands are too small, her feet are to big, her hair too straight, too curly, her ears stick out, her butt's too flat, her nose is too big. And you know, nothing you can say will change how we feel. What men don't understand is the right clothes, the right shoes, the right make-up, it just hides the flaws we think we have. They make us feel beautiful...to ourselves. That's what makes us look beautiful to others."

I believe that this is what fashion is all about: looking beautiful to ourselves so we can radiate the confidence and contentment that the world sees and identifies as beauty.

And who said that there's nothing good on television? (I would actually recommend this TV series. It's quite good!)

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Summer Trends: Weddings

Wedding season is in full swing! I attended a beautiful ceremony this week at Roy's Barn off of Springhill Road. Though the colors were vibrant--lush green grass, bright blue sky--do you know what the fashion trend was? Black and white prints. Worn by young and old alike, they were everywhere. Here is a sampling.




















































































































































































































I love black and white prints. Here are some of my suggestions on how to rock this look this summer.

1. Bold is best. Go for big, bold prints. My favorites are bold floral and polka dot prints.

2. Accessorize with color. Choose a bright accent color such as red, yellow, magenta or turquoise. You can accessorize your outfit with jewelery, a belt, scarf, bag or shoes in one of these fab colors. Just make sure that they are solid colors and that you don't over-do it. One or two colorful accessories is perfect.


3. Embrace femininity. This is a wonderfully feminine look, so enjoy it! Whether you are 1 or 100, you can look like a dream in black and white prints. So make sure you give yourself a twirl. This look demands it!

Friday, July 2, 2010

Street Fashion













































Name:
Kathryn
Age: early 20's
Occupation: student

I ran into Kathryn as she was walking through her neighborhood, sipping a skinny white chocolate mocha. Wearing a choral cardigan on top of a basic black T, with a multi-color beaded necklace and a big brown leather bag, this classic look is one that I never tire of. Kathryn stopped to answer a few questions.


Where are your favorite places to shop?

Kathryn:
I like the unique places in Bozeman, not necessarily the big chain stores. I love walking downtown and going to the Root...I just love going in there. Usually I walk to the back in their clearance section. I think they have great stuff. It's a great place to get ideas from. And then I do enjoy places like Ross and Target that are a little bit cheaper. If you want to buy a nice dress or something, I think they're great places to get that sort of thing. I love stores that are fun and changing a lot. I used to shop at places like JC Penny and I just get bored there.

Do you read any fashion magazines or visit an websites to get inspiration?

K:
Yeah, I subscribe to InStyle Magazine. I get their magazine every month and I love thumbing through it 'cause they have a lot of celebrity stuff in it and things that celebrities wear, but then they also have tips on how you can get looks like that for cheaper, so it's more realistic for me. I really enjoy that magazine a lot. And then online, I found this website that's called allwomenstalk and it just has all these tips and things about, you know, if you want to go for this bright, summery look, there's like 10 tips about what you can wear and whatever. They range from beauty and style tips to just practical things for your kitchen...like just anything a woman would need in her life. And so that's a website that's really fun to browse.

What's one beauty product that you can't live without?

K:
Probably mousse for my hair. I've been wearing my hair up a lot lately because I need to get it cut, but I have an appointment set and I'm finally going to get it cut! I just think that mousse, mostly volumizing mousse, can give it the volume it needs and kind of hold the style I go for. That's one thing I try to have otherwise my hair falls flat.

True Beauty


"I believe that the way you feel about your life will eventually show up on your face."

Julia Roberts, InStyle Magazine, July 2010