One Size Fits All?

I have not written recently. It’s not because I’ve been too busy, or had more important things to do, or some family matter that was holding me from doing it. It was simply because I didn’t feel like it. . I feel like writing thank you cards, which I should probably get working on now… I didn’t even feel like journaling—something I usually do every night. The last thing I wanted to do was blog, I just could not think of anything thoughtful, funny, or interesting and nothing was inspiring to me. That is, until yesterday.

I was sitting in my grandparents’ living room crammed onto a small couch with two of my cousins and a small excitable dog watching the super bowl (well, the commercials) and eating chips and salsa. My cousin happened to mention a store that she had gone into with my aunt a couple weeks ago. The store is called Brandy Melville, you may or may not have heard of it before (if you haven’t heard of it, here is their website: http://www.brandymelvilleusa.com/) . When my aunt inquired as to how the sizing worked, the woman said, “oh it’s one size fits all!”

Wait what?

 “how does that work?”

 “well the average size of women is 4, so we work around that”.

Umm…WRONG!

Let’s just let that marinate for a second.

Not only is it “one size fits all”, but also it is “one size fits all” for a world of size 4 models.

So many things about this irked me. First off, that information is simply incorrect. Today, the average American woman is a size 14. Now let’s take a moment and look at that word, “average”. What exactly does that mean? Does it mean that every American woman is a size 14? Nope! When something is “average” it is the same as the “mean”, like in math. Remember finding the mean, median, and mode? Well that is exactly what this is. It means that in some kind of survey they asked a whole bunch of women for their sizes, added those numbers up and divided it by the number of women they asked. If you need a visual of what that would look like, here you go:

There would have been an incredibly wide range of sizes, all the way from 00 to 8x and a great number of women within each range. Within these size ranges every woman is a different age, race, body type. They have different jobs, different families, and different hobbies. There is absolutely nothing “average” about it. There is absolutely no such thing as “one size fits all”.

Sitting in my Grandparents’ living room we had three generations of women. Every one of us has different interests—music, dancing, fashion, hiking, Swedish folklore, etc. Even though we are related, we all look very different. Sure my cousins and I all have exactly the same eye color, but that is just about where the similarities end. Whereas I am 5’6”, blonde and hourglass shaped, my cousin is shorter, more athletically built, with stunning nut brown hair and almond shaped eyes. My grandma is, and always has been, tall and slight while all my aunts are ranging in height, hair color, and curves. We all are so different and I have to say, pretty good looking. It is our differences that make us interesting. It is our differences that make us beautiful. What fun would there be if we all looked exactly the same? What fun would there be in a “one size fits all” world?

Why should we want a “one size fits all” when it is diversity that makes life interesting? We like new artists, musicians, and actors because they are new. Every year we have award shows, like the Grammys and the Golden Globes, where artists are awarded for bringing something new to the table and changing something up in the art world. It would be so incredibly boring if the same actors won the same award every year and if the same music was played at each event. It would be even more tiresome if it were the same music as last year and the year before and 10 years ago and 50 years ago. We watch these shows every year because every year there is something new. We go to museums because we like to see different paintings. The impressionists were considered so good and appealing because they were completely different from the ones that came before. We like change.

So why are we trying to be the same as our neighbors? Why does there even exist a store that sells “one size fits all”? Why have we even allowed this to happen?

If you ever find yourself comparing yourself to your friends, family, acquaintances, favorite celebrities, random strangers on the street, or anything of the like, try to think of something that makes you unique. What is special to you that makes you different and beautiful? Whenever I feel down on myself and feel fat or ugly I look at my lips. I have very large, red lips. I got my lips from my dad, who got them from his dad. They are unique to my family and me; they make me distinctive. And I think they are pretty darn good looking. Why on earth should I compare myself to some skinny supermodel that doesn’t have nearly as good of lips? She is beautiful in her way and me in mine. That is perfectly okay! In fact that is great.

Today let’s make a pact. I want you to promise me, or just yourself, that from now on you will celebrate your differences. Promise me that you will never ever ever try to be part of a “one size fits all world” because that would be a boring world indeed.

Goodbye my beautiful ones

xoxo

Justice

Who Are You?

“We live in a world of self-defined brands”—Kenneth Cole

Being stylish and being fashionable are very different things. Fashion is a universal thing. Style is an individual thing. Anyone can be fashionable if they know the current trends and where to shop, but not everyone can be stylish. For example, tight skirts with crop tops may be in fashion, but by wearing them you may not look very stylish. Style is more about what you look good in, feel good in, fits your personal tastes, and fits your character. In my humble opinion, having style is much more important than being fashionable because style tells the world a story—the story of you. Our first perceptions of anyone are based on how they look because, unless you are blind, only meet people online/on the telephone, or are a hermit, sight is the first sense we use when meeting a person. It is important then to give an accurate representation of yourself in that first moment. It would be awful for someone to assume that you are an uptight business woman when in fact you are a natural, bohemian type simply because you chose to wear a pant suit. Sure pantsuits may seem appropriate for a fancy occasion, but if you aren’t a businesswoman working in a tall building who drinks black coffee for breakfast you are essentially lying to the whole world by wearing one. This is just one example. I have countless, but hopefully you get the point. While it is sad, because we aren’t supposed to judge a book by it’s cover and all that, the truth is that everyone does it any way. While I don’t want to generalize, I think it is safe to say that pretty much everyone makes snap judgments of others based on what they are wearing. So since people are going to make decisions on who you are before they even talk to you, you might as well represent yourself correctly.

Developing your style can be a long, hard process requiring a lot of internal reflection and consideration of life choices. Kind of like going through rehab. Defining your style is like creating a brand for yourself. You go through the same steps as a designer does when creating his or her latest line. This is not something that can happen over night. It takes time, most people spend a lifetime defining and refining their style and most don’t even realize what they are doing. But if you want to be conscious about it, here are few simple steps:

Figure out what it is that inspires you. You probably know what your likes and dislikes are and whether or not you are aware of it, these things inspire you in a multitude of ways, including what you wear. Whether it is books, movies, time periods, flowers, food, architecture, other people, etc., what inspires you will shape what your “self-defined brand” looks like. Example:

 

This is a mood board that I made for a class that I think does a good job at representing what inspires me

 

You then decide on your color palette–what colors you like and look good on you. If you had an honest mother or sister or friend, or stranger, you have probably had the experience of being told that a particular color makes you look ill. If not, either you are blessed with magical skin and hair that looks good with everything, or you have never been in an honest relationship with anyone and I am sorry for you. Most people have their “go to color”. A color that looks fabulous on them and that they just adore. For my sister it is grey, for me it is pink (that basically sums up the difference in our characters).

The next step is to figure out what kinds of clothes are good for you. As I have said countless times and will most likely reiterate over and over again, not everyone looks good in the same thing! I like dresses, skirts, flowy blouses, cardigans, high-waisted trousers, and high heels. My best friend would never be seen in any of those things—preferring jeans, t-shirts, baggy sweaters, boots, and leggings. That doesn’t mean that one of us is more stylish than the other. This step includes determining what silhouette looks good on you, what you find comfortable, and what fabrics you like.

I think that if a designer made a line that was a representation of me, it would look a lot like this:

This is part of my midterm for fashion business. FUN right?? Well it has a color palette, clothing examples, and fabric swatches

 After that you can figure out what stores and brands work for you. Urban Outfitters does not work for me, but Kate Spade does (too bad I have no money and can’t actually buy anything from her…I can dream though). Then you can stock up your wardrobe and walk around advertising yourself correctly.

The most important thing to remember is to stay true to who you are. Not only will buying a biker jacket when you are a quiet librarian give the whole world the wrong idea of your character, it will probably be a waste of money. If it doesn’t fit who you are, you will probably never wear it, so why buy it? I have to remind myself of that every time I am tempted to buy a pair of leather pants.

Xoxo

Justice

Hear me roar

When I was young I was an extremely timid child. You know those children who you can't tell whether or not they actually know how to speak? Yeah, I was one of those. Except not only did I refuse to talk, but I also refused to do anything at all out of my comfort zone. A comfort zone which extended to reading books, playing games by myself, and only talking to people related to me, or at least whom I had known for a very long time. However, being in my particular family of adventurers, go getters, and, quite frankly, slightly crazy people, this didn't exactly fly. When I was 10 my Grandma decided that enough was enough when I refused to ask the waitress for no mustard, even though I absolutely despised mustard, simply because I was too shy. My good ol' Granny took me aside and said some very wise words, "are you going to eat ask for no mustard? or are you going to starve because you wont eat that sandwich?". Then she said some other words, that were pretty wise too, "in life, there are going to be things that scare you, and you have two choices. Either you can face them, or you can hide. Hiding is fine, but you will never grow and you will never learn. And you probably wont have much fun. But if you face them, who knows what you may achieve. So I want you to repeat after me, 'I am woman, hear me ROAR'", and then we practiced roaring. And we practiced roaring every single time I was too shy to do something until the day came when I was brave enough to roar a great big lion's roar in the middle of JC Penney.
You never know what you might miss just because you are afraid of being laughed at, or of being wrong, or of seeming ignorant. A very wise movie once told me "Don't let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game" (yes, that is from A Cinderella Story, a fabulous movie). We just have to remember that everyone is facing the exact same demons as us and that, well in most cases, if you take the first step, others will follow and see you as a brave leader–just like Aragorn going out to face the orcs, even though he knows that he will probably fail, except hopefully you wont ever actually have to do anything quite so gruesome and smelly.

Yesterday I went to the beach with my sisters and cousins. About half way through the afternoon, I decided that I wanted to do some yoga on the beach (something I would never have done when I was younger, seeing as there were other people around and other people are scary). As I was coming out of a pose, I looked over and there was an old man doing yoga about 20 yards away. Now, I have no idea if his doing yoga was in any way connected to mine, but I like to think that it was because I took the first step, or rather pose, that he had the courage to do so too. And if I do say so, it was adorable watching this little old man do yoga next to the ocean.

So, next time you feel too timid to do something, anything, just think "I am woman, or man, here me roar!", and ROAR for heaven's sake. This can be a figurative roar if you would like, or you can actually roar, that's okay too. For some of us this comes naturally, but I think that for more of us than we'd like to admit, taking the first step is quite terrifying, so I leave you with this last message:

("Do not dare not to dare"–C.S. Lewis, The Horse and His Boy)

xoxo
Justice

(all pictures belong to Mary Justice McNeil, owner of this blog. However, you may pin/share them if you would like, if you do so in a manner that links back to this website. That way I get more viewers. Which is very exciting for me)

Aphrodite Didn't Have a Thigh Gap

I think that it is safe to say that we are all aware of the fact that "skinny" is in. "Skinny" has been in for quite a while. I will let others write on how un fair it is to the curvy girls out there, how unhealthy it is to be skinny, why Kate Moss is evil, etc. etc. I am not all that interested in those subjects because I believe that all God's creatures are beautiful and that if you were born with it, baby, flaunt it. If that means you were born to be a size 0, girl go get your self some skinny jeans. But for the majority of us, that means that we were born with, well, a little extra meat on us. (I will also here avoid all topics regarding unnatural skinniness, as that could get controversial. and I would not like that). I would like only to talk about the historical context of this *tiny* phenomenon. It is funny isn't it, that for years and years, hundreds, thousands of years, what was considered beautiful was plumpness, roundness, and paleness. This was the case because for hundreds, thousands of years to be plump, round, and pale meant that you were privileged enough to not work outside, you had people to do the work for you. You were able to have a life of luxury away from hardships. You could also afford food to make you plump and round, and we all know good food can be a bit pricey–just go try to find a nice, affordable lobster dish, and ps, it isn't in Bangkok. Here is the basic syllogism, fat woman=well fed woman, well fed woman=rich woman, rich woman=attractive woman, therefore, fat woman=attractive woman. There you have it, being curvy means you get to eat, you're rich, and attractive. Sounds good, right? Well sadly that all changed around the industrial revolution, and especially in the early part of the 1900's. When in the past being skinny and tan meant that you had to work outside all day, that was not too appealing; when it meant that you didn't have to work inside at a sewing machine all day, well then it became a bit more alluring. Then along came Coco (Chanel of course, darling) who made the flapper girl all the rage and all of a sudden round and plump was out and skinny and twiggy was in, as seen in The Great Gatsby. And it has stayed that way. After thousands of years of embracing the curves, society decided to throw rulers at all of us and expect us to transform, which ain't gonna happen. But you know what? I am perfectly happy being a pale girl with a bit more rounded-out parts (okay, I'm curvy.) because, if Aphrodite didn't have a "thigh gap", I don't see any reason I need to have one.
Let us take a moment to celebrate the classical beauty of history
(some content may not be appropriate for children: some nudity)

The Birth of Venus
Botecelli 

Madame Grand (Noël Catherine Verlée, 1761-1835),
 Later Madame de Talleyrand Périgord, Princesses de Bénévent
by Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le brun

Nymphs and Satyr
by William Bouguereau

Reclining Naiad
by Antonio Canova

Spring
by Boucher

I don't think any of these girls would have looked quite so beautiful, and would not be hanging in famous museums, if they had boney shoulders and you could see their ribs. It is their joyful roundness, youthful paleness, and womanly curviness that makes them so fabulous as subjects for art.
So whenever you may be feeling down about how you look, put down the magazine full of itsy bitsy models and go look at some different, older art, and be reminded that beauty has many forms.

xoxo
Justice

WWJLD?

Happy Birthday Jennifer Lawrence! That's right ladies and gents, today our favorite funny, sexy, intense, beautiful actress turns 23. Can you believe it? 23! And she's already been in 11 movies–with 6 more coming out soon–and 6 TV shows. Not to mention she is the youngest person ever to have been nominated for 2 oscars, winning one of them. She is simply amazing. Let us examine the reasons why.
1) Her impecable style

Jen's Street Style

Jen at the Dior Fall 2012 Fashion Show in Paris, France

Gosh, she even looks fabulous while traveling

In Dior at the Hunger Games Catching Fire Premiere in Cannes, France

Wow. She is hot.

 2) Her Beautiful Face in the Dior Campaign

Dior Fall 13 Ad

3) Her Vogue September Spread (and Cover girl)

Taken from Vogue.com

Taken from Vogue.com

But perhaps the reason we all like her so much has more to do with her personality than how she looks (not denying the fact that she is simply stunning). Seriously though, I can't think of any other celebrity with as much wit and carefree humor as the Hunger Games star.

Not only is she hilarious, but she is also incredibly kind and involved in her community. She is right now working with a charity called Bellewood Home for Children for underprivileged children.
Watch this short video to learn more:

More so than anything above , I think the reason that Jennifer Lawrence is so universally liked is the fact that she is a real person. She makes mistakes, like tripping on stairs, she makes ugly faces, she is funny, she likes food, she has a normal body, and she wants to be left alone as much as the average Joe. She is, wait for iiiiiittttttt...a normal human being (other than the fact that she has amazing acting abilities and makes more than most of us could imagine in a lifetime, let alone a year). She doesn't let her entire life end up on the shelves at the check out line in the grocery store. Other than a few odd facts–like that she loves glass doors and windows–J Law has kept her life rather anonymous. Which is quite refreshing. It gives the illusion that her life is not so out of control, corrupted, and weird that the paparazzi is drawn to it like flies to a rotten banana. So then we think, "wow, she must be a really good, down to earth, serious actor", unlike many others, *cough cough* Miley Cyrus (speaking of which, are she an Liam still together? because that needs to end. now. he is mine). I think she could be an inspiration to us all. Jennifer Lawrence, not Miley Cyrus. Next time you think, "hmmmm, I want attention. I think I'll just tell everyone every detail about my life." Stop. Drop. WWJLD? I don't think Jen would blab every detail about her date/trip to the bathroom/shopping spree, so you probably shouldn't either. There is something to be said about the power of anonymity. If you leave parts of the story out, people will be intrigued and want to know more. When an author tells us every little thing and doesn't leave anything up to the imagination, we get bored and put the book down. But when there is a bit of mystery, like why on earth did Delores Umbridge not die?, we are far more interested to read more.
So, whether or not you are a big screen actress, a librarian, homeless man, store checker, average high schooler, etc, I encourage you to keep your life out of the presses–even if those presses happen to be Facebook and Twitter. People will probably like you more. Which is the point, right?

Here's to you Jennifer Lawrence, may you live long and prosper, you are an inspiration to us all.

xoxo
Justice

Chameleon Confidence

Every once in a while I am reminded of the fact that I am from the middle of no where Colorado. I mean seriously, middle of no where. Sure I can go into the city (if you can call Denver a city) but seriously, my neighbors are cows. My house barely shows up on GPS. So when I come to places like, oh say, New York City, it is quite a culture shock. Like, did you know that some kids actually have neighbors to play with? I mean when I was growing up my parents shoved me outside to let me "get in touch with nature". Here's a stick, your new best friend. But no, some kids actually have human contact outside of school (not to mention they go to schools that don't regularly have lock downs because there are mountain lions on the playground).
Exhibit A:

My lovely sisters in their youth modeling the fabulous style of mountain living

So, like I said, coming to New York has been quite a culture shock. Which is why I have had to turn on full chameleon mode. While in Colorado, where people think crocks and cargo shorts constitute as style, I may be considered the most fashionable one on the block (or mountain as it is), here I have had to try a little harder. A lot harder. But that's okay, I enjoy practicing my chameleon skills. No, this does not mean I have the ability to turn into a reptile, which would be quite fantastic–Xmen style–but it means that I try to blend into whichever environment I may be in at the time. This requires two main things: 1) clothing that looks as if it belongs in the environment and 2) the confidence that you do in fact belong there. Regarding requirement one, it is not necessary that you spend a fortune on completely different outfits so that you can fit in just as well in a mountain cabin as on the upper east side. I highly recommend shopping at places like, shhh, TJ Maxx and Nordstrom Rack. That way you are able to find a few good pieces for relatively inexpensive that are able to work anywhere–like a good button up blouse, nice jeans, and good shoes. The harder part is number two. Sometimes it is really hard to actually feel like you belong some where. You may feel as if everyone can tell that your life started in a trailer or that you spent the first 15 years of your life thinking of Target as practically couture. But you know what? They actually can't! When walking into somewhere like Bergdorf and Goodman or the designer flagship stores on Madison Ave, the only thing that matters is knowing that you are the costumer (even if everything in the store costs more than you make in a year) and that, being in a a free country, you have just as many rights as the models and aristocrats of the world and that means that you too have the right to shop in a beautiful, shiny department store. So, stand tall, smile, look clean and put together, and no one will question why some small town girl from Colorado is in their store. Confidence is key.
And Context is all!
Wait I actually don't know how that is relevant...oh well...
Once you have your confidence in check, you can chameleon your way through anything! It's like that quote, "fake it till you make it", just pretend that you belong there, and people will think you do, and who knows? maybe someday you will. If that's what you want, go follow your dream.

Example: as I have mentioned above, I am in New York. Manhattan that is (for an internship). I brought as many cute clothes as I could fit in my tiffany blue hard case suitcase, which was not quite as much as I would have liked. So, I have had to make do. The other day I went to "work" and then went to some of the major stores on 5th ave, including Bergdorf and Goodman. This is what I wore

Calvin Klein shorts, Rebel wedges, braided leather belt, and Tart Collection gingham button up in mint

(forgive the selfie, I have no photographer out here)

While maybe not my most fashionable outfit, with a little touch of confidence and an air of self importance, I was able to fit right in with the hordes of upper east side moms and rich french tourists roaming around Bergdorf and Goodman and even acquired quite a few compliments. Tada! the magic of chameleonizing. 

So my friends, whether you are going to a fancy store, a cocktail party, climbing a mountain, or going to a ranch, or really just anywhere where you may feel a bit out of place, just pretend you are a chameleon, and adapt as best you can–easier said than done, I know, but believe me, once you master that, no one will ever no the difference. 

Go forth young grass hoppers, grasp that confidence and live a life full of experiences. 

xoxo

Justice

Are You Kitten Me Right Meow

Happy Monday! In order to set off your week with a smile, look at this ridiculously fat cat

Either you can smile because no matter how bad your troubles may seem, at least you are not a fat cat, or because this feline of grand dimensions makes you chuckle. Either way, I have made your Monday morning a little brighter already, haven't I? (Disclaimer, this cat does not belong to me. While my own cat may certainly be very large, he is a little camera shy at the moment and was reluctant to pose this morning. He is having some self esteem issues that I don't want to aggravate by having strangers smile at his robustness) 

Now on to the business of the day. I did not simply share this cat with you because I take pleasure in seeing his round figure, but because I think we could all learn something from our friends the cats. Have you ever noticed how cats  don't seem to give a single ounce of care as to what others think? Whereas dogs are constantly trying to please their masters, cats just frankly don't give a damn. Why is that? Sure it could have something to do with their selfishness and genetic code, but I like to think it also has something to so with the fact that they are completely comfortable with who they are. A cat doesn't care if other people think it's fat. A cat doesn't care if the neighbors don't like the color of its coat. A cat doesn't care if you were about to sit in the chair it has decided is its new throne. A cat simply doesn't care. So why do we care? Why do we care so much about what other people think about us? It is a little silly to tell you the truth. I mean seriously, everyone is going around worrying about what others are thinking about them that no body actually takes a second to think anything about anybody else. All that precious time worrying gone to waste. You could spend that time thinking positive thoughts about yourself and all those around you. Or thinking about what you should have for lunch. Or thinking about cats. 

On this lovely Monday morning I would like to encourage you all to take a moment and think like a cat. When getting dressed this week, or really doing anything since this topic transcends clothes, please don't give a fig about what others will think about you, but do and put on whatever makes you feel the best and most you-ish. I promise you, if you feel happy, confident, and comfortable in what you are wearing and doing, no one will ever think a bad thought about you (unless of course they feed on the souls of dead fairies and unicorns, and are a bully). 

I feel the most cat like—being the adjective to describe the feeling of total confidence and joy—when I am in something pink, feminine, and completely unique. With at least one bow. 

And of course, in order to have a reminder of why I don't care what others think about me, my cat shoes are a must. 

(Meows the time heels from Modcloth, TeaParty Dress designed and made by yours truly) 

So dear friends, I leave you now with a quest for the week, go forth and find your inner cat. Now drink your Monday coffee and have a fabulous day. 

Xoxo

Justice 

We Read To Know We Are Not Alone

"It is what you read when you don't have to that determines what you will be when you can't help it"—Oscar Wilde 

When I read, I don't simply read the words on a page written by some French man living in his Mom's attic 150 years ago. When I read, the written words float up and around me, they flow through me and create images stronger and more vivid than any film producer could ever make. When I read, the words become my reality, everything else is but a dream. Now, some may call my love of literature a characteristic that makes me, as the ignorant call it, nerdy. While I will not deny this, being as I would much prefer the company of a good book over any living creature ( with the exception of a certain fat cat), I cannot say this is a bad thing. Reading allows us to live in lands far and near, real and imaginary. It hands us the opportunity to know a multitude of people before unimaginable. We are given experiences far beyond the capacities of our dull drum lives—from standing in the French court with Charles Darnay to finding the horcruxes with our favorite wizarding trio. I could go on and on about the magnificence of the written word, but that would be superfluous. I will, however, add one more crucial point, the point, in fact, of this entire post. As demonstrated by my dear friend Mr. Wilde in the  quote above, reading can determine who you are. This could mean a multitude of things which I am sure are covered in many psychological books, but I will mention only one. The type of book you read, and the types of characters whom you love and wish to be, directly reflect who you are and/or aspire to be. I, personally, love historical fiction, with strong, independent heroines, impossible (and sometimes heartbreaking) love stories, with enough action and fighting as to be suspenseful, and, more often than not, sad endings, or at least not entirely rainbows and flowers happy endings. What this tells you about me, I don't know. Nevertheless I am aware that it reflects my character, and, be that as it may, I try to reflect the characters in my favorite novels. How do I do this? With my dress bien sûre! One of my favorite games is "who am I today?". Somedays I'm Elizabeth Bennett, others I'm Alice, occasionally I'm Luna. I have never ever been Bella, that is just silly. Some characters are easy to dress like, but with others it can be hard. For example, it would not be appropriate for me to go to school in a full suit of armor and a sword with which to kill the Nazgul king (not that I meet many of those on a daily basis), and so I must find a less obvious way to emulate my favorite heroine of all time (for those of you who have never read or seen Lord of the Rings, ie are a waste if oxygen, I am here referring to Eowyn). I might wear a tunic dress, leggings, and leather boots. No one else may know the game I am playing, or who I am trying to be in a particular day, but that does not matter. That is not the point. The point is that it gives me a test, by dressing as my favorite heroines, I try to put on the cloak of improve-ibility. I can attempt at emulating, not only their looks, but also their characteristics that make them worthy of the title "heroine". Just as in a play, the actors can act as much as is humanly possible, but we don't truly see the characters until the dress rehearsal; the costumes come out, and we are no longer seeing a bunch of starving men and women trying to make a living tromping about on stage, but we see Lady Macbeth going insane, Anne Sullivan transforming Helen Keller's life, and Belle falling in love with a Beast. By putting on a dress that makes me feel like Lucie Manette, I feel it necessary to be kind, sincere, and noble. When I want to be strong and independent I may put on green pants, a black shirt, and leather boots, and tada! I am Katniss Everdeen (minus the blood, tantrums, and fire)

Yesterday. I was feeling the need to be willful, hopeful, and adventurous, so I chose a girl from one of my favorite series, The Luxe, Diana Holland. Diana lives in high society, turn of the century New York. She rebels against every constraint of her high born life, dreams of a life as a daring adventurer, and will do anything for love. I needed the assurance that I am going to survive in all the scary new adventures approaching for me. I needed to find my willful, fighting nature that I see reflected in Diana Holland. 

I am wearing a chiffon and chambray shirt from I forget, an old navy belt, Romeo and Juliet Couture chiffon maxi skirt, and Rebel wedges. 

Although no one else could tell that inside I was pretending to be a rebellious New York socialite, I knew, and that's all that mattered to turn my view point around and regain the courage to face the scary world ahead.

And so, dear readers, I encourage you to read. Read anything, and let it full your mind and influence your life, it will do you worlds of good. 

And with that I bid you adieu

Xoxo

Justice

Ps here is a list of my favorite books, if you need a place to start. 

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens 

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Alice in Wonderland (etc) by Lewis Carroll

Scarlet by AC Gaughen 

The Luxe series by Anna Godsbersen

His Fair Assassin by Robin LaFevers

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë 

Harry Potter (of course)

Lord of the Rings (obviously)

The Narnia Chronicles by CS Lewis 

The Red Necklace and the Silver Blade by Sally Gardner

The Princetta by Anne-Laure Bondoux

The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge 

Expressions and impressions

It is truth universally acknowledged that the purpose of fashion is for self expression. So what happens when you can't find anything that will express your uniqueness in stores? What then? Are you supposed to repress your shine simply because the mass market can't come up with a way to symbolize everybody's individual taste? NO! NAY! NEVER! In such instances that you are just so incredibly unique that nothing in the world of conformity could possibly do you justice, you compromise and make your own. This could either mean getting a simple H&M sweater an adding patches and oversized buttons, finding a vintage wedding dress and making it in to a 21st century party dress, or making your own clothes entirely. I am a strong believer in the power of personal style, and I highly recommend that everyone take some personal time over a cup of tea to delve deep inside themselves and find themselves—or at least find your personal style, we don't have to get too psychological or spiritual here. 

Now everyone is unique, this is true or otherwise we would have a world of Stepford wives, and I think it would be safe to say that in my family we have some very unique individuals (if you've ever met us, you'll understand). In this installment regaring personal style I would like to discuss my middle sister, who for purposes of anonymity shall be here named Nan. Nan is 6ft 1, a teacher, has a perpetual smile, brings a party wherever she goes, and is a cook extraordinaire. Think mrs. Frizzle with a mix of Julia Child and Mary Poppins. So, you can probably imagine that it is hard to find clothes that fit her, let alone truly embody who she is. And as she is a teacher, she is required to dress nicely, modestly, and, to keep the kids interested, fun-ly. In order to compromise the lack of full dresses in fun colors that are well made in stores like Zara, we created a pattern specifically for Nan and now make all of her clothes. She now can strut around all day with her ginormous smile that attracts all sorta of people while feeling completely confident in who she is because she knows that she looks fabulous, feels comfortable, and is in a dress as unique as she is. 

This dress of brown an white polka dots has a yellow and red apple print lining, to give it an extra punch of fun. It is long enough to cover her knees, and the pleated skirt is full enough to allow for any spinning and skipping opportunity.

As Nan peers into the window of an old school house, we can see a metal zipper which adds another exciting detail that is available only in homemade clothes (unless you want to spend a lot more money than is accessible to a middle school teacher).

The repetition of red and polka dot pattern makes this dress simultaneously a little crazy and put together, the perfect combination of the many characteristics of my sis Nan.

Finally, as I have said in the past, making your own clothes has many benefits, one in particular being that it saves money for buying, say, shoes! Any outfit of Nan's would never be complete without a pair of at least 3 inch heels.

Isn't she beautiful? And fantastic? Can't you just tell what kind of person she is based simply off what she is wearing? Even though we could never find a dress that embodies her so well in any store for under $200, Nan has successfully achieved the goal of fashion and is expressing herself from head to toe. 

Until next time

Xoxo

JusticeMae