Just because this sweatshirt is comfortable doesn’t mean I should wear it. EVER.

I used to have personal style, or at least I thought I did, but do you know how long it has been since I was able to feel confident about the way I present myself to the world? Decades, and I wish I was kidding. When I went to college and my Mom stopped paying for my clothes, I traded in Classic, well-made, well-fitting clothing for whatever I could afford at the thrift store, and that’s been my “style” ever since. I can remember how it felt to be 15, 16, wearing the latest in uber-chic preppy fashion from Jacobsen’s in East Lansing, and wanting to look at myself in the mirror. What I really need is a definitive guide to creating my own style now that I am an adult.

Thankfully, Nina Garcia, fashion director at ELLE magazine and judge on Project Runway has released a book through Harper Collins called “The Little Black Book of Style”. I’ll be reviewing the book itself on Monday, but I can tell you that what I have learned from reading it has opened my eyes in a whole new way to what the possibilities can be for me as far as creating my own personal style when it comes to what I wear.

Today, Parent Bloggers Network is having this Blog Blast to encourage us to dig deep into our closets, pull out an embarassing item and show it to everyone. When I found this sweatshirt, I knew right away that it was the perfect candidate:

There are so many things wrong with this piece of clothing, I hardly know where to start. First of all, I know I bought it while I was working at the Credit Union, so sometime between 1992 and 1998. I purchased it at Mervyn’s, I remember, and although the label says size Medium, do you see how it is almost the width of my entire HALLWAY? That’s because I wore it while pregnant with both my boys. So basically this is a maternity-size sweatshirt that I still think is appropriate to wear now. Um, NO. And, do I really need to point out the hideousness of that ring of flowers around the “FL” on the front? (Stands for “French Laundry”, the manufacturer, if you were wondering).Parent Bloggers Network is rounding up all these embarassing style disaster posts and choosing one at random to win a $250.00 Coach gift certificate. Personally? I think I should win just for being brave enough to show you this photo here:

Ryan’s second birthday party, Oct. 04 1998. I am eleven weeks away from giving birth to Nathan, although you can’t really tell because I’m sitting down. But what am I wearing? Uh huh. I swear if someone buys me a Coach bag, I will become the most fabulous Mom ever. And I will BURN THIS SWEATSHIRT in our barbecue grill. You can count on it!

You can enter to win a $250 Coach certificate by following these instructions from Parent Bloggers Network: Tell us how your style has deteriorated over the years and provide some photographic evidence – a picture of the most hideous item that’s still darkening your closet – and ‘fess up to why it’s still in there!Â

1) Anytime today, September 7, before midnight PST, write a post about your style – or lack thereof – and include a picture of the item(s) in your closet that most desperately need to be donated. Title it creatively and descriptively.

2) In your post, link to PBN (http://blog.parentbloggers.com) and Harper Collins (http://www.harpercollins.com/books/9780061234903/
The_Little_Black_Book_of_Style/index.aspx)

3) Send us the link to your post (email to parentbloggers@gmail.com). Good luck!

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