Review of The Little Black Book of Style
Written by Elizabeth on September 10, 2007 – 9:37 am -When I left my job at a large credit union eight years ago, I traded in tops, skirts, and heels for what I think of as my “Mom uniform”-t-shirts and jeans in the summer and fall, sweatshirts and jeans in the winter and spring. My clothing purchases, except for one outfit to wear to a funeral, have been limited to the sale racks at Target and all of the racks at local thrift stores.
However, maybe because I’ve turned 40 and am having a mid-life crisis or something, in the past year I have become my own worst critic when it comes to getting dressed in the morning. I dread having to pick from the same three pairs of pants and six shirts over and over. Not that there’s anything wrong with having a limited wardrobe; if those pants and shirts were classic, well-fitting, easy to accessorize pieces, that would be quite different.
When Parent Bloggers Network asked for volunteers to read and review The Little Black Book of Style, I volunteered hoping to pick up some fashion tips. What I found instead was an eye-opening revelation regarding my clothing-it does NOT have to be trendy! I don’t have to pick up whatever the latest fashion being sold at Macy’s is, unless it’s something I really love. What I need to do, quite simply, is choose clothes that make me feel confident.
The Little Black Book of Style is written by Nina Garcia, a judge on Project Runway, and fashion director at Elle magazine. So you know she knows style! The book is short, just 142 pages, and divided into six sections. The illustrations are by painter, sculptor and illustrator Ruben Toledo, and although the women in the illustrations are all Barbie-doll slender, they are all individually, uniquely, and impeccably dressed. I found myself drooling over a few of the handbags in the illustrations as well!
The advice is simple: Be your own muse, meaning, wear what makes you feel confident. Choose clothes that tell the world who you are. Next, purge your closet of everything that doesn’t look fabulous on you, that isn’t the right size, that you’re keeping just because it was expensive, or because you “might” fit into it one day. I am insanely guilty of that last one, by the way. Invest in the “ten staples”, clothing that transcends time, and will still be wearable five years from now. And not the trendy versions, the classic versions:
- A Little Black Dress (which I have no use for, seriously, so I’ll skip this one)
- A classic men’s white shirt-I feel fantastic in button-down shirts. Yes please!
- A cashmere cardigan or turtleneck-Hmm. Cashmere is a little pricey.
- A trench coat-I have one with a removable lining so it can be worn all year.
- Denim-But I assume she does not mean the elastic waist Mom jeans I’m currently wearing, right?
- Diamonds-She says diamonds, even fake ones, are perfect for day or night, casual or dressy, winter or summer, with other jewels or alone. I know what I want for Christmas!
- Ballet flats-I tried this one, I really did, but the backs of the cheapo Payless ones I bought tore up the backs of my heels! Maybe if I spent more than $16.00?
- A classic high-heel pump-Only if my husband buys us tickets to the theater this year.
- A great bag-My favorite!! Garcia says every woman should have a tote or shoulder bag, a clutch, a medium-size handbag with a chain-link strap, and one of the “must-have” bags-Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, a Birkin. Hmm. My birthday is in January! OH, and can anyone tell me what kind of bag that is in the illustration on page 27? Because I WANT IT.
With just those pieces, Nina Garcia says I have the foundation for a fabulous wardrobe. I also appreciated the “Cheap thrills”, that is, clothing that does not have to be expensive to be stylish: White Hanes t-shirts, an L.L. Bean Tote (there’s that birthday idea again!), a white button-up shirt, khaki pants (but NO PLEATS!), Flea-Market finds, vintage steals, and surprisingly, clothes from H&M and Target, which she calls “first-rate style at cut-rate prices”.
The rest of the book is equally interesting, with sections on which movie stars and musicians have influenced fashion, and what to wear organized by dress code. My one criticism of the book is the interviews with fashion “insiders”, some of whom I recognize as being clothing designers, and others who’s names I don’t recognize at all. It would have been helpful to have one line under each name explaining who the person is. And some of their answers to the questions-well, they left a little to be desired. For example, Garcia asked Zac Posen, who I know dresses Natalie Portman among others, “Who are some of the most stylish women you know?”, and what was his answer? “They know who they are”-UGH. Come on Zac, you had your chance to give shout-outs to all the celebs who wear your clothes!
In conclusion, I am hoping that this book will inspire me to try harder with my clothing choices. If you would like to see what other bloggers are saying about The Little Black Book of Style, visit the Parent Bloggers Network.
Tags: Books, Parent Bloggers
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Just because this sweatshirt is comfortable doesn’t mean I should wear it. EVER.
Written by Elizabeth on September 7, 2007 – 10:45 am -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!
Tags: Parent Bloggers
Posted in PBN | 10 Comments »
My family spends quality time playing videogames!
Written by Elizabeth on August 10, 2007 – 1:48 pm -It’s a very special Blog Blast, brought to you by Parent Bloggers Network and EA Games, who have released a new game for the Nintendo Wii called the Wii-Boogie. It’s a family game that everyone ten and up can play, and you create characters and then make them sing and dance together. So, get it? Wii-Boogie? WE-Boogie? Genius!
The theme of this Blog Blast is “A Family That Plays Together, Stays Together,” which is why this is the IDEAL post for me to do. You see, my family? Plays videogames together. Unless the boys are at a sleepover, we get together every Friday night for this unbreakable ritual:
Take-out pizza and breadsticks, which are eaten in the living room on the coffee table, and
Video games. Lego Star Wars 1 and 2, Halo 1 and 2, the newest Harry Potter game, anything from the Legends of Zelda collection- we eat, and then we play videogames. Since there are four of us, we take turns playing two-player games, or controlling the character in a one-player game. I don’t care for the shooting-type games, so I usually sit those out.
Our first game system was a Nintendo 64, purchased when Ryan was four. When the GameCube came out, I went to Best Buy the day after Thanksgiving and stood in line for two and a half hours to buy one. Both of the boys have GameBoys, as well. The only Nintendo system we don’t own (YET!) is the Wii. And believe me, I WANT ONE. I think the idea of having the controller be how you actually control the game is BRILLIANT. And now there is this brand-new game the Wii-Boogie, where you create a character, and then use the controller to make everyone’s characters dance together! Because the game is rated 10 and up, the songs that are included are all PG (no bad words in Pink’s “Get the Party Started”, for example).
Friday pizza and videogame night is our family’s way of making time that is just for us. Our kids look forward to it all week. I think it’s important to have times that kids can count on, when they know that they will have their parents undivided attention. I also think it’s important for families to find activities that everyone enjoys, and for us, that is videogames! But unlike regular videogames that we play, what I find so appealing about Nintendo Wii games, and especially the Boogie game, is that it would get us all up off the couches and floor and get us moving, something we could all benefit from.
So, how does your family spend quality time together? What is your favorite family activity? Write a post today answering these questions:
What are your favorite family activities and how do you find the quality family time?
And if you don’t have quality family time, how do you make up for it? What challenges do you face?
Send your post TITLE and URL to parentbloggers@gmail.com, and you will be entered in a drawing to win either the Grand Prize, a Nintendo Wii and a Boogie game, or be one of three people to win a Boogie game! If you mention Parent Bloggers Network in your post, please link to http://blog.parentbloggers.com/, and if you mention the Wii-Boogie game, please link to http://www.wii-boogie.com. Good luck to all of us, but honestly, I really hope *I* win!
This post is brought to you in conjunction with Parent Bloggers Network & EA’s Wii-Boogie, a family gaming experience. Shake it. Sing it. Create it.
Tags: Parent Bloggers
Posted in Uncategorized | 10 Comments »
Noah’s Pals
Written by Elizabeth on July 18, 2007 – 10:11 am -Sometimes I have this overwhelming urge to get rid of absolutely every toy my kids have and just start over from scratch. It drives me that all of their action figures have so many detachable parts that never seem to stay on more than a week. What my kids need is more high quality toys, like these amazing Noah’s Pals.
Parent Bloggers Network arranged for me to receive five pairs of these incredibly detailed, hand-painted animals, along with Noah and his two doves. Each box contains a card, richly detailed with information about the animals, including each one’s name, gender, height, length and weight. The card also tells you whether the animal is endangered, vulnerable, or common, which countries the animal comes from, and what kind of environment they live in. And, for older kids, you get information on which Animal Family the pair belongs too, and their scientific name.
We received Noah and the doves Derek and Delilah, who are common, found worldwide, and prefer to live near the coast. Noah’s hand is molded to hold a staff, but one of the kids must have lost it, so poor Noah just stands there, arm outstretched, hand in a loose fist. The doves are very tiny and could be easily swallowed, so even though the age for the toys is 3 and up, watch carefully while your kids play with the smaller animals.
The other pairs we received are Owen and Olivia Ostrich (common, Africa, grassland), Jared and Janet Jaguar (vulnerable, Central and South America, Tropics), Christopher and Chesca Caribou (common, forest, the male weighs 450 lbs.), Matt and Marcie Musk Ox (Endangered, males are 7 feet inches long, females weigh 600 lbs.), and Kolby and Katy Kinkajou, which are also very tiny and should be kept away from toddlers, but they are VERY CUTE.
Now, here’s the best part- on the back of each information card is a scratch-off box with a code to enter at Noahspals.com. If you want to register your animals as you collect them, you’ll need to register for the site, and an email address is required, so if your child wants to register, you’ll need to enter your own email as well. Enter all the codes,using a check-off Boarding List to keep track, and as a reward for collecting all 40 pals, you will receive a special package from Caboodle!, including an extinct pair of Dodo birds.
There is, however a catch- you can’t buy the animals in online stores! They were designed to be sold to gift shops, retail stores, and zoos, so you will have to do some digging to find all of them. That’s part of the fun!
Two more very important things I would like you to know about Noah’s Pals: first of all, this company is simply two people, Steve and Janet, who want to help animal lovers make a difference in animal’s lives, so they donate 5% of their net profit to the Wildlife Conservation Society. To learn more about their reason for starting their company and their incredible philosophy, read their Vision Page.
Secondly, Noah’s Pals are not meant to make any kind of religious statement, which is great for me since we are not a religious family. In fact, when I showed the toys to Nathan, he said, “who is Noah?” The Noah’s Pals FAQ page says it best, “Intended for all, Noah’s Palsâ„¢ is a collection that evokes the beauty in all animals”.
Thanks again Parent Bloggers Network and Noah’s Pals for these beautiful collectible animals!
Tags: Parent Bloggers
Posted in Products, Websites | 7 Comments »
Are you SURE you’re not having twins?
Written by Elizabeth on July 6, 2007 – 10:59 pm -When I was pregnant with my first baby, my son Ryan, I gained a LOT of weight. I went from weighing 140 to weighing 198 the day I delivered. I’m five feet tall, which means that the bigger Ryan got, the more my stomach stuck straight out, because there was nowhere else for him to go. Honestly, I looked like a baby hippo by about month seven.
I worked at a large Credit Union where the staff was mostly women, so all pregnant mothers enjoyed nine months of being fussed over. The women I was closest to knew as much about my pregnancy as my husband and I did. And they knew how I felt about my size, how I had to buy size Large maternity tops to go over my tummy even as they hung down to my knees. Which is why I was not at all happy when one day, one of nicest ladies in my office walked up to me and said “Are you SURE you’re not having twins?”
Um, yes. I was sure. My husband was sure, my doctor was sure. Unless there was another baby growing somewhere else in my body, my uterus contained exactly one very large boy. My reaction was not the witty comeback I would have wished it could have been, instead I laughed nervously and said “no no, it’s not twins, ha ha”. Ha ha my ASS. You know what I wish I had said to my older, definitely not-pregnant but slightly overweight coworker? “I’m only having one baby. How many are YOU having?”
What was the most annoying question someone asked you when you were pregnant? Don’t you wish you could have just handed them this?
This Blog Blast post is brought to you by Parent Bloggers Network to coincide with the launch of the new pregnancy/new mom handbook Body, Soul, & Baby by Dr. Tracy Gaudet, Director of Duke Medical School’s Department of Integrative Medicine. They will be drawing two posts at random to win an iPod shuffle and an autographed copy of the book!
Tags: Parent Bloggers
Posted in Uncategorized | 14 Comments »
