The 14 Day Fashion Challenge

We've all had this; we're going away and need to limit our packing. For me right now it's sort of the opposite problem. I'm moving back to New York City in 14 days and have to pack as much as possible but what will I wear for the next 2 weeks if everything is packed? 

What started off as a very full clothing rack of winter and fall clothes has been whittled down to 14 pieces. All the others are packed or in the closet to be brought to NY on my next trip in a month. I realized as I was narrowing it down that this is a great exercise for women to do! As you do this you start to realize which pieces you can really wear in multiple ways and truly what your favorite pieces are. You start to see how impractical or simply "out" certain items can be.

An editor in InStyle gave a tidbit of advice I (try to) follow when shopping and looking at an item or accessory: Name 3 ways you can wear this piece. And if it's more expensive - try to come up with 6 ways. That really came into play in this experiment. 

So here are the pieces I've chosen to work with:

1. Black leather jacket
If it was summer I'd probably go with jean but since I'm on the east coast it's pretty damn cold. A great leather jacket can be worn in a multitude of ways. Hopefully I'll get a lot of use out of it because this piece falls under the "6 ways to wear" rule I had to come up with. It was that expensive. 

Lafayette 148 from Winners.

Tops 

2. A T shirt
I had a bunch of Ts to choose from but I thought this one could be worn a few different ways because of the color and the season. Even though it's -10C outside a T is good to layer, especially when travelling or going to an office and you're not sure what the temperature of a room or plane might be. 

Breast Cancer Awareness. 

3. A blouse
You could do any blouse, white, black, or patterned like this one. 

H n M.

4. A sweatshirt. 
So this one was a little risky but I had a few sweaters/sweatshirts to choose from. I thought this would be a good item to have since it is cold and some days I just want to be in sweats without actually being in sweats. 

Zara.

5. Button down/Chambray Top. 
Chambray is kind of a trendy thing but I love it. It's a piece that goes with so many different bottoms and can be layered. I'm a little obsessed with mine which I call my ombre chambray top.

Old Navy.

Bottoms

6. Jeans.
I've chosen the only pair I have which are dark wash skinny jeans. I think these are the most flattering and versatile. I know some people reading this might be women that might not wear pants so I would say you could do the exact same thing with a jean skirt instead!

Gap.

7. Pleather Pants.
I probably could have done without these but I still wanted to give myself options. Another super trendy piece but I really like wearing them and they are easy to dress up or down. If you don't wear pants I'd consider doing a leather/pleather skirt instead (which is my #9.)

Mendocino.

8. Leggings.
I don't care who says leggings aren't pants. If they are thick enough they are. Tights are not pants but leggings are. And my G_d do I love them. Especially this time of year. I had to keep a pair of leggings. If you don't wear pants I would wear an American Apparel skirt or any other similar black stretchy skirt as an equivalent.

Lulu Lemon.

9. Leather Skirt.
I needed at least one skirt in this experiment. I actually like wearing skirts. However in the winter they always mean tights or something underneath, which is why I felt I could pack my jean skirts. A great leather skirt can be worn tons of ways of which I hope to share and come up with over the next two weeks.

Aretz Originals.

Dresses

You'll see I have 4 dresses chosen for my remaining items and I'm not sure how much versatility I'll get out of them but I keep Shabbat and needed dresses so we'll see how handy those are or what I mistake I made.

    



                                                   

Hypothesis: (ps I can't even believe I remember the word hypothesis since I haven't used it since 8th grade science class with Mr. Franken.)
One thing I suspect is I'll have a hard time finding an outfit I'm "in the mood for " or "feeling that day." Which is a woman's #1 inability to put clothing on in the morning. "I don't have anything." This should be interesting.

Doppelganger Distraction

According to Wikipedia: "Doppelganger week, the first week of February, is an internet meme whereby users of social networking websites change their profile pictures to that of celebrities with whom they share appearance traits. The meme started in 2010."
Well, I don't know where the hell I've been but I love it! It's like Purim or Halloween for your Facebook profile pic. The problem is finding who your doppelganger is. Therein lies the challenge. All year long we randomly look at a person and say, "hey, you know who you look like?" But we forget. Now I'm gonna start writing that shit down!

Yet of course we are all guilty of wanting to look like the hottest and most gorgeous celebs we can. I mean who doesn't want to be Jennifer Aniston's doppelganger? But there's also just the perspective. Some people see it, others don't.

I'll use myself as an example of this. For years my friends called me Queen Latifah, I was a big, not-actually-black woman but the truth is I don't actually look like her. I think she's gorgeous but it's not real. I've gotten America Ferrera, who is my current Facebook profile pic because I think it's the most obvious and close celeb doppelganger but the truth is I know her nose is wider than mine, my chin is more defined and I wish I had her upper lip regardless, I'm cool with it. I see the resemblance. It's mostly about skin and hair color, as horrible as that might be.
I've also gotten Neve Campbell which I can see, she's just has a whiter skin tone next to my olive.
For years my mother has said that I look like Julia Roberts. Now, as much as I LOVE Julia Roberts and want nothing more than to look like her I know that I don't. My lips aren't as big as hers (nor is my smile as wide), my nose isn't as pointed or long. There are two features of hers I've always wanted; 1. I love that her lip doesn't have the normal peek, it's just a straight line. I know this is weird but I think it's so unique and stunning on her. When I was younger I once actually painted my lips red without that definition and I loved it. (no- I did not leave my house lol) 2. She has this crazy vein that runs along her forehead vertically especially when she smiles. I shouldn't want that but I do lol. I do however laugh out loud very similarly to hers and for this I am proud. I do think now that my face is thinner I see the resemblance slightly more than I would have before and I will always long to play her sister or daughter in a movie but alas I admit no one sees the resemblance but my mother. God bless her.

So who's your doppelganger? Are you participating in this fun? Admit it, you love it!

Modesty & Modernity (Party II)

Busy Phillips at the SAG Awards

This is the original post I wanted to write but I realized what started off as a little "introduction" to the subject was an entire post in and of itself. So I made it into two parts. I have been so inspired to see such modest gowns and fashions in style this season. Winter is always an easy time of year to dress covered head to toe, regardless of how you feel about tzniut. We all cozy up in our baggy sweaters and wear tights under our skirts, but, as we got a taste of maxi dresses last summer, I think the long skirts and dresses, higher necklines and longer sleeves is only picking up speed. We have seen this twice now from the Golden Globes and the SAG Award show red carpets. A very pregnant Busy Philipps and the adorable Kieman Shipka (which, when you dress modestly for long enough you can just see what would look good with just a sleeve added.)

Kieman Shipka at the SAG Awards

Keira Knightley

Now with the spring fashion shows in full swing we are seeing more and more designers stunning the runways with elegant and gorgeous gowns completely abiding by the rules of modesty. Reem Acra, Louis Vitton and Eli Saab just to name a few. But one designer is everywhere with the long sleeves and high necklines which is the reason I was even inspired to write this blog post, and that's Valentino! These are just three of my recent favorites. I've never wanted to wear long sleeves and a high neckline more in my life. I feel like every time I see a celebrity in a stunning gown on a red carpet I run my eyes to the bottom of the page to find, once again, that they are wearing Valentino. I've started following their Pinterest page so if you're a fan like I am too follow them too http://pinterest.com/valentino/

Jessica Alba

What's inspiring your fashion choices, modest or not, this season?? How will this translate to summer? I can't wait to see!