Style Cassentials, 11/11/13

 This art project looks at the ridiculousness of Disney-fying female role models.  Does it go too far?

Sexism in advertising is nothing new.  How far do you think we have come from these sexist ads? 

Quality, price, range of sizing?  Are consumer demands reasonable? 

Halloween may be over, but these amazing costumes are making me plan for next year!

Gorgeous gold detail and over-the-knee boots.  Chic and fabulous!

Cool and classic with a bit of edge....Konstantina gets black and white is oh so right!

The images we see in magazines and on billboards are disturbingly altered, as this short video clearly illustrates.

So, you say you're not a feminist?  Are your reasons misguided or reasonable?  This article explores why many famous women deny being feminists.

Wendy's outfits are always inspirational!  Beautiful mix of textures and color.

Help Me Re-Name My Blog!!

For some time, I have been wanting to change the name of my blog. I want something that is catchy and easy to remember but that also fits the content and mission of my site.

I have always planned for a different logo for the blog and have grappled over other aspects of my site's design. By the end of the year, I plan to make several changes to my blog's design that I hope you will all enjoy.

By then, I also hope to have a new name to go with my new look. To that end, I am looking for suggestions. Any and all ideas are greatly appreciated!

 Thanks so much!!

St. Louis Fashion Week Kick-Off Party & Blog Awards - My Not So Glamorous Life

Last night was the kick-off to St. Louis Fashion Week and the Blogger Awards!

Pants:  The Limited (Sold out on-line; may be available in stores)
Blazer:  The Limited (Available here)

I'm so excited to announce that I won the People's Choice Award for "Best Delivery of Personal Style"!  Thank you all so much for voting for "Style Cassentials."  Your support means so much!!!

For the awards and party, I wanted a polished, clean look that had just a little bit of edge.  I decided on an all-black outfit with gold touches.

Heels:  Simply Vera by Vera Wang (Sold out on-line; may be available in some Kohl's stores)
Clutch:  The Limited (Available here)

Top:  Ann Taylor Petites (Available here)
Bracelet:  Local shop

I took these pics at the end of the night.  My feet were sore, and I was super sweaty - the humidity had taken its toll on me and my flat-ironed hair.  :-(

In looking at the pics, I noticed the kids had also gotten hold of some chalk and drew on the house.  Ha! 

Before the Awards

As glam as I may start my evening, reality always sets in!!!  I'm not complaining...it just reminds me all the more that while the images we see in magazines can be beautiful, they aren't real. 

They're taken with perfect lighting, hair and make-up artists on stand-by, and then air-brushed and re-imaged to impossible standards (see more here).  I'll take real-life - sweat, chalk, and all!

Belt:  The Limited (Similar here)
Earrings:  New York & Company (Available in silver here)

With Julia of "Oh, Julia Ann"
Photo c/o Psyche Southwell of "Economy of Style"

P.S.  Thanks again for voting!

For this top in another look, see here.

Cassential Links, 9/18/13

Sorry my Cassential Links are late this week...family duties have taken their toll on my weekends!!!

Since starting my blog and following so many fashion blogs, I have been exposed to an increasingly diverse group of chicly dressed women.  I hadn't thought about how this exposure might have contributed to my greater body-confidence until I read this and this.  Little surprise, but an important reminder that diversity is a good thing for us all.

Classic prints never looked so chic!

The poor are often  simultaneously ridiculed and disdained, but what's it actually like to be poor and how many Americans are dangerously close to poverty?

Karrie Brown, and her mother Sue, from my hometown, are such inspirations!  Love that they are helping bring attention to people with developmental disabilities.  Karrie dreams big, and her story shows us that we can all make our dreams and goals come true.  Get #KarriedAway, and you can help more young adults like Karrie find meaningful employment and realize their dreams. 


Black and gold is such a chic combination - love how it is classic, but easily goes edgy.  Yasmin from Bangles and Bungalows offers some fabulous fall style inspiration.

Want some amazing unique costume ideas?  Look no further than Jes' post from The Militant Baker.


The problem with the privatization of feminism.

I can't read Italian (though hopefully my years of Spanish will help), but I am picking up a copy of Marie Claire Italy STAT

Reminder that loving our kids means loving who they are.

While the lack of body diversity shown by major designers is nothing new, the models of NY Fashion Week are also very racially homogenous.  

Love the song or hate it, think the song is "rapey", misogynistic, or fun, there's no denying that "Blurred Lines" has sparked discourse.  While the article's argument is compelling and the photographs brave and moving, the discussion comments had me engrossed for over an hour.

New outfit post tomorrow!!

Wanna Go To the St. Louis Fashion Blog Awards?

Hi all!

St. Louis Fashion Week kicks off this Thursday with the Fashion Blog Awards and after-party!  

Event is at the gorgeous Three-Sixty Rooftop Bar on 1. South Broadway (downtown St. Louis, rooftop of the Hilton St. Louis at the BallPark).  

Doors open at 6 pm.  Blog awards start at 7 pm, and doors open to general admission at 8 p.m.

I'd love your support during the blog awards, and I'd love to see you there!

To that end, I have two free tickets to give away for the event! 

To enter:

1.  Leave a comment here on this post.
2.  Like "Style Cassentials" on Facebook and leave a comment on this post.

Enter both ways for two chances to win.  Winner will be chosen at random, and winner will be announced Wednesday at 8 am!

Tell your friends.  Spread the word.  St. Louis Fashion Week is going to be amazing this year!!!

To purchase tickets for this or other St. Louis Fashion Week events, click here.

Use coupon code SUPPORT for $5 off this event!

P.S. One more hour to vote on your favorites for the St. Louis Fashion Blog Awards.

I'm so honored to be nominated for three awards, and I greatly appreciate all the support I've received from you all!

One Year Prospective - What's Coming!

I have spent the last several weeks reflecting over my blog and the direction that I would like to see it go in the future.

Boyfriend jeans:  The Limited (Available here)

Fashion has been a lifelong passion, and I have been having fun continuing to evolve my style over the last year.  I will continue to offer lots of outfit posts, between 3-4 times a week - sometimes more, sometimes less depending on what is going on in my non-blogging life.

I would like to take some of my time though to move the blog towards my larger goals of promoting body confidence and discussing clothes, fashion, beauty, etc. as they relate to the culture-at-large.

I've always wanted my blog to be more interactive and more multi-focused than just "what I wore today."  As much as I love discussing and showing my fashion and having people actually care about what I wear, I've also struggled with feeling like doing so was a little too ego-centric and shallow.

Blouse: Outback Red by The Limited (old)

Purse:  The Limited (old)

Starting later today, you will still start seeing a regular Saturday feature, called "Cassential Links."  I have been inspired by a couple of my favorite blogs which have a similar feature.  Weesha's World and Already Pretty regularly provide features that link their readers to varioius content.  They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and I am very sincerely imitating this idea because I think it's a great one.  Expect to see links to other bloggers of all shapes and sizes rocking cool looks, links to body-positive articles and content, as well as links to socially-oriented content that relates to fashion, gender, body image, and other relevant topics.

At least once or twice a month, I will also be writing my own socially-oriented content.  I questioned myself a lot in posting "Loving Myself:  The Path to Self-Acceptance" and "Mod Squad" and even more so in posting "Grrrrrrl Power."  I worried that I would alienate readers or cause friction by incorporating my politics and social views into my posts.  It turns out that my worries were in vein as I've received nothing but positive response to all of these posts.  Also, those posts were among my most shared and most viewed posts.

I'm very inspired and validated by the responses that I've received to that work, which tells me that I have hit on something relevant.  In the end, I have also realized that I am willing to lose readers if it means that I am able to offer content that is authentic and that allows me to focus on my larger goals.

Bracelets:  The Limited

Shoes:  Target

I hope you will enjoy these new additions to my blog.  I look forward to the next year!

P.S.  Today starts Denim Week!!!  I wore this outfit last weekend to the movies.  The man and I watched "The Heat."  The movie was hilarious, and it was awesome to see a buddy cop movie featuring women!  Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock were a great combo!

One Year Retrospective - My Favorite Posts

Hope all of you are having a wonderful day!

Today, I'm feeling retrospective and want to share with you my favorite posts from my first year of blogging. 

Here are my Top 15, in no particular order:

#1     Zesty Lemon and Lace
I chose this look because it looks so springy and is fairly versatile.  The tunic over the pants is a unique touch, and I love citrine yellow!

Zesty Lemon and Lace

#2     Ballerina Fantasies
My ballerina and fashion fantasies come to life?  What more can I say?

Ballerina Fantasies

#3     Adventures in Traveling:  Cape Cod, Massachussetts

I chose this post because I loved Provincetown, Massachussetts and because I NEVER thought that I would post a picture of myself in a bathing suit on the internet.  If it weren't for all the amazing and much braver bloggers of all shapes and sizes out there rocking such awesome swimwear, I would have never have had the courage to do this.  I'm learning to be much more unapologetic about my weight.  If people don't like what I've got going on...DON'T LOOK!  :-D

Adventures in Traveling: Cape Cod, Massachussetts

#4    Whimsy for Work

I love citrine. I love bow blouses. I love these black tuxedo pants. I love blazers.  I love mixing prints.  Lots of things I love rolled into one work outfit!

Whimsy for Work

#5     The Dark Side of the Sun

My current favorite outfit, I love everything about this outfit!  And I look HAWT!! ;-D

The Dark Side of the Sun

#6     Mod Squad
I really like mod-inspired prints, and I love this vintage purse necklace!!  Also, fashion for a cause...

Mod Squad

#7     Keep or Return?
I ultimately decided to return this dress because I just wasn't crazy about the print, but I loved how the pictures turned out for this post.  I also love how this dress fit - I really want to find something cut just like it, but in a more agreeable print or solid.  I felt very vintage pin-up, and I liked it! 

Keep or Return

#8     Tuxedo Redux
I love tuxedo-inspired fashion.  A LOT!  I think this watercolor print top is so pretty.  I bought it off eBay about three years ago, and it was too small.  I was so excited when it finally fit. 

Tuxedo Redux

#9     Gaga for Lady Gaga 
I had so much fun with my hair and make-up for a Lady Gaga concert.  It was fun to explore my more creative side and to show a side of my personality that work life (and laziness) do not usually allow me to show.

Gaga for Lady Gaga

#10     Tweed, Leather, and Volume
I love this tweed sweater.  It is like a super stylish Snuggie!!!  My sun belt made a rare appearance.  I love suns so much I have two sun tattoos! 

Tweed, Leather, and Volume

#11     Dress Week:  Coming Up Roses
I love few items of clothing more than a maxi dress.  This is an older one that I don't wear much because I didn't have it hemmed short enough so it requires me to wear some of my highest heels or wedges.  Usually when I wear a maxi dress, I prefer flat sandals for a comfortable casual outfit.  This dress makes me feel super tall though, and I find the overall fit to be very flattering in the usual sense.  I don't understand why some "experts" claim maxi dresses aren't a good choice for petites.  I personally find them elongating.  I also love that this print is different than many of the prints I usually see on maxi dresses.

Dress Week: Coming Up Roses

#12     Day-to-Night Dress Up
This outfit made me feel very chic and pulled together.  I really love this cool architectural web necklace.

Day-to-Night Dress Up

#13     Skirt Week:  Grrrrrrl Power!!
I did not choose this post for the outfit.  I like the outfit, but I don't love it.  The outfit was meant to illustrate my post about how one's various social statuses affect how one is perceived, including what one's clothing "means."

Skirt Week: Grrrrrrl Power!!

#14     The Yin and Yang of Dressing
I wasn't overly thrilled with this particular outfit, my hair, or how the pics turned out, but I love the idea behind this post. 

The Yin and Yang of Dressing

#15     Skirt Week:  Drama Queen
This outfit made me feel glamorous. The pieces are actually quite easy and can be worn much more casually.  I love the floatiness of this look.

Skirt Week: Drama Queen

And an honorable mention!

Loving Myself:  The Path to Self-Acceptance
This post was cleansing to my soul - it was everything I felt about my body or did out of body shame that I had been too embarrassed to share with all but a couple of people.  Putting it out to the public made me feel so much more authentic.  I felt like my secret was out.  I really hope that this post helped somebody, anybody in feeling a little bit better about their own bodies.  Developing self-awareness and an appreciation of the bodies in which we inhabit is a journey that will take many twists and turns, but it's a journey worth taking.

Loving Myself: The Path to Self-Acceptance

In reviewing my first year of posts, I see outfits I love, outfits that make me cringe, and outfits that are just so-so.  I think that's the nature of fashion.  Fashion and style changes, even within a year's time.  Also, if you are a fashion explorer, which I tend to be, you're bound to make some missteps along the way.

I think blogging has given me a better idea about what looks good on my body and what doesn't.  That has helped me to become a better, more consistent shopper in that I am more aware of what brands, cuts and styles look best on me.

That said, I don't always choose the most "flattering" option.  I love fashion and require a certain level of variety in my wardrobe or I become bored too quickly.  For the sake of fashion, fun, personal challenge, or even whim, I will sometimes make choices that do not make me look slimmer and taller - an idea that is relatively taboo in certain parts of the fashion world - especially for a short, chubby girl.

I have a hard time identifying or labeling my personal style.  I tend to be a "I know it when I see it" type of shopper and do not always consistently choose clothing from a certain style category (boho, preppy, edgy, goth, trendy, classic, etc.).

I do know that I always like black (everything seems chicer in black), blazers, layered looks (see blazers), tuxedos (see blazers), interesting textures, patterns and details, and a touch of edginess. 

Blogging has allowed me to explore my style more than I have in years.  After having my daughter five years ago, I gained a lot of weight and had to replace my entire wardrobe.  For several years, my wardrobe was much more basic and classic because I was trying to obtain the essentials and was learning how to dress a differently shaped body.  I was so ready to add more joy and personality to my wardrobe, and over the course of the last year, I have been doing just that.

What type of shopper are you?  Do you have a way of describing your personal style? 

Have you had fluctuations in your weight or changes in your body shape over time?  How has that affecting your shopping habits and clothing choices?

Stay tuned...Later this week, I'll be announcing some changes to my blog that I hope you will enjoy!

If you haven't entered my giveaway for a handmade tutu (adult or child), please hurry and do so...Contest ends August 1, 2013 at 11:59 p.m. CST).  Details here.

St. Louis Fashion Week - Blogger Nominations

Hope you're all having a great evening.  I have fall fashion on the brain and am loving all the fall fashion on Style.com and in the glossies.

In local fashion news, St. Louis Fashion Week is right around the corner!  I've been to a few Fashion Week events but missed the shows last fall and spring.

Since Fall is this fashionista's favorite season - for fashion and everything else - I am definitely looking forward to attending to see what talented local designers have to offer!

I'm also looking forward to sharing the shows with you!

If you're so inclined, please consider nominating me for the St. Louis Fashion Blog Awards honoring St. Louis area bloggers. 

Here's the link:  http://www.saintlouisfashionweek.com/bloggers/st-louis-fashion-blogger-awards/

Thank you!  :-D