Hot Weather Style Tips (From a Native Texan)

Growing up in Texas endows you with lots of useful skills.  You learn to quickly identify poor quality barbeque, understand the thickest Southern accent, and dress appropriately when it's 100 degrees and humid.

I see a lot of summer style tips around the blogosphere and in magazines, and I must say that a lot of them are not really suited for serious hot weather and definitely not appropriate for work unless you can wear cutoff and a spaghetti strap tank or dress.  The key to staying in cool is not showing skin, it's more a choice of fabric and fit, which is great because you can be comfortable no matter what size your pants are and what sort of style you prefer.

How to stay (and look) cool when it's miserably hot:

• Lean towards natural fabrics as opposed to acrylic or rayon:  Cotton blends and linen will let air flow through and help sweat to evaporate rather than accumulate.  A lot of the flowy, inexpensive tank tops you see in stores like Target and Forever 21 are actually made with non-breathable man made fabrics that are going to soak up sweat and show some embarrassing spots.  (Hint: If it's made to look like chiffon or crepe, it's not going to breathe much)
• Cover as much skin as you'd like, but keep your clothes fairly loose:  The tighter your clothing, the quicker you'll sweat through them.  The same rule about air flow applies here - you don't need to go sleeveless as long as the sleeves you do wear are breathable.  One of my favorite summer looks is an easy button-down shirt paired with shorts because it keeps the sun off of my arms, which in turn keeps me a bit cooler.
• Buy moisture-wicking versions of basic pieces:  I discovered this little secret a couple of years ago, and love telling people that some of my basic tanks and tees are actually made by GapFit and help to keep sweat from accumulating.  There are basically cut tees and tanks that don't have skimpy racerbacks, and they come in all the usual colors plus lots of great brights and patterns.  

hot weather style by cardiganjunkie featuring petite dresses

• Dress in layers that you can peel off outside:  Oddly enough, my office gets colder in the summer because the A/C runs constantly and I'd be miserable if I went sleeveless.  Thankfully, thin cardigans and  blazers are the perfect way to look polished inside, but can be removed as you leave without leaving you looking undressed.
• Avoid polyester linings:  A sleeveless dress lined in polyester or acrylic is going to stick to you and make you miserable!
• Keep hats, glasses, sunscreen and blotting papers handy!  Even lunch on a patio can leave you with a sunburn, and at least looking a bit disheveled.  I like to carry a little survival kit in my purse and car just in case I get caught outside.
• Have a chic way to get your hair off your neck: Thank goodness that top knots and messy buns are de rigeur! If you're at the office, sometimes you need to be a bit more polished, so it's also a good idea to keep a classic clip and some pins on hand so you don't look like you're about to go for a run after your presentation.

hot weather style 2 by cardiganjunkie featuring cotton shirts

Ok, fellow hot weather experts, what are your favorite tips for staying cool when it's hot?

5 Things Friday

Happy Friday, internet!  It has been a long week in the world of marketing and I need a break.  And some wine.  And some sleep.

Until then, here are five things worth sharing on the internet:

1. The ladies of Pinterest sure do love these chairs, and so do I.  I want some leopard upholstery in my life, but I'm not sure where to work it in.  A question to ponder, for sure.  (Here's where to order the fabric).  The blogger who owns them is pretty awesome, too.  Check out From the Right Bank!

2. I want a little girl one day, so she can dress up like this.

3. Earlier this week I discovered the blog Averie Cooks and fell in love.  This lady can bake, and I can't wait to try her recipe for cinnamon donuts in a mini muffin pan.

4. I also discovered the blog Snow & Graham, created by Ebony Snow Chafely who runs a company by the same name.  She has amazing taste and mad skills.  She painted these floral prints herself and I want to buy them.  

5.  How hot are these two?  I still love them - maybe as much as Ross and Rachel, or Eric and Sookie.  (It comes back on Sunday!! Wheeee!)

If there are any fellow Truebies out there, let me know!  I enjoy speculation and discussing episodes.

And with that, I bid you good weekend!

Marriage is about compromise... and fewer pillows

It's hard for me to believe, but I've been married almost three years.  They've flown by and been mostly carefree, though not without a few compromises.  One of the things that has been hard to accept is that we simply do not have room for the mountains of pillows that I'd like to layer on our bed.  At my husband's insistence, I am changing the look of our bed so that we won't have a pile of euro shams and throw pillows in the corner.

Since I'm not what you'd call minimalist (ha!) I started looking for alternatives and realized that I have enough fabric layout around to make a long bolster pillow that will span most of the bed and still bring color to the room, but stand neatly against the wall when not in use.

Like these:

 

I think I am going to use my yellow Nate Berkus ikat fabric to make mine, and perhaps with gray and white polka dots on the back side.  Originally I wanted leopard, and probably will get one someday, but for now I'll use what I've got laying around.  Hopefully I can sew a rectangle!

P.S.  As part of my compromise, I am selling several sets of pillow covers and have inserts for free for Dallas people.  DwellStudio euro shams for sale here, and zebra print Wisteria covers for sale here. 

Ye Annual White Jeans Post + My Summer Uniform

Every year around this time, I get a few questions about white jeans.  I get it - they can be scary.  If worn improperly, a normal size person looks lumpy with visible panty lines, which is not a good look.

However, there is plenty of hope for those of us without inner thigh clearance or protruding hip bones!  White jeans can look great on any body shape, if you know what to look for:

• Go for thicker denim without tons of stretch - Stretchy denim tends to be thinner than the regular stuff and that makes it harder to achieve a smooth line from waist to thigh.  Because white doesn't camouflage uneven surfaces like dark blue denim does, it can draw attention to things you're not used to seeing.  Even the outline of your pockets will stick out if the fabric isn't good enough.  However, denim with a nice medium weight will hold you in just fine! 
• Be prepared to go up a size, at least - For the aforementioned reasons, tight white denim does not look good.
• Know the difference between fitted and tight - If you cannot easily pinch the fabric and you have lines emanating from your crotch and across the backs of your thighs, the jeans are too tight. (Here is an example of what not to do)
• Slim cut or straight legs look best - Since we're doing everything we can not to add bulk, stay away from too much excess fabric from the thighs down. 
• Get thee some nude seamless boy shorts or thongs - It's mandatory.

And here are some really simple ways to wear them.  It's not rocket surgery!:

white jeans are easy by cardiganjunkie featuring ankle strap high heel sandals

But since I'm honest with you guys, here's how I wear mine most of the time (FYI - Converse Shoreline shoes are so freaking comfortable.  They're made to be slipped on, and have fewer eyelets so they look better with shorts):

my summer uniform by cardiganjunkie featuring brown sunglasses

Have you found a great style of white jeans?  Please share in the comments and describe how they fit!

5 Things Friday

Happy Friday, internet!  I hope y'all have had a good week.  Mine has been a little crazy, and I need a nice long break with my books and my bed. Until then, here are five things worth sharing on the internet:

1. This fall I'm planning to take my mom on her first trip out of the country, and I'll be showing her London (my favorite city!) and then we'll be exploring Amsterdam together.  If you have any recommendations on places to stay/eat/see, please let me know!

image via S. Lo on Flickr

2. I don't typically get serious or political here, but no matter how much your views differ from mine, I think we should all be horrified that there are upwards of 400,000 rape kits sitting around untested in the United States.  Women are waiting years for justice, and thankfully there are some wonderful nonprofit groups working to change that.  I recently learned about Test400K, a group working to fund testing of rape kits and right now, donations of $50 or more will be supplemented to cover the costs of testing a kit for DNA evidence .  Learn more about them here, and please consider a donation if you can.

3.  Can you believe that it's been 15 years since Sex and the City premiered?  I was too young to watch the show back then (I was 14), but discovered it when I was about 20 and have loved it ever since. 

Random:  My friend Julie and I have had a 10-year running joke about how you can say anything with a Samantha Jones voice inflection (lots of ups and downs) and it will sound dirty.

 

4. I have a love/hate relationship with my house.  It's about 1800 square feet, but without a lot of storage space since people in the 1950s didn't have as much stuff as I do.  Since I refuse to believe that we can't survive without a ginormous house, I'm starting to look at unused spaces and find ways to (elegantly) fill them.  One space is a wide aisle between my sectional and the windows and I think a long, low bookcase like this would be perfect.  Got any affordable or vintage finds I should consider? 

5. Fishtail braids are hard, y'all.  This tutorial is supposedly pretty good, but I can't get a result like the one below.  What do you do with the layers??  (I do, however, rock that makeup style a few times per week and love it so much)

Bonus 6th Thing!  If you are a Philippa Gregory book nerd like me, you'll be excited to learn that the BBC has made a series based on The Cousins War series (The White Queen, The Red Queen, The Kingmakers Daughter) and it airs in the US in August on Starz.  If I didn't tell you now, I'd forget.

And with that, I bid you good weekend!

Fun With Pinterest: A Mood Board of Me

I mentioned on Monday that I'm preparing to commission a blog redesign, and I'm really excited about it.  I've been browsing portfolios and deciding who to approach, and I recently put together a summary of what I'm looking for a in a design.

The funnest part of this process was carving at the time to sit down and actually look at the 2,171 images that I've pinned on Pinterest. (That number has probably risen by the time you read this!)  I clipped the ones that I felt were "me" and put them together to make this collage:

It's really cool to look at hundreds of images that you love all in one place, and I highly recommend it.  Once I saw everything all together, it's clear that I love me some leopard, gold, rich browns and pops of pink, green and teal.  Good to know!  If you've got time to step back and examine your style, I highly recommend it!

Now let's play a game:  If you could pick one (or more) images to represent your style, what would they be?

Chic Sunglasses for Ladies Who Lose Them

Happy Monday, internet!  I hope your weekend was lovely - mine was pretty busy, and I'm not dreading the work week, so I'll call that successful!

On Sunday afternoon, I spent some time poolside with my friend Leah, and got to thinking about how glad I am that my sunglasses aren't expensive.  Strange, I know.  But, you see, I worked at Sunglass Hut during college and even though I sold pricey glasses all day, I can't be trusted to own them.  I'm very hard on them and stretch them out by wearing them on my head, and get spray on sunscreen all over them.  This would be tragic if they were expensive.

Luckily for those of us who can't drop $95 like it's nothing, there are TONS of great options under $30.  And if you know a bit about picking the right pair, you'll always look great.  Here's what I learned in my time at the store:

• Scale is more important than shape.  The width of the temples of the glasses shouldn't extend much further then yours, and the bottom of the frame shouldn't go further than the top of your cheek.
• Round frames are hard to wear and don't look best on most people.  Stay away unless you're really certain!
• No matter what, make sure the lenses block 100% of UV rays.  Polarized is, of course, preferable, but not essential.
• If you have a round or heart shaped face, you can rock oversized frames all day.  Anything too small will make you look larger.
• If you're petite, look for sunglasses at stores that sell clothes your size, and you'll often find smaller scale frames.  If you're buying online, make sure you've measured the width of your face so you'll know if they're narrow enough.
• Aviators look good on everyone if they're the right size.  Most every woman can wear retro styles, as well, if you're brave enough!

And, of course, I wouldn't be a very good blogger if I didn't share lots of affordable options: