Reader Request: What to Wear for Multi-Generation Portrait

Good morning, internet!  I hope y'all are having a great (short) work week, and will be enjoying a long weekend starting tomorrow.  I will be taking the rest of the week off from blogging and being connected, but before I start that I am excited to offer some style advice to an old friend.

Katherine, who I've known for 21 years now (geez!) is having a portrait made next week with her mom and her baby daughter.  Believe it or not, they want to look their best and not dress in matching white shirts and jeans.  They also want to celebrate Katherine's mother being a 2-time cancer survivor, and I hope I've put together some ideas that will help them do that:

generational portrait - reader request by cardiganjunkie featuring a sequin embellished dress

For Grandma:  I've shown a pink top here, but any saturated jewel tone with a structured cut is going to photograph well and be slimming.  I've paired it with dark denim, chunky jewelry, and a fun shoe that's not going to make anyone's grandma look frumpy, or like she's trying to look 30 again. 

For Mom:  I love the look of a dress with a defined waist paired with a contrasting cardigan.  In this case, I picked a basic navy dress and paired it with a bright green sweater that will offer a nice contrast to Grandma's pink shirt and offer some structure and arm coverage.  A fun necklace and cute shoes round out the look.

For Baby:  Baby girls look good in anything, so this is easy.  In this case, I chose a printed dress to pick up the color in grandma's outfit.  This will also keep her from blending in with Katherine's dress and sweater.  Finally, a little headband that's not going to make her look like Chiquita Banana.  :)

Obviously, these outfits are illustrative and the colors and silhouettes can be altered to suit your tastes.  The most important thing about picking outfits for a photograph is that you're comfortable in them and they don't make you look larger than you are, which is easy to avoid.  Jewel tones generally look great on film, so they're usually a safe bet.

Have you had any photographs taken lately?  If you've got advice for Katherine, please share!

Have a great long weekend!

Bra-Friendly Dresses: Summer 2013 Edition

Believe it or not, having a large bust can be kind of a drag.  Yes, it makes your waist look smaller, but you pay for it all summer long when everyone else prances around in teeny bikini tops and little strappy tops or dresses.  Although I do have a great longline strapless bra (believe it or not, you can get the best deal at bridal stores), I'm most comfortable in the normal kind and it's always tough to find summery dresses that don't show straps.

Luckily, the rest of y'all have me to do some of the hunting for you and I've found a lot of options at common stores with prices ranging from under $20 to just over $100.

I've ordered a couple of the Old Navy ones and will be making my way to JCPenney to try a few of the Joe Fresh styles.  If you've found any great options lately, let me know!

5 Things Friday

Happy Friday, internet!  I hope your week was great, and that your weekend will be too.  We've been celebrating N's birthday, and getting our house ready for some guests this weekend, and I am beat!  I can't wait for a leisurely brunch with my book club, and a nice long nap.

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

1.  I just bought this little dress for a friend's baby and I am in LOVE with it.  Like, I sort of wish it came in my size.  Check out the StephANDStace Etsy shop for your stylish baby dress needs.

 

2.  Speaking of my book club, this month we read Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and it was amazing.  If you haven't read it, you should.  Now I can't wait for the sequel to come out in January!  Tim Burton is rumored to be directing the movie, and it's the perfect amount of darkness for action.  (P.S. The Dallas Barnes & Noble had all of their paperback copies in the back and only featured hardback on the shelves.  I didn't fall for that trick and make someone get me one.  Beware!)

3. Here are some rooms that I like:

via Pulp Design Studios

 via Design Crisis

4. My cousin is getting married in July, and I wish I had a dress like this one to wear.  However, I'll probably wear the navy sheath dress that I've worn to weddings since 2008.  

5. Also, this:

 via Jen Mussari

 

And with that, I bid you good weekend!

RIP Favorite Sandals

Finding the perfect pair of shoes is kind of a double edged sword.  You get a few seasons of effortless wearing, but then are faced with the need to replace them when no other shoe measures up.  This is happening to me right now, and I am having a hell of a time finding a new pair of neutral wedge sandals!

I want a pair that doesn't have any straw on them, and that aren't so high that I walk around like a drag queen.  I don't want them to be so chunky that I look like I have boots on, but I don't want them so strappy that they start to look too formal for daytime.  Did I mention that I also don't like paying more than about $60?  Yeah, this is hard.

After much browsing, I've found some options (some better than others) but would love some other suggestions if you've seen anything similar:

neutral wedges that aren't expensive by cardiganjunkie featuring open toe wedge shoes

Yeah, the printed TOMS aren't neutral but I'd wear them all the time!

What are your favorite shoes like?  Do you wish you'd bought an extra pair like I do?

How Not to Look Fat in Loose Clothing

Happy Monday, internet!  I had a busy weekend full of housework, which was oddly satisfying, and am now ready for another busy week and N's 31st birthday on Thursday.  I also loved seeing all the comments on my old lady rant about trends and grammar - I"m glad it's not just me feeling that way!

Before that post, I'd shared some hot weather style tips and got a few questions about how to wear loose fitting clothing without looking as though they don't fit or that you're larger than you really are.  I put together a few examples of how to do this because it can be tricky, but such a lifesaver if you want to avoid body conscious pieces and be comfortable.

My rule of thumb when going loose is to always showcase one part of your body at actual size to send a visual cue that even though the clothes may be flowy, you're not shaped like a giant rectangle.  This works for petite and plus sized women alike!

Here are a few examples:

how not to look fat in loose clothing 1 by cardiganjunkie featuring a leather handbag

how not to look fat in loose clothing 2 by cardiganjunkie featuring kendra scott

how not to look fat in loose clothing 3 by cardiganjunkie featuring a long racerback dress

What's your favorite way to let loose?  Seen any great pieces in store lately?  Let us know in the comments!

P.S. I'm seriously loving the blue floral maxi, and just found a code online (WAL10) to get $10 off plus free shipping, for a grand total of $51. So tempting!

5 Things Friday

Happy Friday, ladies!  I don't know that I've been so excited for a work week to end in a long while, and I can't wait to kick back and enjoy it.

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

1. I am in love with this home office.  I'm not usually a huge chalkboard paint fan, but this is subtle and functional.  Check out the details over at Recently, a blog I can't believe I didn't know about until this week.

 

2. I'm really loving the idea of head scarves for summer, especially when my bangs are dirty and not looking their best.  This photo is my inspiration, and I'm especially loving the easy maxi dress with it.  Check out more from Christina at Hello Fashion.

 

3. These are words to live by... unless they're cheap black pants that don't fit and the hems have huge holes from being stepped on.  If I see one more pair I'm going to attack someone with scissors.

4. These chocolate chip cookies with nutella and marshmallow look amazing.  I want to make them immediately.  Check out the recipe at Clockwork Lemon.

5. If you haven't discovered it for yourself, Bloglovin has created a two-click process that will import everything from your Google Reader into their site.  They've also launched phone and tablet apps, so you can read blogs all the live long day!  

All you have to do is click this link, then verify your Google account, then wait about 2 minutes for everything to load.  I moved 187 blogs, and am now prepared for the end of the internet as we know it.   

If you're not sure how to use Bloglovin, check out this great tutorial from NutritionElla.  

Bonus 6th Thing! Warning - True Blood episode 1 spoilers and total geekiness ahead...

Who else watched the TB premiere?  I actually enjoyed it, since I'd mentally prepared for be disappointed like I was for most of season 5.  Thankfully, it doesn't appear that Bill is going to be a "bloody nekkid Superman" all the time, and I hope the writers have gotten the message that numerous side plots do not please viewers.  I thought the beach scene was a bit random, but a quick way to revisit the main characters, and I really loved the scene where Eric walked Sookie home.  Yeah, I'm on Team Eric and I'm a shipper.  I want them to be together again, and I think that rescinding his invitation with Warlow and Bill running around was pretty stupid, although Sookie is not known for great decisions.  Also, the exchange with Eric and Nora was really good, and I hope the writers keep it up in the next 9 episodes.  And lord help them if they kill him off.  I don't even want to think about it.

I thought the werewolves were totally gratuitous, and I hope the whole pack vs Sam business stays somewhat relevant and doesn't just turn into weird wolf threesomes.  I am not sad that Luna died, though.  She was not my fave.  I'm excited to see Steve Newlin, and hopefully more Lafayette, so hopefully the rest of the season is as good as the early years!

And with that, I bid you good weekend.

Things I do not love.

Perhaps I am becoming an old lady (the big 3-0 is eight weeks away!), but when I was trying to compile a post about trends that I like, I ended up finding more that I don't like.  So now you get to read about those, and some pet peeves for good measure!

(And when you're done, hop over to Fleur de lis & Football to read my best marriage advice for the lovely Erin while she's away on her honeymoon!)


1. If you are not careful, those trendy high waist pants and rompers can make your butt look a foot long or give you a perma-wedgie.  You'd think this would be obvious, but the women of the mall on Saturday suggest otherwise.

2. For some reason, fashion magazines continue to insist that dressy shorts are appropriate for work, and I'm sure some misguided interns experience a very uncomfortable day at the office as a result of this.  For the record, unless other people are doing it and you're positive that it's ok, it probably isn't a good idea.

 

3. Sometimes a messy braid looks like a mistake.

4. I like a good accent nail or simple design, but I think the whole nail art trend is getting a little ridiculous.

5. Excessive quotation marks are the bane of my grammatical existence.  It's even worse when I think about how this will bother me forever because Americans are certainly not getting better at writing in English.  (Clearly, I need this book) 

6.  I am almost equally annoyed by the misuse of apostrophes by working adults.  They do not denote plurality, and aren't necessary when printing a family surname on your holiday cards.  This, too, will bother me until I'm an old woman.

So, are there are any trends that you really don't like?  Any silly pet peeves like my grammar nazi tendencies?  Discuss amongst yourselves!