TORTOISE SHELL AND BLACK
Happy Monday everyone! While most of us complain a little that it is Monday, today I am instead choosing to be thankful. Read my post from Sunday and you will understand why. I had a reader ask me if I knew a way to hide varicose veins. She told me that she was tired of wearing pants in the summer because it gets so hot. I decided to talk about that because I am sure she is not the only one reading my blog that has an issue with their legs, arms, tummy, thighs, etc.
Did you gurls notice that my legs are pasty white? Did you notice that I have sun spots on them from laying out in the sun as a teenager with only baby oil and iodine on them? Did you know that through photoshop I could have hidden all that? I could have simply added a tan to my legs, removed all the spots, smoothed out the skin, and basically made myself “appear” perfect. Why? Why would I do that? The only true answer is vanity. Yes, I am vain in the fact that I want to look the best I can but I am not willing to quit wearing what I want so that others are not “subjected” to my imperfections. These are my legs! My tummy has stretch marks! My toes are not pretty and straight, I have more rolls than I want, and my arms jiggle. Does all that bother you? Are you going to quit following my blog because of that? Did you even notice any of this until “I” pointed it out to you? Does any of my imperfections even matter to “YOU?” My point is that people see the person instead of the parts. If I even notice someone’s varicose veins, so what? Who really cares??? I have way more important things to worry about than to bother thinking that someone should only wear pants in the summer and be miserably hot! Gurls, promise me that you will wear what you want, just for you and not for others. Pinky swear!
Okay, now that my daily dose of encouragement is over I will move on to my outfit. Lol! It is a pretty simple outfit. I have a dress on and a pair of shoes. How much easier could it get? Lol! That is one of the great things about dresses, they are an entire outfit in just one piece. I don’t normally wear a huge amount of solid black but I am loving this dress. I am not sure why it looks different but I am really liking the overall effect. I think the wide scoop neck and the high-low hem are probably the biggest reasons that I like this dress. The large scoop neck shows plenty of skin and the black is not right up against my face. The high-low hem grabs your attention and brings the eye down. Even though this is a simple dress it is still very dramatic. The dress is by H by Halston and it is 95% rayon and 5% spandex. This dress feels extremely luxurious on and best of all, it is machine washable. I am wearing a sixe medium but I also got the yellow version and it is a small. I am linking a plus size version, a petite version, and a summer version below.
I have been dying to wear this Plunder Design jewelry set ever since I bought it. I knew that it would look great with black so that was the first thing that I chose to wear it with. I have always had a “thing” for tortoise shell. I have sunglasses, jewelry, and even a purse with a tortoise shell handle. This is what I would call a true “statement necklace.” It is called the Amber and the matching bracelet is called the Benni. I didn’t wear the matching earrings, the Collette because I wanted to wear a stud. These earrings have been retired but I love the champagne color and it just matches the champagne rhinestones in this set. Speaking of sets, (here is the set of this one). Today I am celebrating one year in Plunder. Last June I decided to become a stylist to get the discount. Sound familiar??? Now I have a team of 47 ladies, some work it as a business and some only use it for personal orders. To celebrate my anniversary I am offering a 10% refund on all orders placed THIS WEEK on any of the sets. The first thing you do is go to www.plunderdesign.com/party/sets and then hit the shop tab. This will take you to my special party so that I can easily see who ordered a set to issue a refund check. After you click on the party and the shop tab, go to the menu tab and scroll down to the bottom. You will find all the sets listed there.
I really like the Gladiator style sandals with this look. The block heel sandals are by Sole Society and I bought them last year. I like that they zip up the back because this makes them really easy to put on and take off. Even though this pair is not a wedge, they are still comfortable to wear. I wore them all day at work and I didn’t have any issues at all.
When I first went outside to take my pictures, I was carrying this Dooney & Bourke purse. I thought the brown would look fine with the tortoise shell jewelry. However, when I took a couple shots and went back to check the focus I wasn’t loving the look. The brown just “popped” off the page and stole the show. I decided not to carry that after all even though it technically matched. I already had a black R+F tote that I carry every day for mail, appointment calendar, and samples, so I just threw my wallet in that and headed to work.
Do you know what my number one referrer page is? It is Pinterest! I truly appreciate every time you “pin” a picture. Heck, pin ALL the pictures if you want. Lol! Also, if you would like to share my posts on Facebook or Twitter, I would appreciate that. It helps get my blog out to more people, and I am sure you just want to spread the entertaining sayings I have. Lol! The comment section is at the end of the post, so keep scrolling. I look forward to reading all the comments, they make my day.
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I own this dress in gray and I love it! I get compliments every time I wear it. It definitely runs large . I fold mine like a pair of pants and hang it on a pants hanger.
I love this dress!! it is very lovely on you and I would never think to wear a dress, however since you post clothing combinations daily, I am starting to see how to pull together certain looks. I am also equally thankful for you sharing the brands you wear. I have purchased from QVC before, but until following your blog, I would have never searched clothes not to mention the H by Halston dresses. I love this look on you!! From reading your comments, it sounds as if this dress and the material are very easy to maintain. I did read the reviews on the dress. Most love it with no complaints, then (of course some will complain). I mostly heard that the material is so thin you can not hang it on a hanger. I also read many people say it does not launder well and after it is washed and dries, there are so many wrinkles. The last one was once you sit down, it wrinkles so badly it looks terrible. So, since you own 2 of the dresses, do you mind sharing your opinion on what is true of this dress since I would really like to purchase this and hoping all of the positive comments will be the dress I order. Thank you again Tania!! You are honestly, giving me the confidence to go outside of my comfort zone and wear styles, colors and accessories I would have never thought of on my own. What is better is I am motiviated to get my butt to the gym and lose the 2 dress sizes I have gained since hitting 50. I am loving my new found confidence in myself!! Again, will you please be honest about the dress and let me know your thoughts on my concerns stated above. Feel free to e-mail me, if the response will be too long to put it on your reply section.
I hang this dress on a hanger and have not had any problems. I use the velvet hangers though not the wire ones. The dress is heavy and I don’t think the material is thin at all. I never had any issues with wrinkling while wearing the dress or after I washed it. I have never ironed it at all. I guess everyone is different.
I love the necklace you have with this black dress, loved it so much so that I bought it from Plunder! Delivered today and it is just as nice, quality is great, would buy many more just hate paying shipping!! Keep up the blog, love it….
I agree about the necklace AND the shipping. Lol! This necklace is drop dead gorgeous!
I absolutley love your hair!! Is it long in the back or is it shorter than the sides.
Thanks, Kelly! It is just a tad bit shorter in the back but not much.
I am a 71 year old 5’2″ (I used to be 5’3″ but am shrinking!) 150 lb woman who is being drug into ‘older’ status kicking and screaming. Oh, and did I add that I am lumpy? I took a chance and ordered this dress in Large. They were out of the petite so I figured I would be sending it back. To my utter amazement, the dress fit and looked nice on me. The material is heavier so it just flows over the lumps and smooths me out! Love it. I wore it to church yesterday with flesh colored wedges and got so many compliments that I lost count. I would have never tried this without seeing it on someone. Thanks Tania. 🙂
I love the “high low” hem on everyone but me! Your jewelry is always lovely. The Paxton necklace and earrings are lovely.
Love your blog which I just found recently. The style tips are great and yes, I am totally accepting of my imperfections. That is what makes me a total package. I am trying to age gracefully!
I have just discovered you & I’m really enjoying your blog!