Day 4: Color Blocking

Day 4 of the 21 Day Challenge. 

(Day 3: Mixing Prints)

(Day 2: Tuck It In)

(Day 1: Remix One Item) 

Yesterday's theme (which I was too tired to post yesterday) was Color Blocking. I had to google this to get an idea of what was going on, but this one tripped me up a bit because it's what I wear a lot. I actually ended up with an outfit that was much more subdued than what I normally wear (think Barbie and the Rockers Goes to the Office), but I love the cool colors with the gray skirt. And I loved wearing shoes that didn't cut into the back of my very sore heels.

Shell necklace: a friend brought it from Hawaii

Aqua T: Costco

Dark green hoodie: Nordstrom's Rack

Brown and blue rocky bead bracelet: Francesca's Collections

Gray ruffle skirt: H&M Brussels

Gold wedge sandals: Skechers

When you're with me, I'm smiling

Today is my first day sporting straightening iron curls, which they show very nicely in the November 2009 Club Night video (for Dressing Your Truth members only). I recently bought the Type 1 flatiron, after NOT buying it for many months, hoping the curls would work. I've been realizing that curly hair is much truer to my nature. That explains all the childhood bad perms I used to force my mom to give me. Not that all of them were bad - just the one where mom took me to the local beauty school and they truly cooked my hair until it was finished. It was because I wanted it to be reeeeally curly, and then I was mortified afterward with how curly it was. There was no way I could hide the fact that I had a curly head, and I was quite embarrassed about it. Now I'm embracing the curly head and the extra movement it gives me! Love it!

I was in a bit of a wardrobe rut, and was wearing outfits you've already seen on the blog. The same ones. Over and over. Part of it was needing to get unpacked from moving (still can't find my favorite brown skirt, but I'll keep looking...), and part of it was probably just being tired. But here we have a fresh Friday outfit for you, with several pieces never seen before! I used to love this white button up shirt with its little silver metallic stripes. I found it professionally, but also sparkly. Oh, and this skirt. I wore it to a good friend's wedding last summer in the park, with a billowy white shirt, and I love it. It is a little snug though, and it's a tiny challenge to walk gracefully while wearing it. All in a day's work though.

Cheers! Happy Friday!

The skirt's embroidery

The whole me. Ignore the fact that the button up finds itself to be too short, and flips up a little.

 
White with metallic silver stripe button down shirt: Hillard and Hanson (some department store circa 2003)
Aqua T-shirt: Costco
Gold flower necklace: Dressing Your Truth
Gold springy bracelet: Dressing Your Truth
Teal cotton skirt with white embroidery: Prana (Amazon.com)
Gold buckle flats: Fossil (Maceys)

Title: Lady by Styx

blue are the streets and all the trees are blue

Hola! Another day at the office my friends. One of the things that worried me about dressing like a Type 1 is that I would not be taken seriously. Like really, truly, this was a real concern for me. I have other experiences in the professional world where I knew I wasn't being taken seriously, and it was very frustrating. I wasn't sure what else to do.

The day I wore this outfit, I was on a video conference call. I was the only person in my conference room, and I was connected to a room in another city with about 5 people in it. At the beginning of the call, they zoomed in on me, since I was the only one in the room. At the front of my conference room was one large screen TV with a shot of their conference room (later it showed only what was on their LCD projector screen, instead of the whole room), and the large screen TV on the other side was just me - larger than life. It was so distracting to watch myself on TV! For most of the call, I did my best to pretend that I wasn't talking to another, larger, projected version of myself. In some ways it worked, in other ways it was "Seriously, I'm talking to myself!!" Quite the surreal experience - like a baby playing peek-a-boo, or cat seeing themselves in the mirror. Glad that's over! At the end of the call, one of the guys said "You're much more fun to have in these meetings than ---- (who usually attends)!"

I've found, based on the whole "taken more serious" thing, that people are now able to judge me accurately. They see my clothes and whole presentation of myself and they can predict how I will act. Upward and light, that's how. I might just throw my head back and laugh sometimes. I might crack jokes. I might bring a swiftness to the conversation. I might help you feel uplifted and ready to work hard on a new project. I might make you smile. Carol mentions that when people aren't living and dressing their truth, we judge them more harshly. I think this is true, and I am relieved to (hopefully) be judged more often for who I really am. This is maybe one of my favorite and most unexpected benefits of learning to Dress My Truth. I know you might be skeptical about this, but it's really true! (You'll never know unless you try.)

I love this outfit. The necklace is my favorite Type 1 necklace ever, because it's sparkly. My Type 3 secondary likes the fact that it's multi-dimensional (there is more than one strand on the necklace - didn't realize how important that was until later). Aqua is like a signature Type 1 color. I wish I could find a sweater in aqua, but I guess clothing designers think it's not a winter color. Pshaw! The skirt is a go-to business skirt for me. It looks great with everything. It even has a "slimming panel" in the front, which is weird and hilarious at the same time. And might possibly help me look skinny, really reflecting my true body that I love.

Type 1ism of the day: I am fully admitting right here that I like to drive fast. It's actually something I need to work on, since it can be dangerous at times. I love a good race-car-driver experience. A few months back I got to drive a rental car in Milan, Italy, and it was perfect for my Type 1 nature. They don't really use lanes, they just wind in and out and fit into tiny spaces. Hoo-rah!



A closeup of my nose, I mean my shirt and necklace!


Blue flowered button-up: Dressing Your Truth store
Aqua T: Costco
Blue rock necklace: Dressing Your Truth store
Wooden bracelet: A friend got it for me in Romania
Brown flare skirt: Ross
Brown Shearling Boots: Costco

Title: Blue, by Eiffel65