10 Fashion Questions with Julia

Julia

This, the nearing end of January, I've decided to do a monthly 10 Questions about fashion. January's 10 Fashion Questions is with a great friend of mine, Julia. She has a great sense of style and always looks great and modest. Julia kindly agreed to answer questions about her style and here they are:

 

1.      What is your favorite color combination to wear?

Well in all honesty I really don't have a favorite combination. I'll pretty much wear anything that doesn't clash.

2.      How do the colors of your hair, skin, and eyes affect the colors you wear? What are some examples?

Ah yes, this makes a huge impact on what colors you can wear! I, for example, have dark hair and eyes and something of an olive/yellow complexion (the Asian in me). I typically like to go with colors that will contrast this like pastels, especially teals and greens. If, however, I were going to something like an evening event, I could wear something more serious that would enhance the darkness of my hair and eyes (like a burgundy). One quick tip on this topic— always avoid wearing things that blend with your skin tone!

3.      When you’re shopping, are you the type who can love something straight off the rack or do you have to try it on before you love it?

 I used to have to try things on, but after many years of practice I've learned to see potential in things straight off the rack

4.      Describe your fashion style in five words:

Feminine-urban-unique-colorful-trendy. Yup, that's me!

5.      What’s your favorite accessory?

I'm not really big on accessories, but I love to wear my silver, twisted leaf ring to add a little something to a typical solid shirt-skinny jeans-boots outfit.

6.      What is your opinion of chunky jewelry?

In my opinion, everything in fashion is about how you wear it. If you want to wear a flower print blouse with a polka-dot skirt you go for it! Whatever makes you feel good (so long as it's modest). No matter how weird your outfit may seem, just "sell it". In other words, be bold. Be confident. Be comfortable with how you look and convince everyone you know something about fashion that they don't. The same thing goes for chunky jewelry; if you like it— wear it and work it!

7.      What shopping advice can you give to other people who are also having a hard time finding modest clothing?

We all face the same struggle in this area. I'd just say be creative. Sweaters and undershirts are your best friends. Buy some colored tank tops and try mixing them under some tops you normally couldn't wear. Also, a quick tip—  before you make up your mind that something is absolutely too short or tight, try the next size up, (but also note that this could make a low neckline lower).

8.      What is the most fun item in your wardrobe to wear?

That's got to be my ankle length sun dress. It's an empire waist dress. White, with little purple flower vine designs all over it and a bright green sash around the waist that ties in the back. Twirling has never been more fun! It does have spaghetti straps, but I just wear a sweater with it (remember, they're your best friends!!!).

9.      Favorite fashion trend?

My favorite fashion trend is probably women's oxfords. Classy, comfy, and oh-so wonderfully weird! I kind of have this affinity for weird shoes...

10.  Favorite store?

Definitely T.J. Maxx. It's kind of like a thrift shop, but the clothes aren't used, they're just the ones department stores don't really care for any more. The racks are typically a little messy so shopping there might seem a little daunting, but you can really find some gems in there!

The Color of 2014

Radiant Orchid has been declared the

Color of the Year

    

 

 

 

2013's color was Emerald Green, which was a very set color with only one shade and no other, but this year it's different. 2014's Radiant Orchid is basically one color, but has a few different shades. That's probably due to the fact that emerald green is just that green crayon color that's in every single box of crayons, but radiant orchid is not as common a color. I personally find it very pretty, soft, and sweet. It might sound odd, but I think of it as a gentle color.

 

As I look at these pictures above I notice that the different colors it's paired with give it a different feel. Dark purples and deep blues give it a mystical feel; green makes it pop; pink adds a very sweet and girly affect; and neutrals give it a peaceful, quiet feel. All of these are pretty and very feminine. I like this color because it's one that you can play with.

 

When I saw that radiant orchid was the official color of 2014 my mind suddenly went to that sweater in my dresser that I'd forgotten about and hadn't worn in a long time. It's a very plain sweater, but it's simplicity is very pretty and I began asking myself why I never wear it. I still don't know why, but I'm guessing it was just because it was a cousin-hand-me-down that got lost in the bottom of my drawer.

 

Now why does the color of the year matter? Well, truth be told, it doesn't. There is no rule that says you have to wear the color of the year at all. Last year I only wore emerald green twice and on the last days of 2013! This year I'll be wearing more green than last year because I have a green scarf that I love. Why am I even posting about it then? Because for me it's fun! Hearing radiant orchid was the color of the year made me wonder how I could wear the forgotten, radiant orchid sweater. It's basically a fun little thing to see how you can wear the color and what you wear it with. I'll eventually post a picture of how I wear the sweater, but until then I'll continue to mess around with what I'll wear it with.

 

To me the color of the year is a fun little challenge... So I challenge you to mentally or physically go through your wardrobe and see if you have anything Radiant Orchid, whether it's a scarf, a top, shoes, a necklace, etc. What would you wear it with?

 

~Mariana

 

For the Love of Owls

 

Owls... they really are just so fun to wear, or at least they are for me. My sister, Alice, is obsessed with them and although my love of them isn't as strong as hers, I think they are really neat/cool/fun/cute! I was going to say that owls are one of my favorite animals, but I have a lot of favorite animals so I'll just leave it at: owls are my favorite animal to have on my clothing. Tiger shirts have never appealed to me because I feel as though the symbolism of fierce never fit my personality. Owls, on the other hand, are symbolic of wisdom and although I still have much wisdom to gain, I much rather have that association. Plus, owls have a calm and peaceful look about them that appeals to me.

 

Color-wise, (see what I did there? Wise? Owls? ... Yeah, that was rather lame. :P), the neutral colors of owls allow them to be worn with practically any color. In the picture above the bright color is blue, but pink, red, yellow, green, purple or most any other color would work.

 

Do like wearing owls? What's your favorite way to wear owls? The comment section below is a great place for your input, (which I am always glad to hear).

 

~Mariana

Modesty Is Always Beautiful

New Year's Eve is ticking away and soon it will be another year. Looking back it seems like the last year has gone by so quickly and so slowly at the same time. To start the new year off, I thought I'd post a quote from a brilliant man and a few thoughts on it:

G.K. Chesterton said, "Modesty is always beautiful."

G.K. Chesterton presents a very nice thought and when you think the quote over you realize he's not just talking about outward appearance. G.K. Chesterton is also referring to the beauty of the actions of a person. If you really think about it, a person who isn't a showoff is a much more pleasant person. To act with modesty creates kinder feeling toward you and you become someone others are more attracted to. When eyes behold a kind person, they tend to see the beauty in that person. There is a natural attraction to people who are kind and modest.

When a person's actions are modest it becomes part of their personality. Most people tend to dress in styles that reflects their personalities. When modesty becomes part of a person's personality the person tends to dress modestly. Modesty is always beautiful. When a girl dresses with modesty she is truly dressing with beauty; she is dressing to attract to herself, not her clothing or her body.

Attractive and beautiful are words that have very different meanings, but you could substitute "attractive" for "beautiful" in G.K. Chesterton's quote and the meanings become very similar:  "Modesty is always attractive," "Modesty is always beautiful." I believe both are definitely true and I think it's safe to conclude that modesty attracts to a person's beauty, both inward and outward.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! I hope your day was fun and blessed! Mine certainly was; there is nothing like celebrating Christmas with my seven younger siblings. The reactions of the toddlers when they open a gift is priceless. One of my little sisters, age four, is very animated and exclaims "That's what I've always wanted!" quite often after opening a gift, (even if she doesn't know what it is). It's also quite amusing when my two year old, dinosaur-obsessed brother yells "Roar!" when he opens dinosaur gifts. So many interesting things happen Christmas morning with a fantastically large family.

Speaking of gifts, right now I am writing this blog post on my very own laptop! I have been saving up for one and surprise! "Santa" got me a laptop when a store was having an awesome sale. As soon as I tore the wrapping paper off and I saw the picture of a laptop on the box my eyes widened and I hugged the box, crying "my baby!" My biggest and most loved hobby is writing, particularly fictional story writing. Now that I have a laptop I can write more often. Since I'm still just a teenager there will be strict rules for it, but it still opens so many doors! I am really thankful! 

 

Every year I look forward to Christmas mass, not only because it's mass, but also because I usually have a new and nice outfit to wear. Sometimes it's only a new piece or two, but this year I happened to have a completely new one, which made me very excited. Here are some Christmas outfit inspirations:

 

Shopping for a modest Christmas outfit is usually hard, but this year it wasn't. I found a long, black, lacey skirt and a white scarf at a Maurice's sale, a red sweater at Target, and I already had a nice coat at home. The outfit wasn't a problem... but shoes were a rather hard. However, it was probably my fault. You see, I wanted red shoes. Not just red shoes, but red heels. Wherever I went there were red heels, but every time the heels were way too high. Sadly, small heels are rare. Thankfully, I succeeded in finding a pair of cherry red, small heels at payless. Even better, they were 50% off! I really got lucky and I rode home with a feeling of triumph. I must add that although I was happy with my purchases, the real highlight was spending hours of one-on-one time with my mom. She's so sweet and knows me well enough to recognize when I need to eat, (which is usually when I start stressing out ridiculously).

Before I end this post there is a little apology I must make. Because of all the company we've had and all the preparations for company that we've been doing I have neglected posting on this blog and I'm sorry. I should have posted sooner, but this being the busiest time of year... well, I hope it's understandable why it's taken so long.

May God bless you on this holy Christmas day!

~Mariana

Summer Dress to Fall Dress

 

 

 

 

There aren't a whole lot of clothing articles that can be worn all year round (sadly), however, some articles of clothing can be worn two seasons in a row such as spring-summer and fall-winter. Summer to fall is a bit harder. This white dress is from Maurice's and is (as the picture fails to show) shorter in the front than in the back; the front hits the top of the knee and the back extends several inches down. By pairing up the white dress with the denim jacket from Old Navy and cowboy-boots (hand-me-downs) it becomes a fall style.

 

What types of clothing transitions do you make from summer to fall?

 

~Mariana

T-Shirt Remodelling

Before and After

Once a week I take classes at a homeschool coop and they require that we wear these blue tee shirts, for the sake of modesty. Well, as you know, I love modesty... but after more than a year I still didn't love the shirt. I liked the color, but not much else. The collar was uncomfortably tight and annoying and the shirt was definitely a size too big for me. So I resewed it! Here are the steps I took:

1. I turned the blue shirt inside out. I then found a shirt that fit me the way I wanted the blue one to, (not too tight or loose), and placed it over the blue shirt. 

2. I traced around the outside of the shirt with chalk.

 

3. I removed the striped, guiding shirt and sewed the sides, sleeves, and collar along the chalk lines.

4. On the bottom of the shirt, I wanted the front to be higher than the back, so I found the center of the front piece and pinned it up to create a nice curve, like so:

 I then sewed a line across the front, bottom edge.

5. I trimmed a little of the extra fabric off for comfort (and a headband)

There you have it! It took me about half an hour of work and this was the result:

Tips:

• When making the collar and bottom hem/seems, fold fabric over twice to prevent fraying and a cleaner seem.
• If at any point you feel unsure about what you just sewed, flip right side out and try on.
• If you make the mistake of making the collar too large, create a pleat on each shoulder to bring it in. It still looks cute and people will think you planned it like that (trust me, I've done that on other shirts before).

If you have any comments, suggestions, corrections or anything else, feel free to put them in the comment section below.

~Mariana