Have a Delightful Weekend!

Great article about how the “real women have curves” phrase is just another form of body policing. My favorite quote: “In so many marginalized communities, there’s a temptation—an easy temptation—to simply flip the script on oppression…Here’s the problem: flipping the script leaves the script intact.” 

Love this series of outfits inspired by various authors.

I like Tumblrs that feature funny gifs such as My Life in GIFs, but they haven’t made me burst out laughing quite like this one about life as an editor. Reminds me of my days as the editor-in-chief of my high school yearbook. Makes me want to start one about being a nanny.

These paleo desserts look scrumptious! Banana Nut Waffles and Grain-Free Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cake.

While I’d characterize my current style as quirky girly with a retro influence, I still think I have a pretty wide range of looks. However, if you’re more of a single style kind of dresser,this article on dressing within a specific aesthetic gives some great tips on cultivating an integrated and focused wardrobe.

I sometimes forget that men’s fashion has a lot more diversity than I immediately think. But this post for men on what to wear to spring/summer weddings reminded me that there a lot of creative combinations within the formal suit uniform. Also, this post is super helpful for figuring out what to wear based on the invitation.

Outfit equations for moms. Go beyond the yoga pants.

My Favorite iPhone Apps

I love a good app. I download (mostly free) apps all the time, but rarely do they improve my life, so I end up deleting most of them after a couple weeks. Here are a few of my favorites that have made the cut time and time again.

Book Crawler: This app helps me keep track of my reading. You can add books by scanning the barcode (the quickest and my favorite), looking them up on Google Books, or entering the information in manually. From there you can tag and sort them any way you want. I like to tag books by subject. I also separate the books into 3 categories: To Read, Reading Now, and Read. This helps me keep track of what I’ve read and what I want to read next. Every time I get a book recommendation, I quickly add it to the list. It’s help make me a more avid and directed reader.

Evernote: A great note taking app that I use on my iPhone and laptop. I also like the button available for Chrome that allows me to clip photos, articles, or whole pages from the internet. It was a great tool for quickly pulling resources for my style class and sifting through them later. I wish I’d known about it in college.

Sleep Cycle: I got this app after reading Tori’s blog post about it. The app tracks your movements in your sleep. You set a half hour window in which you’d like to wake up, and the alarm goes off during a light phase of sleeping. The goal is to wake up more naturally rather than yanked out of deep sleep.  I was skeptical at first, but the app really does wake you up during a light cycle of sleep. Yes, it’s incredibly J of me to track my sleeping, but I feel better in the mornings and the charts I get every morning are fun to look over. Also, I now know that on average I get about 8 hours of sleep every night. A lot more than I had originally thought!

Wunderlist: This is just a simple list app I use this to keep track of my blog post ideas. I love the sleek design. I also keep this app on my desktop for quick reference while blogging. You can also share the lists with other people.

Hours Tracker: Since I work so many jobs, I have a lot of hours to document. Hours Tracker is an easy to use app that lets me set wages and overtime for each job. There’s also a feature for factoring taxes. At the end of each pay period, you can easily export the hours in a document and email.

Small Steps to Style: Discover the Right Basics for You

There’s all sorts of lists floating around the internet about the essential basics for every wardrobe. While I do believe everyone should have a set of workhorse pieces in their closet, I don’t think there’s a prescription that fits everyone’s life and style. For instance, most basics lists include a white button up shirt, black and khaki pants, and a pant suit. I never ever wear any of those things. I prefer dresses to pants and I don’t work in an environment that requires much dressing up. So much for the prescribed essentials.

Before wasting money on “vital” pieces you might not really need, take a minute to assess your needs.

• Recognize that basics don’t mean boring: Depending on your personal preferences and lifestyle, your basic pieces could be classic and conservative (jeans, blazer, cardigan) or wild and fun (mini skirt, high heels, sparkly throw). A basic piece is whatever you reach for time and time again when putting outfits together. My basics include skinny jeans, striped boatneck shirt, white maxi skirt, neutral cardigans, colorful dresses and skirts, and fun earrings. Forget what the magazines tell you and go with what works.
• Look at the dress codes in your life: If you work in a corporate office, it’s important for you to be professional and conservative (depending on the company). If you’re a stay-at-home mom, comfort and washable fabrics are your priority. List all the different dressing situations in your life (work, weekend, date night, client meetings, etc.) Figure out what functions your clothes must serve to fit all aspects of your lifestyle. What qualities are most important in each situation? Do you need to have very separate and distinct wardrobes for work and play? Or do most of your situations mesh well together?  Depending on how many unique dressing situations you have, you might find some basics that overlap in many areas of your life.
• Check for gaps in your wardrobe: Do you frequently feel like you’re missing the right piece for an outfit? You might have a wardrobe gap. Often finding a good workhorse basic can fix the problem. I love mixing prints and bold colors, but was unable to create the kind of looks I wanted to because I lacked essential pieces. After buying a black and white striped shirt, I was suddenly able to make all the quirky outfits I wanted. I could combine it with bright colored and floral skirts, scarves, as well as neutral bottoms and jeans. Keep a notepad in your closet to track any time you feel like you’re missing a piece. Look for trends and brainstorm what pieces might fill multiple gaps and work in lots of outfits.
• Get inspired: Take cues from people with similar style or who are dressing for similar contexts. Look at coworkers, friends, style bloggers, people on the street, etc. By watching what other people are wearing, you might realize that a specific piece would work really well in your closet.

Take My Style Class at ATLOSCon!

Did I mention I’m giving a talk on the importance and value of cultivating personal style at ATLOSCon 2012? It will be the first in several classes and workshops I plan to give over the next year. My class is on Saturday, May 16 at 10:15 am at the Cherokee Recreation Center in Woodstock. Here’s the class description:

Developing your appearance can have an incredible impact on your life. With good personal style comes higher self-esteem, better rapport with coworkers/friends/family, and a zap of positive energy that comes from knowing your outside reflects your inside. However, many of us don’t look our best,  either from holding bad premises about our bodies and the validity of appearance, or a lack of technical knowledge about how to dress well. In this interactive talk, we’ll examine the philosophical reasons for looking good and the mental, emotional, and practical benefits that follow. We’ll also dissect some of the psychological hurdles that keep us from dressing our best. We’ll end with some technical advice for how to build a stylish wardrobe to fit your body, lifestyle, and personality. There will be a Q&A afterwards. This class is open to both men and women.

Registration for ATLOSCon is $15 for kids under 16, $50 for adults 16-25, and $75 for adults 26+. It’s a super fun conference with lots of fun and interesting people. We also have some fun surprises planned for this year. Hope to see you there!

ATLOSCon 2012 Ads

I’ve had a blast makingads for ATLOSCon 2012′s Facebook page based on popular internet memes. As I’ve said before, I think it’s time that Objectivists start marketing in new ways beyond the classroom. We had a great response to the ads and got a lot more traffic on our FB page. Here are some of my favorite ads:

Have a Peachy Weekend!

Have you liked the ATLOSCon 2012 Facebook page yet? If you’re going to the conference or just think it’s awesome, go have a look now. We’ve been releasing lots of funny internet meme-based ads for the con. It’s also chock full of information about hotels, registration, and t-shirt orders.

Cool! Art Nouveau posters based on the women of Firefly. I particularly like the Inara one.

Reading these memories of life at 22 makes me think I’m doing okay for where I am. It also gives me hope that one day I won’t be living paycheck to paycheck.

Miss James at Bleubird Vintage is starting another maternity style series with her 4th pregnancy. I loved her last pregnancy style series. I love seeing women who look fabulous up through their due date. I know it’s really hard to give a crap, especially in the third trimester.

Kendi is my top style inspiration. I love her mixed prints outfit.

If you’re at a loss for things to do with all those photos, Pinhole Press has some stunning products to display them. My favorite is the book of names and faces. It’s basically a picture book for kids to learn and remember the names of important people in their lives. Great for families who have far away relatives and friends.

This Goyte parody is cracking me up.

P.S. You should follow me on Pinterest. I have boards to help you identify your style, learn how to mix prints, and get inspired. I’ll be making more in the coming weeks.