personal style...

Ok people lets talk about personal style. 

as defined on dictionary.com

style (noun) 4. an elegant, fashionable, or luxurious mode of living: to live in style. 5. a mode of fashion, as in dress, especially good or approved fashion

 This is style as a whole. Personal style is a style that describes you as a person. It can be interior, fashion or even in some ways- personality. However (prepare yourself, snarkiness coming) having an interesting personal style is more than just pinning cute stuff on pinterest. I know we all do it. Everyone has that "My Style" board where we pin things we would like to have but never even try on. The question is do you pin things that you would try on if you could find them? Could afford them? Could lose 15lbs? Yeah me too! But my biggest problem, the things I see as "my" personal style don't seem to be available i.e. vintage silhouettes in modern prints and patterns. Insert your grumpy comments about making your own clothes here. The ability to make my own clothes does not make it easier or cheaper than buying them like all of you. But this problem just like all the others are just excuses. 

Personal style seems to be a relative term for what we would LIKE to wear, in reality this just isn't real life. As I sit here, I am wearing my pregnant jeans, t-shirt, cardigan, and trusty sneaks. Now while I am not wearing sweats or my hubbs' clothes, I vowed this year to dress only in my personal style. Failed New Year's Resolutions, anyone. The Goal was to make a minimum of one piece clothing a week, only wear jeans on weekend, and do my hair every week day. Then we found out we were pregnant- obviously this didn't happen. Not only did that not happen, but I haven't even taken more than a handful of baby bump pictures- there has been nothing to see! Moms-to-be out there, maybe jeans would be a step up for you- I understand. I might be wearing pj pants all the time, if I could still fit in mine. As a Mom-to-be, one without a full time job, there isn't really money left over to buy clothes to "flesh" out my personal style.  As a Plus-Size woman, even if I had the money, shopping sucks! Those of us who have been blessed with curves are constantly punished with a small or just plain ugly selection in stores. Now, online shopping maybe different, but I have never had the guts to try it. Why? I am cheap. I want to see it, feel it, check the quality- and that's before I even try it on. Plus, everything is always black, grey, navy. I want color damn it! Ladies, the myth that black is slimming, while partly true, its all about the cut, fit, and quality. If I could be SLIM just be wearing black, I would never buy underwear in any other color. 

So let's recap...

Moms-to-be or Plus Size friends (or both)- We have an idea of how we would like to dress. We have no excess money. And the selection out there is crap. So what do we do...Activity Time!!! Make a list. 

What are you wearing today? Jeans, T-shirt, Cardigan, Sneaks.  

Why are you wearing these things? Jeans: comfy, fit, semi-clean. T-shirt: Love t-shirts! Cardigan: Hate my arms, Crazy Tennessee weather. Sneaks: cant work in anything else.

Pull up your "my style" pinterest board. What do you pin the most? Circle skirts, lots of layers, scarves, 50's silhouettes, 70's style jeans. 

Now in my case, I can look at these things and look at my closet and determine easily what's missing. I need more t-shirts and major amounts of new skirts. finding t-shirts are cake, right? If you find one you love, you go back and buy them all. For me its from Kohls, junior department- scoop short sleeve, every color, every pattern. Now if I want more cardigans, its Target all the way (no link, cause well if you don't know about Target cardis you don't deserve them!) Now its the skirts, that are the hard part... Where in the hell does a girl get inexpensive circle skirts? I am gonna have to F*$#ing make them. I love Modcloth- don't get me wrong- but they are way too expensive. Everyone I know only purchases from them if they have a giftcard, so that tells you something.  I guess the only real way to add to my skirt collection- is to make them. Maybe that will be this weeks project.

What's in your closet? And how can you update your style on the cheap?

Now for some pictures. 

2 options - same top, scarf, and sneaks

Top: Kohls. Scarf: no idea, gift. Sneaks: Footlocker.

Jeans: Old Navy. Sweater: Target. Skirt: Old Navy

But starting today and continuing till long after the baby comes (or I get bored) I am gonna try to keep my resolution. Even if that means taking daily selfies (gross) and posting them once a week. Guess that means finally painting and hanging my mirror.

 the baby bump

  ok friends- I'm off to pattern a skirt.

later taters 

Project Focus Changes

Its Monday everyone!

The most hated day of the week.

How do you handle your "Case of the Mondays"?

Here's how I plan to handle mine from now on. Monday = Blog Day.

For those that know me, you all know I'm a grouchy blogger. Where else would I find all this snarkiness? In order to keep my household a happy one, when my hubbs leaves for class on Monday nights- I blog.

Now I promised you some changes and most of you have stuck with me through the "family posts", your patience will be rewarded. Now prior to the pregnancy discovery I was already considering moving in this direction, so now I have the perfect excuse.

Mrs. Abby Normal, ME, is changing its focus to PlusSize & Maternity Style. 

Why??

How about some brutal honesty? I am (before baby bump) bordering one that very fine line between the women's and plus size department. I am the average size of women in America. Ladies, this is why we have a hard time buying everything from jeans to lingerie! And imagine adding pregnancy to the challenge- forget about it.   I know before we got pregnant I hated shopping period, but the day my mom took me maternity shopping was agony. My typical clothing shopping means hitting the PlusSize department followed by the Women's department, then finally the Juinor's Department in hopes of finding something that fits my style and my body. This doesn't happen often. PlusSize is usually slightly to big everywhere except my chest. Women's kinda  fit but involve a lot of mixing, matching, and accessorizing to minimize the frumpiness. And the Junior's XL/XXL rarely fit but when they do they always hang funny. My body is no longer shaped like a tween (was it ever shaped like that).  But this, ladies is the problem, our bodies are not shaped the way designers think they should be- trust me I know. 

When I was in school we had 2 options when learning to pattern, make sloppers to fit us or the standard size form. I choose the form, because it was easier to learn and adjust on. When I did competitions the models we had to design for were the same standard size- anyone care to guess what that size is??? Size 8!! Can you F*cking believe it? Do you know what the average size of women in america?? 

Size 14 (my size is 12/14).

  Ok now before I completely lose my temper, lets reel it back in. Tangent over- for now. We can discuss mainstream fashion and why fashion makes us hate our selves until we are blue in the face, but it wont change anything. We, normal people have to figure out style for ourselves. 

Ladies pinterest does nothing for your confidence or your happy self image.

When we discovered I was I became glued to pinterest searching the words maternity fashion/ pregnancy style. And do you know what I discovered- hundreds of blogs by the cutest LITTLE tiny moms-to-be.

Where are the curvy mom blogs? Have we become to ashamed to post our pictures on our blogs- no! They post all those damn pictures on facebook. And worse it, most are with a duck face wearing underware. 

Enough is Enough!

So my new challenge, my New Year's Resolution if you will, is to document my struggle and bring your tips, tricks and projects that will take you from AVERAGE to Maternity and back again.

From now until I squeeze a human out of my body, I will blog about my clothes and style (not stretch marks, hemorrhoids, or cankles). I can not guarantee I will be stylish everyday (otherwise the ppl I work with will tell on me) but I will post the good and the bad.

My goal this year is to make a difference- with others and myself. 

So feel free to ask questions, leave comments and follow along this crazy journey.

Until next week,

Later Taters