Extravagant Impatience at Walk With Me

One of my favorite blogs is the Walk with Me blog at Christianity Today. Renae Bottom had a great blog entry on aging. Please take the time to read it.
http://blog.todayschristianwoman.com/walkwithme/2009/05/extravagant_impatience.html

Before I started caring for my parents full time, I would get totally frustrated when I would try to help them, but would get only complaints. Renae's article helped me understand for the first time why they were not happy with my efforts.

I am getting set in my ways. This article was a real wake-up call to be more flexible.

What Not To Wear

I have been "reading" What Not to Wear by Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine. I put reading in quotes as this is really a picture book on style. The photos clearly illustrate the principles of what not to wear for different figure problems. Although the information in this book is good, I really don't like the writing style of the authors. If you are a visual learner, this book is appropriate; however, be aware that the language used in this book is rather coarse.

What I learned:
1. I should not wear a trench coat, as they are not flattering to a large chest and waist.
2. A large cuff bracelet will make my arm look larger.

Plus Style

I finished reading Plus Style, The Plus-Size Guide to Looking Great by Suzan Nanfeldt. What a great book! I am all inspired. This book is very comprehensive and stresses fit, something that has been overlooked in the other books that I have read.

What I learned from this book:
1. People make a number of value judgments within 7 seconds of meeting a new person based on their appearance.

• Economic Level
• Trustworthiness
• Level of Sophistication
• Economic Heritage
• Educational Heritage
• Educational Level
• Social Position
• Level of Success
• Social Heritage
• Moral Character

2. Using prints in clothing needs to be carefully thought out.

• A regular pattern that fills the available space will make one appear smaller than a widely spaced pattern.
• Use pattern to balance proportions.
• Match the "personality" of the print to the style of the garment.
• The smaller, more subtle and muted the print, the more sophisticated and enduring it will be. (Think of the wild prints of the 1970's).

3. A skirt must be longer than it is wide to be properly proportioned, so a shorter skirt needs to be tapered at the hem.
4. Rules for a capsule wardrobe:

• Use 4 or 5 colors maximum, 2 neutrals and 2 accent colors.
• All colors should work together.
• The patterns should coordinate.
• The styles and scale should be compatible. Can the blouse be worn under the jacket.
• Each piece should be appropriate for the same lifestyle function.

5. Catalog your clothes by clothing type, garment, season/fabric, color, what else it works with, and any accessories that will work with it.

Staging Your Comeback

I most recent read to determine how to improve my look has been Staging Your Comeback, A Complete Beauty Revival for Women Over 45 by Christopher Hopkins. I really like the way this book is organized. It breaks down typical fitting problems, and gives suggestions on how to address them. It also has a questionnaire to determine one's image profile, either classic, casual, romantic, dramatic, innovative or alluring and suggests how to bring that style into one's 4th decade and beyond. It also discusses hair and make-up as one gets older. This book is definitely worth reading, especially if you have trouble choosing styles that flatter your body shape.

What I learned from this book:
1. The best blouses for a full chest: gathered yoke, tailored, raglan, bell sleeve, peasant sleeve, surplice wrap. Don't wear short sleeves.
2. To apply shadow on drooping lids, look straight ahead and apply a dark shadow just above the lash line. Raise your eyebrows and blend.
3. Wear a long-leg shaper to get rid of visible panty line.

Color Me Beautiful

I have been reading Reinvent Yourself with Color Me Beautiful, 4 Seasons of Color, Make-up and Style by JoAnne Richmond lately. I highly recommend this book, especially if you have never tried to determine what colors look best on you. I took the book with me when I went shopping with a friend Friday. We tested the theory with what was available in the store. The color theory definitely works, but there was little available in the store for either my friend or me in our colors. Summer is definitely the season for "winters." Neither my friend or I can wear white, so we couldn't wear half the store.

Several women came up to us and wanted to know what we were doing, and wanted us to figure out what colors they should wear. I think a retailer could get a lot of women in their stores by offering color services. Apparently I wasn't the only one who was confused.

I have now gone through my fabric, and I have found that most of it is not in colors that are flattering on me. I will be much more careful with future purchases. Nothing in my wardrobe is the right color. I guess I need to start over.

What I learned from this book:
1. I am a spring.
2. Eyeliner recommendations, navy blue, green, or brown
3. Eye shadow recommendations: light brown, light green, copper and a peach highlighter.
4. Blush recommendations: peach, salmon, and light coral.
5, Lipstick recommendations: peach, apricot, mango, and melon.
6. The best neutrals for me are ivory, cream, clear beige, camel, tan, golden brown, clear gold, and light clear navy.
7. The best basic colors for me are clear red, orange red, coral, periwinkle, and rust.
8. Probably the most interesting thing to me was the shoe color recommendations.
For warm weather ivory, bronze, medium blue, peach, gold.
For cool weather medium brown, ivory, bronze, gold.

If you know your "season" you can order a color swatch book from Color Me Beautiful.