Black on black: 3 Outfits inspired by New York

I’ve never liked wearing black. I always thought all black outfits made me look older and more somber (Morticia Adams anyone?)

Everybody says Little Black Dresses are a big deal and so much so that French women have several of them, but I’ve only had one black dress at a time in my closet. I rarely wear my little black dress and wouldn’t dream of wearing it in the spring.

But then I took a trip to New York and noticed everybody wears black in New York. All the time.

Apparently, this is common knowledge. I just started watching Project Runway's Season 11 and for their first challenge the competitors had to create a garment based on New York City. All designs (expect one) were black or gray.

But it makes sense. Black expresses that urban quality and edginess of New Yorkers. (Needless to say I didn’t exactly fit in with my orange cardigan).

Plus, one of the designers from Project Runway, Layana, (a beautiful Brazilian girl whom I totally love) wears black all the time. Who'd figure a Brazilian could like black that much? Her outfits really transmit elegance and professionalism, which is something I want to transmit as well.

All this inspired me to reconsider black. 

Based on some of the outfits Layana wears on the show and my last trip to New York I came up with three black outfits I’m dying to wear:

Layana wore an outfit similar to this one on the very first episode and I loved it. What's even better, the skirt she wore is very similar to one I already have.

A black cardigan is a great way to re-purpose a sleeveless dress or tank top. This way the outfit still looks modest and work appropriate.

An all black outfit can really show off a hair style and statement jewelry. Layana usually wears her hair on a ponytail, drawing attention to long, chunky necklaces.

How do you wear black? Do you like go all black or prefer mixing it with color?

New Shop is Open

Hey everyone, quick announcement!

I just opened an Etsy shop with hand-knit items I made. I'm super excited to have finally taken this step and will continue to add more items in the coming weeks. Hopefully, I'll be able to sew some skirts to put on the shop as well (it is called Skirt Bouquet after all!)

I'd love it for you to take a look at the items, you can find them here.

Today's post coming right up!

Colorful combinations: 5 ways to wear teal

Sorry for the hiatus, everyone. I've been busy catching up with my mom and working on some cool things for the blog, as well.

For starters, I started sewing again.

Last week, I found this beautiful teal fabric for an unbelievably cheap price and bought it without thinking much.

At home, I wasn't too crazy about it anymore. Isn't this always the case? Impulse shopping is like a Vegas marriage. You fall in love, commit quickly and to realize you should've thought about it longer. Anyway, at home I realized that the color might be too loud and difficult to wear.

I turned to Pinterest for inspiration and here are some easy and exciting combinations for teal:

1) Teal + Navy

2) Teal + Black & White

3) Teal + Silk blouse

4) Teal + Yellow

5) Teal + Neutrals

How do you wear teal? What colors do you want to try out this spring?

My first clothing swap

I know a lot of people who struggle with clutter in their closets. You know, the “I have a closet full of clothes I don’t want to wear” syndrome. 

In order to fight it, I purge my closet constantly.

Whenever I see an item that doesn’t fit me or that I don’t wear much, I keep an eye open. That item is targeted. My poor clothes must think of me as a dictator. They must work or die.

A less dramatic alternative is a clothing swap.

I went to one organized by RVA Fashion Bloggers this Saturday and loved it!

I had heard about clothing swaps many times on other girls blogs and always wanted to go to one.

It’s pretty simple: you bring clothes, shoes and accessories you don’t wear anymore but that are in good condition. Then you browse all the items other people brought and swap with them.

Since everybody in the swap was a style blogger, there were a lot of beautiful things to swap.

I swapped my items for a pair of black high heeled shoes, two mini-dresses, a faux pearl necklace and a denim shirt.

I was super happy with everything I got and already used the shirt!

I’m still figuring out how I’ll adapt the mini dresses, but I’ve wanted to give sewing a try for some time now.

So basically, clothing swaps are a great way to de-clutter your closet and get some new (previously loved) clothes.

Lots of cities organize these types of events and I seriously recommend going to one if you have the chance.

Have you ever been to a clothing swap?

Too much skin and too little confidence

What do your clothes say about your self-esteem?

Picture this: a college girl arrives at a party wearing mini shorts, a tank top and stiletto heels. She has her game face on and thinks to herself "I've got this covered". With a drink on one hand, she just has to stand there and wait. Soon a guy will go talk to her. Others will wait around until she’s had one too many drinks.

That girl was me.

Now, would you say a girl dressed like that has low or high self esteem?

When I first started my journey towards modesty I read an excellent book called “Dressing withDignity”. Among the many things that surprised me in that book was that girls who dress immodestly have low self esteem.

Which seems counter intuitive, doesn’t it? Those who show so much of their bodies must be very confident, right?

Not really.

In “Dressing with Dignity”, Colleen Hammond says that girls wearing immodest clothes might be confident about their bodies, but they are extremely insecure about their inner qualities.  

Anyone who has ever worn a deep cleavage knows that you’ll get attention. The thing is, when you expose too much of your body, a guy cannot focus on anything else but your body. Even if he wants to have a casual conversation, he won’t be able to. He’ll be focusing somewhere else.

When you wear modest clothes, you have to develop a certain confidence that you can attract people and hold their attention by something other than your body.

Not many people know this but it takes a lot of confidence to be able to dress modestly.

In my case, I had to get to work and since then I’ve become a better conversationalist. Self-improvement is a life-long effort, but it only gets better from here.

Let’s go back to the beginning: me scantily dressed in a party. I would like to address two types of girls, the ones who identify more with the past me and the ones who identify with the present me.

Girls who already strive for modesty in their clothes: we both know that dressing modestly nowadays is a challenge. When it becomes difficult, try developing your personality. Remember just how much more you have to offer than a pair of pretty legs. Maybe you are witty like Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice. Perhaps you have a charming personality like Audrey Hepburn’s. Whatever it is, you have something unique which can enrich your life and the one of those around you.

If you are in a stage of your life where you dress like the past me, ask yourself what truly makes you dress the way you do. Are you afraid to show others who you truly are because others might not instantly like you?  Think about what type of attention and treatment you want to receive and if the way you dress yourself makes you receive that.  

We shouldn’t be ashamed of our bodies or walk around feeling ugly. Quite the contrary. But we must never forget we are more than our bodies. Part of the job of clothes is to conceal parts of the body and let who we truly are shine.

What do you think it's the connection between clothes and self-esteem?

Image via Favim

Where to find modest clothes + stores list

Women love shopping, but many of them struggle to find clothes they like.

Stores either don’t have a proper range of sizes or they don’t have elegant, age appropriate styles. As a result, shopping is a frustrating experience for a lot of women and the poor, sorry males that are dragged along.

When it comes to finding modest clothing then, it seems like we are asking for too much.

Stores follow the latest trends (usually the opposite of modest). Looking for a knee length skirt is like looking for Waldo in a sea of mini shorts, tank tops, boyfriend jeans and sheer blouses. Plus, the fashion industry works in pre-established standards that don’t necessarily reflect the diversity of women’s bodies.

What you see in stores is what’s considered the “standard”: standard sizes and standard styles. That’s why it’s so difficult finding anything that doesn’t conform to these norms.

And if you’re anything like me, you’re not satisfied with a floor length denim skirt. I’ve really upped my ante: I want cute, elegant clothes.

It’s no wonder so many girls I talk to are frustrated about shopping. They go out with money on their wallets and the desire to buy and find nothing. To make matters worse, women who are transitioning to a more modest style, like I was three years ago, might be discouraged by the lack of options.

But it can be done.

Over the years, I've developed a shopping strategy. After a period of trial and error, I have a satisfactory closet, with enough clothes for my professional and social life – and I didn’t spend huge amounts of money or compromised my beliefs.

Here’s my strategy to find modest clothes:

1) Change your mindset

First of all, don’t expect to find a store with racks filled with modest clothes. Shopping for beautiful modest clothes is not like shopping for skinny jeans. You won’t find them in any random store in any random mall. It takes some work.

2) Branch out and explore every possibility

If you open my closet, you will find clothes I bought in thrift stores, in supermarkets and online stores. There are also clothes I made myself, that a seamstress made, and that people brought it to me from abroad. Oh, and there’s a couple of hand-me downs and from high end stores. I’ve even gone to stores that sell only “religious” clothes. Before looking for modest clothes I wouldn’t dream of stepping into one of these stores, but now I don’t give it a second thought to browsing their catalogs. 

So, be ready to explore all the options available to your budget.

3) Make the most with what you find

My mom pointed out to me that I shop for things that don’t exist. She is right. I wanted to enter a store and find clothes that were: modest, beautiful, comfortable, durable, perfect fitting and cheap. Those are tough requirements. That's why I make the most of what I find and wear the clothes I have a lot and in any possible way.

If for some reason you only find a couple of clothes you really like, buy pieces that complete them. Let’s say you only found one amazing black skirt – look for tops, accessories and shoes that can turn that skirt into several outfits. Come to terms that you don’t need to wear a totally different outfit every day of your life.

And here’s a short list of stores where I shop. Bear in mind, these stores don't have only modest clothes. I'd love to keep a big directory of stores, so let me know if there's any stores I don't know about.

Big chain stores

Old Navy

Dress Barn

Forever 21

Target

Walmart (I was serious when I said branch out!)

Online stores

Shabby Apple

ASOS

Thrift Stores

Goodwill (I’d say 50% of my skirts come from Goodwill)

Brazilian stores (in Sao Paulo)

Stores in Bras and the streets Domingos de Moraes and Teodoro Sampaio. 

Marisa

Renner

Stores cataloged under "moda evangelica".

Where do you find modest clothes?

Image via Tumblr