The Leggy Lady

I’ve always been OK with the idea of plastic surgery. Now, there’s no chance for a boob job for me anytime soon, as I’m quite happy in that department. But there’s something I’ve been considering for a while, and I finally decided to do it.

When I was a teenager, even as younger adult, I didn’t take care of my skin. It’s not that I actively did bad things, but I did all the things that are huge no-nos if you know anything about skin care, which I didn’t. So I used harsh scrubs on my sensitive skin, I purchased a metal tool meant for scraping blackheads out of pores, and I picked and popped every blemish that appeared on my face. I also lounged endlessly in the sun sans sunscreen. And guess what? It made it worse. Parents, sisters, brothers, relatives: do whatever you can to convince the young people in your life not to do that stuff. Take them to the dermatologist and have the doctor tell them that messing with their face has long-term consequences.

My consequences: big pores, many broken blood vessels and capillaries all around my nose and mouth, and scarring. The pores and scarring, as well as any residual acne I still get, I can work on myself. I stopped using any kind of physical exfoliation products and moisturize thoroughly morning and night. I also use products that are actually right for my skin, not just ones that are supposed to be good for it. For example, benzoyl peroxide is extremely popular in OTC and prescription acne meds, but my skin does not like it. It makes my blemishes worse, and leads to gross swelling and redness. I don’t think I’m allergic, but it actively makes it worse. So I went with a face wash that has salicylic acid and AHA, and I started doing a light at-home chemical peel of glycolic and lactic acid once a week*. Finally, my skin is looking pretty good!

Except for the veins, which is where cosmetic surgery comes in. Now, fine, calling vein treatment plastic surgery a bit of a stretch, but my doctor does other things like botox injections, intensive chemical peels, liposuction, etc. I already go to his offices for laser hair removal (which I highly recommend), so I made an appointment for a free consult and had a chat with him. Turns out, he can get rid of all of those veins around my nose and mouth in probably one session, at the most, two. And the cost? $175! That’s like, a small amount of money for getting rid of something that has caused me a great deal of anxiety and self-consciousness over the past ten years.

If you think cosmetic/plastic surgery will have a positive benefit on you and you understand the potential risks of such a change, I say go for it. No judgement from the Leggy Lady. But don’t let society dictate the way you look! Don’t get a nose job because you think everyone in Cosmo and Vogue has a small nose, too. Don’t get a boob job because every porn star is 36 24 36. That’s not reality, that’s what society is pushing on us. Be yourself. If yourself happens to be a person without broken blood vessels, so be it!

I made my appointment for a week before my birthday. It’ll be ironic that, as I turn 28, I’ll have better skin than I’ve had in years.

*I do this peel myself at home. However, I cannot recommend you try an at-home peel without consulting with your doctor and doing the research. It can be very dangerous!

I probably won’t do a huge splurge, but I will definitely be doing a big haul to Buffalo Exchange sometime within the next week or so. I have a bunch of dresses that I won’t realistically ever wear, as well as some shirts that just sit unworn in my dresser. I desperately need a pair of good trousers, as well as some shells (tank tops and t-shirts for a base layer).

I have to say, I have mixed feelings about being able to buy clothes again. As I’ve said before, I haven’t really been saving any money; I’ve just reallocated those funds for other things, like hanging out with friends or buying beauty products, so it’s not like I have $2k sitting in the bank waiting to be spent on clothing… I wish! But I do foresee a reduction in impulse buys, as well as more planning going into individual purchases. Soon we shall see!

I’ve been a bit obsessed with the Japanese dyeing techniques called shibori. The one I particularly love is called Arashi, and it consists of wrapping your fabric around a pole, binding it tightly with string, compressing it so there are pleats, and then dunking it in dye. Here is a gorgeous example from an Etsy seller called DyeDianaDye. You can click here or on the photo to buy a similar shirt from her shop.

There are variations in this process, but I can tell you exactly what I did and where I went wrong. My first attempt failed, but I have some good pics to show for it. Check out this video of a woman wrapping a pole. She scrunched up the fabric as she went along, but I wrapped it entirely then pushed it all to one end.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I--6Fd4h_-U]

First, the fabric. My fabric was actually just a white tunic I had, seen here, which acquired some strange yellow stains after a trip to the beach. Since it was white, I figured it would be the perfect blank canvas for this type of technique. [Forgot to mention this originally, but I wet the shirt before wrapping. Thanks Diane!]

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Today I want to talk about some of the fancier stuff I saw. I won’t go into gowns, but cocktail dresses, work appropriate dresses, etc.

This look is by Jill Sander. I love this top, but I don’t think I could wear it in the same way, due to not weighing <100lbs. The skirt would be pretty versatile as well as the shoes, but overall I thought it was styled well. Less is definitely more, here.

Confession: I would murder someone for this dress. This dress by Erdum is probably my favorite of all of the looks I’m going to show you. I’m not entirely sure I could pull off that color, but who the hell cares. Gaaah.

Oh, Valentino. Your romantic looks just… sigh. This one is correct. I almost wish the shoes were a different texture instead of what looks like plain ‘ol leather… maybe they tried patent and it failed.

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Most of my readership are probably preparing for the epic celebration that is the Philly Geek Awards, and if you are anything like me (a woman), you may already be thinking obsessing over your look for that night.

Meet Lisa Eldridge: makeup artist for the stars. The wonderful thing about Eldridge is that she’s not perfect. She has blemishes, she gets dehydrated, and she has uneven skin, but most importantly, she provides tips on how to combat such skin woes. I’m going to list a few of her looks, plus two that I particularly loved: one being a “morning after” look for when you are feeling hungover, dehydrated, and gross in general, and another excellent video on covering acne blemishes. I give you permission to spend a few hours watching this beautiful, real, charming English woman put on makeup. Even better if you find the look you were searching for!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUbHcBMeIsY]

Kate Winslet’s Red Carpet makeup!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hq0XHCzqpHo]

Trend: Dark lips!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSn8YMA6S_c]

A smokey winged liner!

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Looking over the runway fashion for fall, I saw about a million looks that I love and would wear immediately. I’m not going to bombard you with them all in one post. Here are some great looks that are a bit more casual:

This first look, from Céline, is perfect. I would wear this out any day…Maybe not the white heels, but you never know. I might need an oversize coat this fall.

This look is by Band of Horses. I absolutely need these pants. I would take the sweater/scarf, but the pants. Ahhhh! And pair with the booties with the amazing wool socks? I’m dying. Dead. I cannot bear not having this outfit.

Drooooooool. This look is by Rodarte. I want it all. I love the shoes; I could wear them with probably half the things I own. The dress is incredibly versatile. I could wear it to work or to a wedding, depending on how I styled it. I CAN HAS?

This equestrian look by Altuzarra is amazing. The boots really add the edge that this look needs, despite the cargo pants. I probably wouldn’t wear the pants (any kind of puffy does not work well with my hips), but I would wear everything else.

Stay tuned… next time I’ll look at some fancier dresses.

Just kidding! I’m so sorry it’s been over eight months since my last update. But I have good news for you: I haven’t bought clothes! I’ve traded clothes, been given and gifted clothes, and bought several pairs of shoes, but I haven’t traded money for clothing.

First, let’s go through the things I’ve been gifted or traded since my last update.

Since my in-laws are aware of my “situation”, they were very generous and gave me several beautiful articles of clothing for Christmas, including the most beautiful oxfords I have ever seen and a wonderfully dramatic and comfortable maxi skirt. And because they are of sound mind, they did not spend hundreds of dollars on clothing; they chose classic, versatile pieces they knew I would like. Unfortunately, one of the items they gifted me, a pair of J. Crew black corduroy pants,  did not fit me quite right.

So, upon my arrival to J. Crew with ill-fitting corduroys in hand, I decided to go with some accessories instead of more clothing. WHOA, right? Here are my purchases:

A pair of gray ribbed tights, and the beautiful leather oxfords.

A pair of blue, white, and gold men’s socks… So comfy!

A perfectly peachy stretch rhinestone bracelet–works so well with casual and dress!

A super-comfy navy jersey maxi skirt (whoa, adjectives). I love this–perfect for lazy Sundays!

I’ve also purchased a few used pairs of shoes (stay with me here…) off eBay (no no, it’s OK!) for super cheap. I know what you’re thinking… where have those shoes been?! Well, my thoughts exactly, so I went ahead and got some, uh, preventative powder and have had no resulting issues. Onto the pictures!

Let’s get the worst one out of the way. If you know me, you know that I have Sjögren’s syndrome. Long story short, it makes life difficult and painful, but regular exercise along with medication helps tremendously. Unfortunately, my closet contained only one pair of sneakers, and they were over 5 years old. Now, I shouldn’t have to tell you that they were no good after five years. They no longer had the support I needed, and after 15 minutes on a treadmill or elliptical machine, my feet were cramping up. So, I broke down and spent new money on a good pair of shoes. Here they are:

New Balance Women’s WX813 Cross-Training Shoe–good for all kinds of stuff!

I would apologize to you and feel a deep sense of shame if it were anything else I bought, but these were necessary for my health, so they needed to be mine. Onto the fun:

Used, no-name, “fake Cole Haan” woven leather loafers. Total cost, including shipping: $15.40. My new favorite shoes, they can be casual or dressed up in a dress or trousers.

A cute pair of used low-heel peep toes by J. Jill. Very easy to wear and they stay comfortable on my feet all day. Total cost: $17.67 (Picture by VintageFitforStyle)

I’ve been trying to dig up a picture of the great used Bass motorcycle boots I also bought, but I’m at a loss. They’re about knee-high, chocolate brown with cute subtle buckles and a zipper closure. Perfect for cooler weather. Total cost: $25

I also purchased a pair of Bass metallic flats, but they were huge on me. I ended up giving them to my sister in exchange for hard labor.

Now that I’ve broken the radio silence, I plan keep this blog going. I’m excited to finally be finished with my year of no clothing, but if anything, this year has taught me ways to keep my wardrobe looking great for a long time on a budget. Stay tuned for more!

This dress rocks my world.

I ordered some glasses from Warby Parker to try on, and these are my favorite so far. They’re the “Miles” style.

Tell me what you think!

Doesn’t it look like I have a weirdo robot eye in the last one? I definitely am not a robot, you guys.

Whoa! Don’t get too worked up. It’s been about 3 and a half months since I made the decision to not buy clothes for a year, and so far, it’s been really informative. I’ve run into a number of issues with my wardrobe since August. For one, it was summer, and I was fairly happy with my warm-weather wardrobe. However, when it came time to unpack the cold-weather clothing, I was a little surprised. None of my trouser fit me anymore. It’s so bad that the only non-jean pant I have is my Express cargo skinny pants (and my J. Crew Pixie wool pant, but that’s really a legging). I have a pair of brown trousers that I have to safety pin to wear, which I can’t do anymore because it makes me physically ill to have to do something so fashion-adverse, and I have a pair of black J. Crew cigarette pants that are also big, as well.

I don’t know how I got to this point. I badly need a tailor, to say the least. As well as that, I’ve been a huge fan of blazers, especially in the colder weather, and I hate the only black blazer I own (I own two total). All the fuzz and hair seems to find and occupy it, and there’s nothing worse than a faded black blazer. Yuck.

Needless to say, something snapped along the way, and I saw my wardrobe in a new light. I realized its potential, and I noticed its flaws. It might be that I never realized how bad it was because it was all I ever knew. Or maybe I never fully committed to it because the option to try newer, better things was there. I do have great pieces in my wardrobe, and I can put together a great looking outfit. However, there were (and still are) many things I would love to trade out for better things.

And that’s what I did! I genuinely don’t believe this is “cheating” because I see it as gifting myself with new clothes by getting rid of old ones. (Also, I checked my non-partisan ethic counsel, my good friend Ben, who approved this.) There’s a great second-hand shop here in Philly called Buffalo Exchange that will, you know, exchange your gently used clothing for cash or store credit. So last weekend I stuffed two paper grocery bags and biked over to BE. Out of those bags, they bought about 2/3 of the clothing and told me to bring some of the unwanted items back in the spring or summer when they needed warm-weather clothing. They offered me $30 in store credit or $15 in cash. Most people who were selling clothes at the same time took the cash, but I took the credit so I could use it for clothes.

My first experience shopping there was tough. I’m used to shopping in stores where I know my size and the styles I like. In J. Crew, I’m a 4 pant or a small shirt, and everything is displayed in a very attractive, easy way. At Buffalo Exchange, everything is either on a round clothing rack on the floor or straight racks along the walls. Nothing that’s on display can be found elsewhere; everything is one-of-a-kind. It’s arranged by clothing type and size, but it doesn’t help much. Thanks to vanity sizing, I may find pants that fit in any size between a 4 and an 8, sometimes even a size 10. And in jackets I was anywhere between a small and a large. I probably looked at every single thing they had on their racks, no matter what size it was, and I found nothing after at least 5 trips to the fitting rooms. It was exhausting.

I went back today with a plan. When I sold my clothing, they tagged it immediately and put it on the floor only a few minutes after that. I knew exactly what I wanted (blazer and trousers), so I focused mainly on those sections. I took as many items into the fitting room as I could, and I went back to the same racks at least once or twice to check for new things. It was still exhausting, but I found so many things that I actually had to decide (or rather, remind myself) what I truly needed.

I ended up going with a black pin-stripe blazer from Calvin Klein for $15.00 and a cotton-linen trouser from Express for $8.00. Here they are:

I love these pieces! I’m thrilled that I found these two items for $23. They both fit really well and will work great with the rest of my wardrobe. One of the most important things I thought about when shopping, and the number one reason an item would get a veto, was whether or not it would work with a lot of pieces I already have. I think people (myself included) sometimes make the mistake of buying an outfit when they should shop for two or three versatile pieces instead. Three things that make an outfit gives you one outfit, but three versatile pieces give you a dozen new, different outfits.

This post has gone on quite long, so I’ll wrap it up. I can think of at least 5 more items of clothing that BE would buy in a second and that I never wear. I think I’ll be going back there again, and now I’m confident that I’ll survive this year. A little perseverance will pay off.