A reflection on my 2011 Fashion experiments

Belting and a dress with pants!

Happy new year loves!!! Hope that you all are enjoying your first day of 2012. I know I am...just relaxing and reflecting on 2011. 


This year has definitely been life changing and I've enjoyed the ride.I've visited new places, tried new things, met new people! Of course on here, I want to talk about the new fashion things I've tried. :) 


1. Belting! Ok, I've worn belts before. Mostly in the 90's with my mom jeans, but wearing a belt is nothing new. However, this year, thanks to my Fashion Diaries friends, I have embraced belting all sorts of things to make the outfit more figure flattering and feminine. I'm loving it and belting everything now! I was able to find a couple thin belts at Forever 21 for $1.50 a piece, so not only am I having fun with a trend, I also spent very little money.

Sneakers with a dress? Yes, please!

2. Chucks with dresses! I have always admired this look on fun, quirky girls, but could never bring myself to do it. I don''t know if it's because I'm not an out of the box thinker normally or that my OCD makes me not like to mix genres of clothes, but I have never been able to do it. This year, I couldn't find the right shoes to wear with a dress and so I broke down, wore the chucks, and LOVED it! So comfy and so cute! I wore this outfit to the mall to do a little Christmas shopping and as I walked by a teenage girl and her mom. The girl looked at her mom and said "I love her shoes!!". Score one for me!!!

Skinnies and boots tucked in!

3. Skinny jeans and tucking into boots! Here is a case of, if you wore a trend once, you shouldn't do it again later in your life. When I was growing up in the 80's, all of our jeans were tight and we, as Ohio girls, tucked them into our boots to keep the snow off of them. I HATED this back then. So as I started noticing this trend come back, I was not about to do it. Also, as a curvy girl, I have been slow to jump on the Skinny Jean train. I figured nobody needs to to be seeing all that. LOL But I am weak. I broke down and started tucking into my boots, but had the wrong jeans and looked goofy. So just this week, I took my Christmas Old Navy gift card, tried on 17 different sizes and styles of skinny jeans and finally found a perfect fit....for $15! I am loving it! 

Chopped it off!!!

4. PIXIE CUT!!! For many years, I rarely cut my hair because I liked having it long and hiding behind it. Being a tall girl, I have this weird notion that having short hair makes me look taller. (Don't ask...I have weird thoughts) so only a few times have I had it cut above shoulder length. I have always admire girls though that were confident enough in their own skin to cut all their hair off. At the beginning of 2011,  I got the notion to cut mine off. I have a friend who was going to the Aveeda School and she offered to have me be one of her hair models. I picked a cut and a few hours later...Boom...I was a pixie. Ok, not a pixie but a tall version of one. :) I'm not going to lie. I had horrible separation anxiety! I felt naked, exposed, and sort of butch. Again, don't ask...I have weird thoughts.

I have kept the hair cut most of the year. It has been fun trying something new, but 2011 will always be "The Year I Cut My Hair Off". I'm growing it back out now, and trying to enjoy each new haircut I have as I slowly gain my hair back. I'm looking forward to my 2012 year of hair...who knows what that will bring!? Pink streaks maybe??


What about you? What are your fashion experiments from 2011 or what are you going to try in 2012? 


Here are a few that I'm going to try:
1. Colored tights (another thing I wore in the 80's!!)
2. Dresses with full skirts (going to channel my inner 50's housewife or Rachel Berry from Glee)
3. Hats (I used to wear them all the time when I was young. As I grow my hair out, I'm looking forward to  rocking all sorts of hats this year)
4. 2 piece bathing suit that's not a tankini (I am determined this year to get into the best shape of my life. I have a new found love for the gym...so here's to hoping I get a new red 2 piece this year!!)


That's all for now my friends! I would love to hear from you! Make sure to go to Beauty in the Everyday on Facebook and "Like" it! 


peace, love, and cute shoes,
~chris