DRESS LIKE YOU MEAN IT
Just dropping in to say hi! Linked you to my outfit. I am obsessed with bodysuits at the moment. This one is flattering under a jacket or can stand alone with a great pair of pants. The material stretches and is thick enough to not be transparent. Happy shopping!
What I’m reading
Thirty five years old and I’m still wearing overalls, heart shaped sunglasses, and pom poms on my beanies. Dressing is an art form. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that your personal style isn’t an expression of your creative. I hear so many women fret about wearing something that is “too young”. I think that you can tailor any outfit to your age and comfort, but the most important thing for your confidence is to wear clothes that you feel good in. You won’t know unless you try. So be creative, shush that inner voice that tells you that you can’t, and TRY IT ON.
While I was pregnant with Avett I kept running across cute pairs of overalls. I’d buy them thinking that I’d fit into them after I had him. Lofty dreams. Well, five months and a gazillion miles on the treadmill later and I’m starting to be able to shimmy into my clothes. I am the proud owner of six pairs of bibs (insert awkward face emoji). But these! These are the best pair of overalls ever. The straight fit is extremely slimming and they’re more comfortable than any of my denim pairs. There’s a zipper down the side rather than the traditional clips over the shoulder (the straps on these are attached, though I had no problem getting into them like I initially thought I would). Hey! I like your face, and no you’re not too old to wear that.
What I’m reading!
(and loving)
Don’t let anyone tell you that leggings aren’t pants, especially Blair Waldorf. Since everyone has been asking where I get mine I threw a post together for you. The ones I’m wearing are gunmetal in a size 8-10. I got my oversized courier shirt at a small boutique so I did my best to find something similar for you. I’m ten pounds down! But I still can’t fit into any of my old jeans. Happy shopping!
Grey skies and porridge for breakfast right before I hopped on the Tube. London has one of the most accessible and easy to use underground train systems. When I get home to the States I always grieve the lack of public transport, missing my daily rides on the Tube. I’m quite proud of all my Tube knowledge after all these London trips I take. I can pretty much navigate myself all over the city. I even gave directions to lost people while I was there! One day, London, one day I will live in you full time. And heeeeey! anyone remember Fila? I guess you’d have to be a child of the nineties because my twenty something friends are like–WTF is Fila? Only the flyest sneaker brand, my friends. Totally off-the-chain. Amiright? If you’re wanting a blast from the past here are the links to my Fila ensemble.
OHMYGODICUTMYHAIR
And for the very first time I don’t regret it. It took me thirty two years to find the stylist of my dreams. Thank you, Shannon! She’s been cutting and blowdrying me for about three years now and there has never been a time when I leave her unhappy. I needed a change since I spent two years growing my hair out for the wedding. I was afraid to cut it because every time I’ve cut my hair I feel motherly. Like, I know I’m a mother but I don’t want to look like a mother. Ya know?! I have Peter Pan syndrome and in my heart I’m forever eighteen. Guys, if you’re ever in the area check out Shannon Wylie.
You can look her up on Instagram by: shannonwyliedesigns
Anyway, I found you a dupe pair of jeans for $60 and also listed my pair. And if you’re a slouchy t-shirt kind of girl this is my all time favorite tee. Washes well, doesn’t shrink, fits perfectly. And I am LOVING these Minkoff sneakers. So, usually I don ‘t like these laceless sneaker things. They sort of look lazy to me. Like, I’m a mom and I don’t have time for laces. But add silver grommets AND I LOVE THEM. LAZY SNEAKERISH THINGS WITH EDGE! Yaaaas!
I had a really great conversation with a friend this weekend about art. Actually it’s Josh’s friend, but now that we’re married we share everything right? Right. So my new friend and I were talking about art as a lifestyle. He’d just complimented my home decorating skills, and my photo taking skills, and while we sat at the dinner table my ego bloating he helped me understand myself a bit more. Last time a dude made me think deeply he was tattooing the words I am the color of BOOM on my arm. My tattoo artist, Kaweeka is one of the wisest dudes on the planet. Too bad he left the shop and didn’t tell anyone where he was going. I’ve been on the search for Kaweeka for three years now. KAWEEKA CAN YOU HEAR ME?! Where you at?
Anyway, off track there.
Art is a lifestyle. It’s not just books, or photography, or paint. It can be simple things too, things you may not realize are there. Once you open the door to one type of art more things follow.
I started as a writer. I was only six years old when I wrote my first story. I was writing books about talking dolls and magical wells back then. Pretty soon I found the need to express myself in more ways than just the written word. I started decorating. I started writing songs. I had a friend try to teach me how to draw. I wasn’t good at everything but I only discovered that by trying. I wanted to create things, even the things I showed no obvious talent in.
Humans need a way to express themselves. We have to much boiling inside of us not to.
My home is eccentric, bold and…weird. it’s too weird to be trendy. It’s sort of Alice in Wonderland meets Beetlejuice. In other words my decorating style is sort of a well coordinated acid trip. And the way I dress, I mean most people think I’m wack. My favorite thing to wear are atrociously ugly shoes. I pull the artist card when explaining my wardrobe.
“What? I’m an artist. I need to express myself…”
The things that come out of us like our home decor, clothes, tattoos, heck even cooking are all reflections of who we are. I know that some of you have to suppress those things because you work jobs that won’t allow blue hair, or ripped jeans. But, find ways. Find ways to let those beautiful things inside of you come out. You are an artist. Yes, you. Most people don’t think they’re creative. That’s not true. Just because it hasn’t been cultivated or acknowledged doesn’t mean it isn’t there. You may express it in the way you creatively give gifts, or the way you style your hair. But there is art in you and you need that art. it doesn’t even matter if you’re not good at it…yet. You can be. Find your art.
Guys, wire headbands. They’re not floppy and they don’t slide off your head like the fabric ones. I found one for you below, but there are great choices on Amazon. I included plus size options in this post, as well as a more affordable pair of jeans. So scroll right to make sure you’ve seen everything. Also some people commented recently that they’re unsure of how to subscribe to the Guise Of the Villain blog. You have to sign up on a desktop. One you visit my website from your computer there will be a pop option to subscribe. Happiest Sunday.
What I’m reading!
Gangster: a member of a group of criminals. So, what exactly is a spiritual gangster anyway? It would be me overthinking words on a t-shirt before I buy it. Over the years we’ve taken words that have negative connotations and have trended them into society. I had to really think before I committed to this tank because I didn’t want to send the wrong message. God, sometimes I give myself a headache. But here’s why I bought this shirt.
Religion kind of took a nose dive. I could say it’s recent but then we’d be forgetting all the wars fought throughout history in the name of religion. Religion has been a contentious thing since…forever. I am a Christian. Mind you throughout college I was called a heretic by my fellow Christians. I went to a private Christian college that centered its doctrine on rules, not on love. Of course if you are familiar with Tarryn Fisher you know that I unapologetically had something to say about all of that. It didn’t go over well. Some people love that law, yo. So the word “Christian” became a wonky word for me. The associations made me shy away from the word. But, people do that don’t they? They ruin things. And in the end I wasn’t going to let flawed humans turn me away from something I loved. The original message-that’s what I live for. Now, you could be an atheist, a Muslim, a buddhist, let me just say that I don’t care what you are. You are a human being and I love you. It’s really none of my damn business what you’ve chosen for your life. My business is what I’ve chosen for my life, and to avoid hypocrisy and actually live out my belief system it’s in my best interest to focus on my life not yours.
“Love one another as I have loved you.”
Dayuuum! What does that mean? Bear with me for a moment as I explain what it means to us Beliebers….I mean believers. It means God came down to experience human bullshit. Betrayal, hate, hunger, rejection, a different type of klan, temptation, hurt, murder, hypocrisy. If you read the story of Jesus you’ll see how he was just pummeled with all of it. And yet he loved those who murdered him. He fought for the weak, he opposed the law and the only thing he got really pissed off at was at religion. OMG! Like me! He stood up for women. All. The. Time. Because back then women had absolutely no rights. None. A champion of every underdog. And he asked his followers to show that unconditional love to…strangers? Hell yes, he did. Mmmkay, I’mma do my best. I fail. I do. But, I believe in it; the message of love.
I subscribe deeply to the profound, wisdom of the Bible, deeply to the Jesus of Christianity (he’s cool as fuck) <—–see that’s why I got in trouble.
But I don’t subscribe to the way humans have interpreted the Bible. Or the way they represent my cool as fuck, Jesus. Because of that I was often labeled a Christian criminal or heretic. I’m okay with that. I have found people who represent what I believe, who live out their beliefs. I have other spiritual gangsters in my life. I am a spiritual gangster. See…my shirt even says so. Click on dat link if you’re a spiritual gangster too. I linked the cheap jeans and the expensive jeans.
Today was my first day back on the job! Just so you know I drink on the job. Write drunk, edit sober. I wrote the first chapter of my new novel and it’s a good thing too. I was starting to feel that dragging depression that comes when I’m not writing regularly. What am I writing next? A YA novel. Backstory: I have been sitting on this idea for twelve years!
Fashion
You should see the weird looks I get when I wear these Jeffrey Campbell slides. It’s like people have never seen an ugly pair of shoes before. I included a plus size option in today’s post. Scroll right for all of the options.
I’m ready. I’ve been working on my thighs and butt with all the squats. I have been casually tanning my white parts. I have established a shaving pattern. Here I am summer! Technically this is the first summer Josh and I will have together. He moved to Washington last March, but my dad had recently died, and my world was shaken with some ugly things. Truth be told, I spent my summer grieving. This summer I plan on sweaty kisses, and swimming, and grilling, and all those other things people do and take photos of. Yay! Also, I finished my book. I can officially relax. Anyway, my sweater is the bomb. So lightweight and perfect for evenings if you live in sweatbox somewhere (Texas and Florida). Here it’s mostly in the seventies during summer. Which is dreamy AF. I threw in some sandals in case you’re not a boots in summer kind of girl. Happy sweating.
