Thursday, December 10, 2009

Black Dress: Take Four

If you've been with us all week, you are tired of my intro (or as my five year old would say... the Prologue). So, skip the next paragraph. If you're tuning in for the first time this week then... where have you been? And, read on.

Cheryl, Heather, Katie, and I decided to see what our creative muscles are really made of. We put ourselves to the ultimate fashion test. Four women, four black dresses, each seeking two outfits. Each of us visited Charming Charlie's in Grapevine, Texas committed to finding a Day Look and a Night Look suitable for all the December festivities to which we were sure we would be invited. My outfits debuted on Monday, Cheryl's on Tuesday, Heather's on Wednesday, and today - last, but definitely not least, comes Katie's.

Katie entered Charming Charlie's with two criterion: First, her outfits must be practical for the busy (and poor) life of a graduate student. Second, no belts.

We obliged one, but not the other. Take a look.
A belt! The sales woman paired a black jacket with Katie's dress and then immediately belted it. Maybe, at first, Katie was stressed at the idea of it, but then... pure success! Look at how fabulous Katie looks with her belted dress, her casual fun shoes, and the bag big enough to hold a notebook for class. I can't imagine her day shoes won't be a huge hit among our shoe lovers.
As a graduate student, if Katie is going attend a holiday celebration, after a full day of classes, assistantship, internship, studying, and working on class projects, then she's probably got no more than seven minutes to transform herself from Day Look into Night Look.

Lucky for her, Katie is young and beautiful and in a way better position to pull it off than someone like me who would prefer to spend the day primping in a spa. All Katie's sales clerk did to transform Katie from Day to Night was make a quick switch of necklace, bracelet, earrings, and shoes (all things that could be whipped right out of her glove compartment).

So there it is. Four dresses, four days, and eight looks. It was fun and, though I can't speak for the other three women, I'd have to say the real beauty of this experience was getting to dabble in new looks and to experiment with the possibilities of what could be. I've spent a life time creating all kinds of rules about what I can and can't wear based on my "body type" and the image I have of myself. Hats aren't me; no leggings; no skinny jeans; big scarves make me look clumsy; I can pull off classic, but sexy would be laughable; chic is for tall and skinny women, not me; pointy shoes will make my legs look longer...

Where the heck did I get this stuff? And you too for that matter.

Tell me. What won't you wear because of a fashion hang up you have? And, don't leave me hanging by not making any comments. Otherwise I'll really think I'm a whacko.

If you think the fashion fun is over. It's not. Tune in tomorrow when we pull one more thing out of our high fashion sleeve.

Signing off until then.

16 comments:

Robin said...

Katie - you look so snazzy!

Danko Family said...

First of all, Katie I love the dress! I have a very strict NO BELT rule too, but maybe I should try it! My favorite part, once again, are the shoes.

One of my biggest fashion no-nos for my body are the untailored shirts that fill the racks. I spent a lot of time kicking off my baby weight, and I think those shirts make me look pregnant. Maybe it's just the way I look at myself, but they just don't work for me. They are all really cute on the hanger and on most other women, but not me :(

Anonymous said...

katie, i actually like both pairs of peep-toe heels, but the night heels are better. you look fabulous with the turquoise additions of the day look!!! LOVE IT!

some "fashion" i refuse to wear- CROCS, and UGG BOOTS!!! UGHHHH i HATE both, and would never be caught dead in either. I would rather wear flip-flops (like katie) in the snow than be caught in a pair of uggs. i still havent really adopted the whole rain boots thing either, i just cant get over how big and clunky they are. i guess i have a little bit of an issue with shoes! haha

cassie p said...

oops, anonymous was me, cassie p!

Kat said...

Lookin' good! I love the turquoise bag! I really like bright colors paired with black.

Oh, I have so many "rules" that I have made up for myself. I am really picky about skirt length. Only right above my knee or calf length. Nothing empire waist. No super tall boots because they make my legs look stumpy.

Peggy said...

Very cute Katie! I like the belt! Funny how your dress looks brown in the picture!

Can't imagine bare legs or dresses right now at -2 degrees outside!!!

Happy Day y'all!! bbrrrrrrrrrr

Claudia @ Highlowaha said...

Kate... didn't you say you were tall? Can't tall people wear anything and look great?

Chaotic Kristi said...

wow Katie!!!! love the necklace... I love rocks, period. Fashion nono--- form-hugging anything...

Cheryl Houston said...

PONCHOS! I will not wear a poncho. This is just my opinion but they only look cute on toddlers.

Growing up in the country- some of us country girls strived not to be country but I love my boots today. Of course- I think they're a lot cuter now than they were so many years ago.

I don't like to wear stuff that is overly trendy either- I want to be able to wear it for a long time.

I'd kind of like to see what Katie's dress looked like without the belt. Just for comparison. Love the turquois. But did I hear Katie say, "I would never wear this to class."

I wonder sometimes what my wardrobe would look like if I didn't have to dress up for work.

Katie said...

It's true, I did walk in say NO to the belts. However, I will say that it looked great in the end. It also true that I don't think I'd ever wear that outfit to class, but I would have worn it one day this week for a class presentation. Plus, there are plenty of events that I get invited to during the day time to which I would wear this "Day Look".

My fashion no-no is horizontal stripes- they make me look bigger.

Jessica said...

I can't wear A-Line Dresses. I look pregnant.

heather said...

Jessica I'm with you on the A line dresses (along with empire waistlines) automatically start getting the "when are you due" comments.

Diana Leilani said...

I love the belt too! Wide belts worn at your true waist are always flattering. :)

I stay away from chunky knits. I love the idea of that plush yarn but it does nothing for my figure.

Unknown said...

wow - great look for you Katie. You definitely need a fun night out with your look.
My biggest problem is that I don't get to wear all the fun non-mommy clothes. Soon - very soon I will ditch the sweats for more fun stuff. But not today - it's too cold....

Danko Family said...

Claudia, you would think that being 6 feet tall and a size 10 (sometimes 12) that finding clothes would be super easy, but it's so hard. I have one very fashionable friend who dragged me to the mall to prove to me that I could wear anything, and it didn't take me long to prove her WRONG! I'm ALL leg, have no torso, and have a very large "bust" ;) I have to special order my pants and shoes. Let me tell ya, special order doesn't always equal attractive! I think that's why I hold on to my clothes for so long...it's very hard to replace them. Maybe I need to make a trip to Charming Charlies and have them dress me too!

Chaotic Kristi said...

cheryl... you said "I wonder sometimes what my wardrobe would look like if I didn't have to dress up for work."
I wear my pajamas sometimes... and NO, I do NOT work from home.. .LOL!