Baubles and Bracelets and Bubbly, Oh My! Or, How A Fashion Blogger Is Reminded She Still Has a Long Way to Go

A couple of months ago, Janice of Facon Magazine asked a few of us on the DC fashion/style blogging scene whether we'd be a part of a "playing dress up" feature. Would I want to have jewelry gallery owner Keith Lipert read my blog blind, pick out a piece of jewelry, get a picture of it, then style an outfit for a photo shoot around it?

Well, heck yes!

I was thrilled when she sent me a picture of the piece he picked for me. It's modern, dynamic, elegant, formal, and casual all at the same time. It's a statement piece, and I knew immediately what I'd pair with it: the dress I bought and wore for my 20th high school reunion.

Schedules finally matched up enough and winter flus and colds

released enough of us at one time so that Vyque of Fasshonaburu and I met photographer, blogger and (newly launched) designer Denisio and I met at Keith's gallery for Keith to show us all of his pretty baubles, drink champagne, and for Denisio to take pictures of us with the final choices. Denisio captured Lacey of A Lacey Perspective, Monica of Blueprint for Style, and Robrette of Weight A Minute with Keith's jewels on an earlier night.

Vyque and I toyed with choices other than what Keith originally picked out for us, trying on Parisian, German, and Italian pieces, all of which somehow spoke clearly of their origins. Metals mixed, both gleaming and brushed, and stones glittered and shone. Keith's collection turns out to be a sweet little secret for nowhere-else-in-DC statement accessories that won't blow the budget - or at least blow it entirely.
In the end, the two of us stuck with the pieces Keith had pulled after reading our blogs, without meeting us in person. Vyque glowed like the pearls she draped across her glittery black top, and the strands were just perfect for her mix of current and vintage. I stuck with the
Parisian-found threads of almost ombre metal beads. I was flattered that Keith had read enough of my blog to find its origins and conjure up a modern Rene Russo.

The feature in the magazine is, well, cool, and does a wonderful job of showcasing 5 women with distinct styles and bodies. While waiting for the issue, I couldn't wait to see how everyone styled their ensembles. I wished we'd been able to match schedules up enough to all shoot the same night, so we could see the carefully selected outfits then.

What I forgot about? That darned camera adds 10lbs on top of the 10 I'd gained back since the Thanksgiving weekend 2011 reunion. In

the pictures from the photo shoot? Yeah. Those were taken pretty much at my heaviest.

When I got the pictures emailed from editor-in-chief Janice, I fell over. I was so excited for this release, as I'd felt good, sexy, and went and got my hair did. Then I saw the pictures. Sigh.

I'm sure others will say I look beautiful - I suppose I do. But I want to look beautiful with a lot less than me. So I'll take these pictures and use them as my "before."

We never like ourselves in pictures, do we? I've already planned to ask Janice to "use me" again in the Fall issue, when I'm 30lbs lighter. C'mon, #healthyme! (Hint, hint, Janice.)

Who couldn't use a good set of "after" pics, after all?

Photographs is courtesy of Facon Magazine and Denisio's great shots of all 5 of us. You can check out the full issue - and feature online!