Twirl in Style: In Clothes, There is Joy

Here's the story of today. It doesn't start with the joyful clothes, but I'll get there, I promise. Have patience.

I've been itching to have a smoothie for breakfast lately, but was a) trying to stick to the full plan of regular, but on the elimination diet (ED) breakfasts, pre-cleanse, and b) The Bug. So I finally, finally loaded up the produce bin more than usual, and lined up my smoothie, all ready to "buzz" this morning before TrainerJen. I even looked up the smoothie recipes in the Clean book to make a soundly nutritional mixture, and got back out of bed to make "chia seed gel" quickly. (Apparently, chia seeds are easier to blend (and digest) if you make a gel out of them - which basically means put them in water and keep in the fridge.)

So here's my smoothie:

1c mango cubes
1c frozen, unsweetened sweet cherries
1c light coconut milk (will switch to regular, less processed, once I use up what I have)
1c/handful mixed "Power Greens" (a boxed greens mix from Whole Foods with spinach, kale, and chard, at least, if not others)
1tsp-ish ground ginger
2T chia seed gel

Day-aHM, it was yummy! It was a lot (about 24oz), but since I'd worked out, I was good with that. Had half before, half after.

Then, the skirt. I bought this skirt in NOLA in a pink garage (not kidding). As I tried it on over my pre-Stanley-fried-oyster-and-boudin Benedict running clothes (after said Benedict and on my second bloody Mary of the morning), my girlfriend convinced me I could wear it to the office. So I am. And it's sparkly and twirly and flirty and twirly and full and luscious and wonderful. I've got pep. I've got spring in my step and swing in my hips. I'm wearing red lipstick (super retro, also bought in NOLA, at Trashy Diva) and power shoes (python pumps, to be exact). I'm feeling the power of the female sex, and could even be productive at the DayJob.

Woah. Don't go overboard there.

But needless to say, though I told TrainerJen "flow" when she made me close my eyes and tell me what my body told me I needed because I was overthinking it, we did a pretty fast-paced circuit-y workout because she really always knows best. So it could be the workout. It could be the smoothie. It could be the skirt.

Because lord knows it ain't the full 7-8 hours of sleep that I didn't get.

But as I sashay - literally - around the office, just waiting for someone to call me on my excessive, twirly sparkles (only one, so far - bring it on!), I'm struck at how much joy a big piece of fabric can bring to my day. I almost can't stop thinking about it. I want to go back to the bathroom again to look at it in the mirror, and I keep trying to get a phone pic of how incredible it is. The ones I've gotten so far just don't do it justice.

I have other outfits in which I feel great (um, the Union Jack skinnies?), but there's something about the sheer feminity, maybe, that puts this one over the edge into joy. Is it the cut? Is it the fullness? Is it that it, in some demented, Freudian way makes me pretend I'm in some 50s office and in the male-dominated world that would come with it - and then the power I have as a prettily dressed, curvy female in that space? I'm sure the analysts would have a field day with that.

So what is it about being girly and flouncy and flirty that feels so powerful? Because I think that might be what it is. Nevertheless, I'll take it, and I'll use it all day long.

And I will be counting the days until I can wear this girly statement piece again.

So what makes you feel all-powerful? Is it girly? Is it menswear? Is it your pajamas?

Style Obsession: What I'm Pinning, Tagging, Instagramming, and Following

First, let me apologize for the sporadic, practically non-existant posting. I was on a roll again, then we went to New Orleans (#NOLAoclock was amazing. absolutely amazing), then it was really busy, then I got sick.

So since I was home sick yesterday, and spent the day on social media, pinning, tweeting, and facebooking (yes, people still do that), I thought I'd share a few things over which I'm currently obsessing - in my tummy-bug-induced stupor.

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Retro style. Our #NOLAoclock trip left me wandering the streets, stumbling into delightful boutiques like Trashy Diva's 3 stores on Chartres. The shoe boutique, and its amazing collection of ReMix Vintage Shoes, the brown version of which one above came home with me. Seriously. ReMix copies real vintage styles impeccably. I could've bought 5 pair, at least.

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Mid Century. H and I have a long standing compromise-collaboration: he grew up in a decidedly contemporarily designed home, I grew up with antiques. Somehow, Mid Century Modern seems to meet in the middle. I find myself pinning all sorts of design from that period, like this amazing light fixture. I stumbled into the best shop ever, Loisel Vintage Modern, on Magazine Street during my solo day on #NOLAoclock, and spent probably an hour in there, snapping pics to show H. The owner was knowledgable and helpful. And I wanted it all.

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Clean Eating. Even before #NOLAoclock, I'd been toying with the idea of a formal cleanse. After a year of #healthyme focus, I eat pretty cleanly, but lord knows I still eat "treats," have a drink, and do lots of nutritional things that might not be the best for my body. So before we left, I'd done a little research and settled on the Clean Program (fellow GOOP followers, Gwyneth talks about this one, but it was my mommy who turned me on to it). It's logical, not terribly different from what I've been eating (ok, a fair amount, but still not difficult), and, not being a "juice cleanse," it includes, um, Real Food. Plenty of it. Since returning, from #NOLAoclock, I've started the preliminary "elimination diet," and am happy. Looking forward to using a bunch of the clean recipes I've been pinning all over.

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Minimal makeup. While I love a good smoky eye and drama, I do not have the energy or time - or inclination, for that matter - to do that every - ok, any morning right now. So when I do bother (and it is NOT every day), I blot on some Bobbi Brown powder, then swipe on whichever Red Lipstick happens to be in my purse. I think this one is part of a trio of reds I bought on Allie's recommendation from Revlon. So awesome.

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Grey walls. In anticipation of H's cousin (and the Beans' godmother) and her son coming at the end of June, we're high-gearing it into #OperationPrettyHouse, which is loooooong overdue. I refuse to have her come back to a home with the same walls and kitchen she saw at The Bean's 4th birthday. We're starting in our bedroom, where we went dark and luxurious, with what I see as a deep dove grey (Behr's Anonymous). A friend and designer recommended 50% white from the wall color for the ceiling color, so that we did. With our blonde wood furniture and what I hope will be a dramatic (um, mid century?) light fixture, it'll be stunning. If we ever finish it. Because it still looks like this.

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Virgin Atlantic. Seriously. As nice as they were to me yesterday, I'll fly with them whereever they go. I'd whined about a sick day on twitter yesterday, and their team, who happened to be in DC yesterday, scooted by, rang my doorbell, and brought me flowers. And a gift card. Really. Though it was, um, intimidating to have 3 coiffed and primped flight attendants smiling in my hallway whilst I was in a bra-less nightgown, it actually made me cry. Oh. And the handwriting in the card (they even gave me a card!) looks just like my BEF (Best English Friend)'s. So yeah. Tears.

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#DVFlovesROXY. Apparently, DVF is a beach lover, and is into the spirit that girl surfers, who give it their all, have. Me, too. I'm dreaming of my next surf lesson down tha shore this summer. And may or may not be plotting to spend my Virgin Atlantic present on these board shorts. Think they'll make my legs look like that?