Inspiration Friday: Mamma Mia!

*Updated version of Inspiration from: Mamma Mia at Everyday Planet*

I have a confession.

I'm totally obsessed with Mamma Mia.

Yes, that Mamma Mia.

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The one with Meryl Streep & Colin Firth & Amanda Seyfreid & Greece & um...Pierce Brosnan. 

All singing ABBA songs. 

I just can't help myself guys. I love it.

Here are a few reasons....

1.  Decor. 

I read somewhere that you should watch this movie on mute and then you'll love it. It's just so pretty! And kind of makes you want to move to a Greek island. 

• blue & white
• plants
• water- fountains, the sea
• candles & twinkle lights

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• patterns - on towels, bedding, curtains, etc. 
• light
• I even love all the sparkly scenes & suddenly feel that I really need a little more glitter in my life. 

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2. Female relationships. 

I love how totally open the women in this movie are- with themselves & others. Yes, I know this movie is based on songs by ABBA, so they are obviously portraying extremes. But I love the idea. 

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These women scream when they're excited, cry & run away when they're sad, & tell each other exactly how they're feeling, even when it's not always nice. They are super close and supportive and they know how to have fun together, which brings me to point #3...

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3. Fun. 

Seriously. Meryl Streep does a toe touch in this film. They dance, sing, laugh, and wear sometimes insane clothes. 

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Because as Dr. Suess would say, "These things are fun, and fun is good." 

Seriously though, this movie always makes me think, I really need to lighten up and just have fun (plus, you never know when a feather boa might come in handy!)

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3. Style

Don't even get me started. Oh wait...

• deceptively simple outfits
• lots of blue & white plus the occasional 70s bellbottom pantsuit. 
• wavy hair & barrettes.
• dresses & skirts.

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• fun jewelry (necklaces, rings, anklets)
• That cowboy hat!
• I've noticed they actually wear fairly not-simple outfits (lots of jewelry, patterns, etc.) but in a very simple- just walk out of the house- way. I love it. 
• They don't always wear things that look perfect on them (see above picture of Amanda Seyfreid: no offense, but the swimsuit/white skirt combination is weird. But I still love it). This works because of the next point: 
• Confidence. Amanda Seyfreid spends an entire montage wandering around the island in a one-piece swimsuit. When was the last time you even felt comfortable wearing a swimsuit by the pool? Confidence goes pretty far. 

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So you've got the simple "I grew up on this Greek Island" clothes and then the "my mom was a hippie/ABBA singer" clothes. 

• bellbottoms
• sequins
• sparkly shoes 
• blue eyeshadow
• feather boas
• platform shoes
• going all out. 

Come on, guys, those scenes are awesome. 

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4. Lightening Up. 

When I found out a good friend of mine also liked this movie, I said "No way! I love it! But everyone I talk to hates it cause it's so crazy." 

She said, "Anyone who says that is just taking themselves too seriously." 

I concur. Let's lighten up. 

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5. Meryl Streep

Yes, I know that Pierce Brosnan sings in this movie, and I agree: it's a travesty. It shouldn't have happened. 

But can we just all contemplate for a moment how awesome Meryl Streep is? She can basically play anyone, and I love that she chose this film. 

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She dances, sings, and wears overalls and a cowboy hat. 

The woman can do no wrong.

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6. That scene with the scarf.

Ok. If you still hate this movie, you have to at least give me this one: the scene where Meryl Streep sings The Winner Takes It All is Just. So. Amazing.

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7. Dancing Queen. 

Who doesn't love some ABBA? And 2+ hours of ABBA songs + Meryl on a Greek Island sounds like a good time to me. 

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Playing Dress Up Series

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Just in case you missed any of them, here are all the posts in one place! 

Playing Dress Up

Playing Dress Up, Step #1: Define Your Style

Playing Dress Up, Step #2: Clean Your Closet, Young Lady!

Playing Dress Up, Step #3: Make a List to Fill in the Gaps

Playing Dress Up, Step #4: Confessions of a Shopaholic

Playing Dress Up, Step #5: Putting Together Outfits

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Playing Dress Up, Step #5: Putting Together Outfits

 I have to tell you, it took me awhile to figure out what I was going to say for this one! I'm pretty hesitant to tell you how to put an outfit together. Part of me wants to just say: be creative! wear what you like! But that's probably not super helpful. So, here are just a few ideas on putting together outfits you like. I promise I won't tell you that a black blazer goes with everything (unless you want it to!)

#1 Wear a uniform. 


The idea here is to find the idea of an outfit you like and then just stick with it. Do you love jeans and t-shirts? You could have a white v-neck, patterned long sleeve shirts, black crew neck t-shirts and wear them with different kinds of jeans. Or if you love wearing printed skirts and cardigans, get some in different colours and just mix them up. Easy, right? Here are a few people who do the uniform thing really well:

Charlotte Gainsbourg i.e. French woman extraordinaire (hi, look at her hair).

She basically wears straight leg jeans, cowboy boots, and a t-shirt/blazer all the time. And she always looks great.

Charlotte Gainsbourg

Charlotte Gainsbourg

Anna Wintour i.e. Editor of Vogue/ The Devil Who Wears Prada

I'm definitely not telling you to be like her, but if you look at pictures of her, you'll see she knows what she likes. Always the same haircut and she often wears printed dresses and open-toe heels.

Anna Wintour

Anna Wintour

Moment of honesty: I don't really do this idea at all. But I love the idea of finding what you are comfortable and look good in and sticking with it. I'll try this and get back to you!

#2 Copy an outfit

This is a fun way to use what you have. Take an outfit from Pinterest, a catalogue or a magazine and try to recreate it with items you already have in your closet. Example: I saved lots of pictures of girls in shorter skirts and big sweaters, so I went to my closet and came up with this (I'm the one on the right, ha ha):

Dasha Zhukova

Yours truly

#3 Wear one piece multiple ways

Fashion bloggers in general are so great at this. Take one item from your closet and try to come up with at least 5 different ways to wear it. No more wearing the same sweater with the same jeans every day. Try wearing the sweater with a skirt, buttoned over a dress, under a jacket, or with a long shirt and leggings. 

What Would A Nerd Wear is a great example of this (surprise!). The picture below shows how something odd (a bright orange skirt) can be really versatile. 

What Would a Nerd Wear

#4 Simple/ Complicated

Another thing I like to do when putting together an outfit is to either go really simple or really complicated (I usually land on complicated). 

Simple: black pants, striped shirt, one necklace. Walk out the door. 

La Mariniere

Complicated: Multiple patterns and colours, layers, a scarf, sunglasses, stacks of bracelets on both arms. 

Toast UK

I would love to hear your ideas on putting together outfits! 

It's been lots of fun writing this series; I hope you've enjoyed it as well. Thanks for all your awesome comments! 

Playing Dress Up, Step #4: Confessions of a Shopaholic

I'm not sure when it happened, but I love shopping. I definitely wasn't that into clothes in high school and had no money in college. But somehow, it happened anyway. I'm not exactly Rebecca Bloomwood, and I probably own less clothes than a lot of people, but I do sometimes have to remind myself that I don't need another blue sweater! Hopefully you can benefit from my shopping knowledge. :)

1. Shop with a list. 
Especially if you are making over your whole closet!

2. Buy a latte. Drink it while you shop. It's just a good idea.

3. Buy nice underwear. I know, even I can't believe I'm talking about this on my blog. But trust me: get a nice bra and some underwear in the right sizes. It will make all your clothes look better and will hopefully make you feel awesome. I'm all about saving money, but don't skimp here. You wear these every day: it's worth it!

4. Shop for jeans/swimsuits on a separate trip.

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This should be a separate trip from all your other shopping, or you will probably end in tears (I'm not the only one who hates jean shopping, right??). A few reminders:
*very few people look good in skinny jeans.  If you do, please wear them because I can't! My friend Megan looks amazing in skinny jeans, and every time I see her, I try again to find a pair that fits me. But I have yet to find any that even fit past my calves. And I'm pretty sure if I did find some, they would not look awesome. I have a theory that in a few years we will all look back and equate these with the Dreaded Tapered Jeans.
*most people do look good in bootcut jeans. You know, the boring ones, with no weird patterns on the pockets and no fraying, in dark blue that always look good on you even when bell-bottoms or stonewashed jeans are back in again? Those are the ones you should buy.
*Don't try on a bikini in the winter. Just don't.
*Don't eat a big meal before you go jean/swimsuit shopping. You will regret it.
*Do take yourself out for a meal after you go jean/swimsuit shopping. You deserve it. 
*Find what you love and buy two!


 5. Learn to love the clearance rack. 

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If you can take the (small amount of) extra time to shop in the sale section, you will really be able to get nicer clothes than you otherwise might be able to afford. I like shopping in a bit more pricey places (for me, this is Banana Republic and Gap and Anthropolgie rather than Target and Old Navy) for things like sweaters and skirts for work. You could buy a $25 sweater at Old Navy. But you could also get one on sale at Banana Republic for the same price, and it will last you longer.


6. Find your favourite stores and stick to them. A few of my favourites:

Gap 

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Sweaters, skirts, tank tops, scarves. Gap is just so great at basics. A crazy amount of my wardrobe is from here. I also love their sale section because it is small and pretty well organized.

Target 

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If you don't shop here for clothes, I actually think you're a little crazy. Not only do they have the best plain v-neck t-shirts ever (for $6), but if you keep your eyes open for their designer collaborations, you can get things designed by people like Jean Paul Gaultier, Jason Wu, and Paul & Jo. For crazy cheap. They are also great for other basics- jeans, pajamas, cardigans, shoes, etc. I can't help myself whenever Converse comes out with something new: uber cute dresses and sweaters.

Old Navy

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I feel like Old Navy really goes through good and bad stages. Sometimes there is nothing that would fit me. Other times, it's like they made the clothes just for me. I have found sweaters, purses, and rings here that I wear all the time. Amazingly enough, I have a pair of black pants that I bought here at least 15 years ago for about $20 that are one of the best pairs of pants I've ever owned and I still wear them consistently. I also have things I bought here that practically fell apart the next day. Shop here a lot when they are in a good stage. If they're in a bad stage, just wait a few months.

Boden

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This is a British company that makes awesome clothes for the 'yummy mummy' set. Or if you're me, for the single working woman set. They have great, practical (and really pretty) dresses, skirts, and jeans. It's more expensive than the stores above, but they have amazing sales multiple times every year. And their clothes are classic and will last you a long time. I don't know how they do it, but when I order things from Boden, they consistently look better on me than I thought they would. These clothes actually fit real women, which is encouraging! 

LL Bean/ Land's End

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Please skip the tapered jeans and monogrammed polos (well, I guess the polos are fine if that's your thing). But if you do that, these are great companies! They both make quality things that will last you basically forever. I have gotten slippers and vests from Land's End, the Boat Bag and Duck Boots from LL Bean, among other things. They are the best. It is definitely better with these things to spend the money up front ($60 for the bean boots rather than $15 at Target) and not have to replace the item every year. 

H&M, Zara, etc.  

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These stores can be so busy that I have been known to almost have a coniption and have to leave immediately. But if you can manage to shop at a time when they are not as busy- like 10am on a Tuesday- then you can really find some awesome stuff! H&M is perfect for fun, funky, trendy things. $3 for a pair of purple earrings, $5 for a halter top, $10 for the hammer pants that will (hopefully) be out of style next year. Hard to beat. Zara is a bit more expensive, but well made. I have a paisley work shirt and a trench coat from here that I love. Plus Kate Middleton shops there, so you should too. With all of these types of stores (Forever21, H&M, etc), my M.O. is to swoop in, look around for 15 minutes, buy 1 or 2 things for $5 and then leave before I get overwhelmed. They're fun places for adding a bit of extra style to your basics.

7. Don't torture yourself.

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While you are shopping remember: If you don't love it, move on. I learned this simple but amazing tip from my friend Kristen in college. You know how you are in the dressing room, trying on a pile of clothes and you put on a pair of pants and cringe? And then you stand there for 5 minutes, looking at yourself from each angle, saying, boy! these pants make my thighs look huge! they are sooo small! who are these made for? Well, whoever it is, it is not you: just take them off (quickly, people!) and move on. Don't stand there berating yourself. Just get the next size up! Or a different colour! Or a different style. Find something that does look awesome on you. Believe me, you're cute. There are plenty of things that look awesome on you.

Related to this, don't shop in places that make you feel awful. There are certain stores that just don't make you feel great. Either the sales people are too pushy, the store is catering to a different demographic, or the clothes just aren't right on you. There are two stores I love, but for the life of me I can't shop there. I really like the style of the shirts and tank tops at American Eagle. But every time I go in, I remember: oh yeah! They are catering to tiny teenagers and I am a normal size twenty-something. I also love J.Crew. A lot. But for whatever reason, even though I am small, their shirts only ever emphasize my stomach. So now, I just get the catalog and look for ideas on ways to put together outfits- which (sorry J. Crew) I buy at a different store.

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Now, have fun going home and putting away all your new purchases in your clean closet! 

Come back later to find out how to put all your new items together....

Playing Dress Up, Step #3: Make a list to fill in the gaps

After cleaning out your closet, you want to figure out what is missing before you go shopping. Make a list!

Here are some ideas:

Basics 

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This can be different for each person. If you are a lawyer, you should probably have a 3 piece suit, and if you are a stay at home mom, you probably don't need one. I tend to agree with my sister, who hates those 'lists of 100 items every woman should own.' (That said, here is a link to a good one:  5 Clothing Pieces Every French Woman Should Have.) Each person is different and will have different things that are must-haves. Here's my list:
*white tank top: on it's own in the summer, under sweaters or long sleeve shirts in the winter.
*cardigan: perfect for throwing on when the office is cold.
*jeans: I work in a casual office and can wear jeans all week long. Why would I not?
*leggings: under a dress with boots for work, with a long t-shirt or sweater at home.
*sleeveless dresses: again, on their own in the summer, layered with long sleeve shirt, sweater, leggings/tights, boots and a scarf in the winter.

What are your basics?

Accessories

 

Again, this is different for each of us. Here's my list:
*Scarves:  I am a scarf fanatic. I have quite a few different scarves, although I tend to get stuck on one for awhile and wear it with everything. I am such a cold person, so these are practically essential in the winter, but I also like wearing a long, thin scarf with a tank top in the summer. Tied around your wrist, tied to your purse, worn with your jacket. Scarves are awesome.


*I wore a lot of earrings in college, but these days I pretty much wear one or two rings on my hands, and switch between two necklaces. I've been keeping it simple.

*I'm also not really a purse or a shoe person (I know that is rare!). I like to find the ones I like (black flats, flat brown boots, and plain brown leather satchels) and stick to those. 

Extra, Fun Items

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These are things that give you a little style. It can be anything from a brightly coloured sweater to patterned ballet flats, to stacks of bracelets, to funky sunglasses. This does not have to be complicated, it just has to be something you like. Put these on with your basics: simple.

While you are at it, jot down any items that repeatedly  show up on your inspiration board but aren't in your closet. If you cut out 10 pictures of floral skirts and realize you don't own a single one, that might be a good thing to go shopping for. Or if you love striped shirts or anything in blue and don't own either of those things, make a note of it.


Now you are ready to go shopping!

Playing Dress Up, Step #2: Clean Your Closet, Young Lady!

The next step in having a pulled together wardrobe is to clean your closet! I love cleaning and organizing (I know, I know), and I hope a little of that love will rub off on you today.

Does your closet look like this?

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Or (maybe worse?), like this?

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Let's fix that.

You will need:

*Your style notebook/inspiration board; a pen.
*Three trash bags or boxes & a sharpie. Mark these: Trash, Give Away, Repair.
*Some inspiring music & a cup of coffee.
*Your resolve.

In my mind, there are two camps when it comes to getting rid of clothes:

1. My mom's camp. She owns a small amount of clothes and could toss out a sweater she's had for 10 years without batting an eye.
2. My camp. I have more clothes and have trouble throwing away a ratty old t-shirt because, well, it's been in my closet for so long, and it's made friends with the other t-shirts.

Whichever camp you are in, it will be helpful to have a bit of inspiration for cleaning out your closet. Keep your inspiration board/ Pinterest close by and remember that you would like to have a closet full of clothes that reflect you and your style. And I'm just betting there are no old stained t-shirts on your inspiration board.

Before we get started, remember: this is not the time to clean out your husband's/kid's/roommates clothes, nor to finish that project hiding in the back of your closet or to sort through all your old pictures from highschool. So if your clothes share closet space with any of the above, ignore them and come back to organize those another day. Stick to your own clothes for now!

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1. Pull all the clothes out of your closet and stack them on your bed.
2. Grab a spray bottle and a rag and quickly clean your shelves & sweep your closet floor. Later, you'll be glad you did!
3. Start sorting by category (t-shirts, sweaters, black pants, tennis shoes, socks, etc.)
4. Now this is the part where you need some resolve: try your clothes on. I suppose if you have a pair of jeans or a shirt that you wear every day and you know looks great on you, you can skip that. Otherwise: try it all on. Stand in front of a mirror and try to step back and see the item and how it looks on you. This is not the time to berate yourself (more on that topic when we go shopping), but just be honest!

*Is the sweater pilling? The t-shirt stained? Do the shoes smell? Does the dress just not look right?

*Pay attention to colour: do you look amazing in a black tank top but totally washed out in that beige sweater? Toss the sweater, keep the tank top. 

*This might seem obvious, but try not to keep things you don't like. It's easy to just keep something because you feel like you should: it was expensive, it was a gift, you should wear it. But if you don't ever wear it and/or you don't like it, then it is just taking up space.

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5. Next, sort your clothes into categories: 

*Rubbish: these are the obviously-this-should-be-in-the-garbage-items. If it is stained, ripped and irreparable, makes you feel awful when you wear it: throw it in the box/bag marked Trash. 

Tip: I would like to lobby that any item that makes you feel sad should not be in your closet. What do you mean? How could my clothes make me feel sad? Do you have an old boyfriend's sweatshirt, but every time you see it it makes you want to cry/seethe with anger? Maybe a deceased relative's old clothes and you have to sift through them every morning when you get dressed? Old college t-shirts that make you miss the good ol' days when you didn't have to dress to go to an office? There's memorabilia and there is torturing yourself. Either box it up, move it to a different closet, find another way to use it (ex: make a t-shirt quilt with all those college shirts) or if you are feeling full of gumption, throw it away. Example: I love sleeping in my grandma's old UCLA sweatshirt and it is maybe one of the first things I would grab in a fire. But I felt much better about myself when I finally got rid of the t-shirts that reminded me of my ex-boyfriend.

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*Give away: this is for the nice items in your closet that you no longer want: if it's the wrong colour, shape, or size, put it in this box. Either give these clothes to your best friend or sister or take them to Goodwill. 

Tip: Because I have trouble actually getting rid of clothes, I keep this bag/box for a short amount of time. By the time I look through them again, my emotional attachment has lessened. After about a month, I go back through the box and pull out the clothes. It is usually immediately obvious to me: I either think: I was going to throw this away? or What was I thinking buying this in the first place? So if you can't throw away half your clothes in one afternoon, give yourself a little grace. 

*Repair. First: ask yourself if you will honestly repair it. If you will, do it within the week. If you won't, just save yourself the guilt and toss it now!

*Keep. We will come back to this pile later!

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6. As you go, jot down things you need to buy/replace. Need a new pair of work shoes that aren't falling apart? Did you finally throw away that ratty sweater but now you're freezing? Do you have only 2 pairs of socks without holes left? Realize that the blouse you love won't look right without a camisole? Write it down!

7. While you are at it, jot down any items that repeatedly  show up on your inspiration board but aren't in your closet. If you cut out 10 pictures of floral skirts and realize you don't own a single one, that might be a good thing to go shopping for. Or if you love striped shirts or anything in blue and don't own either of those things, make a note of it.

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7. Now, go back to the pile of clothes on your bed that you have decided to keep. Go through them and nicely fold each t-shirt, sweater and hang each dress and coat up. Put these items back into your (already cleaned!) closet. You can arrange by item- t-shirts together, pajamas together, etc. or by type- casual vs. work. I like organizing the things on shelves/in my dresser by item and the hanging things by colour (I told you I like organizing!)

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At this point, you either will not have much left in your closet (in which case it is time to go shopping) or you can just enjoy having all the clothes you love neatly organized. Either way, hopefully what you have left are things you like that fit you and your style!

Come back soon for tips on creating a shopping list.

Playing Dress Up, Step #1: Define Your Style

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Are you feeling a little bit lost when it comes to getting dressed in the morning? Do you have 2 shirts and you don't like either of them? Or are you overwhelmed by the amount of clothes and styles in your closet? The first step for getting an awesome wardrobe is to figure out what you like. I'm going to share a few ways to make a style inspiration board, as well as tips for what to put on the board.

No, the first thing you should do is not go shopping. Some of you might be sad about that, others might be happy because you are dreading going into a dressing room. Not to worry! The first thing you get to do is cut out some pictures. :)


Here are a few ideas on how to compile a style inspiration board:

1. Pinterest

I already told you how much I love Pinterest. It is great for collecting ideas, sharing recipes, and it is also great for figuring out your style!

a. If you aren't already on Pinterest, get on! (Let me know if you need an invitation)
b. Create a board for collecting style ideas.
c. Pin pictures of style ideas that you like. You have 2 options here. You can either pin something from online (from a favourite blog, magazine website, or from google images) or you can repin something that is already on pinterest (use the search bar to find pictures. You can search for pretty much anything: polka dot shirts, simple outfits, Julia Roberts. And you will find pictures).
d. In the comments, note what you like about a picture (simple shirt, brightly coloured pants, a cool colour combination, etc.).

You can see my style pinboard here.

 2. Magazines & Catalogs

a. Gather a stack of magazines (Lucky, Instyle & Vogue are my favorites) or order some (free!) catalogs (J. Crew, Boden, Land's End, Garnet Hill) and get out your scissors.
b. Go through the magazine or catalog and cut out the pictures you are drawn to. Try not to stop and think "wow, that model is a size 0" too often. Just find outfits you like the look of and cut away!
c. Either pin the pictures on a bulletin board or glue them in a notebook. I like the notebook route because of step d.
d. Jot down what you like (or don't like) about the picture. Do you love the floral shirt but hate the skinny jeans (me too.)? Write it down!

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 How do you know what you like?

If you're feeling a little lost as to what you like, what your style is or just where to start, here are a few tips:


*Think of a movie or actress  that you like (Meg Ryan in You've Got Mail? Helen Mirren? The Mary Tyler Moore Show? Kate Middleton?)  Look for pictures from that movie/ of that actress.
*Find a fashion blog that you love. A few of my favourites:

What Would a Nerd Wear 

The Sartorialist

Kendi Everyday

Sidewalk Ready

*Think of an outfit you remember wearing and loving. What did you love about it? Was it comfortable? More casual or more dressy? Was it a bright colour or all black? Write it down!
*Think of a friend whose style you like. Ask yourself the above questions about your friend's clothes! Then ask your friend to go shopping with you. :)

*Don't judge your own style. If you keep seeing pictures of girls in jeans and tshirts but you're thinking that's probably not stylish enough, then let yourself like casual clothes! If your wardrobe is full of baggy sweaters and tennis shoes but you've saved 12 pictures of high heels, you might really like dressier clothes and want to lose the flats for awhile. Allow yourself to be you, because no one else can be.

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As you step back and look at your board, you should slowly start seeing some themes. Jot down whatever it is that you notice. Here are the things that I noticed on my board:

*striped shirts
*plaid
*messy hair
*simple outfit combinations
*big scarves
*comfortable clothes
*simple dresses
*trench coats

Some other things you might notice:

*long hair
*short hair
*casual shorts and t-shirts
*super high heels
*lots of colour
*lots of black and white
*classic
*preppy
*ecclectic

This stuff will really help you when you are actually standing in your closet or in a store making decisions about what you like and what you should wear. Next up, we will be cleaning our closets (don't worry, it's more fun then it sounds)!

Feel free to post your Pinterest style boards in the comments so we can see them!