What TO Wear: my spin-off of TLC's "What Not to Wear"

I have been a dedicated viewer of TLC's "What Not to Wear" since it first aired in 2003. 

Over the span of nine seasons of watching and constantly learning from my favorite fashion gurus, Stacy London and Clinton Kelly, I not only feel like I know them so well, but I carry their words of wisdom ["style rules"] with me when out shopping for potential new additions to my wardrobe, when I'm approached for advice from customers at work, or when I'm acting as my mom's personal stylist. 

What make Stacy and Clinton such effective stylists is that their work is so much more than simply helping people to shop. They make a relentless effort to figure out who their client is, what she likes or dislikes about herself, what these misconceptions stem from, and then they work over a span of a week to evolve her negative ways of thinking, help her to be able to look in the mirror and see herself in  a whole new light. It's not easy.

Throughout the years, we've seen a wide variety of personalities, women from all over the U.S., from all walks of life, all ages, body types, and each with their own unique stories. Many of them, however, do share common issues, insecurities, and you can make a list of those frequently used excuses and copouts that Stacy and Clinton bat down without a flinch. Each woman deals with these issues differently, some dressing in costumes and loud busy outfits that attract the wrong attention, dressing too young or too old for their age, etc.

Common Excuses Include (but are not limited to):

• "Why should I care about people who judge me for what I'm wearing? They should like me for me and what I have to say and that's all. I don't care what they think..." 
• "I spend so much time taking care of everyone else and don't have time for me."
• "I am not content with my current weight and don't want to wear anything tight-fitting or loud because I don't want to attract attention."
• "I only wear black because black is slimming."
• "I dress for comfort and would die in a heel."

This show isn't in existence to slowly capture women and make them all the same. These women were nominated because they're so used to being in this fashion rut, wearing clothes that don't fit/flatter, many of whom haven't updated their wardrobe in decades or only wear baggy t-shirts, ripped jeans, ill-fitting bottoms, etc. No matter how hard you try to deny it, the way you feel about yourself on the inside is conveyed on the outside, through what you wear, how you put yourself together and present yourself. And after the two intense shopping days, it never fails: each contestant morphs into, well, themselves, only now living up to their potential, radiating with newfound confidence and unafraid to participate in the world. Stacy and Clinton push each woman for a reason: because they know that she'll thank them later and in the long run. There is something about wearing a pair of high heels that really make you hold your head higher...besides the obvious fact that you are higher....ha!

Viewing high-fashion runway shows is fun and exciting and sort of like watching art in motion; however, the majority of women cannot help but compare themselves to who they are seeing in the spotlight and in magazines: iconic 'flawless' women, all with identical body types strutting in the newest and finest clothing. After viewing the same "ideal" figure, one after the other after the other......................it's hard not to get a little down on yourself and wonder why you don't look like them. Stacy and Clinton constantly stress what a toxic state of mind that kind of thinking is. Instead of focusing on who you are not, turn that outward focus inward and focus on the good things you have to offer and make fashion choices that enhance your best qualities.

Below is a link to a blog with extremely helpful body-specific tips:
Dress for you Body Type Tips

Here is the link to TLC's "What Not to Wear" page with instructional videos and more:
Clinton & Stacy's Style Rules


When listening to fashion advice and trying to take in each and every minute detail, it can become overwhelming for many. The best approach is to try and catch the general concept of what to look for and when you start trying on pieces and talking about why they do or don't work or what could be done to make them work, you'll then start to notice how the little details in each piece work together to create an overall look customized for you.


I have absorbed oodles and oodles of information from Stacy and Clinton over the past nine years and to demonstrate what I've learned, I have created a few tutorial sets via Polyvore of outfits that I pieced together to create looks for different occasions. Remember that these just serve as a few visual examples and sometimes  pieces of an outfit have to be traded to cater to an individual.

Before looking over the sets, keep these things in mind(this information has been installed in my brain from "What Not to Wear"):

• CPTS! CPTS!COLOR. PATTERN. TEXTURE. SHINE. These components bring interest and flare to an outfit.
• FIT is everything. Always consider the option of tailoring, especially when it's a piece you absolutely love, but it just needs to be hemmed or taken up in the shoulders, etc.
• Colors don't have to MATCH, they have to GO. This is personally one of my pet peeves. Matchy matchy is outdated and, in fact, it ages you.
• Accessories shouldn't overpower an outfit, but rather polish it off.
• "Take control of your clothes," says Clinton. This means to use your creativity and take clothes off the rack and make them work for you. Layering is an example. Adding a structured jacket does all the work for you.

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That was fun! Of course, everyone has a unique body and with each body comes different features to accentuate, camouflage, lift, lower, etc. etc. etc. The previous outfits were created to serve solely as a model, a visual tutorial that shows what clothes can actually do for you. They're not just a hunk of fabric to throw on because clothing is mandatory (well, mandatory in most communities). 

Fashion is a form of self expression and celebration. Embrace it and have fun with it!

Until next time!

"It's the little things that count" in the Kitchen

There are so many moments in the kitchen where I look at a random gadget, tool, or decorative object and think "I'm so happy I have you" and then let out a self-satisfied sigh. I remember when I was creating my wedding registry and browsing through the Williams-Sonoma products; I remember debating whether or not I would use a lot of those task-specific, seemingly-frivilous items for the kitchen.

I used to predict which kitchen products I'd utilize the most on a regular basis: electronic can-opener, crock pot, toaster oven, electric mixer, coffee maker, etc.
While I definitely have put these products to use (the coffee maker is by far my best friend from the kitchen electronics category), my mind automatically made a correlation between electronics and top kitchen essentials.  I'll take a wild guess that this thought process was influenced by our high-tech society and the commonly featured 'must-haves' seen in store showcases, displayed in home magazines, on websites, and in commercials.

I have always enjoyed cooking (baking especially) but it wasn't until this past year that I spent more time in the kitchen on a regular basis–experimenting, trying out new recipes and resurrecting old ones, and enthusiastically putting my plethora of new kitchen tools and gadgets to use. As I've gained more experience around the kitchen, I've had a change of mindset since my preconceived notion that electronics were the IT thing in the kitchen. It turns out that I have grown to cherish those little, task-specific, seemingly-frivilous items that I never anticipated using as much as I do. "It's the little things that count" now applies to my cherished kitchen aids.

Below are five kitchen items that deserve a shout-out:

1.

 All-Clad Stainless-Steel Measuring Cups & Spoons

$50 (regular price)

Measuring cups and spoons are essential to practically everything you do in the kitchen and you can find them everywhere, from extremely cheap to ridiculously overpriced, from simple and functional to ornately decorated.

Anyone with even the most basic knowledge of kitchenware brands recognizes the All-Clad brand for it's superior quality and higher-end prices. My dream set of pots and pans is All-Clad and I knew I was dreaming when I registered for my dream set just in case a wedding guest loved me enough to drop $400+ on a frying pan. Aside from the pots and pans, I registered for the All-Clad cooking utensil set that was reasonably-priced and the measuring cups and spoons above. I received both. 

The cool thing about these measuring tools is that they can be placed on the stove, acting as miniature pots. I didn't realize the convenience of this feature until I found myself using these cups over and over to melt butter, heat up milk, boil a cup of water, heat and blend small mixtures and sauces like roux, etc. It saves the inconvenience of having to use a large sauce pan or 4 quart pot to prepare a small amount.

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2.

1. Signature Housewares Oregano Spoon Rest

 $9.95 (regular price)

Why would you actually buy something to rest a spoon on? Is it really necessary? It might not be considered a 'necessary' item, but it sure is a handy one. The spoon rest pictured above isn't the one I own, but it's a lovely option at a great price. I found the one I own at Pier 1 one super sale, a painted ceramic bird-shaped rest whose colors conveniently match my retro kitchen color scheme. It sits on my stovetop and I use it to rest my stirring spoons and spatulas when making a soup, sauce or whatever concoction I'm making that doesn't require constant stirring. I use it to rest my coffee stir spoons. When I'm not using it, it serves as a cute decorative accent. It is so much easier to simply rinse off a spoon rest than having to constantly clean and wipe down a messy stove top. Plus, it is better to place utensils on a rest rather than on a germ-infested countertop or wasting a napkin.

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3.

The Pampered Chef Egg Separator

$7.00 (regular price)

Especially for bakers, an egg separator is a time and hassle saver. The old-fashioned method of transferring the yolk back and forth between the egg shell halves while the white drains out is great and all, but this prep tool saves the worry about a piece of shell chipping off into the bowl or some of the yolk leaking into the whites. It's a mess and a pain.

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4.

Rösle Garlic Press

$39.00 (Regular price)

When in doubt, add garlic. Garlic is my absolute favorite seasoning–it's aroma and savory flavor make quite the difference and turn a mediocre dish into a going-back-for-a-third-helping dish. Being that I am a pro-garlic cook, I naturally am a frequent utilizer of the handy dandy garlic press tool, the one shown above in specific. If you're not a fan of the price, do not worry. I selected the Rösle brand garlic press for 

my Williams-Sonoma registry simply because it had the most reviews and received a 5-star rating. However, good-quality can be found at lower prices like the Oxo or Calphalon garlic presses.

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5.

Williams-Sonoma 10-Piece Glass Bowl Set

$39.95 (regular price)

You can never have too many bowls for prepping or combining ingredients. This set was also a wedding gift and is one of my top 5 most-used items in the kitchen. I have melamine mixing bowls as well as stainless steel ones, but these are my favorite mainly because the ten different-sized bowls accommodate a wide range of ingredients from a tablespoon of oregano to all the ingredients for a cake. Instead of the commonly-sold set of 3 stackable bowls that hardly vary in size, this set of ten gives you the benefit of using only what you need, so you're not inconvenienced with having to use only medium or large-sized bowls to mix two small ingredients. The other benefit that a ten-piece set offers is being able to have several separate ingredients and mixtures set out in front of you during meal preparation. 

Having the clear bowls set out and organized on the counter in front of you filled with the pre-measured ingredients eliminates the set-backs many cooks experience as they are trying to juggle several other things like managing cooking times, remembering to preheat the oven while stirring pots on the stove, thawing meat while chopping veggies, etc. etc. etc. 

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...Now, here are a few desired items I've been wanting/needing to add to my collection:

• Wüsthof Pull-Apart Kitchen Shears

$19.95 (Williams-Sonoma Price)

I cannot count all of the times I've wished that I had a pair of all-purpose shears on hand. Trimming fat off of chicken and other mean, snipping twine or herbs, opening cans, clipping recipes, etc.–there are so many tasks I could use these for. This German brand in specific seems to be top-notch and the Williams-Sonoma's price is a deal! Product reviews are consistent in their mention of how incredibly sharp these shears are as well as how long they stay sharp and the overall great quality.

• Williams-Sonoma Avocado Cuber

$15.00 (regular price)

I'd use this to cut and scoop out clean cubes of avocado for salads, soups, salsas, or simply prepping the avocados for guacamole. 

• Martha Stewart Collection Cake Pedestals & Domes

$43.00-$58.00 (Regular Price)

I've mentioned that I'm a lover of baking, yet somehow my serve ware collection is lacking a cake stand. This is a much-needed item and a dome or cover of some sort is a requirement. Plus, cake pedestals display cakes and other desserts so nicely.

• Sur la Table French Tin Egg Poacher

$6.95 (Regular Price)

Poaching eggs: I have been wanting to take on this endeavor for a while now. Old-school poachers seem to be lost among the new electric poachers, but an electric poacher sounds really unappetizing to me. If I'm going to master the art of the poached egg, I want to do it the real way. I cannot wait to make homemade eggs benedict.

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That is all the kitchen talk I have in me for today. Now you see that even a discussion on kitchen tools can be pretty deep....or at least I can make it into an unnecessarily profound subject. Bon Appetit.

"I've got a fever...."

Similar to "baby fever," a term given to those [usually women] who suddenly develop the intense urge to have a child, lately I feel like I've come down with what I'll call "home-owner fever," only the urge doesn't engulf my thoughts and emotions to where I unhealthily obsess over this desire. That would be a little worrisome. I'm just saying that I've noticed my rapidly-growing hobby of decorating, researching home designs, different decorating/design styles, and color schemes, and figuring out what exactly it is that I want my ideal home to look like.

I admit that HGTV has also become the default channel every time the TV is turned on. If you have read my previous post about where we're currently living, you'll know we're not yet homeowners. We lucked out big time with our current rental and have more space than we'll ever need and it is in a prime location, but it's sometimes frustrating to watch "House Hunters," "Curb Appeal: The Block," and "Property Virgins," seeing all of these couples and families touring the coolest-of-the-cool living spaces, whether move-in-ready or in need of some work; the made-over transformations of some of these places are incredible and the things I've learned from the designers as well as from my own observations have enhanced my ability to visualize and conceptualize the potential of even some of the most worn down places.

Especially on "Property Virgins," it's baffling to see how many potential buyers cannot look beyond what they see in front of them and immediately dismiss a house because of it. It's normal to yell at the screen when watching sports or the terrible actors in some horror films, but never had I imagined I'd be yelling at an HGTV show. Here is an example of what I can't stand: the potential buyers pass up the opportunity to live in an affordable prime-location urban loft because they "don't like living on a busy street" or "it's a little small" after they initially requested a place with a city vibe in a convenient location. I don't know how the real estate agent keeps composure. I know that if losing their job wasn't an issue, their response to these myopic house hunters would be something like "WHAT DO YOU THINK CITY LIFE IS?!?! You mean to tell me that you actually thought your budget of $100,000 MAX was going to find you a spacious, quiet, centrally-located home and you wouldn't have to sacrifice ANYTHING?!?! HAHAHAHAHAHA."

 Whew! That typing rant was almost therapeutic and I feel so much better.

 Moving on... I am proud to announce that one of my Polyvore sets (shown below) was selected and showcased in the top sets for interior design on their website!

family room by christenjune on polyvore.com

It's a lovely room and all, but I personally prefer many of my other room sets over this one! Here are some of my other creations:

Sunny Lounge by christenjune on polyvore.com

Peaceful Cottage Bedroom by christenjune on polyvore.com

Office Space by christenjune on polyvore.com

Lofty Lifestyle by christenjune on polyvore.com

To me, Polyvore has a one-up on Pinterest because it's not just finding a chair or decoration you like and pinning it on a board. It's putting a scene together with lots of items you love and coordinating them to fit together in a scene. 

I begin with a background setting and Polyvore has tons of 3d rooms clips already in their search engine, or, if you have the time, you can begin from scratch and select a wall color/paper and flooring. Add in windows, stairs, a door or whatever you think of. Just like the "Pin It" button that Pinterest provides for your toolbar, Polyvore has a "Clip to Polyvore" button that allows you to clip items from all over the internet. I don't find much need to search outside of the website since there are already tons of furnishings and decorations from my favorite stores. The biggest challenge to me is finding furniture and rugs that angle to fit the room's layout. 

So there you go! It's a fun way to play around with different settings and styles. Until we're able to make the leap to owning our own home that we can completely personalize and fix up, I'm happy playing around with this creative outlet with HGTV blaring in the background. 

Until next time, keep creating!

Spring 2012: Colors, Textures, Prints...Oh My!

The weather forecast for today, March 12, 2012, calls for a mix of sunny and cloudy skies with a high of 74 degrees. It has seemed like winter barely existed this year, at least here in South Carolina. It's no wonder that Spring fever has hit especially early this year. I have already begun to slowly retire and pack away my heavy knits and bulky coats and restock my closet and drawer space with floral prints, colorful bottoms, light and airy fabrics, and so on. I admit that I do not find much enjoyment in  the hassle of packing, folding, and boxing away clothing. However, I find overwhelming enjoyment burying myself in  the top fashion magazines [InStyle, Vogue, Elle, and Marie Claire] to admire the hot new trends of the season. Giving my wardrobe a fresh update with some trendy and versatile purchases is always something I look forward to. 

Spring 2012 brings brightly-colored dresses and bottoms, nature prints, big floral and graphic prints, mixed textures--an endless variety of colors, prints, and patterns. I've had a hay day creating all sorts of trendy Spring sets on Polyvore. I love creating trendy sets while adding my own personal touches along the way. Check out four of my sets below that display some of my favorite elements of Spring 2012:

tangled in tangerine by christenjune

I am so enthusiastic about the hot colors of the spring! Tangerine is the shade I'm especially loving not only for clothing separates, but also for lip and nail polish shades.

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Savvy Solids on the Streets by christenjune 

Solid separates in bold colors look great when paired together  to master the art of color blocking. Midi length and maxi skirts are everywhere and are a refreshing sight to see after years of emphasis on the mini skirt and uncomfortably short dress hems. 

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Dilly dally in the daffodils by christenjune

You can never go wrong with floral prints in the spring. Just as the eyes smile when watching the barren lawns of winter become flourishing gardens with colorful blooms, floral prints and accessories produce the same reaction. Daffodils have always been my favorite flower because of their cheery yellow disposition and also because my birthday falls during the short time of the year that they're in bloom.

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A Coastal Chill by christenjune

Why is it that nautical-inspired outfits never get old?? Perhaps     the reason this theme has become a timeless classic is because of the popular primary colors (blue, yellow, red) and neutrals (black, white, navy, gold, beige), colors that are made appealing to us starting at infancy when we learn about shapes and play with building blocks. Especially on the East coast and our frequent exposure to these objects that inspire the nautical details in fashion, we seem to have an innate taste for an anchor pendant necklace, rope-handled tote bag, Sperry boat shoes, bold stripes, sailor collars, and the classic nautical prints and patterns. Playing around with the classic pieces and adding your own twist to your sailorly getup is also what keeps this theme coming back. I'm in love with bold stripes, whether black and white, red and white, navy and white, etc., you can never go wrong pairing stripes with a bold, neutral, or metallic piece. Add some accessories, mix and match, and you're guaranteed to hop on the boat looking sharp.

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There is quite a variety out in stores this spring and I presented a few of my favorite things. Whatever you're wearing and whatever your style is, make it your own and express it with confidence!