Welcome to the monthly edition of Match Made in Seven! We are an international group of fashion bloggers who meet virtually once a month. One of us chooses a theme each month, and that can be anything: a book, music, a color, a movie. And then we all style an outfit based on that theme.

This month’s theme was chosen by Nancy of Nancy’s Fashion Style and is PUNK!!! See my interpretation of the theme below…and be sure to take a look at my fellow bloggers to see how they have interpreted the theme this month.

Debbie of https://www.debbiestyleslife.com/

Darlene of https://aquamarinastyle.com/

Sonja of https://www.yustsome.nl/

Anna of https://www.muttonstyle.com/

Emma of http://www.style-splash.com/

And now, on with our show!

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So, I’m thrilled to be part of this group of bloggers for this series. That said, those of you who are regular Fashion Schlub readers know what an overwhelming month this has been for me, from finding a new apartment to packing and moving.

I had a vision for my punk outfit…only to realize the most important elements were already packed! So I had to make do with what I had available to me to recreate my punk look.

Now, I’m old enough that I was in my late teens/early 20s during the height of the punk era, but even then I only dabbled in the look. I was a little more on the “new wave” side of punk; a little toned down, more mainstream, more Jennifer Beals in “Flashdance” than Nancy Spungen of Sid&Nancy fame. Cropped skinny acid-wash jeans w zippers at the ankle, black jazz oxfords, sweatshirts w collars, sleeves and waistbands cut off, black rubber bracelets, lacy hair ties and camis, shrunken denim or black leather jacket. That was The Look for the dance clubs. And I was SO into dance clubs then! Mostly I would go with my friend Debbie but if she was unavailable I Would Go Alone. To a dance club. By myself. And dance. By MYSELF. The concept seems unthinkable to me now.

40ish years later, punk is not a look I generally aspire to (#understatement). So I looked at this as an exercise in “stepping outside the box.” I did the best I could under the circumstances and came up with this oufit.

fashion schlub long island plus size over 50 style fashion blogger

Black skinny jeans: pretty much de rigueur for any punker worth his or her salt.

Black combat boots would have been the go-to shoe but the closest I have is black ankle booties.

Black leather jacket: mine is not as “shrunken” as “the kids” wold have worn back in the day, but then, neither am I. Anything too tight or too small would have been the outwear of choice – tiny black motorcycle jackets, denim jackets, blazers.

A band tee was a popular item, ripped up, cut up, torn, etc. This tee I’m wearing was my one new purchase for this outfit. I love graphic tees in theory but rarely find one (like tattoos) that I actually want to wear on my body as a personal sentiment (I bought myself a “Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want to Come” sweatshirt in December from a wholesaler in China but, shockingly (#sarcasm) it was WAYYY too small). I don’t usually show the cancer card but at least this tee seemed appropriate.

And cuz I’m old and frugal I did *not* want to rip up a brand new shirt (though it occurred to me days later that the shirt might have fit better if I HAD cut it up, but…) And cuz it was FRIGID I wore my long silk ‘wares under the shirt. Even though any self-respecting punk rocker would have laughed in the face of freezing temps and NOT dressed accordingly.

And I will make a confession here AND give myself some whispered accolades. The confession: in THEORY I embrace body positivity. No one should feel bad or ugly or imperfect or anything because of the way their body is shaped or the amount of space it takes up. Our bodies are amazing gifts that carry us through life. In REALITY, however, I do not always like the way mine LOOKS. And usually, I dress accordingly. But in the time-crunch of finding something to wear for this shoot, I ended up with something MUCH snugger than I would normally wear. And in my reflection in the mirror I kind of made it work. But when I got back from the shoot and saw the pictures?? Oofah.

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I almost bailed on the whole thing. BUT – I had a made a commitment to this group of women AND I am trying to be better about “just letting it all hang out” (more metaphorically then figuratively, but you get what I’m saying), so…here is me, “uncovered,” so to speak, for better or worse. And for NOT deleting these pictures and hiding my bumpy body, I’m giving myself a little pat on the back. Maybe I have just a LITTLE punker in me, after all.

fashion schlub long island plus size over 50 style fashion blogger

I want to give a special shout-out to Nicole at the Deer Park Torrid for helping me search through racks and racks of clothing at the last minute for something to wear!

And to share what I *wanted* to wear: my pink tulle skirt, grey or black graphic tee, red plaid button down blouse open or knotted at the waist, black biker jacket, black capri leggings and red converse sneakers. That’s what 20-year-old me would have worn to a dance club back in the day. I also started spiking my hair up, but…I just couldn’t do it. I wanted to look like me, not like I was in costume.

Don’t forget to check out the other bloggers in the group to see how they styled their punk look!

What I Wore:

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