the blog

Goodbye Gwynnie Be-eee-ee

Ever since I decided to name this post “Goodbye Gwynnie Bee,” I’ve had an Elton John “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” earworm. It works if you make “Bee” be like 3 syllables. I mentioned in a post last week that I was ready to let go of my Gwynnie Bee subscription after 4½
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Week in Review: Week 179

Two more weeks til vacation. Just thought I would lead with that. Always a little sad to leave Janey on Monday morning. Current reading situation. Just started A Man Called Ove. I TRY to put new books on the bottom of the pile as they come in. But those bottom two have
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Is the Plus Size Industry Really Moving Forward?

Those of us older plus-size women can remember a time when “mail order” sack-like house dresses, Lane Bryant, and the men’s department were the main shopping options for our size. We were told to dress all in black or navy because dark, solid colors were considered more slimming; god forbid anyone see
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No Buy July: The Rest of the Story

So, in an effort to rein in my shopping a bit (which, in truth, is a lot of buying but also a lot of returning…and not a lot of keeping),  I did a  “No Buy July,” during which I was to buy No Clothing. I managed to buy nothing right up until the
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Week in Review: Week 178

I did, not one but, TWO fun things this week! August already better than July. I was going to say “but let’s start at the beginning of the week,” but in looking back at my photos (which is how I track what I did and when) it looks like I didn’t do
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The One Where I Didn’t Go Straight Home

The theme of the summer has been GO STRAIGHT HOME AND STAY THERE. No sunsets, no cocktail beach, no dinners with friends, no photo shoots. If it involves being out of the air conditioning or driving after dark I have been NOT INTERESTED. But tonight she went out. And it was good.
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From the Beginning

I thought it might be nice for some of the newer readers who perhaps have not gone all the way back to the beginning, to hear the story of why I’m here doing this…and what exactly a “fashion schlub” is! So, this is a repeat of my very first post, back on
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Week in Review: Week 177

It’s the last full week of July. Wow. Isn’t it funny how amazed we are by the passing of time? That’s like THE most basic concept of life…of the UNIVERSE…and we’re constantly amazed by it. “Wow, it’s almost August/the end of summer/back to school/Halloween, etc!” As though there was a possibility that
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This & That

Nothing too exciting going on here, folks. I’m wearing this cute top I got through Gwynnie Bee. It’s by Caite, which makes embroidered, boho, Johnny Was-esque tops and dresses. Remember the dress I wore to the beach the day with all the bugs (and the out of focus pictures, but we won’t
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The Hunt is On

My mother used to wear what she called muumuus, and today we call a caftan. Not Hawaiian looking things, but similar in length and shapelessness. They were colorful – pink and purple swirls or blue and green paisley. As a child they seemed silky. As an adult looking back, I’m sure they
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Week in Review: Week 176

THE ONE WHERE IT WAS HOT. I’m as tired of hearing “it’s so hot!” as I am of hearing, “it’s SUMMER, it’s SUPPOSED to be hot!” And it’s usually ME saying “it’s so hot.” It’s hot. So the main activity has been Staying Cool. I’ve sort of stepped away from phone/internet/social media
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Ten Minutes to Happiness

I am not by nature a “happy” person. People who haven’t known me long usually seem surprised to hear this, “No! You’re so Positive!/Upbeat!” I consider myself more of a “perky pessimist.” I’m not all mopey (I don’t think. Not all the time, anyway) and droopy like Eeyore, but..I’m definitely closer to
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Week in Review: Week 175

This week was Back to Work after Vacation. That’s always sort of a mental downer, but…it went relatively well. I’d packed my Reward Tote (aka Beach Bag) for an after-work trip to the beach on Monday…but then it got overcast and I just didn’t bother. The bag is still in the car
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The Search for the Perfect Summer Dress

Awhile back, Tara Denise did a TJ Maxx try-on haul and I saw a dress I knew would be perfect for summer. It was a loose-fit, button-front, 100% linen sleeveless dress from Tahari. It set me off on a TJ Maxx/Marshall’s wild goose chase all over Long Island! Here’s my criteria for
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And Now for Something Completely Different

One of my longtime favorite summer activities is visiting gardens. Often towns will organize a garden tour through several private gardens in the area and you pay one price and go from garden to garden in that town. Once, about 25 years ago (omg I’m old!), my sister and I went to
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Week in Review: Week 174 (The Uneventful Vacation)

Well, I’m sorry to say you’d never know I was on vacation last week from looking at my week in review. I really just hid out in the apartment, trying to stay cool. I did some errands that have been on the list for awhile, worked on some future blog posts, GOT
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The Red White & Blue

So, originally this post was going to be “3 Ways to Style a White Dress for the 4th of July.” But then I walked outside. And my makeup slid down my face and my head turned into a mini-steam room, soaking my hair before I could even get the camera on the
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Week in Review: Week 173

I don’t remember. Ha. Seriously. I remember the night I came home (oh! from “acrylic pour” painting! I remembered!) late and my apartment was all squishy and hot from humidity. I set up my tower fan but there’s not a GOOD spot for it so it blew right in my face all
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Lemons and Lemonade

So. I had this cute dress from Gwynnie Bee. Black cotton/poly knit with real embroidery all down the front, v-neck, lil cap sleeves. Very Johnny Was-esque. Very summer boho. I thought, I’ll Do A Shoot On the Little Beach. I’ll pose by the colorful kayaks and sit in my chair and splash
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My Summer Bucket List

Come on, you didn’t think I WASN’T going to have one, did you? I think summer is the perfect time to take on some new challenges…and to take advantage of warm weather opportunities. I’m trying to challenge myself a bit but not too much – I do want to have a relaxing
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