Cardigan Empire

Salt Lake City Fashion Stylist

What Goes With This: Mod Dress

Mikel queried:
“I bought this dress around Christmas -my husband was in love!- and haven’t been able to style it quite to my liking! I have to have my shoulders covered (religious reasons) but I don’t want to ruin the lovely silhouette with a frumpy cardigan! Please help! Both my husband and I would be very grateful!”

Cardigan Empire Answered:

Going under rather than over will ensure you don’t lose your silhouette. Pair it with a bright blouse and keep the collar high (ie clasp every last button). Beyond prim, the high positioned hue will provide maximum compliment to your sweet complexion.

Feather light and supple, a long sleeve will feel simple yet deliberate. And don’t be shy of color, pattern, or texture.

Cropped and boxy may not seem ladylike, but the volume will actually allow your waist to remain visible. Look for capes with texture, wools, houndstooth, everything nubby and opulent.

More “What Goes with This?” answers to come.
In the meantime, find out “What Goes with Your This?”, for 25% off. Enter coupon code GOES25

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Beauty-Full Tuesday: Crowley Family Party

I was almost giddy when I saw her genes in these jeans. Come give her a digital embrace with me, meet Alycia of Crowley Party.



Every person, yes even men, have all had some insecurities about their bodies. It almost seems human nature to compare ourselves to others, and then we have society heavily bombarding us with images and ideas of what we are supposed to look like. Besides being as healthy as we can be (which we all know we could eat less cupcakes) at the end of the day, you CAN’T change your body! The only thing you can do, is change your attitude, and that is what I love about Cardigan Empire and the message that Reachel is trying to send.

 

We have all heard the phrase, “You always want, what you can’t have.” How many of us have been in situations where we pin point areas of our body that we don’t like, and then see that “ideal” part on someone else and say… “I would die to have your hair!” or “I would kill for her legs!” I know I am guilty of this. My biggest complaint about my body has always been my hips. Yup, my doctor actually refereed to them once as “birthing hips.” I will never forget one day when I was hanging out with my one sister-in-law who was cutting the hair of my other sister-in-law (haha) and we were all doing the typical girl talk, and we somehow segwayed into talking about the things we didn’t like about our bodies (a ritual girls have been doing for way too long). When my turn came up to self bash myself I stood up, you know to emphasize the point, and showed them how large my hips looked from the front angle and how much it bothered me. I was angry with how much bigger I thought they made me look. To my shock my sister-in-laws told me that they would love to have that shape, my hips, and bottom. I was so confused… how could my sister-in-law want MY butt…. I mean, I wanted HER butt, her butt was perfect! Yet she thought mine was.  This realization just hit home with me… there is beauty in all of us, and there are people out there who see that, so why not see it for ourselves?!
 (yes these are the jeans people!)

A lot of times women decide to focus on the things they do love about their bodies and not focus on the parts they don’t. Let me tell you, I have tried that, and I decided that I didn’t want to ignore it anymore… I wanted to just love ALL OF IT. For years I avoided clothing items that would extenuate my hips. I am the typical pear shape and no matter how much weight I loose, no matter how fit I am, my hips will always be dramatically wider then my waist. It is the way my BONES are shaped! You can’t change your bones ladies, you just can’t. So I did what good pears should do… you know, extenuate the waist, don’t bring attention to the parts of the body you don’t like. Well I agree it is good to dress for your body type, I found myself one day very sad. I decided I loved the trend of high waisted pants that have come back into fashion. However, these would indeed extenuate, even scream, LOOK AT MY HIPS! So of course this meant I couldn’t get them…. but guess what? I decided not to care anymore, and not let my body dictate the fashions I like and want to wear… and so I bought them. I even bought them online with out trying them on, so this was going to be a big surprise to see how they looked. Well guess what folks? I love them!

Yes, I still have those days where I am not in love with every part of my body, but it is a daily effort for all of us! I just remind myself that I am healthy and beautiful, and that someone out there would LOVE to have my hips! &I should too!

 

We are all unique and beautiful in our own ways, if we were all the same, it would be boring. God made you exactly how you should be, so STOP comparing your beauty to someone elses. It is like comparing apples and oranges, no pun intended 🙂

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