Clean cut image? Absolutely! But sky rocketing on style...it's hard to watch the Mary Tyler Moore show and not want to wear what she's wearing! And can we talk about her FABULOUS apartment!!! The girl didn't even have her own bed room, but she had a killer closet!
Lynda Carter as Diana Prince in Wonder Woman! It was so fun to pretend to be her and spin around and around trying to change into Wonder Woman! But it's her wardrobe that I'd take now! She epitomized 70s chic! I ADORE the hair in both of these pictures!
Call her Ms Ross! I had a serious Diana Ross obsession when I went into high school and to this day I can sing every word and sound of Ain't No Mountain High Enough! This is her from her Mahogany days and they just don't come any more stunning than this! I would LOVE to wear this gown that she has on, but I'm thinking I can at least maybe DIY a pair of tassels like she has on.
Okay, she may have lived in the projects but Willona had some SERIOUS style!! I used to always wonder how she could be so poor and dress so well! What she's wearing right there, I'd put on in a heartbeat today! And actually, Velma's looking pretty chic herself!
I came across a model from the 70s named Pat Cleveland. She was simply STUNNING! No all American Christi Brinkley good looks here. She was over the top WOW! Completely inspirational!
Lesson learned: We all are going to get dressed every day anyway. Why not go for a dramatic effect and make it memorable!
Adding dramatic pieces can spice up your wardrobe!
I've decided that one of the things that draws me to items I love is a dramatic effect. Like this long robish kind of thing. I found it at my local Goodwill and it just jumped out at me. I tried it on immediately and knew I had to have it! $5 later, it's like we've known each other forever. I've got lots of ideas on how to wear this.....belted over a pencil skirt, hanging open over white jeans and heels, with an opaque slip underneath and a skinny belt and worn like a dress. It's new home is adorning the dress form that I have in my room.
Here are a couple of gorgeous girlies who inspired me with their long flowing numbers. The Stylish Wanderer and the effortlessly chic Karla's Closet!
My favorite skirt.....Vintage aqua leather skirt, thrifted
My favorite shoes.....Nine West, eBay
Necklace.... Vintage, thirfted
Favorite gold bracelets.....Inherited from my wonderfully stylish mother!
My favorite photographer.....my sweet husband!
Even loving the way the sun is catching my growing gray locks!
When I put this outfit together, it simply was the culmination of wearing my favorites at the same time, and lo and behold....IT WORKS! I NEVER would have thought this color combination would work and I can't really dissect why it works, it just does.
The moral of this story is to fill your closet with items you love, that make your heart sing! Hence, you'll have outfits that evoke the same reaction!
Love Love Love and lots of air kisses headed your way!
Feeling "Oh So GLAMROUS" in my bronze silk blouse!
Gloria Swanson once said that ever since she was a child, she wanted to be grown up as soon as possible. I can relate! I've always been enamored with glamour, or at least, my idea of glamour. And all the glamorous people I knew were grown up! Grown ups got to wear whatever they wanted. They got to wear beautiful clothes and have fabulous times! I wanted to be that pretty girl throwing her head back laughing with glossy lips, silky hair and every eye trained on her!
I'm going to sheepishly admit, that I really haven't changed much. I'm still smitten by glamour! The definition of glamour is "the quality of fascinating, alluring, or attracting, especially by a combination of charm and good looks." It's also characterized as "magic or enchantment". Ahhhhhh, now we're talking! ENCHANTMENT. I just love to say that word!
So the trick is how to bring glamour to the good old every day. Not many of us have what would be considered glamorous jobs, or even glamorous lives; but does that mean that glamour is reserved for a select few? A resounding NO WAY!!! After all, glamour is more a state of mind than anything else! So whether you're a stay at home mom, picking up after children all day long, or a runway model jetting the globe; you can still add a touch of glamour to your life and look! But first things first, let's start with adding glamour to your look! Starting at the top:
HAIR
Add some enchantment to your hair by giving it a spritz of perfume! I love the idea of my hair smelling good and you'll feel incredibly feminine when you catch a whiff of your perfume when you move your head a certain way! Another idea? Choose a striking color! See Ms. Gorgeous below? No special style, but she's a standout! While most women are making a run on L'Oreal to color their gray away, she's flaunting it and standing out in the crowd! Glamour does that. It says, "Just TRY to take your eyes off of me!"
FACE
If you do nothing else to your face. If you go bone bare on the make up; you can still add some glamour by adding some glimmer! LIPGLOSS! Yes! Glossify those lips and you'll not only look a little more glamorous, but you'll certainly feel more glamorous as well!
Does it get more glamorous than Lynda Carter circa the Wonder Woman years? I think not!
CLOTHES
Whatever you wear, wear it with something with some pizazz! Take a look at the pictures below....The first is from Oscar PR Girl. She's really wearing something so simple, but the drama that the train cardigan adds is PERFECTION! THAT my sisters, is GLAMOUR! Now take a look at Shey! She took a very simple skirt and cranked in and up the glamour with a sequinned top. The look went from "Meh?" to "VA VA VOOM!" in 3.2 seconds (or the time it took her to put on her sequins!)
What I love about this is that it affirms the fact that glamour, magic, enchantment if you will, has NOTHING to do with money. It's wearing that little something that's unexpected and a bit dramatic. So even if you're a stay at home mom, you can still add a touch of HUZZA HUZZA to your soccer mom look!
SHOES
Okay, you KNOW what I'm going to say here. Break out those heels girly! They go with EVERYTHING! They really crank you toward 10 on the glammometer! I know. I know. Sometimes heels can be difficult to walk in or hurt one's feet. No worries, you can still get the effect with these alternatives....
The wedge heel has been a great stepping stone on the way to a full out stiletto heel. Or just park it right here and stay with the wedge! Offers up the "WOW!" without the "OW!!!!"
Alright, so it's not the height that's getting you, it's the toothpick wide heel that you're teetering on. Got ya covered! Just go for a wider heel!
ACCESSORIES
Last, but certainly not least in the quest for glamorizing our look is our choice of accessories. My two personal favorites are jewelry and belts! Add a statement piece of jewelry to a white t-shirt and jeans. Belt a tunic dress over a pair of skinny jeans or trousers. Don't think that'll glam you up? Take a look...
Without the belt, this is a pretty plain, demure dress. But throw on this AMAZING belt and Christina transforms a vintage thrifted piece into a cover glam look!
And from the Queen of Accessories and the statement necklace, Debbi shows how an amazing necklace can take a neutral outfit and make it COMPLETELY unforgettable!
I could add more to this list; but I think you get the picture. So maybe we're not jet setters or fashion models. But that doesn't mean we can't add glamour to our style like we'd add seasoning to our meals. In fact, I think that's what glamour really is.....it's not the salt and pepper (those are the BASICS); but it's the paprika! The Italian oregano or the sprinkle of saffron! It's that little bit extra that doesn't just meet the need, but feeds the soul! And so I leave you with a tad bit more inspiration from the glamour gal who put it into words for us! Cheers my sisters!
BTW, check out the ultra glamorous Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style for more inspiration!
