Magic Tricks

Those three words. Three little words that you never want to hear when you step out of a dressing room: "Oh, honey. No."

I have heard those words many a times, from prom dress shopping to wedding dress shopping. Those words have taunted me through dressing rooms across the country. I wake up screaming at night because of those three little words and un-tilted dressing room mirrors.



If you are anything like me, you too have cried at the mere sight of yourself in one of those terrible 360 degree mirrors at Target. (Why do they put those behind you like that? It's cruel, don't they want to make money?) You too have gone through countless outfits in the mornings, saying "I look fat" while eating a pop tart. You too have said the phrase "I hate _____" about almost every part of your body. But my dear friends, I have the cure. (And for $19.99 plus shipping and handling, it can be yours too.)



Because of the reasons listed above, I was thrilled to hear that Academic Chic was putting on the Dress Your Best week again. As a fan of the Chics and dressing my best, I love the idea of figuring out what works best for your body and dressing it. Not hiding what you hate, but enhancing what you love. So this week, I'll be dressing my best along with many other bloggers that you can find over at Academic Chic.



Today I am posting about my curves. At 5'9", I'm somewhere in between a 6 and an 8 -- and I'm a-okay with that. Growing up I looked like an Olsen Twin, I was so skinny. It's been said before that I was all arms and legs (but that was before I had a torso). And then something terrible happened in 10th grade: I got boobs and I got hips. This was a devasting discovery. And it was literally overnight. Going from looking 12 to looking 20 takes a very awkward toll on one's self esteem and it has taken me about 10 years to figure out just how to dress for my body. For years I would copy what my friends wore, even though they looked nothing like me. But once I figured out that this is my body and it's not going to change unless I eat lettuce and exercise, I discovered magic. I've learned to fake my way through with the help of strategically placed belts, heels, and skirts. In fact, one of the best magic trick I ever learned was this: Pencil Skirts. Pencil skirts are magical. I've never met a pencil skirt I didn't like. A simple pencil skirt can take an ordinary outfit and turn it into (office appropriate) awesomeness.

I also learned the long lost art of the tuck and belt (my two favorite tricks). A good belt along a high waisted pencil skirt somehow tricks the eye into thinking that you look amazing. This is a magic trick that works every time. Although some people shy away from tucking in, I love it. It brings definition and structure to what seems like a boring outfit.

See exhibit A (or should I say Exhibit Boring):

No need for exhibit B. You get the idea. So let's all agree to skirt, tuck and belt, k?