100-Year History of the Bra

I hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving! I am still on cyber vacay (no blogging), but I stumbled across this fun 100-Year History of the Bra post on Onlinedating.org (I am new to StumbleUpon and I am running across all kinds of cool things!).  I just had to repost because I HATE bras. I mean HATE! I find them to be very uncomfortable. I realize that part of the issue was neglecting to get properly sized when I was a teen, but even now as an adult after a professional bra sizing at Nordstrom and spending $75 PER BRA I still can't stand wearing the darn things (although getting properly fitted made a hell of a difference.. they are a tad bit more comfy now... just a tad).  Anyway, enjoy!  I'll be back up an at 'em with regular blog posts later this week.

Via: Online Dating

Thanks for stopping by!

In Response To Friend Friday: Shameless Self Promotion

Last Friday's Friend Friday topic was all about self promotion, or rather blog promotion... what's appropriate, what's too much, what's just plain annoying? A common thread that I found particularly interesting was the notion of spammy comments.  MOST of the Friend Friday bloggers agreed that these types of comments are all of the above...inappropriate, too much, and just plain annoying.  So what is a spammy comment, you ask?  Well they some to fall into the following categories:

• irrelevant.
• disingenuous
• lacking insight or perspective 
• poorly disguised trite compliments used as a mere host for your own blog's link.

The last of these categories resonated with me the most for a few reasons:

1. When I first started my blog I always left my link in my comments on other blogs primarily because I was a new blogger and quite frankly I didn't know how else I was supposed to get the word out that I was here. That being said, I had been a loyal reader of  most of these blogs LONG before I started my own blog.  I loved running across Wordpress blogs or blogs with Disqus because they provided fields to leave all your information.  (This is also what led me to switch to Intense Debate for comment son my blog. I sincerely wanted to know who was reading my blog and if they had a blog too.)  I never even considered that it might be blogger taboo to leave a link until the topic came up at the IFB Evolving Influence conference.
2. I don't always have something particularly profound or insightful to say about every post I read, especially when it comes to outfit post blogs.  Sometimes, all I have to say is "Wow. You look super cute." or "I love those shoes" or "That is a great hat."  (you get the point).  I guess I could simply not comment, but just as I am compelled to tell complete strangers on the street how much I love what they're wearing, I am also compelled to shower compliments on my fellow bloggers.  If I'm leaving a comment at all, you can rest assured that I actually read the post, and most likely I am a frequent reader.  Any comment that I leave is sincere although it may not be insightful in the least bit.  I'd honestly rather have my real readers leave short comments or compliments, than no comment at all.  I will be the first to admit that as a blogger, comments serve as validation. My stats tell me that people are reading, but my comments tell me what people think of what they are reading and that is equally important (not that my content is going to change either way).  By the way, this is not an attempt to defend myself because I don't think that my comments have ever been considered spammy. These were just the thoughts that ran through my head as I read various posts last Friday.
3. Piggybacking on #2, there are so many new bloggers out there that would love to have any acknowledgment that people are reading their blog,  Perhaps because I am a newer blogger myself, I can totally understand where they are coming from.  Blogging is a lot of work, and as you're growing and trying to find your voice, you just want someone to acknowledge your your blog's existence and you treasure EVERY comment even the ones that just say "I love your shoes."  I guess I just feel for new bloggers.

On that note, Deon of KdrS left the comment blow on my Friend Friday post...

"I am so happy that you posted this. We at KdrS have been having a big problem with promotion. We have over 100 people view our blog each day and just this week we reached 21 followers. We have not been blogging very long but we are posting our little hearts out and NO one leaves comments and No one follows us. I am really starting to think that we are just not as interesting as we think we are... ha ha. Okay, I'm sorry I have a lot to say about this post... bear with me. I sometimes feel bad about leaving my link after my comment but I do know that it works sometimes... I guess that is where we are getting our views from but now I have a question... How do you get people to follow? We are on Twitter--- we are on Facebook.... The more that I am writing the more I think I have answered my own question... There just not that into you"

By the way, Deon has been reading my blog for a while, and she ALWAYS leaves comments!  (I really appreciate that!)  Anyway, she poses an important question in light of our last Friday Friday topic. She doesn't WANT to be a spammer, but she does want people to check out her blog.  She has tried some of the less obnoxious methods of promoting her blog -- Twitter & Facebook, but she's just not getting the readership she wants.  Sow how can she successfully promote her blog?  Well, to be perfectly honest, I don't know the answer to this one.  I am grateful that my blog seems to have grown organically with little promotion (and it's still growing).  Nonetheless,  V of Grit & Glamour and Eva of Dressful have provided some VERY great tips for promoting the growth of your blog in a more organic fashion.

• V's Baby Steps to a Better Blog
• Eva's 10 Easy Tips to Promote Your Blog and Get More Followers
• Vahni also shared this link on How to Get More Blog Comments Quickly in her last Sunday Coffee post..

In addition to checking out these articles, here are some of the promotional tools that other Friend Friday bloggers mentioned last week that stood out to me.

• Participate in collective blogging efforts like Friend Friday or Kendi's 30 for 30.
• Get business cards and post cards for your blog (or even holiday cards).
• Join the conversation and contribute IFB (Independent Fashion Bloggers).
• Make it easy for readers to follow via a variety of methods (twitter, facebook, bloglovin, google, RSS)
• Just get out there an network!

So I guess the point of this post is two-fold:

1. To decipher the difference between insincere, trite, spammy comments and sincere compliments.
2. To point new bloggers in the direction of resources for how to build their blog "the right way" (if there is a right way!), or at least to build their blog without being a nuisance.  I've learned that while not much bothers me in the way of blog promotion, some things are particularly bothersome for other bloggers, ESPECIALLY more seasoned and mature bloggers.  The fact that these bloggers have been contributing to the blogger community for a long time gives them some credibility in my book and I do respect their opinions on the matter.

Does anyone else have any great tips or links to articles for new bloggers looking to promote their blogs?

Thanks for stopping by! 

(this thing is like an outline! sorry for all the bullets and numbering)

H&M Maxi Skirt, Part II

So, it seems that my weekend errands look is a maxi skirt/dress of some kind. I find that these flowy skirts are much more comfy than jeans in this HOT ATL weather.  Today's skirt is actually a very thin sage green maxi dress from H&M, with a light pink H&M tank layered on top, and belted. I washed my hair, but didn't feel like doing anything with it, so I threw on a hat. Done and done. It was a pretty lazy Sunday after a traumatic Saturday. Okay, I'm being dramatic but I had my very first allergic reaction to something I ate. I woke up in the middle of the night Friday, scratching frantically. My entire body felt like it was on fire, and I rushed to the bathroom only to find hives all over my legs. I took a cold shower and slathered on some antihistamine cream, only to wake up to more outbreaks on my arms. At this point, I'm freaking out because I had never been through this before and I have NO CLUE what could have caused it.  So, off to urgent care I went, where I received a cortizone shot in my butt, and a pack of Methylprednisolone tablets to take for the next 6 days. Joy! Needless to say, I'll be gettting an allergy test some time this week. Meanwhile, I am scared to eat!

Hat: Forever 21 | Tank & Dress: H&M ($5.95 & 24.95 respectively) | Bag: Thrifted | Belt: random | Shoes: Sam Edeman | Leather Cuff: Farmer's Market Vendor | Watch: Michael Kors

I think the look has a safari sorta vibe, don't ya think. Maybe it's the hat and the boots?

As per the usual, I had to add a little bit of glam to the look complements of my little vintage gold evening bag, which has been getting a lot of wear since it happened to be one of the bags that dodged the boxes, and made it into my suitcases when I moved.

 

  Since I am not all that excited about my outfit, I will tell you what I am excited about... 

1. Guess what arrived today.... MY CLOTHES!!!! All 7 boxes + 3 boxes of shoes! Yippee!!!!!  I've never been so excited about unpacking in my life (I'm sure the excitement will be short lived.. Lol!)
   
2. I bought new boots! Yippee!!! Of course, we all know that lace-u boots and faux fur are an absolute must have for fall.  Well, for the low, low price of $30 ($36.50 with shipping) I scored what I think will be a fabulous 2 for 1 from Go Jane -- black lace-up booties with black shearling trim. LOVE! If you are signed up to receive Go Jane email offers, you probably received a 20% off coupon this weekend. Well, I had actually been eying a different pair of shearling trimmed booties and I decided I'd cure my allergy woes by treating myself to a new pair of shoes at 20% off (sad, I know!).  Of course, one can never just buy something online without skimming the cart a little bit, right. Well, I'm glad I did, because I ran across these booties, which I LOVED much more. Now, they were about $10 more, but much cuter in my opinion...

 

Now, these also come in Gray, and Tan/Brown but I decided to go with basic black because I don't currently own a pair of black lace-ups, I've already got the tan Sam Edelmans, and gray just didn't seem as versatile for my wardrobe ( I hope I don't kick myself for not getting the tan/brown! I love the two-toned look of them....who knows, maybe if they are still in stock in the next few weeks???)

 

 

I can't wait to tuck some jeans/leggings/tights/socks into these puppies.  They are just super cute! I've never purchased shoes from Go Jane, so I hope they are comfy. Of course, I'll give you guys a full review as soon as I get them.

Oh, and I have the perfect leather shorts ensemble picked out for a birthday dinner I'm attending this Wednesday!!! I tried it on for Mr. Fabrice, and I think I've successfully changed his mind about leather shorts, ladies! Mmm hmmmm...Lol!

Thanks for stopping by!!!

 

Solange.So.Fly.

I ran across this video over at Natural Belle's blog and I just had to share!  Miss Solange has become one of the flyest thangs walking these days. I am LOVING everything about her look here...





Solange was a beautiful girl with her own quirky style before, but it's as if she had a complete style transformation when she shaved her head, and I've been loving what she's got going on ever since.

I'm also loving her new fro. Sure, she has to extra somethin' somethin' added in, but it looks so fly, and she is workin' it!

Anyway, if you're looking for some natural hair inspiration head on over to Natural Belle!!!

Thanks for stopping by!!!

Randomness

Remember my convention shoes?  The black aerosoles that kind of look like glorified bowling shoes...yep, those are the ones.  Well, they have officially been replaced...okay, not for this year since I've only got two more days, but next year my little aerosoles will be getting the boot, and I'll be replacing them with a fabulous pair of Nike Gladiator sandals....oooooh aaaahhh... they're kinda like a hybrid boxing shoe/ gladiator sandal, right?  I don't know, but I like them...a lot!

Now, it is my understanding that these debuted in Spring '09 (please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong).  Since I never ever ever shop for athletic shoes (aside from gym shoes), these FABULOUS babies were no where to be found on my radar...until today.  One of my co-workers was sporting a black pair today and I fell instantly in love....

...and then she told me the best part! they come in bronze!  Now as far as I'm concerned, metallics are just as neutral as browns, blacks, and nudes and I love the idea of metallic athletic shoes.  It gives them a girlie quality, don't ya think?  And I hear that these shoes are super comfy...perfect convention shoe replacements.  Well, that's it, I NEED these shoes in my life!  They are about $80 on zappos.com althought I don't think all of the colors are available there. I had to do some googling to find the lilac.  What do you think of these shoes? Which color do you all like best?

In other news, I was browsing the Slaves to Fashion blog on Glamour.com and I ran across a fashion faceoff post feature Liv Tyler and Keri Hilson both wearing the same striped blazer from the Givenchy Spring '10 RTW collection.

photo credit

photo credit

Coincidentally, I was browsing through the August issue of In Style last night and ran across this almost identical Anthropologie "Hello Sunday Blazer" for $98 in the Deals & Steals section.  I am totally diggin' stripes these days and I love, love, love this blazer.  Obviously the Givenchy version is totally out of the question, but I think I might be able to swing the Anthro version, especially if I catch it on sale.  We'll see...Anyway, talk about a look for less!!!  I just had to share.  By the way, who do you think wore it best?  I am pretty sure that Liv Tyler gets my vote!

Well folks, thanks for bearing with me over the last few days with no outfit posts.  I'll be back on the ball next week!  And of course, thanks for stopping by!!!