It Needs a Belt

Let's talk about shoes. I love shoes. The higher the heel and more funky the design, the better. Take this pair, for instance:

5" Heel, 1" Platform, and a super cute buckle around the ankle. Shoes don't get much better than this.

Although, I do love this pair:

4" Wedge Heel, and lots of beads and bling.

Yes . . .shoes. I am always confident when buying shoes.

Clothes, on the other hand . . . not so much. When I go shopping for clothes it usually ends up a totally wasted trip. . . or, "I like this shirt. I'll buy one in every color and at least three in black."

I'm a hard fit. I'm barely 5'2". I have a short torso. Yet, I have really long legs.

If a shirt is too short, I look like I have no torso at all.

If a shirt is too long, I look like I'm 3' tall.

Pants/Jeans? They (almost) always have to be hemmed.

And then, on Monday, July 4th . . . the skies opened up and Angels sang out to me. . . I found Blues and Shoes. A quaint little boutique in Carlsbad. Of course, it was the name of the boutique that caught my attention.

Yes, Dear Husband, we will be going into that shop. . . it has SHOES in the name.

I walk in and the Angels started singing louder. . . they were having a sale . . . buy one pair of shoes and get a second pair 50% off! It's my lucky day!

And, then . . . I met Amanda. She said, "This dress would look so cute on you."

"That is a very cute dress," I replied.

"Would you like me to set up a dressing room for you?"

"Yes, please."

"Okay. What is your name and what size shoe do you wear?" she asks.

"Cathy. I wear a size 6."

I continue to look at shoes while she goes to hang the dress in the dressing room. She comes back and asks if I've ever shopped there before.

"No, I haven't."

"Well, all of us are stylists, so how it works is, you pick out a few things and I'll pick out a few things. The only rule is you have to come out of the dressing room, no matter what."

"Okay."

So, I look at a few things . . . a cute summery blouse, shoes, another cute, casual top, shoes . . . and then I'm ready to try stuff on.

I walk into the dressing room, and now the Angels are having a full blown concert!

Holy Canoli, Batman! That dressing room was lined with at least 18 outfits paired perfectly with shoes AND accessories. Let the trying on begin!

The first outfit was a dress, a cute little sweater vest thing, and SUPER cute shoes. I step out of the dressing room, Amanda looks at me and says, "It needs a belt."

What?? A belt?? With a dress? No way.

She grabs a belt (from a vast array of belts conveniently hanging right outside the dressing room) and hands it to me. The belt made a huge difference. . . but my husband wasn't too keen on the dress.

Next . . . I couldn't even tell you what I tried on next, but to make a long story even longer, I ended up with six pairs of shoes and basically a new wardrobe where EVERYTHING fit, and was completely put together and accessorized.

I kinda felt like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. Not in hooker kind of way, mind you. But that scene where Richard Gere takes her shopping and the three Marys are choosing outfits for her.

With all my new clothes, it's time to clean out the closet. I decided to get rid of (donate) all of my plain black tee's. It was too easy to just grab a plain black tee and a pair of jeans or capri's (which I also have to be VERY mindful where they hit me. Too far below the knee and I look 2" tall). I admit it. . . I was totally in a slump when it came to clothing . . . I'm even willingly to admit that I just might have been a perfect candidate for "What Not to Wear."

But, not anymore . . .thanks to Amanda (and Michelle --- who helped me on my second trip to Blues and Shoes --- more on that later).

Now, I actually look forward to getting dressed in the morning . . . and yes, I will accessorize whether or not I plan on leaving the house. . .

Thanks to a few lessons from Amanda (and Michelle), I have actually been able to put together outfits with stuff that has been hanging in my closet but never worn because I didn't know how to "finish" the look. See?

In the two pictures above, the shirts had been hanging in my closet for a quite some time . . .all they needed was a belt.



The above picture is an outfit that Amanda had picked out. . . . super comfortable, yet cute and totally put together.

The cute floral tank is something that Michelle picked out for me . . . and yes, even though you can't see it, I am wearing a belt.

On a side note . . . the two blouses I picked out for myself did not come home with me . . . .I've decided that I will just let Amanda and Michelle pick everything out for me. . . they are the professionals, after all.