Let Me Introduce Hilary Clinton to Clinton Kelly!

You know the problem well, you can't block it from your mind. The low-long-hemmed unbuttoned jacket swinging away from the widest point of ample thighs/hips... Hilary Clinton and her “pantsuits” (more on that ridiculousness later)...

But it never happened, she never got a lifelong-style makeover from the gurus at What Not to Wear. What a picture, the secret footage, exactly like what I described above, the Clinton puns (there must be puns, I say) and... the bra fitting.

And now it's over. Not only might Hilary's political career be over, but she now has no hope of dressing her womanly body as it should. First legitimate female candidate for president of the United States?? Come on, she's not that female. (Her lack of humanity she increasingly displayed not withstanding, itself.)

What NOT to Wear: Old-Lady Pants Suits

What TO Wear: A nice pin-striped menswear suit. Hem cut at the actual hips (think where a baby rests against a woman's side, on occasion).

Clinton - forget flag pins, try on the stripes!

Give the bag a hand

I can't tell you how many e-mails I receive touting "the best accessory for handbag lovers", and naturally, I always look, and more often than not, it's someone else hawking the same old handbag hook we've all seen on late night TV (in gold or silver, shiny or matte finish...buy one for every handbag!...).
Yes, it's a useful idea in theory, but not one I'd use, so I just close the mail and move on.
But...I finally opened one of those e-mails, and found something on the same wavelength, but with a tongue in cheek aspect that appealed to me.
The aptly named, Purse Hand.

Yes, it's the same idea as all those other purse hooks, but, the Purse Hand does have an aspect most others do not. It can be customized by choosing one of 4 hand/hook colors and pairing it with one of the 40 available tile colors. I'm no mathematician, but that's a lot of combinations!
The chubby hand (which reminds me of a Middle Eastern hamsa) probably appeals to my superstitious side, as well as my punny inner self.
It's just cute, and it made me smile, so here, I share it with you.
As I said, it's not my thing, but for $24.95, I might give it a shot. It's the perfect price for a gift to give those ladies I know who are tough to buy for, but would definitely make use of a Purse Hand themselves.
Order one of owner Lydia's favorites, or design your own at The Purse Hand.

Renewed Appeal of Size Appeal

So I've known about Size Appeal for a long time, and even purchased from it sporadically. But recently at Lee Lee's Valise (which I wrote about in my last blog) I had a chance to try out some of their newest stuff and I have to say I really like it!! It reminds me of a plus size H&M - affordable, disposable fashion in fun, funky colors and designs. These are not high quality long wear garments, they are seasonal pieces - but a cute top for twentysomething dollars, I don't mind! Lisa D (the owner of Lee Lee's) told me she is selling out of the Size Appeal stuff in her store and has had to order more! If you can't get into Lee Lee's to try it on, check out Size Appeal's website:



Left: Acacia Top in Mustard, $29
Middle: Elaine Top in Teal, $29
Right: Joanna Top in Blue, $29



Left: Captivate Dress, Black & Red, $68
Middle: Harriet Dress in Red, $52
Right: Serenity Dress in Black, $49

All available at SizeAppeal.com!

4th of July Parade

Here are some photos from our parade. For a little seaside town, we have a great parade with nearly 30 fire and rescue vehicles, kids on decorated bikes and floats based on current issues in town.

Strathmere is trying to separate from Upper Township and join Sea Isle City. So this float was a Wizard of Oz theme - 'Toto - I don't think we're in Upper anymore' Complete with guys in braids and red shoes.






I'm not sure what the safari was for, but it was cool -





Cool truck - My Dad didn't put any of his cars in the parade this year.




Borgata is a casino in Atlantic City -




And finally, during the Winter the water tower was painted and there was a big fight over having a name painted on the tower. Some people didn't want any name on it, because they want to keep the town a secret (hence the shhhh) they even have bumber stickers with shhhh printed on them. These clever people made their own water tower for the pararde. You can see the real one in the left corner.

New year - new body?

Did you know that the number 1 most popular new years resolution is to lose weight? Just because you, my dear readers, are empowered and attempting to love your body (if not loving it already) does not mean that you aren't going to be tempted to undertake a weight loss regiment yourselves.

I am not going to try and stop you; as many of you know I have lost more than 40 pounds in the last 2 years by exercising and changing my eating habits.

But I highly encourage you not to go on a diet. Diets don't work! They are restrictive and boring and no fun. I am not on a diet. I just finished a fabulous vanilla and peanut butter swirl frozen yogurt with peanut butter chips. But I also did a kick butt workout this morning for an hour and half. It's all about balance, girlies.

I also encourage you not to try and get "skinny". I may have lost 40 pounds, but I am still a full figured fashionista. It's about health, not size 2 jeans. It's about energy to walk and run and do all the fun things you want to do. It's about living your life to the fullest - not rejecting or hating the body you have, but loving it enough to make it perform at its best, regardless of its size.


Since this is a blog where I do make recommendations, I will make one now. I have lost my weight with 2 things: 1) A gym membership. 2)Weight Watchers. It lets you eat like a human being, and yet gives you the tools to lose weight. Amazingly, its not that hard (if you are truly ready to start), or that expensive. It may not work for everybody, but its the plan I have found that teaches you the most how to eat like a "normal" person, not a dieter. I am on the points plan (I think its called "flex") and I love it!

Oh, and if you have no desire to lose weight, that's cool too. Just giving you some food for thought!

evintage blog tag - Swingtown

Its Blog Tag Wednesday at the eVintage Society!. Fans of the 70s, rejoice!! Last week CBS premiered a new series called SWING TOWN. Set in 1976, the show features 3 couples and their families…..a childless couple with loads of money, toys and an open marriage….a young couple with a teenage boy trying to define their relationship….and a more conservative couple facing a changing world. It also features some fab 70s clothes and music! Lets talk 70s!

1) Show us your favorite 70s piece in your inventory, mens, womens, dress, lingerie…..whatever you LOVE!

Well, I don't exactly Love it, but I think it's a pretty cool print. Maxi Jersey Gown by La Mendola -


2) Define disco wear as YOU see it.

When I was a kid, I was in the 'Disco Sucks' crowd. Now I have a better appreciation of the music, but not so much with the clothing. When I think of Disco, I think of desperate people trying to get into Studio 54, bra-less girls in halter tops, men in platform shoes and polyester pants, blue eyeshadow, cocaine, Liza Minelli, Bianca Jagger etc.

3) What was your favorite look of the 70s? The maxi dress? Bell bottoms? Culottes? Do tell.

Well, I was wearing culottes in the 1970s, but only because I was about 10, and didn't know any better. My aunt had a ton of super tight pants with bell bottoms. She had to put them on when they were still damp and lay on the bed and use a hook to pull up the zipper. She also had a great collection of super high platforms - Mary Janes and a pair of really cool carved wooden ones still stand out in my mind. She drove a Camaro too. I thought she was very cool. If I were an adult in the 70s, I'd probably be wearing gauzey, clingy jersey dresses, with a scarf ties around my head and big sunglasses.

4) Your neighbors invite you to a wild party where there may be disco music. Do you go?

I don't go to any parties, and I call the police if the music is too loud (unless it's something that I really like)

5) Grant Show. Sexy then? Sexy now? No idea?

No idea who he is. Was he the guy who played Miles on Murphy Brown?

6) Romantic Gunne Sax Prairie/Renn Queen or Disco Diva? Whats your style?

Choose or die? I guess I would go with the Romantic look because disco is a little too skin-flashy polyester-sweaty for me.

Check out the eVintage Blog Tag every Wednesday. Follow the links to read the posts from all of the participating blogs. I was tagged by Vintage Joy and now I'm tagging Diary of a Mad Vintage Addict

Color Theory

Our junior year of high school, my BFF Rachel and I took a color theory class at the local community college. Our teacher was possibly insane, and spent a few classes quietly crying in the corner. Rachel and I spent every class getting inadvertently high on Sharpie fumes and screwing up our assignments so bad that I failed a gray scale project (translation for those of you unfamiliar with the art world: I failed mixing white and black paint). The one thing I do remember from that class, the one thing that wasn't lost in a haze of permanent marker chemicals, is that blue and orange are opposites on the colorwheel, and therefore, they look mega good together.

Whenever I pair my favorite blue tights with my new orange shoes, I feel like that class was maybe worth it:

Tights: We Love Colors (Read my WLC rave review here)
Shoes: Nine West, from Marshalls

p.s. Does anyone else hate summer solely because you can't enjoy colorful hosiery without guaranteed death by heatstroke? I'm moving to Antarctica.