Jumpsuits Are In (again)!!!

I don’t know a lot about fashion, I flip through a fashion magazine categorizing the shock factor, obvious fashion statements that are highlighted by the out-of-place tokens, either cheesy marketing or sensational photography.  

I have no idea what it means to be fashionable since I wear what makes me feel relaxed and somewhat artful.  Working from the inside out allows for flaws and creativity and is somewhat easier than working from the outside in.   

I have no idea what is "in style", most items seem to blend together nicely with last year’s fashion and fashion previous to last year, realizing of course, some obvious items should only be a fad once every 100 years by a similar iconic person that made the item famous in the first place. 

Farah Fawcett wore the Jumpsuit and for as long as I can remember it has been a runway favourite for the designers.  Every year fashion magazines declare that this is the year that the Jumpsuit will make a comeback and I wonder if we embrace this fashion piece how soon before we start wearing high waist jeans?  

  

I did a Google search for what was in style for spring and summer 2011, I would have compiled a list of the “must-haves” but I can safely write that we are experiencing a leap year of fashion, everything and everyone is "in style" including the Jumpsuit and Lady Gaga.   

Nothing is not "in style", the fashion of the 70’s join the 50’s and 60’s this season, biker and punk is considered fashionable as well as stripes and a fanny pack.  If you want to tone it down a little bit, the ladylike fashion of the 60's can bring out the bell bottoms, wide legs, lace, tassels, crochet and whatever else that is lurking in your mother’s closet that is waiting for the revival of bohemian glamor.  

My question to you: Where would you wear a Jumpsuit?

Fashion Sites:

• Fashionising   http://www.fashionising.com/trends/b--spring-2011-fashion-trends-spring-summer-2011-4073.html#spring2011looks
• InStyle http://www.instyle.com/instyle/package/springtrends/0,,20460024,00.html 
• Bad Jump Suit promo’s http://www.fashionising.com/pictures/b--Kate-Moss-hits-and-misses-5198.html
• Refinery29, a great fashion site http://www.refinery29.com/the-biggest-fashion-trends-of-2011
• Harpers Bazaar http://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/fashion-articles/top-spring-trends-new-york

Once, I Wore that Lampshade ....

I have been stumped as to what women do with their wedding dress, I held onto my grad dress for ten years trying it on only to see if it still fit. 

I still remember the conversation by the aunts and the grand women following the ceremony of the first wedding I attended, what to do with the wedding dress instead of sealing it up in a box; make throw cushions or lampshades!

I was stupefied at the suggestion of turning your beautiful wedding dress into a lampshade or pillow!!  Why on earth would anyone want to make a pillow or lampshade when you could just as easily go buy a throw cushion with a design or a lamp with a an already decent lampshade.  I was obviously imposing my limited ability to thread a sewing machine or cut a pattern on anyone else who would attempt such creative feats as assembling a pillow or lampshade from a wedding dress.

These two answers still ring in my head whenever I look at a wedding dress, I wonder what it would look like as a throw cushion or lampshade?  Or when I see white lampshades in a secondhand store, if they were once a wedding dress?  I have no urge to tear-up a wedding dress and start sewing cushions or gluing lampshades, but I still ponder what other possibilities a wedding dress can give us instead of being stuffed in a box to lie at the back of a closet.

Besides selling or donating your dress, a Google search came up with a lot of crafty stuff that can be done with a wedding dress most of which can be fun if you are that sort of person but not so much if you aren’t.  There are also sites promoting the idea of “trashing your wedding dress” as a form of stress release after the wedding and a creative outlet from the traditional photo shoot that usually involves the flowers, family and friends.  Trashing your wedding dress usually entails rolling around in the water, sand, mud and or grass in your wedding dress with your new husband, being as creative and destructive with your wedding dress as you please.  Interestingly enough, I did see some awesome pictures that involved tires and a gravel pit but probably not nearly as comfortable as a beach. 

I think my favorite suggestion was dyeing and redesigning your wedding dress into a simple summer dress or an amazing evening dress.   Be aware that to dye your wedding dress can be a bit of a challenge as only silk dyes properly anything synthetic won’t really work; polyester lining can shrink and the color may not be consistent, and the lace and beading will maintain its original color.  Its recommended that your wedding dress should be professionally dyed. 

Apparently there is a lot that can be done with a wedding dress after you are finished with the wedding ceremony stage: trash it for a photo shoot, salvage it if at all possible by dry-cleaning; redesign and dye it for a an evening or summer dress; and use the left over fabric for memorable creations.

If you have any comments or suggestions regarding this article I would love to hear them!!

Here are some links to check out some of the above sites I found when writing this article:

Trash your wedding dress images:

http://www.google.ca/images?hl=en&q=trashing+your+wedding+dress&wrapid=tlif130065370289011&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&sa=X&ei=g2aGTb7wI4i2sAP-0NiDAg&ved=0CCEQsAQ&biw=1280&bih=695

http://trashthedresseurope.wordpress.com/

The Wedding Seamstress has examples of wedding dresses that have been redesigned and updated!

http://www.theweddingseamstress.com/Dress_Redesign_Photos.html

Ehow.com has a great list for those who dare to make lampshades out of silk!! http://www.ehow.com/how_4899519_make-sewn-silk-lampshade.html

And if you are really brave, how to dye a dress (I love this blog, it makes it look right easy with a few prayers)

http://www.younghouselove.com/2008/10/i-wanted-to-dye/

Positive Vibes

Developing business requires a lot of everything including support from friends and family, money, perseverance, time, and patience. I don't know which you require most of as all of this comes handy at different times. Mistakes are often made and can be costly in the terms of time and money, that have to be chalked up as a learning experience or they will get the best of you.

Friends and family will only carry you so far and after that you are on your own.  Don't take it personal if they choose not to support you financially, it's unfair to expect them to be the ones who will be the reason for your success, if that was the case everyone would be launching a business.  Its similar to when co-workers bring their child's fundraisers to work eventually you have to know when to say "no thanks but good luck" or you will be poor house for supporting every school fundraiser.  The same with starting a business, if they get it or need it they will support it, if they don't then don't expect them to be opening their wallets for your business, it is after all a business not a charity.

Money and the decisions you make will have a serious affect on the success of your business.  Having a budget set up is key to understanding where you are now and will be 6 months down the road.  Reviewing the budget weekly instead of monthly is just as important as having a budget, it makes making decisions easier and a lot more accurate than flying by the seat of your pants and praying that the credit card companies wont be calling.  Reviewing my budget weekly has helped me from making too many costly mistakes and planning for the bigger expenditures.  If you need extra cash while your business takes the time needed to launch, get a part time job, it helps alleviate the stress of money and the start-up costs. 

Perseverance and patience can almost be tied together, each requires the other to help a business succeed.  Perseverance for me involves having a vision which includes a vision board and a list of goals for my business and for myself.  When all else fails during a bad day, I have the perseverance to keep at it and maintain positive vibes, after all its about enjoying the process of building a great business and not driving myself into the ground with negativity.  Patience is knowing that I am building a great business and that these things take time.

I think the hardest thing to keep in check is "time".  Time for business involves so many hats and learning how to juggle those hats.  I read The E-Myth by Michael E. Gerber, a book which I recommend to anyone who is considering starting their own business.  Learning to create and maintain a schedule for the tasks required to build and maintain a successful business is key, one part can't be allowed to slip without consequences to rest of the business.

Its been a huge learning process these last 6 months since I developed my business plan and launched my website myvirtualcloset.ca, and something that I couldn't have done without the support of many of my friends and girlfriend.  With their support, perseverance, patience, a great budget, and time myvirtualcloset.ca will successfully take off.

I welcome feedback to this blog: what helped you to launch your business; what mistakes to avoid; and what you felt was the biggest challenge and how you dealt with it!

Savings for Online Shopping

This past Christmas I took a new route and did some of my shopping online, which is a virtual shopping mall in itself!!!  After researching the ‘what if’s’ I realized it could be just as enjoyable if not more rewarding than shopping in a mall or at a store.

There is something to be said about the benefits of shopping online besides sitting in your pj’s at midnight by your computer with the music of your choice blaring in the background, without competing with the crowds for an overworked and under appreciated sales clerk.

Some of these obvious and not so known reasons include:

• You may receive an additional discount for purchasing a product online than if you went to a store. 

o    www.clearlycontacts.ca offers a wide variety of contacts and designer eyewear  that most stores can’t match in price.

• Comparison shopping is faster online than going to various stores to find the best deal, making this a fabulous green option. 

o   www.shopbot.ca provides Canadian comparison online shopping for customers  

• A Google search can sometimes provide you with an online promo or coupon code that would not be available through the store or mail.

o  www.retailmenot.com provides coupons for in store and online  shopping.

o  www.freeshipping.ca  has coupons for discounted shipping in Canada.

o  www.redflagdeal.com lists promos for businesses which features  products that   are at a lower price than what is offered in stores.

• There are so many internet businesses that sell unique and fabulous items that makes it so worthwhile to shop online.

  o  www.etsy.com is a site for handmade wedding accessories, handbags, clothes, and other wonderful treasures

New Year Actions

It’s Jan 2, 2011 and starting to think about the New Year and what it adventures it holds in store for me. I usually start the last day of the year thinking about my goals for the upcoming year and what was accomplished last year.  

I don’t usually set resolutions down as that implies that I have to change or create a will to do something that I don’t do or don’t like to do.  If I had begun the year with the usual resolutions eating healthy would have been blown as we opted for fast food rather than cooking last night.  A goal on the other hand, starts with a plan, then setting down the foundation, and then an action. 

It comes down to word play; goal vs. resolution but even the definition of goal is more appealing to the senses than that of resolution:

            Goal:   the result or achievement toward which effort is directed; aim; end.

            Resolution:

o   a resolve or determination: to make a firm resolution to do something.

o   the act of resolving or determining upon an action or course of action, method, procedure, etc.

o   the mental state or quality of being resolved or resolute; firmness of purpose

That being said, a friend forwarded to me a blog by Christine Kane implying the same about how uninspiring the routine resolutions can be and offers an alternative by using single words to create actions/goals/resolutions. I found a lot of words that I wanted to go for the year with but narrowed it down to two, let’s see how that goes, I have 363 days to test it out!