Stylish with Substance

Out of My Closet: Outfit #2 + New Gasmic Shoe Peak! Pt. 1

Ella M — Tue, 25 May 2010 16:46:27 EDT

I'm so not letting this no-fear, showing myself, ensemble photo series slide! Oh no. I just have delays. And laziness (I even have bangs since I took these, sorry!). And major major lack-of-photographer issues /frustrations. But it'll come more and more often. I now have plans to take pictures of clothes sans moi, so that I may do it a lot more frequently. (I'll try to include more of myself though, too.) This was my second fairly successful attempt at a personal photo shoot. Part 1 has photos so different from part 2, that well that's why there will be two parts. If I do have time to keep practicing, I may be able to actually have more photos of myself eventually. Sigh. On shoot day, it was a very frustrating afternoon! On to the photos, credits below.

OK, first of all, yeah I accidentally cropped my feet out of all these photos. Timer photography needs major work. Also I look fatter in a belt-looped / under shirt belt. *whine* Not sure what I can do while I'm not perfectly a full lower pants size.

I'm almost shocked I could get a lot of pictures of my face. Goodbye Ella in shades? Nah, course not. ;-)

OK, goofy giggle. Whatcha gonna do? It's still fun & cute. And here they are, it's the piece de resistance...

My new(ish) Bandolino pumps. Hello?! Don't they look like they cost $1,402 and not on sale for $42??? More photos to come of these (they're not online).

Credits:

Cropped jacket: Perameter (Bluefly.com find)
T-shirt: Really old Delia's??? *update* Old Navy???
(Getting less) Skinny jeans: Mossimo for Target
Bag: Hollywood Intuition @ Target w/ crafty strap
Jewelry: Indie/handcraft designer, local to South Florida. Don't shoot me if I'm wrong, but I think it's GMS Jewelry Co. I need to take close photos; great stuff!
And of course the shoes: Bandolino

Appealing Science: Survey Says... Hips are Sexy

Ella M — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 16:46:15 EDT

A fun Discovery program, Science of Sex Appeal, discussed the ideal female waist to hip ratio in terms of male attraction. By waist to hip, we're talking visually from the front so there's no worry about measuring your gut to see if you, well, measure up (or down). Not in this case.

[caption id="attachment_2833" align="alignright" width="210" caption="Marilyn Monroe seemed to have an excellent .67 score in Waist to Hip (see our shoenote)"] [/caption]

The ideal ratio, confirmed by studies like one from Harvard University, is a fairly curvy 7 to 10. That's about what I have, and I've no waify waist. In fact, just a defined one, big hips ... and let's not, no do, forget that gut.

Oddly the TV program sort of ignored the very wide hip demographic when discussing how an even smaller and yet even smaller waist compared to the hips were visually hotter to guys. A 6-and-lower to 10 ratio was said to be inhuman (or perhaps it wasn't until as low as 5, but that was the gist). Odd because even though cartoon-character waists are either unhealthy or literally unreal, there are a heck of a lotta big hips out there, which can turn into a 7 to 11 on up. Same extra sexiness, right?*

So worry not, if you've got 'em, rejoice. Conversely if you're worried that, even if your stomach is flat, your waist is not defined enough - you can always add some fat to your love handle or thigh areas. ;-)

Or at least that's the way I see it. Gosh if thigh counts and not just padded hip bones, then I'm hotter than Marilyn Monroe, pictured. ;-) I newly love my thighs, or at least most of them.

[caption id="attachment_2846" align="alignnone" width="380" caption="Esteem-spiration!"][/caption]

I've also recently discovered that even with some "flab" and cellulite, I really do have great legs, not just calves. And look at my relatively thin akles!

You, too, should look at your body with a positive attitude. Find something to feel good about today, and hopefully you'll feel great tomorrow and the next day and .......

ShoeNote:

*I asked a more math-inclined individual and he mentioned something about how .6 is better than .7 (getting those numbers is easy, deriving from a blank to 10 ratio). He said 7 to 11 is still lower than .7. It only makes sense, but I wanted to check.

Miami Fashion Week - Vèvè Collection Overview

Ella M — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 10:28:46 EDT

The design was fabulous, the models were great. The experience was ballad-worthy.

My first fashion show, due to my tiny budget for (not for) airfare, was Thursday at Miami Fashion Week. It was for Vèvè at 9pm. Now the general experience and more fun photos will come next, but here is not really a review, for I wouldn't critique this, but an overview...

Fade to black. Lights come on.

The music was mellow, pleasingly un-hip-hop, and thrillingly played live. The models' coifs were frizzed out to stageshow-effect exaggeration, either to match the designer's personal look or in homage to Africana. This styling really went with the Spring-skipping season beginning here in South Florida, even my own mostly straight hair was frizzed by end of night. Back to the models; they catwalked to perfection and posed especially to show off the bags for the press at the end of the runway. This was quite a show for my personal attendance.

The designs, like I wrote, were fabulous; intricate, wearable, and versatile. There was a lot of denim and equally as many flowy dresses. How perfectly they flowed on the runway! However, embroidery was king, or perhaps queen, of the Vèvè Collection.

The "finale", so to speak, very much speaks to Ella (moi). Models returned in plain white frocks to just showcase the purses and their importance.

A fantastic event. Some bags (last season?) were even for sale in another section of the tent, but I still have my eye on the hip bag attached to a wraparound belt.

Oh and the most important aspect was that this night benefited Haiti. Too bad ordering a drink would mean I would have had a liquid dinner, however the experience was so fun that I didn't feel one hunger pang. But then CinderElla had to return home without after-partying so my Prince could make his work-directed bed time, or something closer to it.

Leaving I knew that we would attempt the same fun the following night... Stay tuned for that other post!

Below is a gallery of all the runway shots.

If you want to blog with any of these photos, please link to this page!