Dressing my best, part two

Dress: Ann Taylor Loft;

Belt: Ann Taylor Loft;

Shoes: Target;

Silver Bangle: gift.

How I've worn the dress before: here.

I had Wednesday off from work, so it was nice to wear as much color as I felt like. This is Dress #2 from The Dress Project, and it feels like it's been forever since I've worn it. I love the paint splatter effect of the pattern. For Academichic's "Dressing Your Best" week, I decided to draw some attention to my waist by wearing a contrasting belt. Throughout my life, I've had a smaller waist in proportion to my body, and whenever I wear a belt it highlights more of an hourglass figure. It's one of my favorite features because no matter how much my weight has fluctuated in the last five years, my body shape has remained somewhat constant. I really ended up liking this look and felt really confident wearing it to the park and to the grocery store. And, in addition to the four inch heels from Target, I felt sky-high and totally on top of the world.

I've been awestruck reading other bloggers' accounts of Dressing Their Best --- it's been amazing to read how others are embracing their broad shoulders, hips, legs, derrieres, etc. It's refreshing, because it's so counterintuitive to what we're told to feel about our body images by societal pressures and lady magazines. It's nice to see others flaunt what makes them unique.

 Are you Dressing Your Best this week? And if so, how is it impacting the way you feel about your clothes, and body image?

Dressing my best, part one

Dress: Ann Taylor Loft;

Shoes: Aerosoles;

Leaf pin and jade bracelet: Finder's Keepers.

How I've worn the dress before: here.

I am so humbled by your responses yesterday. It was very hard to hit "publish" on that post, so to read through all of your wonderful, thoughtful and kind comments was like receiving a giant group hug. I've kept these feelings so bottled up, so it was rejuvenating and amazing to read new perspectives on the situation. I can't tell you how much this blog community has meant to me in the last few months, and I am so grateful to have you not only as my lovely readers, but as my friends. You all really are so wonderful. Thank you so much.

I've already started work and I'm slowly getting used to the differences between 9-to-5 office environments and retail. Like getting my "weekend" days off during the week instead of Saturday and Sunday, and not being in front of a computer all the time makes me much more time efficient with it when I'm at home. So far, it's been pretty easy to listen and talk to customers -- as Closet 365 commented, perhaps my journalism background has made it easier to be outgoing (or at least fake it). So I've got that going for me, which is nice.

I thought I'd show you my work outfit from last night. I thought I would dress up a bit because I only had to work a few hours, so wearing Aerosoles heels and a dress wasn't uncomfortable, and it made me feel great to actually incorporate my own style into the dress code.

I also dressed up because it's Academichic's "Dress Your Best" week, in which the ladies of that blog have encouraged everyone to dress for their best attributes, instead of  dressing to hide perceived flaws. I'm dressing for my legs today. For most of my life, I've had an antagonistic relationship with my legs. I spent most of my childhood and teens trying to hide or cover them because of the many scars I had from eczema, from mosquito bites during summer camp and from being naturally ungraceful. It took me a long time to get over the fear of being judged by my legs' appearance, when really, I should have appreciated them for what they were (and are): strong and capable. The marks became battle scars in my mind, and became reminders of how much I've gone through. My legs have done so much for me: they've survived preschool ballet, and middle school cheerleading. They've survived four years of being a summer camp counselor, and countless hiking trips. They've survived a summer of walking all over Manhattan, taking me to different wonderful nooks of the city. They've survived Diamond Head. They can handle eight hours of standing at work, and they can handle a pair of heels really well. And because of all those things, and many more, I'm going to celebrate them.