Happy Holidays to everyone! My name is Linda Gardner Hanson and I have been lucky enough to have known Lauren her whole life! I had the great fortune to move in next to her grandparents almost 21 years ago and was quickly adopted by Lauren’s mom and Aunt Paula as a third honorary “sister” and I couldn’t have been happier. My son Sidney is about 3 months younger than Lauren and they did a lot of things together when they were little ones, sooo cute they were! (and still are in my book!)
I was going to talk about accessories as a great part of fashion (I had a floor to ceiling shoe closet up until recently, and a jewelry and purse collection that took up way too much space!), but then I talked to my other sister Michelle Dickens and we decided to talk about something a lot of people never learned, never realized, or just don’t care about… The importance of properly fitting undergarments!!! I know it does not sound exciting, but if the outfit starts out bad in the undergarment department, it is so not going to look right, make you feel beautiful or even make the outfit look like it was worth the money you paid for it.
Rule #1 -Please invest in a full length mirror so you can look and see the one biggest outfit killer there is , they are lurking right there on your butt, VISIBLE PANTY LINES ARE THE WORST!!!!! These are so preventable and so easy to fix ladies so get with it and wear the proper size undies ,shaper ,girdles, whatever it takes to get it all into place and keep it there without all sticking out in places it shouldn’t! Maybe think about what size pants, skirt, dress your wearing and remember that another reason an outfit can look bad is that is just too darn small and you are not fooling anyone about what size your wearing (too small!) when we can see your underwear or shaper screaming to let go and you look like you cannot even breath, let alone sit down comfortably.
Rule # 2 THONGS!!!!! Now don’t get me wrong, these can be cute on the right size person, but seriously, I do not need to see your entire thong and butt every time you bend over!!! I am just saying that maybe thongs should come with a warning label about height/weight restrictions and an age limit restriction too! (I am not being mean here ladies, I am 51 years old and a tall but not scrawny 165 lbs and I am too old and too round to wear a thong!) A great rule of thumb about fashion I try to follow is, if you are old enough to remember the first time it was in fashion, then you are too old to wear it the second time it is in fashion!
Rule # 3 Wrong BRA size and/or wrong bra for the outfit you are wearing. Have you ever been fitted for a bra by a professional bra fitter? Every woman needs to do this, it is amazing to find out what you have been wearing for years is not the right thing at all! I went with a group of my “mom friends” and found out that not only was I wearing the wrong width around but the wrong cup size too! No need for muffin top or an underwire that cuts in, or straps that dig into your shoulders. Bras these days come in a myriad of styles, colors and fabrics so shop around and find a size/style that not only complements your shape, but can comfortably be worn 12 plus hours a day. Just a quick word about wearing the proper bra for your outfit and where you will be going; You DO NOT need to have a push up bra on at the office and have your “girls “being pushed up and out of your shirt, so unprofessional! Put them away and save that bra for date night or a night out with your friends.
Rule #4 Now my sister Michelle and I laugh about this one and even my son Sidney still teases me about it whenever I wear a skirt or dress. We could NEVER leave the house without out our mother saying “Let me see your slip” .Now this may sound stupid to younger readers, but she actually had a really good point in that slips can actually make or break an outfit in that they hold the fabric of the dress or skirt in place so they fall correctly around your hip and waist. If you have on a light color dress or skirt, you should make sure that in the light that everybody you see is not going to see what God gave for your birthday suit! Please also remember that the slip needs to be the correct length to cover most of the length of the skirt or dress, but slips hanging out from under a skirt or dress can ruin the best intentioned outfits!
I know that was a bit longer than Lauren’s daily blog runs but I was just so honored that she asked me to be a guest blogger, and snaps to my sister Michelle Dickens for her usual good advice and humor! I hope you all take away at least one thing from this blog, and that is that fashion can be fun and it truly is about finding what makes you happy. What your style is, and what kind of clothing, undergarments and accessories make up the outfit that makes you feel good about yourself when you are wearing it!
