I had a wonderful conversation with “Leslie” this morning. We were talking about the fears people have of ’subscribing’ to a blog. (See the word SUBSCRIBE over to the right) I mentioned to her that while I love my website, and really enjoy writing in my blog and answering questions in the forum, I’m afraid that some people are well, still afraid.

I shared with her the fact that I have, unsolicited, subscribed my entire family and nearly every friend I have! (They forgive me, of course, and to my knowledge have not yet ‘unsubscribed!’) Anyway, “Leslie” and I concluded that I should BLOG about it.

CONCERNS:

1) The author will ’sell’ your email address

2) You will no longer be anonymous

3) Your privacy will be invaded

4) You’ll be bombarded with emails from said Blogger.

THE TRUTH:

Nothing could be further from the truth. You can subscribe and unsubscribe as often as you’d like, and I’ll never even know! (There goes my theory about thinking the family is all still subscribed) It’s true, though. I would love for you to sign up for notifications, but if it drives you crazy, UNsubscribe. As for selling email addresses…no way. Truth is, I won’t even know your email address. You remain anonymous. You’ll always maintain your privacy AND anonymity as far as my blog is concerned. I’m just glad you’re a part of it, and I hope you’ll tell all your friends.

Airport Baggage Claim

Originally uploaded by crowell.judy

The boots are cute. The suit is a good color. The tee is a great layering piece. The purse matches. With all of these elements, she’s got the makings of success. So, what went wrong?

As they say, it’s the thought that counts. She thought, “I’ll be comfortable.”  And, we’ll give her that. There’s nothing like velour loungewear for comfort (especially when you travel). But, my goal is to help you in your quest for style, so while she’s waiting for her bags, let’s examine what could have been avoided.

This is not an inexpensive velour suit. She spent good money on this brand, and it’s a great color. As we know, black is slimming. Where it goes wrong is how it’s accessorized. The white tee is just too long. If you’re going to wear a short jacket over a long tee, don’t let the tee ride much more than an inch or two below the jacket. This look is sloppy, and it cuts her up in too many places. As a result, she looks shorter and heavier than she needs to.

Speaking of cutting the body in too many places, tucking the pants into her boots doesn’t help. She’s drawn a horizontal line at the top of her boots cutting her legs at the widest part, the calf. A horizontal line cuts her again at the bottom of the tee shirt right across her hips. And, a third horizontal line, the bottom of the jacket, cuts her once more at the waist. If she’d tucked the tee in, the black of the jacket would have extended into the black of the pants, and the only visual place she would cut the body is at the top of the boot.

Always check the full-length mirror before leaving the house, and try a couple of different ways of arranging all the pieces.  A better combination of these very same elements could have made this outfit a head-turner.