I have NOTHING to wear!!!

     "I have NOTHING" to wear!" All of us ladies(and some gents) have said this.  When in all honesty, we have plenty to wear.  I do this too often and really why? I think it's easily broken down into two categories. I believe there's a certain level of situational appropriateness you should meet and the other reason is we see nothing in our wardrobe the conveys the emotion we strive to walk away with. 
     For instance, if you follow me on Twitter(@GildaRedFashion), then you know I have a sailing event for work coming up on Monday. I have never been sailing and I am as graceful as a bobble head.  I am pretty sure this event will leave everyone at work with the snapshot of me falling into the water and blowing the life vest whistle for dear life. ("Did Something Just Brush up against my leg?") With that said, I immediately went to the fact I have nothing AT ALL with any nautical flare captured.  There's plenty of other looks I could go for, but none I feel would be appropriate. So, I immediately went shopping and let me tell you, in the summer, it is very easy to find nautical everything. I personally love to walk away with a unique flare and I don't want to look like the masses and trust me, nautical chic is what everyone will be aiming for, so I decided to design my own tee and accessories. Also, If I can make anyone laugh(emotion card-there it is), I feel as if my day's work has been accomplished, so I aimed for nautical fashion meets hilariousness. I don't want to show the whole tee on here as of yet, but here is the front left chest:

 



      If you know of the movie,  What About Bob, then you know where the saying comes from. This is just an example of one time I have been faced with the WTW predicament. Everyone in today's society strives to stand out which can be very hard when you are no longer just trying to be the girl in the room that seems as if she has a spotlight following her, but now trying to be that same girl in the thousands of social media sites(profile pics,event pics, and selfies-oh my)--It's a hard task. In the end, if we remember-it's okay to recycle outfits, but it's also okay to go buy that new outfit that makes you feel as if you are Ms. Carrie Bradshaw striking your heels against the pavement. Until next time, Let your Fashionista Flag Fly, my friends!

RuPaul's Drag Race

First of all, sorry for the long pause-- but it has been a little crazy in the product development world... on that note, shall we begin with the post:

RuPaul's Drag Race!!! There's a million and one reasons to watch this show- but I will just name a few for now. First being RuPaul, THE Queen who I first remember seeing in To Wong Foo when I was a little girl and thinking how absolutely flawless Ru looked! My mom, being out of the box for Kentucky, had this movie and it was one of my favs growing up(the cast did an amazing job-if you haven't seen it WATCH IT NOW).  On RuPaul's Drag Race, RuPaul pulls off every look as if they were cover ready-flawless, effortless, timeless and trademarked.  From the non drag suits that are pulled together with every detail down to the millimeter to the dramatic flowing gowns that seemed as if they would cost thousands of dollars-- look but don't touch-Too Fierce for you!!!

         Second being the Queens that compete. Seriously this season after every episode ended I had laughed so hard that my sides hurt(my favorite lines had to be Adore Delano's "Jesus Knows I can't Sew" and well, just about anything Bianca Del Rio said). I was waiting for Courtney Act and Adore Delano's albums to drop, but most of all, I marveled in the fashion!!!!  Nobody can work it like RuPaul's girls. What I feel like we can't miss in the fashion world is what RuPaul's Drag Race Brings to the table. They are willing to pull out all of the stops that many of us are not, because they are so free with being themselves. For me, coming from a small town in Kentucky where girls are quiet and meek, and don't break any rules including rules of fashion-- It was motivating and uplifting to see each cast member reach into their bag of tricks each week and pull out looks that reflected their styles, moods, and overall realness. They aren't afraid to be themselves in any way and it's a beautiful lesson for us all! So, thank you RuPaul and your amazing girls for showing us all it's okay to be ourselves and to reach to be effortlessly over the top(and if any of you perform in Orlando, I will be there) !!! Until we meet again, let you inner FASHIONISTA FLAG FLY, my friends!!! 

You Look Better When your Soul is Shining

     I remember the first time watching Clueless when I was a little girl and being obsessed with every outfit the characters wore. Each one over the top, but yet completely stapling the point the costume designers wanted you to get about their personality. It's funny what parts of movies stick with you when you are older. Now that I am an adult, the thing I remember most about the movie isn't the memorable catch praises( remember AS IF). The quote I remember most is Cher saying, "I needed a complete make-over, except this time I'd make-over my soul".  It is so true that no matter how beautiful the outfit you wear is, if your attitude isn't as radiant, you might as well be wearing a burlap sack.
     There are endless reports of very famous people who are unappreciative and rude. You see them strut the red carpet in the most elaborate and gorgeous gowns you wish you could try on even if it was just for a second, but they could care less. Personally, once I know that their attitude is equivalent to dirty socks, I just can't see the beauty and effort that they are doing their best to exude. This is something I learned growing up in the country.  If people don't have the personality equivalent to a beautiful super model, but they dress in Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada, etc. -- it doesn't matter.
   I do my best to remember that the best accessories to make any outfit beautiful are love, happiness, and kindness for others.  Somehow, when you pair this with a style equivalent to Cher Horowitz- it is guaranteed you are going to knock them dead!

 

So as always, Let Your Fashionista Flag Fly!!!

Poll Question

Poll Question:

If you could have any celebrity's closet, who would it be? Would you like to tap into Sarah Jessica Parker's fearlessness and ability to wear any style? What about Lupita Nyong'o's new girl on the scene classic feel? Or would it be someone completely different? I personally love Cher. She can pull off anything and doesn't care what anyone thinks in the process. 

New York City

    NEW YORK CITY

      Everyone in life can recall the story of their first love. For me, my first love wasn’t a person, but a place—New York City.  There’s no place even close in America when it comes to entertainment, food, culture, architecture, and of course fashion.  Growing up in Kentucky, I was always obsessed with the Big Apple. I was a weird little kid running around the hay field moving bales in a New York City Tee. All I would ever hear from relatives on the subject was that I would be mugged or murdered my first day. This couldn’t be further from the truth. My first visit was on September 30^th, 2008. I was in Connecticut for work and a group of coworkers decided we should take the train to New York for a couple of hours. The excitement equivalent to a child on Christmas Eve consumed me. As I stepped out of Grand Central Station and my foot hit the pavement for the first time, I felt as if I had taken my first breath.  There was a million cultures mixing and creating the world’s busiest runway.  In the blink of an eye you could pass a lady in a stunning brand new Gucci Dress and 4 inch Christian Louboutin stilettos and another girl wearing florescent red tights and a vibrant Betsy Johnson Dress. Every person that passed me seemed to have just stepped out of a Vogue magazine- so fresh and their styles read like a bestselling novel—so well developed and put together. I knew in that moment that I would strive to be here every chance that I had. We as a society are influenced a lot by what hits the runway shows in New York. Sure, some of the outfits are over the top and completely unrealistic for everyday wear, but these looks inspire clothes that trickle down to major department stores everywhere and it's something you might not even notice when you shop. The best way to describe it is from a scene in Devil Wears Prada:

Miranda Priestly: You think this has nothing to do with you. You go to your closet and you select... I don't know... that lumpy blue sweater, for instance because you're trying to tell the world know that you take yourself too seriously to care about what you put on your back. But what you don't know is that that sweater is not just blue, it's not turquoise. It's not lapis. It's actually cerulean. And you're also blithely unaware of the fact that in 2002, Oscar de la Renta did a collection of cerulean gowns. And then I think it was Yves Saint Laurent... wasn't it who showed cerulean military jackets? I think we need a jacket here. And then cerulean quickly showed up in the collections of eight different designers. And then it, uh, filtered down through the department stores and then trickled on down into some tragic Casual Corner where you, no doubt, fished it out of some clearance bin. However, that blue represents millions of dollars and countless jobs and it's sort of comical how you think that you've made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when, in fact, you're wearing the sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room from a pile of stuff.

     So, whether you realize it or not, New York has influenced you as well. If you’ve never had the ability to go, my best way to describe it to you is that in my opinion, America’s Heart Beat (and wardrobe) are created by the feet that pound the streets of New York City every day.  Until next time, Let your Fashionista Flag Fly, my friends!

The Beginning of Our Journey

     The Beginning of Our Journey

      I believe the definition that we write for ourselves(a lot of the time) can be seen by our style. We express our moods and ever changing personalities through our clothing choices. I know from experience, as I have gone through quite a few personal fashion evolutions which I will cover here over time. Not only can you express your feelings of that moment, but we can write an entire night's events, whether they were beautiful or tragic, down on one shirt. I have always been the type of person to relate feelings from a past moment to articles of clothing.   

      Looking back, one of my fondest memories growing up was when my mom would take my sister and I to the mall once a weekend. Living in the country in Kentucky, it was about an hour drive to the mall and it was our favorite place to go. Undoubtedly, Kristy and I would sneak away from our mom and head to the fanciest department store, which at the time in Bowling Green was Dillard's.  We weren't exactly rich, but that didn't stop us from trying on every cocktail dress, evening gown, and expensive suit we fancied . I would watch the fabrics in the mirror dance around my feet as I twirled to see every angle. Even though we didn't have a million bucks- in those moments I felt like I was worth every cent of that million. 

     Now, living in a city with a whole different world opened up before me with such a vibrant pallet of choices compared to my past life in Kentucky, I thought it would be fun to share my fashion experiences, views, and stories with all of my friends, family, and whoever has the time to read this.  I can't wait to sit around the technological campfire with you all through this blog in my future posts! Until next time--Let your  Fashionista Flag Fly!