FMPs

 

Oxidized Platform | Gucci

 

There are few things in life that speak as loudly as these babies do. They signal to the world that the owner is well aware of who she is, what she’s working with and therefore ,*snap*, fall in line. No fooling around here. No ambiguity. Just the sight makes the world stand at attention.

Every woman should own one. Not because of what it says to the world but because of how it makes her feel. She is taller, curvier and more powerful. Invincible.

Noone is saying that it needs to be worn everyday; that is a different kind of profession.

To the average human they look uncomfortable because yes indeedy they are dammit.  But that’s because they weren’t meant for comfort, that’s what Birkenstocks are for. These shoes weren’t made for walkin’, no ma’m, they’re made for struttin’. Like performance machines, they were built to function and to function effectively. They are individually packaged with a personality entirely of their own, and as such have the ability to magically enable the wearer to find their inner fierce. Swag in full effect.

A friend of mine calls them her ‘look back’ shoes… and for good reason I’m sure. Yeah she’s that chick who steps into the office and on queue everyone’s response is “…*GASP* OMG NOOOOOO!! she did not wear FMPs to work!!!..”. Mhmmmmm. The one who is totally oblivious to casualties in her wake. Kudos to her! We appreciate, we don’t judge.

So might I suggest that every Sally find herself a pair.  If you already own one, (or a few… Alrooooight) then we salute you. 

If you don’t, no worries. FMPs speak all languages – style, design and  color, so find one that communicates with you and get in where ya fit in. It can make ALL the difference in your social life.

If you have no idea what I’m talking about then you are too young to be reading this blog. Where your parents at?

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Random music quote of the day

Random music quote of the day

” …I can see clearly now the rain is gone,
I can see all obstacles in my way, 
Gone are the dark clouds that had me down, 
it’s gonna be a bright… sun shiny day…” 

- I Can See Clearly Now, Jimmy Cliff

Being able to see obstacles puts us in a better position to overcome them.

Have a Wonderful Wednesday!

Supernova

Not-your-eighties Leggings

“I love leggings. How can I wear them without looking like I’m stuck in the eighties?”

Leggings are great. They are very versatile, can be worn with almost anything, and can easily update something that you already own (smart fashion is key!). Worn correctly, they can appear to slim and elongate the gams and to appear taller and/ or slimmer is usually not a bad thing!

My response to this question/comment was longer than the comment box permitted so I decided to upload it as a post instead.

If you are having any difficultly with rocking your leggings, and want to dodge looking like you are stuck in the eighties, here are some of my tips:

DO:

1. Pair plain dark/neutral coloured leggings (black/ navy/ green/ wine/ brown/ grey…) with summer frocks and chick smart heels to transition a day look into a night one. This also applies to tunics and long jackets.

Related: As a twist on the classic monotone office look, do wear opaque stockings in the same colours mentioned above with traditional office suits/ attire to give a subtle update to your look. These need not match perfectly with the suits, however do match complementary colours. For example pair dark green opaque opaque tights with a camel coloured suit, and dark brown heels, or perhaps a wine one with a navy skirt and dark grey pumps if your personality will allow it.

2. Rock brightly coloured (including Fall ’09 neons for the more adventurous among us, though this is really better suited as a club look) or subtly patterned (read small grey/black herringbone print) with an otherwise simple and classic look, like all black everything, to shake things up a bit.

Understand that here your legs are the focal point so if you aren’t quite there yet with accepting your legs as they are, you can opt to wear leggings in more a more neutral tone, like black. (See ‘D’o #1)

Also, because you don’t want to look like you are competing with yourself, do keep accessories minimal, makeup natural, and cleavage under wraps.

3. Pair leggings with whole shoes like dressy flats, peep toe pumps, stiletto pumps, booties, boots etc, rather than with delicate strappy evening shoes. If you are going with a strappy look, do opt for shoes with thicker straps.

4. Understand that lighter coloured leggings (white/ yellow/ neon etc) do draw attention to your legs/ lower half and, much like lighter coloured (and skinny) pants, will accentuate any potential ‘flaws’ you may have in this area… like cellulite.  They will also make your butt look larger. Unless this is the look that you are going for, cease and desist. Darker coloured leggings allow for a sleeker more slimming effect.

5. Do ensure that leggings fit properly, especially in the knee area (no bagginess) and, for those rocking the leggings with the long jacket and long-ish tee, the crotch area (no camel toe!).

AVOID:
~ Pairing leggings with:

~ White trainers, unless of course you are exercising in them
~ Short tops/ navel breakers. Cover your rear.
~ Delicate evening shoes
~ Any throwback eighties trend including, but not limited to, balloon sleeves or hems, scrunchie leg warmers, strong shoulder pads, neon anything  (unless it’s the leggings themselves), acid-wash anything, one-shouldered oversized sweaters, teased hair.

~ Combining patterned leggings with patterned clothing. Way too much can go wrong.

~ Wearing ‘capri’ leggings/ tights – those that cut at the knee, or just below them, especially with flats. They abruptly cut off a streamlined look, making you look shorter than you really are.

~ Two toned leggings – stripes, polka dots for example, as this makes it very difficult for people to take you seriously.

~ Color block leggings (one leg a different colour than the next). Too clownish.
I have seen colour block leggings where the front half of the legs are one colour and the back half of the legs are a different colour. This is a little tricky but if one colour is the color of your skirt, for example a black pencil skirt with a two-toned black and wine tights/ leggings with black pumps it can work, so long as the blacks match. The idea is if you are walking the line of the clown look on the leggings keep the rest of your look tailored/sophisticated to balance it. If you are unsure of what I am talking about just skip this look altogether.

Thanks for the question!

I hope this helps.

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