Bang Change

I got bangs a few weeks back.

I literally walked into a salon, showed a hairstylist a picture of long, side bangs, smiled and politely told her: "I need a change."

(Okay, I admit, I showed the woman a picture of Reese Witherspoon's haircut from a few months back.)

So I trusted this woman to frame my face and give me a trim. What I did not entrust her to do was to chop off my hair and cut more than I wanted. A lot more.

I'm 22 years old and I like to think of myself as a "big girl", so I didn't tear up or start to uncontrollably cry as she cut it off. In fact, I didn't protest in any way for some unknown reason. I just watched her, and trusted that the finished product would meet my expectations.

When she finished, I was initially pleased with how different it was. It was new and different; not to mention I felt as though a weight had been taken off my shoulders...literally. Of course I immediately sent picture texts to my posse, because I knew they would love it-- and they did.

That was the first day.

By day 3 I am feeling slightly panicked. I'm a little unsure of how to fix my hair so that it looks like it did two days ago. My hair is not at all doing what I want it to do, or at least, what I think it should be doing. What have I done? Impulsiveness at it's greatest?

Day 5: This isn't okay. I love the bangs, hate my haircut. There are too many layers, and I feel as though I should be a spokesmodel for all the women out there who want to go back in time and get the "Rachel cut" that Jennifer Aniston debuted back on the second season of Friends. Yikes. I am not the kind of girl who is willing to spend over an hour trying to style my hair every day. I am all about blow drying and hitting the road, often straightening it. That's maybe 15-20 minutes. I could be running, eating, shopping, or doing anything else that I consider to be more productive than fixing my hair to perfection. Because the list of three things that I just mentioned are much more productive... ha.

Present day: Since I have been home for the winter break, I have been exposed to other changes in my life that are slightly more heartfelt than a haircut. Changes that I can't control. Changes that I didn't see coming. Changes that I didn't and that I don't want.

Now this is awful and awesome at the same time. Awful because I'm human and my flesh is weak. Awesome because God is God and He is ever constant. I realized it's just a simple as that. Without change, it is going to be impossible for me to become the young woman that Christ will shape me to be. It would be impossible for me to grow. It would be impossible for me to learn. So the impossible becomes possible with change.

The change around me is more or less like my hair. Bottom line: it is out of my control. But with time, both my faith and my hair will grow. I know there will be days ahead when I feel as though the change is too much and the layers in my hair are plotting against me. There will be days when I feel as though nothing is right-- this change just can't be right. But it is, or the Lord wouldn't be handing it to me.

I'm learning to embrace my hair and the changes surrounding me. The life of a follower of Jesus was never intended nor meant to be easy.

It means that we are not alone.

So now I will face life with an unfailing and incredible faith.

And I will face life with my bangs.

2 Tips!!

Tip of the Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fact or Fiction:

Never pair a black outfit with brown shoes.




PURE FICTION.

















You can most certainly wear black and brown together, and even go as far as wearing brown shoes with a black ensemble.

However, make sure you wear the dress/skirt/ensemble with material consisting of cotton or rayon, and avoid silky garments to avoid looking messy.

The Charles David wooden platforms above add uniqueness and unpredictability to the outfit, due to the fact that they are not over the top, with simple buckles and straps. Keep the detailing of wooden or leather heels/flats simple, so that the look is refined.


I recently bought some wooden platforms at Target, due to the fact that I can't afford the ones pictured above... :)






DO: Own an Herve Chapelier Bag!




Though they tend to be fairly pricey for a tote bag (they range anywhere from $100 up depending on size) it is one of the greatest investments I have ever made. I got my first one almost four and half years ago, and it is still going strong. Plus, you can find some of the best deals for them on ebay!

They are durable, colorful, and great for putting ANYTHING in. Trust me, mine has seen better days!! They are washable which is also a great staple, especially since bags tend to naturally get dirty!

The Semi-Sweet Psychological Cycle of Clothing

For the past few weeks I've been sorting through all of my clothes. Blouses, dresses, tee shirts, jeans, shorts, tank tops, everything. And for the past few weeks I've been having the same thought:

I don't have anything to wear!!!!!!!

I have probably had this thought at least 10 times this week, and it's only Tuesday. TUESDAY.

Then I thought, why is it that every single time I try to convince myself that I don't have anything, the Lord somehow reminds me of how I have EVERYTHING?

I went through some of my tops today and thought, "why do I complain about not having anything to wear? Is it because I'm selfish? Is it because I want nicer things? Is it because I don't like any of these clothes anymore? OR am I so conflicted due to the fact that the Lord is gently reminding me of how much He's given me?"

I think the answer is that last sentence. How could it not be? Every time my selfishness and impulsiveness begin to cloud my mind and my heart, the Lord is present in reminding me of how selfless HE is. There are millions of people who would give anything to have more than one article of clothing in their possession, and here I am wishing I had MORE than I already do.

It's so cliche: being thankful for what you have, don't take things for granted, etc.

But the fact is, these two things are absolutely and completely inevitable, because we are fallen by nature. Many women will have these thoughts for the rest of our lives (the women who are as clothing crazy as I am). We're human, and we're nowhere near perfect. So pondering on this idea helped me to not beat myself too much about my impulsive and selfish clothing behavior. Not that I shouldn't work on becoming more selfless, and unceasingly thankful.

So, I reorganized my closet today. When I say reorganized, I took items of clothing that were in my drawers, and I hung them up in my closet. It was amazing. I mixed more colors and more patterns. It was like my wardrobe had a new life. It just looked so different.

And then I stood looking at the things I had just hung up on my hangers, and I was thankful. Thankful to have clothing. Thankful that the Lord reminded me of my blatant ridiculousness. And thankful that tomorrow, when I wake up and again complain of not having something chic and cute to wear, that He'll remind me again of just how blessed I am.

This, is what I believe to be the Semi-Sweet Psychological Cycle of Clothing. :)

Jeggings vs. Jesus

Before I created this blog, I'd been thinking about all the different things I wanted to actually blog about.

So, due to the fact that I am consistently forming opinions about how certain clothing pieces should be worn, I figured that blogging about the idea as a whole might be fun for me, and for anyone who might read this.

(I've been told a time or two that I have an eye for when it comes to the way I dress, so I figured that these comments alone have provided me with enough authority to blog).

One trend that has seemingly taken over first this past fall, and has now somehow slowly but subtly found the way over to spring is "Jeggings." I can't decide what part of jeggings I dislike more. The fact that cotton and spandex leggings are pretending to be denim or that the actual word "jegging" is considered as a misspelled word on my spellcheck.

Let's face it. Whenever someone is wearing jeggings, everyone knows she (hopefully a she) is not wearing denim.

There is a difference between jeggings and skinny jeans. Only 1 thing. One is made of denim, the other is not.

I think this is often how women live their lives. Only slightly changing themselves in hopes to live more simply, more comfortably.

The fact that cotton is more comfortable than denim is a known fact. But are these pretend jeans even practical?

I've tried before countless times to slightly alter myself into something I'm really not. I've put on some jeggings (metaphorically) in hopes that I'll continue to be effective for Christ. But before I can comfortably relax, Jesus will remind me of who I really am. Maybe not right away. But he always does. It's hard for anyone to live a life in hopes of being something that they were not perfectly made to be. It's just simply not how God intended it.

So the jeggings come off and the jeans come on.

There are plenty of days where my jeans don't feel right. They're too tight or too loose. They're too big or too small. The zipper will get stuck or will keep coming down.

But at the end of the day, my jeans are real. And jeggings are not.

So to sum up the past few paragraphs:

J.C. = Jeggings CAN'T. Jesus CAN.

Why.

I decided to start blogging for 2 reasons.

Reason 1: I love fashion and all of it's components.

I figured that I would be able to express my opinions concerning the never ending trends that the female world is bombarded with on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis. I'm not an expert, nor am I planning on having a job that is anywhere near aligned with the world of textiles.

But the fact that I could spend hours upon hours looking at clothes- no, not shopping, looking at the way they are intricately designed and shaped, eyeing how I would wear this, how I would wear that, is what I like to think of as a blessing and a curse.

A blessing in the sense that I suppose I am an observant individual on this matter.

A curse in the fact that, seriously, who could spend hours looking at linens and leather?

Reason 2: I love Jesus. He is constantly reminding me of all the ways that I have been given this incredible freedom through Him. Freedom in the sense that I am made to be who He has designed for me to be, what he creatively planned for me to do.

With these two ideas, these thoughts, I figured I could provide entertainment as well as insight.

After all, isn't what we wear often a reflection of who we are?