A Stripey Valentine's Day

It's Valentine's Week, everyone! I am saying week because while I did not have enough time to do things like decorate my house, I was thinking about other ways to subtly celebrate and have fun, while doing my best to stick with No Shop February.

Valentine's Week is extra special for me because it is also the week of my dating anniversary with Mel - it will be twenty years on February 12!

Once January was over, I sat down to evaluate why it sucked. Like I said before, it can be sad coming down from the haze and sparkle and excitement of the holidays, and there is nothing on that level to look forward to in January. But February? Valentine's day.

This year, I am actually making Valentine's for Julian's class at playschool, Galentine's for a party I am attending on Saturday, date lunch with Mel on Valentine's Day, and then after mentally going through my closet, realized that I have Valentine's related outfits for the whole week!

Today I am starting with inspiration via J.Crew and Simply Elsa with a striped shirt, specifically the Curvy Slim Stretch Perfect Fit shirt.

Like I mentioned in my No Shop January reflection, I love taking inspiration from what I see online, but trying to set the challenge of making it work with what I have. So when I saw a J.Crew ad layering a striped shirt with a pink sweater, I went for it. Added some heart earrings (super old from Brooks Brothers, similar here) and it was Valentine's Week ready.

I love that J.Crew (and others, like Madewell and Ann Taylor/LOFT) are adding not only more inclusive sizing, but also inclusive FITS to their lines - just because the piece is bigger, doesn't mean that the fit will work. Size and fit need to work together in order to make the piece work.

Button downs and the dreaded button gap was an issue I have always dealt with, since I have curves. Over the years I tried to solve it with the safety pin trick, wearing camisoles underneath to make the button gap less obvious, sizing up (but then looking like a sack), skipping button downs, or when I find ones that work, stocking up.

These shirts work well for layering because the cut of the fabric; the fit and placement of the darts do not lend itself to bulkiness underneath a sweater. I usually wear button downs underneath my sweater blazer, Regent blazer or layered with shirts/sweatshirts over them and with these in particular, I don't have to constantly adjust the shirts.

Having fits that are more representative of the average American woman size is so important for body image and representation. It wasn't until I came across Katie Sturino and Simply Elsa that I finally began to accept my body for what it is, especially postpartum, and while I am on Weight Watchers and work out, I am doing it for my health and my knees. I know I will never be a size 2, and I am ok with that!

My dad and my grandmother both used to work in the garment district and taught me about how clothes are made, and how the quality and the fit matter in the long term. Fun fact: my dad once met Vera Wang and made her a coat! He had to meet with her to explain why the cut wasn't working and redesigned it for her collection back in the 1990s.  In high school and college, I went clothes shopping with my dad because he can discern if something was well made just by looking at it.

One of the things they taught me was to keep an eye for when it comes to button downs are the body darts and the vertical shaping of the shirt to make it more a three-dimensional piece as opposed to just two flat pieces of cloth closed with buttons.

The great thing is that there is NO button gaps. The shirts are tailored but are not stiff because of the stretch - I can still run around and do things like play with Julian and move desks around my room to set up simulations for class and I don't have to worry about a button popping off or a stitch getting ripped.

Another Valentine's Week look I tried was with my Tuckernuck scarf and beloved Blondo boots with the heart earrings - subtle, but still qualifies.

These boots deserve a Valentine all on their own; I own them in brown as well, and that happened mainly because when Mel, the non-shopper said voluntarily that "Those look good, you should get them in another color, like brown," I totally went for it. They are great for women that have larger calves like me - I went up a half size, which is the pattern I am following when it comes to boots (since I can wear thicker socks, and my feet do swell a little after standing and teaching all day).

Now, I have another place to rely upon when it comes to button downs, and coupled with a fun sweater and heart earrings, I am having fun with it and not dreading wearing them.

Definitely a game changer, and a confidence booster right in time for Valentine's Week.

OUTFIT DETAILS: Shirt/Sweater (similar)/Flats (limited sizing, but Ann Taylor has brought these back before, so stay tuned)/Boots (Nordstrom & Tuckernuck)/Scarf (similar)/Heart Earrings (similar)