Penn's Wardrobe Basics

For me, building a fully functional and appropriate wardrobe is critical to developing individuality and my “adult” identity. Its kind of hard to make the transition from young adulthood where jeans, tees, and yoga pants are acceptable to adulthood where how you dress and how you carry yourself determines how seriously people take you. The comfort and ease that I craved throughout my teens and earlier twenties seem almost completely implausible for the future that I want. As I start my senior year at college, I think its time to focus on looking the part because lets be honest first impressions are critical to success in both personal and professional relationships. I am going to divide my wardrobe into three very simple categories that will hopefully overlap and make it easier to develop my personal style.

 1. Professional (i.e. Interviews, Conferences, Lectures, occasionally Class) I think that my professional style should reflect who I am. It should be classic and structured yet lively and fresh. By infusing a fundamental cadre of neutral slacks with expressive and bright statement pieces and accessories I will create something that will read young, urban, professional.


 2. Personal (i.e. Casual, Date Nights, Chill) I VOW TO NEVER WEAR SWEATPANTS. I have made this vow before because I find that sweatpants and things like them do nothing for my figure and nothing for my confidence. I would like a casual wardrobe that consists of well-fitting jeans, interesting pants, and breezy button downs for the warmer months. For the cooler months, I think chunky sweaters and sweater dresses are necessary. I think my clothes can be used year round if I rely on layering and accessorizing. Most importantly though, my style evolution depends on finding good quality pieces that fit my body impeccably and make me look well put together regardless of the occasion.


 3. Workout (self explanatory) I think having the proper clothes make working out and going to the gym more interesting and enjoyable. I can’t express how much more I would enjoy going to the gym if I had leggings, pants, and tops that made me comfortable and feel attractive. There’s nothing worse than being on an elliptical in front of a mirror and looking at the same dingy old Chipotle shirt that I’ve worn for years. Personally, I feel the clothes can have an even more positive effect on my body than the working out can.


 These three categories, and the subcategories will replace the mismatched array of clothing that I already have. I’m hoping to do a complete, Stacy and Clinton-esque overhaul in August. I will keep you updated and aware of any changes or specific purchases. Until next time. -Penn

Bulding My Perfect Wardrobe

Getting dressed in the morning when I have somewhere to go has become a very daunting task. I dread every time I have to do it. My wardrobe, or lack thereof, consists entirely of yoga pants and sweatpants that should probably be used as dish rags at this point. The designer jeans that I still have in my closet might as well be put in my six-year-old's drawer because there is no way they are going to fit my post-pregnancy, post-binge eating physique.

When I look at how my shamefully mix-matched wardrobe came into fruition, I realize that I have sacrificed style and fashion for what I perceived to be comfort. I wanted sweatpants so I could run around behind my son also known as the Tasmanian devil. I wanted black because it is said to be slimming*. This lead to my absolutely non-functional, abysmal, collection of disposable hobo chic wear.

I've decided that part of my lifestyle makeover will be developing a new wardrobe from scratch, that will reflect me. I feel there is a disconnect between my outward appearance and my personality. A new wardrobe will boost my confidence and improve the way I carry myself.

Now to the task. How does one go about building a new wardrobe from scratch? I've never done it before which is how at one point I came to own 3 or 4 sequin tank tops of varying lengths that I never got to wear anywhere. I've been doing some research online about how to go about wardrobe building and came up with some questions to ask myself that will help make sure my wardrobe reflects me.

1. What are your lifestyle needs?
My lifestyle needs are pretty much the same during the week and on the weekends. I need functional outfits that won't get in the way of parenting. I need to be able to get dressed quickly while looking like I spent a lot of time and effort on my look.

2. What is your style aesthetic?
To determine my lifestyle aesthetic I hit my Pinterest boards. I went through my outfits and determined that although my current wardrobe consists of varying shades of black and dingy gray, I am actually quite fond of patterns. Stripes and polka dots and animal print OH MY! I love the layered look with jeans and accessories as completer pieces. These looks fit into my lifestyle because layering can create a  put together look that is still comfortable and functional.

3. What common pieces do you see in your style aesthetic?
The most common piece I found amongst my wardrobe pins was denim. I love denim of all styles and colors. I also pinned button up shirts and crew neck sweaters and cardigans. Embellished T-shirts were also a favorite of mine.



Below are some of my favorite options from my Pinterest board. Everything else, pretty much, falls into similar style categories. After looking at all of these beautiful clothes online, I had to pump my breaks and realize that the actual first step towards getting the wardrobe of my dreams is to meet my health and fitness goals. Wish me luck!

 -Paige

*There is a limit to how much slimming black can do. Trust me I've pushed the limits of black.

30 Day Lifestyle Change

For me, changing my “lifestyle” has proved itself to be a multifaceted ordeal. There are so many different things that I would like to fix before my next birthday. I want to get into the best shape of my life, I’d like to build a fierce and fabulous wardrobe, and I need to make sure that I take better care of my spiritual well-being. I know these changes will not happen overnight, but I’m willing to make sacrifices to make it all happen. I’ve always heard that it takes twenty-eight days to break a habit and I’m giving myself that time (plus two days) to see positive change in my life. I plan on choosing two specific things each month, for the next six months, that will help me lead a better life. I’ve decided that it wouldn’t be fair to myself, or the people around me, to simply deprive myself of all the things I love and enjoy doing. So in order to actually make this work I want to choose one thing to give up and another to replace it with. I feel like focusing on trying something new and exciting will prevent me from regressing and going back to old habits.

 For this first thirty-day stretch (I know, I know, forgive me it’s a little late) I will focus on improving my physical health. To do this I will need to cut out sugar, which I know will be especially difficult since I love desserts. In addition to stopping my overindulgent sweet tooth, I will focus on incorporating four days of exercise into my weekly schedule. These two simple things will hopefully help me build the body that I’ve always dreamed of, along with boosting my self-confidence and preparing me for the future that I want. Goodbye Dessert and Hello Fitness!

 I’ll check in at the end of my thirty days to update you on my progress and to let you know what I’ll tackle next.

 Love Penn =)

"Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time."   -Thomas Edison

Oh Heel No!

We love shoes!!! Nosotros amamos los zapatos! Nous aimons les chausseurs. No matter what language you say it in, the fact remains the same that WE LOVE SHOES! The higher the heel, the better, the sexier, or at least that’s how it’s supposed to be. But what is a shoe monger to do when there is a disconnect between what our minds and hearts love and what our flat Flintstone-esque feet flat-out reject. Dr. Scholls, we tried it. Grin and bear it, thanks but heel no! Flats it is, I guess. Some women make it look so easy. They strut through the city with their sky high stilettos as easy as they would if they were wearing Uggs or Crocs. Do their little piggies not scream in protest when they slide them into these vice grips disguised as functional art pieces? Is heel walking savvy something you’re born with or is it a skill one can hone like riding a bike? We plan to find out.

 As with any homework or research project, we decided to approach our dilemma of stiletto lust in a quasi scientific way and experiment. The internet will be our source material and YouTube will be our teacher. Will it work and will we become heel wearing pros or will our theory of everybody being able to learn how to walk in heels be disproven? Stay tuned as we conduct this experiment!

Images courtesy of:

Zara

Net-A-Porter

Juicing for Health and Beauty

One look at the fuzzy green goop that was slowly seeping out of the juicer and our stomachs started doing back flips. We’re a little embarrassed to admit that we (some more than others) really dislike vegetables. When Paige was a baby, she took one taste of green pea baby food and decided that she wanted absolutely no parts of it. Penn, especially as a child, was rather carnivorous until a nearly decade long foray into vegetarianism spurred an obsession with every incarnation of the potato. But after clicking through Pinterest and being surrounded by health conscious family members (especially the vegan contingent, shout out to you Treena!) we began to take note of the health and beauty benefits of juicing raw fruits and vegetables.

Our first juice experience (and yes they happened simultaneously) were chock-full of kale, ginger, spinach, granny smith apples, and lemon. We held our noses and down the hatches the slimy green concoctions went. Much to our surprise, and our delight, they were delicious. All of the flavors mixed together to create a taste that was unexpected and wonderful. That first experience inspired us to make juicing a part of our lifestyle. Last summer, we spent every morning scouring the tri-state area (mostly Brooklyn, the Lower East Side, and Hoboken) for the best juices. For the most part, they were all delicious, crisp and they left us feeling refreshed and energized. But, and this was a major but, the costs were adding up and starting to outweigh some of the benefits. At between $6 and $8 per juice, twice a day, our pockets were starting to ache. We had become juice junkies so we decided to invest in some hardcore juicing paraphernalia.

This quest, unlike the one before it, was time-consuming and not nearly as delicious. We searched high and low for the perfect juicer. There were so many different brands and so many features to choose from. The fear of juice failure was paralyzing and the non-committal reviews from Amazon were discouraging. We decided to go with something efficient and economical that, from the reviews, seemed to get the job done. Our Waring Pro, although it’s difficult to clean at times and the pulp builds up rather quickly, works well enough for us.

Top 3 Benefits of Juicing 

Weight Loss: Like any health trend, juicing promises weight loss, which it delivers. Incorporating one fruit and veggie juice into your diet per day can promote fat loss. It allows you to increase your daily nutrient intake, while oxygenating your brain and almost every cell in your body.

 Energy: Juicing puts us, at least, in a great mood. It gets all of our creative juices flowing and it gives us the energy we need to be active.

 Detox: Juicing has so many benefits, its hard to only name three. Some of the most important are its detoxing properties. It improves digestion, helps manage blood pressure, boosts immunity, and can even improve brain function.

 Our Favorite Juice Recipes 
 *Everything should be chopped to fit your juicer and washed before use

Va-Va-Verde (Basic Green) 
 1 knob of ginger, peeled
 2 cucumbers, coarsely chopped, unpeeled
 2 green apples, coarsely chopped, unpeeled
 1 red apple, coarsely chopped, unpeeled
2 heaping handfuls of spinach
1 lemon, coarsely chopped with rind intact
 *Add a splash of green tea for an extra caffeine boost that will help kick those caffeine cravings

Down With O.P.G. (Orange, Pineapple, and Ginger)
 3 Oranges, coarsely chopped, unpeeled
 2 cups of pineapple juice
 1 knob of ginger, peeled

 Get Juicing and Get Healthy!