Reality Check

I had a much needed reality check the other day, and I feel like I should share a bit about it with all of you because I have a feeling some of you may be dealing with similar distractions, and life is too short not to work on your junk, no? Yesterday morning I got to sip coffee, eat some yummy breakfast and catch up on life with a dear friend of mine. We were talking about my business, and I brought up how a lot of times I feel discouraged when I look at people that are my same age or younger with much larger and successful styling businesses. We discussed my "competitors" a bit, and then, not as directly as I'm putting it, my friend challenged me by posing the question, "How do you really know that they're doing better than you?" I replied, "Because it seems like it online. I mean, they have a lot of advertising, they are hiring an assistant, etc." Well, it turns out my friend actually knew this specific competitor a bit more than I, and mentioned that this person had not made a profit until VERY recently. I was pretty surprised by this because everything online made this fellow stylist seem like she was larger than life.

AND THEN it occurred to me how much I rely on social media, blogging and websites to tell me about a person, and furthermore, make judgements about their success. I suppose this gets down to the golden rule of not judging a book by its cover, right? Heck, in fashion people do this all of the time by judging outfits, and using the silly logic that if you dress well your life is great or you're SUPER talented. STUPID! STUPID! STUPID!

Comparison is a dangerous battle many of us fight DAILY - no matter what your age is, where you live, or what your profession is. I LOVE social media because I love communicating, but it definitely can paint a false reality.

So, for those of you that may think of me as put together, raking in the dough and always picture perfect, let me be the first to tell you that I have PLENTY of flaws, I don't always have the best outfits, I'm have MAJOR hatred toward my hair these days and my life is not always a walk in the park. Moreover, I can be a workaholic, lack follow through on many ideas, and I swear in the car a lot.

So, there you go! Let's stop comparing and just keep our eyes focused on the true prize. Your ultimate prize may look different, but mine is deep relationships with God, my husband, my family and my friends. Success in fashion is just icing on the cake.

Stylish Weekender

Everyone has their indulgences, right? For some people it's once a month massages, nail appointments, having their car detailed, Sprinkles cupcakes, etc. For me, trying new restaurants, having my hair done, and soy lattes are my frequent rewards. The ULTIMATE treat, however, is travel. I LOVE visiting new places, friends and family. Plus, after seeing this AWESOME weekender at Urban Outfitters (first bag below), I'm itching to jet set off to California, Colorado or even New Mexico since they're all close by.

Below, you may just find the weekender bag that will give you the indulgent travel bug too! (BAGS: ASOS, Urban Outfitters, ASOS, Fendi, Hickoree, J.Crew/Wexler, Anthropologie)

Head-turning Hats

Last Friday, I spent the morning shopping with my good friend Jessica Williams, and we started talking about hats. I kept telling her how much I LOVE her in hats, and found myself saying, "I like people in hats because it makes them stand out in a crowd." Aside for the typical baseball hat, IT'S TRUE! I have only three to four fashion hats, and after that conversation and the photos below, I think I need to add more to my collection. Some hats add a touch of mystery, and I think all hats show off personality. Don't you agree?

Pictures from Jody Rogac, Fashion Gone Rogue, unknown, Mizhattan, The Simply Luxurious Life, Fashion Gone Rogue,

Solid

This past year has been a fury of prints with stripe, chevron and ikat graphics leading the pack. We've also seen a lot of hard and soft texture combinations, as well as the color blocking craze showing up on runways everywhere.

So, naturally, my eyes are pleasantly relaxed when gazing upon solid colored AND solid textured clothing.

I wouldn't say I'm tired of prints or color blocking by any means, and I'm definitely a sucker for leather and chiffon combinations, but I'm finding comfort in solid statements right now.

Anyone else feel the same?

Dresses by ASOS, Marc Jacobs, Monique Lhuillier

Inspiration Fix

Lately, I've been feeling pretty overwhelmed and very uninspired. Sometimes when my mind has a lot to process (i.e. moving to our first home, a death in the family, birthdays, traveling, business management) I can't even begin to think about fashion and art. Maybe because there are so many choices and directions? I'm not sure. I'm starting to feel like I'm coming out of my creative funk, and part of it was seeing this photo:

It just reminded me how beautiful women are, and it made me want to create beauty.

Here are some more photos that I think are beautiful as well....

Photos from The Simply Luxurious Life.