Passion For Fashion

Once upon a time, there was a little girl with curly light brown hair. She was glamorous, to say the least, and had a strong preference for skirts instead of jeans. From a young age, she knew in her heart of hearts that she would grow up to become a fashion designer and create clothes for princesses and movie stars.

About, eh, 10 years later, I failed my first sewing project in Home Ec class, and decided that maybe I would be better off creating with my mind instead of my hands...

For those of you who didn't know, New York's Mercedes Benz Fashion Week ended Thursday with the presentation of the Fall 2012 collections. I know that not everyone gets heart palpitations over beautiful dresses that we'll never have the opportunity to wear in real life, but there's still a big part of me who fantasizes about glamming it up on the red carpet somewhere.

Who else likes to play dress up? Mia and Marlee - and they let me style them today in the a few of the big trends from the runways of NYC.

(All MBFW photos by Getty Images. All Mia/Marlee photos by Mommy)

Winter Whites at J. Mendel and Calvin Klein

Winter White Marlee wears a rosy cheek. Mia, in Black on Black with a dramatic eye.

Black on Black at Anna Sui and Jill Stuart

A Taste of the Far East on Mia and at the Venexiana show.

Fur accents at Custo Barcelona and Michael Kors. Faux raccoon (and pizza) on my kid.

Mia has a moment of Bohemian Rhapsody, as does the model at Nicole Miller.

Marlee and a model at the Betsey Johnson show sport bright colors and defined brows.

And because everyone knows that you save the gowns for the finale, may I present Big Sis in liquid gold.

Golden Goddesses in Tadashi Shoji, our old curtains, and Reem Acra

The girls had just as much fun doing this as I did putting our looks together, aside from Marlee's hissy fit when I told her she couldn't eat a purple popsicle in the all white outfit!

"Fashion fades, only style remains the same." - Coco Chanel

What is the one trend that you refuse to let die? 

Mine is leopard print because it's both classic and outrageous - the ultimate neutral.

Blog-o-rama

A few friends have told me that I've inspired them to start blogs of their own. 

As flattering as that is (I love when I can feel justified in thinking that I'm doing something remotely cool), I'd like to point out that if I hadn't read the work of these 5 ladies, I wouldn't have been inspired to give it a try myself.

(Listed in sequence of discovery. I'm good with sequences, just not things that should really be a priority in life - like scrubbing the shower or getting the kids immunized.)

• Enjoying The Small Things by Kelle Hampton - This was the first blog I read religiously. I found her right after Nella was born, while I was newly pregnant with Miles. I read Nella's birth story on my lunch break and bawled the entire time. For those of you who don't know, I work with disabled adults. It's the best job in the entire world, and I'm a better person for all of the experiences my job has allowed me - good and bad. I think the same goes for Kelle. She makes me feel inadequate sometimes with her creativity and optimism, and the fact that she's gorgeous and has a kick ass wardrobe, but I still love her. Kind of like that cousin that you're super proud of, yet a wee bit jealous at the same time.
• Dig This Chick by Nici Holt Cline - ETST led me to Dig. Nici's photography makes me want to move to the mountains, dress my kids in adorable hand-knit sweaters, and eat food that we've harvested from the garden in our back yard. Then I remember that I hate the great outdoors unless it's 75, sunny, with the slightest breeze and I think I'll stick it out here in Missouri for awhile longer and thank God for the good produce at Price Chopper. Nici is the artsy/Earth mama hiding inside of me. The one that isn't allowed to come out unless we win the lottery. I can't work and garden simultaneously. It wouldn't be fair to the sweet potatoes.
• Dooce by Heather Armstrong - Dooce was the first blogger that I felt I could relate to. She coats her affections in sarcasm, be they for family, home, or career and somehow, you still know that she means asshole as a term of endearment. She is witty and hilarious, and brutally honest. Plus, she's currently growing a pixie cut, like some other chick I know. Right now, we resemble Alex P. Keaton (her blonde, me brunette, respectively), but someday we'll be at bob level and then it's on like Donkey Kong.
• The Pioneer Woman by Ree Drummond - Ree loves butter. I love butter. Ree loves basset hounds. I don't really like dogs, but I bought my kids Charlie the Ranch Dog when it came out and we've read it approximately 45 trillion times. Ree's husband is a cowboy with a cute butt. My husband is a computer salesman with a cute butt. We both hate jiggly tummies and love handles, but don't have the willpower to cut delicious out of our vocabulary. WE'RE ALMOST THE SAME PERSON!!!
• The Bloggess by Jenny Lawson - Jenny is so wrong, that it just feels 100% right 60% of the time. (Name that movie - unless you're my brother. Jimmy, you're not allowed to play since we quote that at least once a week...Winner gets a high five!) Random conversations with her husband (Victor) about things that make no sense whatsoever to someone not there in that exact moment? Their retelling are her specialties. You will catch yourself saying "What the fuck is she talking about?!" at least once in most posts, sometimes twice. You'll love it enough to tell your friends about it. You'll definitely start thinking you need to take a photo each time you see a large metal rooster or an exquisitely taxidermized mouse dressed in a tiny costume.

I don't read their blogs daily, rather I wait until Saturday morning and read them over a big cup of coffee before the kids get up. That's my 'Mama Time' - motivation to do a little of it all: to enjoy the small things, to keep my roots planted firmly, to put a humorous spin on the frustrating or mundane, to cook because I love it and we all deserve to treat ourselves once in awhile, to be honest about who I am and not put on an elaborate facade to appease the masses.

As for my own blog, I'm still working out that whole 'write and write often' thing. While I love writing, I also love the things I'm able to do while I'm not writing. Things like playing a hardcore game of Dance Central 2 with all 3 kids. Things like reading the last 3 issues of Elle and Vogue that have been waiting patiently in the magazine rack. Things like painting my toenails and tweezing these crazy caterpillars perched above my eyes...

Tomorrow: a fashion show starring my (sometimes) adorable children. I may live in a small town, but I appreciate Fashion Week just as much as any socialite.

Keep writing, all. You're good and you have a special story to tell - yours.