Beauty & fashion | Hip to be Mom

You’re not wearing that?!

Jun 142011

As soon as I turn the corner to Raine’s college, the scenery changes from this

… to this, a sea of college girls with deuter backpacks and short shorts, some even shorter and tighter than these!

That’s the modern-day college kid for you. They don’t wear very much. Spaghetti and tank tops that can’t seem to keep stuff from spilling out. Skirts so short and tight you can’t even sit down. Times are bad, we need to save on fabric?!

Once my Dad came to pick me up from the college where I was teaching, and he almost flipped at what he saw. Poor Dad! He was going, is this what kids wear to school these days? Shaking his head, he went on, in my day, this is how hookers dress, are these girls here to get an education or what?

Indeed as a mom and teacher, my stand is this – anything that short and tight has no place in the classroom. Colleges may turn a blind eye but what about the parents? Shouldn’t they have a say in what their teens wear to school?

I would assume that most of us go through a thought process when deciding what’s appropriate and what’s not. Most of it is common sense really. Seems like that’s not apparent to everyone though. Worse yet, it seems kids are starting young too these days, according to this article which I totally agree with, by the way.

What do you think?

What color is your wardrobe?

Posted by Clairity 13 Responses »

Jun 112011

There was a time when black dominated my wardrobe. Rightly or wrongly, I was led to believe black was the magic color to appear smarter and be taken more seriously at work. More importantly though, black was the perfect camouflage for that spare tire wrapped around my middle holding 3 kids worth of mommy fat.

Don’t get me wrong. Black is beautiful. I love it. But only for evening wear. For day wear, black has long ceased to be a practical color for me in my job as taxi driver to my kids.

Let me tell you, dashing in and out of the house (and sun) every other hour of the day like I do, black is a killer at absorbing heat and firing up those sweat glands. There goes my secret to staying slim without exercise . Nah, I’m only kidding.

Truth is even if I weren’t living in this perpetual sauna, black still wouldn’t be the primary color of my wardrobe. I love color too much. I mean, what’s life without color? Not much fun, right?

I love my fuchsias, turquoises, teals, pinks, purples, greens, yellows, oranges, whites and greys. Anything bright and definitive. The darker shades, the wimpy pastels, not much at all. And browns, nah, I don’t do browns. at. all.

Your turn…

Cupcakes on her fingertips

Posted by Clairity 4 Responses »

May 242011

You know what a bunch of nail freaks we are. No, not the manicure-pedicure groupies, more like the DIY junkies.

Of late, our nail polish collection has been growing at a rather alarming rate. Alarming to a mom whose wallet is the one bearing the brunt, that is.

Right, so the creative bug bit and we decided to put all those colors on a wee cupcake

complete with icing, sprinkles, and a couple of wayward stars on Raine’s finger nails. See! Pretty, huh?

How old is too old?

Posted by Clairity 12 Responses »

May 192011

So there was this poll, and a clip, on the Today show recently about ‘how old is too old‘! Did you see it? Apparently some say when you hit age 35, you shouldn’t be wearing mini skirts, or bikinis after you turn 47, or something like that. But why not? It’s not like these things have wear-by dates on them.

I’ve heard women say they can’t wear red, tight fits, sleeveless tops, or even bermuda shorts and a whole bunch of other styles of clothing supposedly reserved for younger women! So they restrict themselves to what “matured or married women with kids” wear. Dull colors, boring floral prints, loose flappy clothes and flat heels.

I tend to go with, wear whatever makes you look and feel good. Other people will always have something to say. I say let your mirror be your judge. As long as you can pull it off, go for it. That’s what I do.

Having said that, there are a few things I personally would not wear (that, by the way, have nothing to do with age):

Three-quarter capri pants. They look good on some folks but somehow they make me look like I’m neither here nor there. Can’t wear them with heels, can’t wear them with flats.

Thin flats and flip-flops because I hate for my feet to be too close to the ground.

Long sleeves and scarves. I have no patience with those. Neither does this crazy tropical climate.

What do you think? Are there things you will or will not wear for whatever reason other than that you’re past the age (whatever that means)?

What’s up on Mother’s Day?

Posted by Clairity 9 Responses »

May 072011

Mother’s Day is here. Have you got any plans lined up? I’m not really fussy. I know my kids love me and we have fun all year round so Mother’s Day, for us, is just another excuse to eat out.

But if anyone wants to surprise me with a Mother’s Day gift, which would be nice, I say bring it on, I’m all for it. After all, I’m not a difficult person to shop for. If you know my taste, that is.

I’m basically an accessories girl. Bracelets and earrings are big for me. I’ve already got a whole collection of chunky and unusual pieces acquired in my many moments of weakness. But don’t worry, there’s always room for more.

I love the randomness of colors and beads. Very classy!

Glass and gold is a combo to die for. Love the random combination of plain, solid, circles, sizes. Gorgeous!

Love the irregular shapes that make each side unique. Very different from your regular cut and dry, bearing in mind I’m notorious for wearing only 1 earring or a mismatched pair on purpose .

This is like a wall of colored stones and I can only swoon at how this would bring out a very simple little black dress.

Love the casual cascade.

Did I mention I’m also a sucker for handbags and shoes?

Ugly but cute. Love it!

Sweet and feminine, so unlike me! What do they say, opposites attract?

Swan wedges, how graceful!

Love how the colors and textures criss-cross. Awesome.

See, I’m really a very simple girl with very simple taste. Buy me something I don’t like and I’ll relegate it to the darkest corner of my closet never to see the light of day again. See why they’d rather take me out for dinner .

Have an amazing Mother’s Day! Are you doing anything special or expecting anything exciting? Pray tell .

Afternoon of coffee and spring fashion

Posted by Clairity 4 Responses »

May 022011

Imagine being totally in la-la-land about the annual fashion show hosted by our favorite shopping mall. Every year, it’s Steev who alerts us to this event since he’s a professional photographer with a vested interest in fashion shoots, weddings and everything photography.

But this year, with Steev away in Cali and the royal wedding and everything else, this event completely slipped our minds. Good thing we walked right into the full swing of things the minute we stepped off the escalator!

The French Connection’s Spring 2011 Collection

There’s a full line-up of fashion shows presented by the stores at the mall. I’m talking one fashion show every half hour. Awesome! We grabbed some coffee from Coffee Bean, found a vantage spot to park our butts and pretty much stayed the entire afternoon.

This year, Raine is our budding photographer. She was too shy to climb into the media box, where Steev would usually be, but from our spot right up near the top of the catwalk, she captured these pictures (not bad, huh?) Are you a fan of fashion shows like us?

By the way, maxi dresses are back in this spring/summer. I remember wearing them back in the day and I still find them very elegant! You can check out more designs of very pretty floral prints and plain maxi dresses on my shopping blog which I update with new designs and deals every day.