Morgan's Fashion Musings

Howdy, ya’ll! I’m so excited to be officially joining the Scorching Style community as a contributor. Ana has featured me a in a couple of posts before and I’ve been acting as an editor and her personal sounding board for ideas. I thought I would start off by telling you a little bit about my style and my philosophy of fashion.

To begin with, I do not consider myself to be a “fashionista” because I am generally too broke to buy all of the labels that seem to be mandatory to call yourself that. I believe that everyday fashion must be attractive, comfortable and affordable. If you are a celebrity, a trophy wife or independently wealthy, they you can do whatever you want but I am none of those things so I have learned to do the best I can with what money I have and the shape that God gave.

My first mandate when shopping is that clothes must fit and must be comfortable. I don’t have a problem getting something tailored if I need to, but I rarely do that unless I am absolutely in love with the item. If I do have to get it tailored, it is usually because of my cantaloupe sized breasts, which I am usually stuffing into TWO bras to make sure they stay put.

I am not a skinny girl and I never have been, although I would kill an entire small town in West Texas to have my figure back from my freshman year of college. That was when I was a size 6 for the first time since 7^th grade thanks to the controversial drug Phen-Fen. I haven’t been able to use a size 6 for anything other than a scarf since because they outlawed my wonder-drug (is it really so bad that it makes your heart look like Swiss cheese?).

For that reason, I am typically confined to Target, Old Navy and plus sized stores like Torrid and Lane Bryant. I’ve only recently decided to give department stores like JCPenny a second chance since they have become more trendy, affordable and cater to all sizes. And as much as I love Nordstrom’s, I am reticent to go there after I tried shopping for a formal gown in a size 16-18 only to be told that I would need to “go to a big-gal’s store.” Now I stick to their shoe section because shoes always fit and I am still holding a grudge.

My second demand when I am shopping is that it be attractive and in-style. I subscribe to People StyleWatch and it has become my bible for what is currently on-trend. I also love that they cater to all sizes and budgets. But, I am a focused shopper. I don’t just wander around looking for whatever crosses my path. I keep a list of things I am looking for on my phone to remind me of what I really need instead of just flocking to the first shiny object that crosses my path. Currently, I am looking for the perfect pair of leopard print flats, a turquoise purse, a purple scarf, purple bejeweled flats, distressed cowboy boots and a camel colored cardigan.

 

My final criteria is that fashion must be affordable. Since I am putting myself through graduate school on a part-time salary, my budget is tighter than ever. I love luxury brands as much as the next girl, but I refuse to pay full-price for them. I purchased my $795 Manolo Blahnik’s (above) at the Neiman Marcus Last Call store on sale and with a coupon for $220 including tax. That is the single most expensive item in my entire wardrobe and I wore it with a $35 cotton LBD from Old Navy. I also bought a $250 pair of Pour la Victoire patent leather croc-embossed ankle booties (above) for just $33 with tax. That is how I roll.

I am rolling around a little more than usual lately because after three heartbreaking miscarriages, I am excited to announce that I am 17 weeks pregnant. I have been married for two and a half years to Silent Bob – nicknamed so because he is a man of very few words. My husband and I are super excited that we are having a little boy, but this means that some of my posts over the next months will be dealing with my quest to find affordable and attractive maternity fashions. And because I'm a makeup junkie, I'll also be sharing some of my favorite products and tips. I hope you will stick around because I am excited to meet all of you!