Christmastime Approacheth

     Well, here it comes again. Same as every year, but every bit as special. I am in a very lazy mood today, so here are some Christmas-like pieces for you to enjoy:

http://shopruche.com/a-glistening-occasion-holiday-dresses.html

In Italian Stores This Fall

     Here are a couple of pictures of the window displays that I've seen here in Italy during the past month:

 

 

 

More Euro-trends

     Just a few things that I've noticed in the weeks that I've been here (in addition to harem pants):

     -More piercings than at home, particularly on men (now, I am in the city, whereas at home
      I'm in the suburbs, so maybe there aren't more piercings in Europe)
     -Men, as well as women, wearing scarves as adornments
     -Men wearing capris
     -Older women dressing as if they're much younger
     -Micro-mini skirts (and lots of them) on women who are no longer in school
     -Shorts with tights and/or good shoes
     -Lots of leopard print

Style Search.... Spotting... Whatever... Day 1

     Hello, all! I am currently in Rome, Italy, where I will be spending most of my time for the next two and one-half months.
     I have heard the fashion of the Roman women praised to the skies, but I've yet to see anything truly praiseworthy. Of course, I just got here, so I need to be patient. I will tell you, however, that harem pants must be in vogue somewhere in Europe. I have never seen them worn in the states (save MAYBE once), but I have seen three different women wearing them in just one day of being here. I can't say that I particularly like them, though. At least not the ones I've seen...
     I have also heard that the Italians don't wear color. Granted, there are so many tourists in Rome that it's hard to pick out the Romans, but I have seen many different colors; just nothing really, really bright.
     More updates coming later.

The End of August Groweth Near...

     I have never been very fond of summer, which is why I am always made happy by the knowledge that August is almost over. No more August = presence of September and October, my favorite months. The time is coming when you can once more break out the boots, the plaid, the sweaters, the berets, and the dark colors with no shame whatsoever.

     Luckily for me, knee-high boots seem to be in this fall, as part of a military-inspired look that has been spotted on the runways. More on this fall's trends later, after I've finished researching them. I don't want to be giving y'all false information. :-)

Ladies of Heorot and Beyond by elavria


 

Fancy Bath Review

     Well, I did it. I basically turned my bathtub into a soup pot this.... Well, a few weeks ago. It's strange, the way summer works. Plenty of time to do everything, but no motivation to do anything. At any rate, here is the review:

     I used about 1-3 tsp of extra virgin olive oil, 1 tsp of ordinary table salt, 1/2 cup of milk, 1/2 sliced orange, two large sprigs of rosemary (straight from that huge bush in the yard), and two bags of chamomile tea (containing nothing but chamomile flowers). I put all this into the tub as it filled with hot water, and soaked for about 30 min. I must say that it both felt and smelled amazing. After maybe 10 minutes, my sore spine felt wonderful.
     A word of caution: it is not without reason that the ancient Greeks used wooden scrapers as part of their bathing ritual. After sitting in olive oil and milk (albeit very much watered down), your skin gets coated with the stuff. I strongly recommend using a body scrub after bathing. This will help get all the residue off your skin as well as cleaning it. Also be warned that if your hair gets into the tub, it will be more greasy than otherwise, but only until the next time you wash it.

     Next up, I will be rejoicing in the relative proximity of fall. Hip, hip, hurrah!

Spa Day

     Hello, all!
     So I've been goofing off on Pinterest lately, and saw something that caught my eye-- homemade bubble bath recipe. I've heard about stuff like milk baths for a long time, but only from movies and computer games and such. (Such as one game my dad played that took place in the Roman Empire.) As a kid, I thought that bathing in food sounded utterly gross, but I am pretty determined to take a fancy frou-frou bath tomorrow, just for fun.
     The list of things people recommend bathing in is both long and interesting: everything from olive oil to sugar to rosemary tea. I'm thinking of doing milk, olive oil, and orange tomorrow. With any luck, it'll work and be very relaxing.
     In the winter months, I might suggest to my sister an oatmeal bath. People say that oatmeal baths are great for dry, itchy skin, and dry skin is something that that runs in the family.
     Here are some links to recipes for bath mixes that you can make yourself. If you know of any really good ones yourselves, I'd be very interested to hear about them!

Super-Mom Moments

Live Strong

The Soap Cafe

Real Simple

Cleopatra Milk Bath #2   ---- Be patient with this one. The English isn't perfect. :)

Beachy Accessories

     So, today I finally share with you some beachy accessories. And we have:

 

Dress-style cover-ups

Cover-up pants



Talk about beach appropriate!

I wish I had this one. It's SO pretty!

A cute way to stay in the shade!

Nautical tote

I saw a very similar beach towel at an
Egyptian store in the mall. Very cool.

This towel is for all my friends
who are Whovians. :)

And last, but not least,
some cool flip-flops.

"Cool" means here "not the normal and boring ones
you usually see."

     Hope these accessories inspire you to explore the fashionable side of summer!

Twenties' Rose Garden

     Latest set on Polyvore --

Twenties' Rose Garden by elavria

Summer Morning

     Hello, everybody! While I'm still gathering stuff for my post on beach accessories, here's one of my polyvore posts (using another's template).

Summer Morning

     Until next time!

Freestyle Laps

     Here are the rest of the sites I told you about...

http://www.aquaswimsuits.com/

http://www.swimsuitsforall.com/ --- This is a normal site, not one that specifically sells modest clothing, but there are plenty of one-piece swimsuits here. I like this one in particular  Longitude® Blue Tropiciana Cross Back Swimsuit.

http://reyswimwear.com/index2.php --- This site has vintage-style one-piece suits.

http://www.divinitasole.com/ --- This site has some REALLY cute modest tankinis, but a word of warning: a lot of these are halters. I've never worn a halter, but I would be concerned about the tie staying tied, so just be mindful of that. They also have some pretty swim skirts.

http://hydrochic.com/modest-swimsuits/modest-swim-skirts-14942.html

http://hydrochic.com/modest-swimsuits/black-modest-swim-skirts-13-13629.html

http://hydrochic.com/modest-swimsuits/modest-swimwear-long-black-swim-skirt-19-13624.html

http://hydrochic.com/modest-swimsuits/modest-swimwear-long-brown-swim-skirt-6-11923.html

This hydrochic place has longer (that is, non-mini) swim skirts. I like the brown one the best.

http://www.swimmodest.com/index.lasso --- This is a family-owned company that I've known about for a long time. The suits are one-pieces that cover the shoulders and most of the thighs, with an attached skirt for interest.

Swimming Upstream

     Summer vacation! I kicked off my summer vacation this year at the Outer Banks. Beach means swimming, playing in the sand, and. . . hunting for a cute and modest bathing suit. As we all know, this last one is the hardest. It feels like 90% of the bathing suits out there are-- well-- less modest than everyday underwear. That seems kind of, well, strange to me. While it's a bit extreme to wear capris and t-shirts to swim, I also think bikinis are extreme. (Especially since everybody says that they have a tendency to not stay put.)
     With some hunting and/or creativity, there are ways in which one can be cute and covered at the beach or pool.
     Happily, there are large number of tankini options. The tops are long enough to cover, and perhaps long enough to tuck in (or to be sewn to the bottom). A lot of them are pretty, but a word of warning: I have only worn one tankini, and although it was long enough for me to tuck in, it did not stay tucked for very long. Once I got into the water and started moving around, my tankini top started moving, too. Very annoying. Perhaps some are made to be tighter at the hem, though.
     One solution to the problem of modesty by the waterside is the well-known "Modest Swimsuit." Most of these cover the shoulders and all or most of the thigh. The problem with these is that nearly all of them look like unfashionable clothes. They are highly unflattering, and made of fabrics that are not fun to look at. In my hunting, however, I did manage to find some that were pretty, and I'll share these with y'all.
     My solution (that is, the one I use) is to wear a one-piece suit with swim shorts. I like skirts, but I haven't one. I chose this option because it is honestly the easiest fix. A modest one-piece will cover your top and midriff, and the shorts or skirt will ensure that you're covered below. Even though your average one-piece bathing suit willl automatically make one way more modest than most women at the beach, I personally feel uncomfortable showing that much leg. Besides, no one likes it when leg bands ride up. Wearing either swim shorts or a swim skirt will also get rid of "hideous thigh" worries, as they cover the highest and biggest part of one's thigh.


     Now for some of the results of my arduous results:

http://stitchintimes.com/swimsuits/womens_suits.htm  --- This company's suits all come with shorts, it seems. Here are some of their suits:

http://modestlyyoursswimwear.com/gallery.html --- There are some pretty ones here, but for some strange reason it looks like the suits do not have built in bras. You have to order bra inserts separately from the suit. Maybe they expect you to wear a regular bra underneath...

     I think I'll stop here for now. I have more sites and more pictures, but I don't want to dump them all on you at once. Now get out there and enjoy the summer!

Discovered Polyvore

     Elen sila lumen omentielvo*, all! Just the other day, I discovered something fun called Polyvore.
Naturally, I decided to play with it in a manner that is very true to my inner Elf. Enjoy!

The Mrs. Legolas by Elavria on Polyvore

    

     * JRR Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

     Coming soon. . . Beach post on swimsuits!

Long Time, No Post

Yours truly at this year's Spring Formal

     Greetings, all! I just realized that I haven't posted in, well, forever. As I am supposed to be doing urgent homework and such, I must keep this brief.
     I'm sure you have all heard of Pinterest. I have joined the site, and if you have joined it as well, do look for "Purely Stylish." I haven't as many pins as I should like, but it's getting there. (Just remember that my pinning a thing does not mean I approve of it in its entirety. A lot of pictures I repin are ones that I like only parts of, or the general idea of. I might end up liking a picture of Ariel from The Little Mermaid, for instance, but that doesn't mean I advocate dressing like her. :-) )
     Happy hunting, and I hope to write to you all again with a post on Modest Formalwear! ... Or something.

New Year, New Closet

     Happy New Year, folks!
     Now that the holiday and solemnity is over, the parties are over, the resolutions made and possibly broken, it's time for some cleaning. Some people love cleaning out their closets (after all, if you get rid of some clothes, you have to replace them with new ones, right?), and some people hate doing it, but it has to be done.
     Here are some things to keep in mind when going through your wardrobe:

1. Is anything here beyond repair? This sounds like a silly question, but a number of people own and wear clothes that are way past their prime. If you want to relegate these to the "gardening-or-around-the-house" pile, that's fine. If not, you need to get rid of them.
2. Do my clothes fit? Even if you are over eighteen and have finished growing, you may still find clothes in your closet that don't fit. Just this past fall, I found two things in my closet that were too small for me. If clothes are too big, get rid of them, too. Let's not forget this scenario: "I'll fix it. It fits fine here, but it's too big there." How long have you been meaning to adjust it? Probably too long. Get that done! If you have gained weight and no longer fit into some things that you want to wear, then you might keep them--- if you really think that you will fit into them again.
3. Is there anything I don't wear? If so, why? If you don't like it, get rid of it. If it needs mending, get it mended. Either make it wearable, or make it disappear.
4. Is anything significantly outdated? I am a great believer in the wearing of old-fashioned styles... IF they are worn tastefully and in the right setting. This is a topic that I have a lot to say on, but I will be brief. If a skirt, dress, or blouse screams 80's or 90's, you should probably get rid of it.
5. Do my clothes look good on me? This one is complicated and different for each person. Basically, try on something and look at yourself in a full-length mirror. If the cut "makes you look fat," or if the color/print looks awful on you, it is not for you.
6. "I can't afford to just throw stuff out and go shopping." This I sympathize with. In this instance, you have to be creative. You might try selling your old clothes; it can't hurt to try. You could also look into getting them altered. Another idea is to rearrange pieces so that the faults are hidden. A great way to do this is with accessories. At any rate, get rid of the worst things in your closet, and get one or two new things. Do things in small, affordable increments.
7. Is it decent? Sometimes people decide that they just don't feel comfortable wearing a given article of clothing. Perhaps it's too tight, too revealing, draws too much attention to the body, etc. There are various ways to fix this. If it's too small, give it away. Too revealing? Try wearing it with another item. For instance, a strapless dress can be worn with a shrug, and a sheer top can be worn over an opaque one.

     I think I've hit all the important areas, but let me know if I've left something out. Happy New Year, and good luck with your cleaning!