I was very young but my memories are still intact. Anxiously waiting for my mom to come home with the latest catalog so I could spend long hours looking at each page and dreaming to be wearing one of the many beautiful outfits showcased on those pages.
As I grew older I moved into magazines like Claudia and my all time favorite, Vanidades. Alwasys excited to stop by the magazine stands looking for the new issues. I had an enormous amount of self control to keep myself from looking inside the magazines I purchased. Taking the city bus was almost a punishment, it was a long ride home, so twice a month when the biweekly issues appeared on the stands, I would take a cab to get home faster.
Oh the excitment! Some times I would go straight to my room and immerse myself on those magazines, most of the time my mom would force me to have dinner and shower first. I must admit it was a better way to enjoy my magazines. As the saying goes, Mama knows best.
As a young woman working in a lawyer office I had the opportunity to dress up. I was limited in funds, but I always managed to find nice pieces with a great cut. Surprisingly my mom didn't create many outfits for me since she was always busy with her clients. But I discovered "the swapmeet on wheels", as we called the flea markets back in my town. My beloved parents used to go each Sunday morning to the fleamarket and one day they invited me and that's it... I was hooked. To this day I still love to shop in second hand stores, some of my best finds are big brand names found on those outings.
After I got married I became a housekeeper and a mother with little time to go out and be a fashionista. Still every time I got a chance I would do my best to dress up, with three young kids and a limited budget that was challenging. The perfect opportunity came in unexpected ways... Sunday Mass!! I finally found the perfect time to dress up and what a better way then dressing up for God.
Another perfect time to be a "Fashionista" is when I accompany my husband to his medical appointments at the VA Medical Center. I take great pride of my husband's Service to our Country, I try my best to honor not only him but all our Veterans. Those visits to the VA can be very stressful, so I do my best to keep those visits as light and cheerful as possible. One thing that inspires me to do so is the reaction I get from a lot of our Senior Veterans ( I call them my boyfriends lol ), they smile or nod to me complimenting my outfits. I am honor by their reactions.
I wore the outfit below on our most recent appoinment and later to Sunday Mass. A few days after I saw a similar version on Pinterest, which is a great source of inspiration to create new and fun outfits. Do you have a source of inspiration from other people? Do you have your own style? Or is it a mix of both? Let me know.
My Take... Dress: Nine West. Cardigan: New York and Company. Sandals: Tommy Hilfigher. Handbag: Coach.
The Inspiration.
Picture Source: Pinteres Jenifer Gordon
