When:

Saturday, August 15th

Where:

Baby Shower in my hometown for my best friend. Never did I think I would see the day when I was going to a baby shower for my best friend. I mean we became friends in Kindergarten, so it’s not like at the age of 5 I was really thinking about those things. Heck, at the age of 25 I wasn’t thinking about those things! Alas my beautiful, amazing friend has gone and become a mother and nothing makes me happier to see the happiness that tiny little baby and his daddy bring my best friend. Mason was actually born a few weeks ago prematurely and is in the NICU, but doing great. He has already gained over a pound and is almost up to the number of bottle feedings he needs before his mommy and daddy can bring him home.  Needless to say, we are all anxiously awaiting his arrival home so we can love on him!

What:

Top and Skirt – F21 

Sandals – Target

Belt – J.Crew

You would never guess one of the three of us had a baby two weeks ago huh?! Especially that skinny hot mama on the right!

When:

Day 30 of the 30 for 30 Challenge (Monday, August 9th)

Where:

Work. How did we get from day 14 to 30 you might ask? Well, I am a quitter, no not a twitter, a quitter. There, I said it, I QUIT! No need to write it on a dry erase board, I threw in the towel and this is the last outfit in my ‘challenge.’ Either I found it way too challenging or I didn’t think about not including almost all dry clean only items. It’s hard to remix items when the dry cleaner is holding your clothes hostage! Quite honestly, while I know I could have kept going, things in my life are a little crazy right now and I was just getting plain bored. What can I say, I have ADD!

What:

Skirt – Thrifted via Etsy

Blouse – J.Crew

Belt and Necklace – F21

Jacket – GAP

Wedges – Target

 

Shop PinQue’s Closet

 

Today’s feature item is, you guessed it, the pink BCBG dress I wore to the Sex and the City premiere! Rather than auction this one off through e-bay, I ask that you submit your bid in the comments section below. Be sure to check and see the previous bid prior to bidding. This fabulous dress retails for $98 and was worn once and dry cleaned. Size is XS, but it is a jersey knit/spandex mix and has some stretch to it. I love the dress, just don’t think I will wear it again! Bidding starts at $30 and shipping is a flat $5. Auction ends Monday at 9 AM EST, let the bidding begin. As always, 10% of the proceeds will benefit Dress For Success!

Remember those great Zebra print L.A.M.B. heels are also up for grabs here.

When:

Day 14 of the 30 for 30 Challenge (Tuesday, August 3rd)

Where:

Work after being off for a week! Wouldn’t it be great to be 14 again? Not a care in the world. Ok, maybe a lot of cares, but those all seem much less important now! Best of all, your parents paid for everything for you and the thought of bills never crossed your mind. Luckily, I haven’t shopped in OVER 30 days (since this whole challenge is taking me more like 60 days!) so I have saved lots of dollar bills. Well, unless you count those daily trips to Starbucks that I use to console myself because I am not shopping. You win some, you lose some, you spend a fortune on coffee each week, but who’s counting?

Speaking of money, I am working on raising some! I’m starting a new little feature on the blog called “Shop PinQue’s Closet” where I will auction off a gently worn item from my closet each day (some never worn at all)! At the end of the month, 10% of the proceeds will go to Dress for Success and the additional money goes towards helping me to start my own business! Yup, you heard (or read?) right. At the urge of a lot of friends and family, I am developing my own personal styling/personal shopping/wardrobe consulting business. Want to be my first ‘client’?

What:

Cardigan – LOFT

Pants – The Limited

Heels – Paris Hilton from heels.com 

Blouse – F21

Sunnies – Target

 

Shop PinQue’s Closet Item of the Day

 

Zebra Print L.A.M.B. Dawna Heel

Auction Expires Saturday, August 14th

Click through for e-bay listing.

Operation Beautiful is a movement started by blogger and new Queen City friend Caitlin to encourage women to build each other and promote positive body image. Her book, duly titled Operation Beautiful, was released this week and has already climbed to one of the top 10 bestsellers in self-improvement! Have you ever walked into a restroom, gym, or anywhere for that matter and seen a post it note like this one?

I posted this one last summer in the restroom of my office hoping that someone who needed it would find it and spread the message. I never knew if anyone found it, but I have to say it made me feel good knowing I might have had a positive impact on someone’s day. This is the idea behind Operation Beautiful. The movement is uplifting, powerful and can honestly change the way you see yourself. In honor of Caitlin’s book release and fantastic appearance on the Today Show this week, I thought I would share my ‘Operation Beautiful’ story:

That girl you see taking photos of her outfits each day and posting them here for all the world to see has not always been so brave nor confident. Matter of fact, she used to be incredibly reserved and didn’t have the guts to wear some of the things you see her sporting here today. It’s no secret I am short. I have always been short and it has taken me a long time to embrace my petite stature. Growing up in dance, it was never easy to be so short and what I felt was ‘fat.’ All the other girls in dance always seemed taller than me, prettier than me, and downright skinnier than me. Don’t get me wrong I LOVED being in dance and still have a strong love of the ‘sport’,’ but being around these girls was hard.

Needless to say, wearing a leotard and tights didn’t help matters. I knew I could never make myself taller so I worked very hard to be thinner, because one pound on my petite frame looked like ten. I still remember going to the mall with my friends and buying diet pills to share at the lunch table (SORRY MOM!). Then I would go to hours of cheerleading, dance and track practices with little to no energy in my body. It’s amazing the effects of peer pressure and now when I think what I was doing to my body, it makes me sick.

(I’m on the right)

After high school, the pressure of dance was gone, so weight matters quit consuming my life. I put myself face first into the college ways, studying the days away and partying my nights away. I gained more than the Freshman 15 and never looked back. It wasn’t even that I was eating ‘that’ bad (I lived on veggie subs and salads), but the alcohol and lack of activity compared to before helped me pack on the pounds quick. I still worked out, but not nearly at the level of my previous life. I certainly didn’t feel good about myself nor did I really care.

(that’s me on the left)

After college, the added weight began to fall off but my self conscience had suffered from the way I had treated my body. I went to grad school, got engaged and began planning my wedding and writing my thesis. I found time each day to work out and found that my workouts were my stress relief and my time to focus inward. It wasn’t about the weight anymore, it was about making myself feel better. This is when my change started. I began to see myself as a person rather than a number in a pair of pants or on a scale.

Right before moving to Charlotte I discovered Kath’s blog and began to realize all the artificial, processed food I was putting in my body was anything but healthy. I started running again, found yoga and zumba as an outlet for my love of dance and actually GAINED 10 lbs. since moving to the Queen City and starting this blog. I have found I don’t care about that number on the scale or a tag anymore and wear what makes me look and FEEL GOOD. I learned to accept my muscular legs and my short stature and learned what looks good on my body and now I wear it with confidence. It took me a long time to get to where I am today, accepting my body the way it is and expressing my personal style no matter what people or a number might tell me. When you get dressed in the morning, put on a fabulous outfit that makes you feel good and go out there and strut your stuff and quit looking at the numbers. You can be a 2 or a 20, but if feel good about yourself, you look good and that is the best feeling of all!

 

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

 

When:

Day Thirteen of the 30 for 30 Challenge (Saturday, July 31st)

Where:

Lunch with some of my high school besties at our fave hometown haunt, hanging out with my parents, going out with those high school besties until 3 AM. Apparently sleeping in my old bedroom and going out in my hometown made me feel 18 again! Walking into the bar I felt like Reese Witherspoon in Sweet Home Alabama. Although I’m pretty sure there were no babies in the bar, just my ex-boyfriend’s baby’s momma and a million people I grew up with that never left my hometown.

What:

LAST ITEM – 30. Blue/White Striped Shirt – F21

Jean Leggings – Levi’s c/o Langston’s

Wedges – Cynthia Vincent for Target

Earrings – F21