It's Almost July... and I am STILL Swimsuit-less

Juicy Couture swimdress...the one piece option and the favorite from last time I was pondering swimsuits.  IMPORTANT: I will in no way resemble Megan Fox.  But the ruching of the fabric could hide any tummy imperfections.  

Photo Credit - Ebay Seller: Northernarnia ... a cute Juicy Couture tankini option.  Vertical lines on the seersucker part could be slimming, right?  I find this one charming, but I keep thinking my buddha belly will be exposed in this one, thereby negating any possible slimming or cute looking efforts.  

Juicy Couture Bandini bikini - another 2 piece option yet bordering slightly on the maternity look.  Possibly could be mistaken for 5 months pregnant with 2nd baby.  Hmm.  Risky. 

I am what you call a procrastinator.  Case in point is I still -- STILL -- don't have a suit for the beach yet.  & I have waxed poetic on this topic for a few blogs now.  I am in no way "beach body ready" and definitely need a suit that is cute, young, and keeps me somewhat modest.  

Well, as my lovely hubby said when he asked me to marry him on a pier in Myrtle Beach, SC....It's time to fish or cut bait!  I need to choose one and get on with my beach loving life!

Why is it so hard??

The Tracy Anderson Method?

You may have see her on Oprah. You may have just seen her in a tabloid, walking with Gwyneth Paltrow or Madonna.  If you have not, below, dear reader, is Tracy Anderson.  Many, many Good and many, many bad things have been written about her, her business, and her "method" to get a woman of any size into a "teeny, tiny dancer type."  Or her claim to make you a size 2.  & I am your typical sheep so I bought into the hype and am the owner of this workout dvd:

I ordered this on Amazon a few weeks ago hearing good things about her method working. Really, I just wanted to see what the hype was about and could she help fix me.  & although this dvd says it's for "Post-Pregnancy," it would probably work on anyone.  Seriously!  This workout is not easy.  It is heavy on ab work and then moves into arms (with 3 lb weights) and then a little bit of leg work.  She is not great at cueing you into the next move.  But she is direct in making sure you do exactly what she wants you to.  I felt like I was with a one-on-one trainer with the direction that was given.  It's definitely not your usual workout dvd and I would venture to say this is one of the best I've done in a while.  

I totally need someone to show me the light.  I'm tired of the buddha belly and I want to get back into shape.  I'm hoping the "method" will get me there.  

Daring Dresses... Part II

I'm a busy girl.  Besides the whole swimsuit dilemma, I've still got a chip on my shoulder trying to find some dress options to jazz up my otherwise mono-label closet that houses probably 99.9% Crew.  I drank the crew-lade, as it were.  My saving grace is that I recognize my situation and am aiming to correct it with some new and daring-to-me dress options.  All are courtesy of eBay that I have either won or am presently stalking. 

[Robert Rodriguez silk shift, photo courtesy of seller: dberlogar]

[Laundry by Design silk shift, photo courtesy of seller: designer.express]

[Paper Bag Waist Shift dress by Mad Style Clothing, photo courtesy of seller: eden247]

[Marc by Marc Jacobs Electric Fuscia Dress, photo courtesy of seller: onepinkmarket]

I (obviously) gravitate towards a shift silhouette because they're flattering on me, can be dressed up or down, day or night, flats or heels, cinched with a belt or worn loose, etc.  They are definitely outside of my comfort zone.  But I want to try new things!  I'm tired of being bogged down by the same old same old.  The Crew is the bomb for work.  It is my go-to, no fail work dress formula.  But outside of that, when I want a casual day, I want to reach for something a little more creative!  Something different.  So I'll continue to stalk these until I can figure out if I'm going to fish or cut bait.  Right now, they're so much fun to look at. 

Suiting Choices

[Juicy Couture Swim Dress in Black]

Alright, so I'm checking out this suit by Juicy Couture.  It's listed on eBay at the moment in black for a rather reasonable sum, and also on Neiman Marcus in a pinkish hue for Rumplestiltskin's ransom for a first-born child.  Not a tough choice to make on where I'll probably buy.  Megan Fox from Transformers was photographed wearing the suit in the July issue of British GQ.  

[Not fair.]

Jemma, girl, you were right.  The one piece can look sexy and totally not grandma-esque.  

Mono a Mono

I find myself in a pickle, if you will, and this isn't the first time. Here it is. Summer. Again. A lovely time of year. Except for the dreaded swimsuit situation. In my case, I was blessed with a darling little boy five years ago.  & the baby pooch never went away.  I mean, it partially went away.  But never fully.  Well, I take it back.  A few years ago I lost a lot of weight and it went away for a little while.  But my baby pooch, like the Terminator, is baaaaaack.  & here in lies my dilemma.  

I am in dire situations.  Situation No. 1 finds that in no way am I ready to shed the tank top or beach cover-up if I'm wearing a bikini., which precludes me from actually having fun in the water.  Situation No. 2 finds that if I wear the tank or cami in the water, I look like a washed up slob, because we all know what wet cotton clothes look like in the water.  Oh.  Also.  Tankinis don't work for me.  The issue with the tankini, like the wet cotton tank worn as a faux-tankini, is that it doesn't fully cover the buddha belly.  & I still want to look young and fun. 

Now I'm a resourceful type of gal, and I am trying to be positive about said situations above in the following ways: 

1) Telling myself that one pieces are not dowdy.  Over and over and over again.  & that there are some cute ones out there.  

2) Convincing myself that the 1950's high-waisted 2 piece bikini look is saucy and flirty and fun.  Yup.  I just told myself this again in my head.  It must be true!

3) A wet tank is not so bad. 

So, lovely reader, here is where I take the plunge.  Should I explore the obvious 4th option?  The monokini???  They seem sort of cute.  Kinda neat.  Not sure what to do.  But anything has to be better than a dank, washed up cotton tank top.  

So excited for my latest and greatest.

The Georgi shoe. Oh how I love love love!!

Georgi by nojcrewinjapan featuring J Crew

The lovely jersey dress....

dressy jersey dress by nojcrewinjapan featuring J Crew

& finally, the Christobel.

Christobel by nojcrewinjapan featuring Superfine

My Closet (& My Wallet!!!) is Thanking Me.

I've really got to thank all the incredibly smart JCAs out there.  I used the good 'ole "Check how many are left in stock" trick I learned by reading Joyce's blog here.  Decisions were made by seeing how many items were left in stock in my size and color choices and --- Goodness Me! There were only 1 pair of Georgi heels and the Cristobel dress left.  I can't even tell you how many pairs of shoes I've lost in my quest to get them on sale.  No more!  It ended today!  $99.99 for a cute black shoe (note: I never said "comfortable") is unregrettable.  The other item?  The dressy jersey twist-strap dress?  In black?  A no brainer in my book.  I am in love with simple styles like this.  Beach and sandals.  Or strappy heels -- like my red/orange suede J.Crew Twyla pair, maybe -- makes this simple dress a deal and a half.  There probably were more than 1 of these left.  But I loved it more than enough to need logical decisions to buy it.  

item: Dressy jersey twist-strap dress item #: 14994
item: Superfine cotton Cristobel dress item #: 12139
item: Georgi high heels with tassels item #: 12346