create an outer style that is a true reflection of me

in NYC wearing a flowing velveteen skirt and an underbust black leather back-laced steel-boned corset with nothing but a scarf underneath to cover my breasts. I felt totally comfortable going to Starbucks for breakfast, a deli for lunch, and walking to my hotel. It’s becoming more uncomfortable for me to wear “safe” boring clothing than to wear something beautiful and daring.

Clearly, I’m neither safe nor boring; I am beautiful and daring.

but you get the idea.

I bought my first backless dress in Miami Beach last weekend. It’s wine-colored, knee-length and completely backless. Then there are the chains that cross the back. So completely out of my usual style of dressing and I looked freaking fantastic. (Don’t have pics yet, sorry.) I also rocked a very tight ruched pink dress that weekend. Dresses are definitely my new favorite thing.

I also liked walking around in my nearly transparent yellow coverup with just a bathing suit bottom on underneath.

to work every day this week and even wore one on Monday, when I was off work. I think I’m becoming a dress girl. It makes me even more eager to get low-heeled, knee-length black boots.

Next month in NYC, as part of the program I’m in, there will be a huge clothing swap with professional hair & makeup artists and professional stylists. I am so excited! I plan to get rid of everything in my closet that doesn’t excite me, bring the really good stuff to Manhattan, and give the rest to thrift stores.

I have four printed dresses for work. The only prints I used to abide were stripes and the occasional polka-dotted retro piece. Printed dresses are their own accessories, which makes getting dressed easier, which is good for a lazy girl like me. A friend sent me a black wrap dress, too, so I’m well set with dresses. I’m still hunting for low-heeled, knee-length black boots.

I’ve started wearing dresses with tall boots to work and I feel and look great. Today, I’ve got on a dark blue dress with a white chain and medallion pattern and elbow sleeves and knee-high brown boots. Yesterday, I wore a black/brown/white wrap dress with stars on it, a black sweater, and a different pair of knee-high brown boots. So easy and so cute.

I want to get a pair of low-heeled knee-high black boots. Having those would make it easier to put together more dress outfits. I’m haunting ideeli dot com and other sales sites for a pair that look exactly right. It’ll be a bit of a splurge, but worth it.

I’ve been craving color. I bought two cotton tunics online. The one in the pic and a turquoise one in the same style. I also bought a bright blue dress for work. An online friend, who saw that I desired more wrap dresses, is sending me one.

One of the challenges in the Mastery course I’m taking is to get rid of every piece of clothing that doesn’t make you feel fantastic, even if you’re left with only two or three pieces. This would strip me of several basics that have gotten shabby and would probably push me into wearing more dresses. I resist that for fear of looking too dressy and feeling foolish about that. Isn’t that strange? Why would looking good be foolish?

I had a ton of stuff to pack for this weekend at Mr. Yes’s and out and about: snow clothes, running clothes, regular life stuff, coaching stuff. So instead of packing my clothes for tonight’s party, I wore them to work. Sleeveless black dress, tight black shrug sweater, black leggings, tall brown boots, and a long, multi-strand red bead necklace. My boss complimented me and I feel great. Why don’t I dress up for work all the time? I’m thinking a new subgoal here should be putting together one new outfit for work every week.

During my last coaching session, my PSI (personal spiritual interface – basically, my google translate for God) told me that I should go to a high-end store to experience a high level of service. He had previously suggested I get some wrap dresses and when I asked him how I should pay for them, told me to get only dresses that embraced me. Okay then, I will.

It may sound odd, but dressing myself beautifully makes sense. I have a strong hunch that I am here to bring beauty to people. If I want people to take a stand for beauty, I need to reflect beauty in the way I live, look, move, speak, etc. I talked to Mr. Yes about it and he stood me still by saying the EXACT thing my PSI said, “YOU need to know you’re beautiful.” (That man is plugged in.)

So, while Mr. Yes rode 42 miles up and down gnarly hills, I wandered through Nordstrom’s and other upscale boutiques. It turns out there are $1800 dresses with entirely unacceptable fabric quality and handiwork. I finally found three to try on. I hadn’t accounted for the way high-end stores resize things. I know I’m a size 6, but I had to have the salesclerk get me size 2s. Please. The last time I was a size 2, I was horribly sick and skinny. Anyway.

The dress I chose is a short burgundy jersey with long dolman sleeves and an interesting and subtle pattern. It fits like a dream and feels amazing. So did a beaded purple velvet dress, but when I asked my PSI which dress, I saw a picture of me wearing the burgundy one on a terrace overlooking the sea. I think of this dress as the touchstone dress, my stand for wearing high quality clothing that suits me perfectly. The dress is a bridge between the me I am now and the me who is sharing her gifts in a more open and courageous way, who truly takes a stand for beauty in everything she does. It’s a key as much as it is a dress.

I think I’ll wear it tonight, at home. I want to feel comfortable in it.

Today I’m wearing a very thin burgundy belt over my grey sweater, to pick up the color from my red heart self love necklace, and I really like the way it looks. I’ll have to check H&M and other inexpensive shops for belts.

I exchanged the hot pink dress for a smaller size and it was marked down to $15. I looked great in a size small, which was a nice boost. The fact that virtually any walking I do in my new neighborhood is a workout, thanks to the hills, is definitely changing my body shape.

I want some black low-heeled boots that I can wear with dresses that don’t look quite right with brown boots. I also want some wrap dresses and at least two new pair of work trousers, one in camel and one in a rich brown. Is it just me or are most of the clothes out there today made of really thin fabric? It seems like I used to be able to get nicer fabric at a reasonable price point and now there’s a big jump between the cheap stuff and high-end brands.