Merry Christmas...You're Someone Special!

Merry Christmas!  Christmas is a time to remember the greatest gift ever given:  Jesus. He was given to us in the most fragile form, a baby.  Helpless. Small. Weak.

Christmas is celebrated because it represents the birth of Jesus and even more so what His life would mean for all who believe in Him:  More forgiveness, mercy and grace than any of us deserve; a love that is unfaltering and knows no end; and a life after death here on Earth!  This is what Christmas represents to me and what I celebrate! 

Yes, Christmas is a time of celebration but for myself and many people I know, Christmas can also be quite sad.  Perhaps the sadenss is do to the breakdown of a relationship, or maybe it's the loss of a job, maybe it's fewer place settings at dinner because loved ones have passed on.  I say to you my friends who are feeling helpless, small, and weak . . . You are special!!! You are loved! You are missed by someone!   Where you are now, is Temporary!!! 

As I've been reminded lately, every rough period we go through has lessons to teach us and one of those is how to appreciate the good!  Not only will you learn to appreciate what you do have but you will also be able to help someone else through his or her tough times! 

There were many times in 2010 that I thought I would not be able to get through this or that, it was all just too much, more than I could possibly live through.  But I did live through it. I am still standing!  And now looking back at this year, I have realized that even when things were at their darkest.... I was experiencing, I was learning, I was perservering, I was serving a greater purpose yet to come!!!   The more people I listen tell their stories, try to encourage, even just smile at, that greater purpose becomes more and more clear to me!   

If you're thinking to yourself, "She is all mushy because it's Christmas and she had a good day" well, yeah of course!!! But I challenge to you begin paying attention to when someone says to you "I miss you"!  It's the one phrase that has put things into perspective for me.  Perhaps it will do the same for you.  For me "I miss you" means that in some way, shape, or form I have touched someone's life and he/she was better for having met me.  Nice thought isn't it!?  Now you try...Pay Attention...And when you hear it, File it away for safe keeping! 

Christmas means so many different things to so many different people.  To some people it means spending Christmas with Someone Special, usually a significant other.  But what if that role if vacant?  You can still spend Christmas with "Someone Special" . . .YOU!!!!!!!   I spent my Christmas with "Someone Special"....me.  I wasn't wrapped up in someone else, wondering if he was happy, did he like his gift, was he mad at me for something, was he ready to leave, and many other things that I have worried about in the past!  It was a day appreciating everything I do have and not being sad over what I don't have.  I believe that's called  . . . Peace.

Only through the meaning of Christmas...could the helpless, small, and weak become a great gift to mankind.  No One can ruin Christmas. 

With love,
--IF

Question from an It's Fitting reader: Jeans tucked into boots for Petite/Curvy women

Styling tips for petite women who are curvy or pear shaped with a full bust.  Can this shape wear straight leg jeans tucked in boots?  (that seems like going against what petite women are taught to wear but I'd love to wear that latest fashion) 
It's Fitting advice:   First off, yes Petite women curvy or pear-shaped can wear jeans tucked into boots and look great in this look!  The key is about proportions!  My suggestion would be to wear dark Skinny Jeans (these are not jeans that fit you when you are "skinny" but rather jeans that have very narrow or "skinny" legs!).  I would also suggest a blouse that is cut close to the body so that it outlines the body but is not so fiited so that it clings to it. My favorite shirt for this look is a silk shirt with somewhat of a boxy cut. It fits close to the body in the bust but then is a straight line to the hip.  No one wants to look like an ice cream cone and this is the look you will get if you are not careful:  rounded hips with skinny legs into boots = an ice cream cone (on the lower half of the body).

It's possible to tuck in a pair of jeans with a Straight Leg but you will have more material and will most likely have to take the extra fabric by your ankle, fold it over, hold it tight while you put your foot in your boot and hope that it doesn't bunch up! 

As far as boots go, if you're planning to tuck jeans into boots . . .you will want to make sure the boots have room for the jeans.  If you  have a pair of fitted boots with zippers up the inside, jeans will probably not fit inside these boots!!!  Leggings should work with this type boot but jeans will be better tucked into boots with a looser fit.  You can find boots, both in heels and flats, with enough room for jeans.  I have a pair of nearly flat boots with a slight wedge heel that I wear with my jeans tucked in. On my pair of boots, the shaft (part that covers your shin/calf) has a leather strap that buckles so that the boot shaft can be made tighter if desired.

Hope this advice helps . . .bottom line...You petite and cury girls CAN do jeans tucked into boots, just bear in mind the Whole look!!!  Happy hunting!

--IF

Nice, Neat Nails

Never underestimate the power that well kept nails possess!  I learned from my friend Mandy how nice well-shaped nails with clear polish look.  They will be the finishing touch to any look you may be wearing.

Guys you will want to skip the polish but clean, well groomed nails will impress not only the ladies but also business colleagues.  Nails should be trimmed with clippers and filed. NOT bitten off with teeth!  Ick!

Don't forget to clean underneath the nails, push back the cuticles, and trim any hang nails or other unsightly bits of skin around the nails.

Layer, layer, layer . . .

One of the best ways to keep warm in freezing (or below) temperatures is to layer, layer, layer!!!  You will want to use thin multiple layers this way if you're in a building with the heat turned up hot enough to melt a snowman, you can peel off the layers until you're comfortable! 

A great resource for how to layer clothing is the J. Crew catalog or check out the company's website at http://www.jcrew.com/  Get ideas from J. Crew and shop your own closet. I love the way J. Crew's stylists mix patterns and textures.  Try it yourself, you might just like it!  A shirt, sweater, even a dress may just take on a whole new life when you wear it or layer it in a different way.  You may just find you've had a "favorite" tucked in your closet all along . . .I know I have found several! 

An It's Fitting tip . . .buy at least one pair of jeans and pants large enough so that you can wear a pair of leggings or thermal underwear, under there!  Ahhhh....all nice and toasty! 

Stay warm and keep the hot cocoa coming . . .

--IF

And so it begins....It's (only) Fitting!

After my long love affair with fashion and more importantly, style...so begins my blog and business in fashion consulting.....scratch that....Style Consulting!   :)  I will pass on to you my loyal friends everything I've learned in life thus far!  Not only will "It's Fitting" be my forum to offer advice on style, getting ready short-cuts, and etiquette but also some lessons learned from life, the hard way, through . . .gasp . . .Experience!!!  LOL

I hope you enjoy what I have to say, if, for nothing else Humor but perhaps you will pick up tid bits here and there for future reference. . . It's Fitting afterall! 

--Tracey