Is Zero the New Four?

"Could I have a double blended, venti, javachip with chocolate sauce on the bottom? Could you make sure there're no ice chips in there? So it's nice and smooth? Like, really make sure? Thanks."

That barista saved my life, but not really. 

I had a bad day, so it was either a java chip or a trip to Five Guys. In light of my impending all-nighter, I figured  coffee was the wiser choice of the two. And really, I'd just had a sad and shocking realization that I'd become a victim of discrimination. AGAIN! 

Ah-HA! Not what you're thinking...but If you guessed size discrimination, you're right on point. The woes of the tiny. 

And you may ask yourself, how is being SMALL a PROBLEM? It is, and has been for quite some time. The woes of the small are exacerbated by the needs of the other end of the spectrum. Now don't get me wrong, I'm related to individuals that are not size 00, or even 6. I still love them. However, my plight persists every time my mom and I go shopping. I still shop in the children's section, where 14-16 is sometimes still a little wide.

And every time I go to a fitting for fashion shows, or visits to the tailor I am faced with the persistent problem of being small. I went to a fitting for a bridal fashion show, only to figure out that their sample sizes run from 6-10. HOW DOES THAT EVEN WORK? WHAT KIND OF OFF-KILTER UNIVERSE IS THIS?

On top of that, most clothes off the rack don't fit me straight off the rack. So most of my clothes are fitted to my body specifically. Shopping with me is always an entire day venture where most would only take a few hours. Exhausting. Either the waist of pants are too wide, the inseam too long, the legs too short, sleeves too short and a host of other issues. ISSUES! 

APPARENTLY I'm so small my size doesn't even exist in adult sizes? And if it does it's likely made on the other side of the pond.


Additionally, a "natural beauty is real beauty" modeling agency I was looking at the other day accepts models that are SIZE 6 OR LARGER?!

I'm naturally this small. So is my grandma, even after giving birth to my dad and his four siblings.

One of my favorite clothing stores is White House Black Market. At 5 years old, I visited the first store in the Baltimore Harbor (after visiting the dolphins and sharks at the aquarium), and forever after then I knew I would shop there.

Fast-forward 2008, preparing for college, I knew needed an entire new wardrobe. Well, not just for vanity, but 12 years of uniform rendered me with plenty of knee socks and plaid skirts and naught else.So Mom and I bought my clothes in sizes 00, 0 and 2, depending on what needed to fit in what way.

THEN BAM! Fast forward to this past fall, mom and I went shopping in the same store and the 00's FIT LIKE 4's!

BLASPHEMY!

And I'm not crazy, Nigel in The Devil Wears Prada tells Andy: "No one eats around here since 2 become the new 6"

I'm not crazy, it's NOT ok that I have to be subjected to EVERYONE ELSE enjoying fast food while I work out every day. I haven't grown wider since high school, only taller...so what, what, what, what, what, what, what, what, what,what, what, what, what, what.

Is going on!?

It's REALLY FRUSTRATING!!!!!!!!!!

Even childrens' sizes are on the larger end! WHAT IS GOING ON AMURICA!?!?!?!

Ok, I feel a little better. I just had to get that off my chest. Can someone have a Givenchy/Ferragamo-Audrey Hepburn relationship with me so I can bypass all of these PROBLEMS IN MY LIFE and just have my clothes made for me?! Who's in?

*sigh*

Till soon, a very dejected,

SouFa <3

THINGS I LOVE: Chandeliers!

Yum. If it weren't for fire regulations, I'd have one in my dorm room...oh but wait I did last year... Here's a pic of one from the President's Palace in Panama City, Panama. Man, I miss that place!

 

AND let's not forget the one in my dorm last year:

And it passed fire-safety inspection. Oh Yes.

Wedding Dress, Reincarnated

Ever thought "OMG, what would one do with a gorgeous wedding dress if you only wore it once?" Well I have, and I'd probably wear mine and play dressup with it? Needless to say the Mia household will be a seriously interesting one...

Without further ado, I give you the solution to said issue, Bridesmaid Trade, where your dress can have more fun with another bride at another wedding. The owners of Bridesmaid Trade were able to sit down with Southern Fashionista and here's how it went: 



What was the key moment when you realized BridesmaidTrade was going to be your next business idea?

We realized we were going to make Bridesmaid Trade a reality when we were sitting at a cafe in DC, right after Kathryn had been a bridesmaid several times in just a few months. We were both glad that many of our friends were getting married, but tired of buying dresses that we were only going to wear once!

What need did you see fit to fulfill as a result?

We thought: Millions of women are bridesmaids every year, and often popular styles get repeated all over the US.  There must be other women out there who would rather buy our perfect-condition, once-worn bridesmaids dresses for half the retail cost instead of buying them brand new.  If there wasn't a good place for women who want to sell their bridesmaids dresses to women who want to buy bridesmaids dresses, we would create one online! So BridesmaidTrade.com was born.

In what way is your business earth-friendly? 

Wearing a bridesmaids dress more than once greatly reduces the amount of raw material required for to manufacture a dress. Although our service involves some shipping, it is typically far less than shipping a brand-new dress from China to the US! We also run most of our business online, which means that we have a very low environmental impact.

On average, which designer's dresses do you sell? 

We've sold dresses from all types of designers, but our most popular brands tend to be David's Bridal and J.Crew.

Here's one of my favorites from this year's J.Crew collection! Yum! 

Oh, and this one too!

What is the best deal you've ever sold on your website? 

The best deal we've ever sold on our website is probably a beautiful, once-worn TwoBirds dress in Rose. It retails for $270 but it was sold for $125 on our site!

How far-reaching is your client base?
Our clients have come from everywhere! We've had customers from Canada to Alaska, New York City, Arizona, and almost every where in between. (We do only serve customers in the US and Canada, though.)

For more info regarding Bridesmaid Trade, visit their site: http://bridesmaidtrade.com/ !

Give Love To Get Love

Step 1: Find a guy.
Step 2: Show him some love...

(I cannot stress how good these cookies were, so I used a pic of them again.)

But wait, DON'T DO THAT! I'm talking about community service. And on this day of showing love to others, who better than those in our community who could use a little love at this time of the year.

Or any time of the year. #TheGoldenRule Right? Right.

So as most of my adventures are lead by a gut feeling and an intention of goodwill, my decsision led me to Mosaic right across from the Math Empo. I was in search of some knitting projects I could do during class. What? It helps me focus!

I walked in and a bolt of maroon yarn rested atop a sheet of paper, unoubtedly a pattern.

Turns out that a yarn company donated to help make yarn squares which will later be put together to make a blanket for the Crouse Family!

I really hope I haven't spoilt the surprise if it was indeed supposed to be a surprise? Oh geez!

But I entreat all of my knitters and Hokie Family to remember a Hokie fam and show them some lovin' this love month. I'm going to hang out and knit with them a bit this afternoon to finish a few squares.

If I see you there, I will not judge you as being mindly creepy/stalking me...

OOORRR, you could be the cool kid like me that is normally stuck behind a fashion mag or textbook the whole day? Or I just make Mommy and Daddy buy me stuff and make me feel extra loved...

WAIT NO!

But SERIOUSLY give some love, maybe you'll feel some love. Single or no, it's a great proposition :)

From one Hokie to Another, Happy VDay!

SouFa <3

Shoe Love=True Love (And the Dresses We Wear With Them)

I'm not really one for math, but that's an equation I can understand.

As I write this I'm probably sipping a nice glass of red, in PJs and my favorite Kate Spade pink bow stilettos.

Again, there's something absolutely transformative about wearing heels all the time, even in PJs...

ANYWAY, It's the love month, and last month I offered relatively informative info regarding eco-fashion and in that regard I'm doing  pretty well...
OH KAY, I just bought a bomber jacket from F21 and a pair of tangerine pants from H&M. Oh crap!

NEVERMIND!

But this fashionista has a few tricks up her sleeves, or non-sleeves rather, and those include a few wedding gowns! Remember the "Something Borrowed Something Blue" post? I don't know about you but a single chic at a wedding expo makes people think I'm super nutty!

And that's how I get my kicks...but not my shoes...ok...

ANYWAY! I will dedicate this month and my blog to the love of fashion and the fashion of love...

and all of its entrapings. After all, you could pull a Carrie Bradshaw and get married to yourself just to have a friend replace a pair of your shoes...

Well you know the rest!

ANYWHOO, away I go to spend some time with Audrey Hepburn and her Bastille Day adventures in Paris (ala the film Paris When it Sizzles, a personal favorite).

Much Love,

SouFa <3

And Then It Was 1920...

Well, ok time travel hasn't perfected itself. However, if it did I'd be the first one on the way back to the 60's....

Minus the fact that back then there was a total lack of Women's rights back then...minus making sandwiches, but I digress. ANYWHO! Here's my friend Olivia's take on the 1920's to break in her new appartment (as of like...4 weeks ago!)

Enjoy!
Much love,
SouFa <3

Photos Courtesey of Olivia B.!