Replacing Basics

My wardrobe has a few key items that I wear often.  My American Eagle "jeggings" and my Graceland boots.  I don't like spending a lot of money on clothes or shoes because they can so easily get damaged, but if I find something I like I'll just keep buying it again and again.

But what happens when the store let's me down?

Take American Eagle for example, I have been a dedicated customer for over 15yrs!  But this past year I realized their jeans just aren't the same anymore, what am I going to do!!!  A few years back I jumped on the "jegging" bandwagon and haven't looked back.  (Actually I have a stack of "boyfriend" jeans I don't know what to do with.)  When I visit The States I pick up a pair of AE "jeggings" or have my Mom send me a pair for the holidays, it's the easiest way to keep stocked up overseas.  But the pair I bought back in March 2014 just didn't fit right, I tried to shrink them, I tried everything, and yet after 30 minutes they are baggy and falling off.  I thought I bought a dud pair and had my Mom send me another pair for Christmas.  They're not as bad but still I can't keep them on all day because they just can't keep their fit.  I compared the labels of my old jeans with these, old jeans 99% cotton + 1% spandex, new jeans 99% cotton + 1% elastane.  Supposedly spandex and elastane are comparable, but I'm telling you the jeans just don't have the same fit anymore and they are impossible to shrink to become more fitted.  I am highly disappointed.  I actually think I might have to try out a different brand, it's not like I can wear the same 3 pair of jeans that do fit for the rest of my life.  Anyone else notice the difference in the American Eagle jeans?

Another dilemma on the horizon, is my favorite autumn-winter boots are wearing out and I can't find anything comparable in the stores right now!  To some they are extremely ugly boots, I must admit when I first moved to The Netherlands I never would have worn them.  But time wears you down, and you end up adjusting your style.  And actually you'd be surprised how many outfits these boots go with.  I can wear them with "jeggings" & "skinny" jeans, none of my other boots can handle the extra material of the "skinny" jeans.  I can wear them with light or dark colored jeans.  And because of the sneaker like sole I don't mind walking distances in them.  I could go on and on.  Anyway, I've been occasionally checking the 2 stores that carried them and they don't have anything like them anymore.  I have the feeling I am going to have to either pay more money elsewhere or find a different style.  I know the stores have to change styles every season, but that doesn't mean all of the people do.  I should have bought 2 pairs when I waited a month for the sale, arg!  Any store let you down recently by discontinuing a shoe model?

My sister-in-law did tip me off to a store worth trying here in Eindhoven for jeans, but that doesn't solve my shoe problem.  I'll let you know if I can find replacements to my basics!

Bye! Dag! Adios! Namaste! Salut!

:) Danica

Tank Weather

I'm not a fan of extremely hot weather (not really sure how I survived 20 yrs in Florida).  But I am a fan of a sunny day and the only clothes needed are a pair of shorts and a tank top.  In preparation for the spring/summer I bought a few new tank tops while visiting The States.  I'm getting a little tired of waiting to wear them though, it's still ranging between high 30's and low 50's here!  I know I can team them up with a cardigan or something but I don't actually like layering... even though it's something you have to do in this climate.  I love the "boyfriend tanks" from American Eagle, I already have a couple, one solid and one with a mesh back.  When I popped into a mall somewhere in TN I was sure to hit up AE and buy a couple more.  I decided a dark pink almost purple and a dark grey would be perfect for my collection.  But then when I visited an Old Navy to buy a few things for my husband & tot I couldn't help but pick up one of their "perfect tanks" too.  It wasn't that the cut or tank was so spectacular, I just love the color combo.  Since I'm horrible at matching clothes, I figure the color combo will help me create more outfits.  At least every other day while I'm getting dressed the striped tank crosses my mind, I don't think I'm going to be able to hold out for the warm weather before I find an excuse to wear it!

Clothing Style

My clothing style... casual, sporty, preppy.  I don't think there's a name for it because I myself don't even know my style anymore.  It was so simple when I lived in Florida, it was hot hot hot, so that meant less what better.  Less was also easier.  A fun tank top, a pair of denim shorts, flips-flops, maybe some jewelry and I was done.  I didn't live in NYC or LA, I didn't have to think about being trendy or stylish.  Plus I weighed a lot less (a lot younger), making it easy to buy clothes and look nice in everything.  Then I moved to the Netherlands, where I consider the women to be quite stylish/trendy (not all of my friends agree, I would never survive where they're from).  For years I refused to buy clothes here, their style was far from mine.  Over time I started to give in, even though I look ridiculous in most of the Dutch clothes.  I've figured out a way to combine the Dutch and American clothes so that when I leave the house I still have an ounce of confidence left.  One of the biggest issues I have with style/trends is it's impracticality.  As you might have read in many of posts, I walk a lot, and everywhere.  When it's an hour round trip to take my daughter to toddler swimming class, do you really think I'm going to bust out the heels?  I get sweaty, it rains often, do you think I want to risk messing up any of my nice clothes or jackets?  I have a 2 1/2 yr old - I get dirty often, I'm home a lot, and I'm constantly cleaning or running errands; most trendy clothes just don't suit these situations.  Plus, I'm frugal (cheap), I don't want to wear my expensive clothes to run to the grocery store or to drop my kid off at school.  So this leaves me wearing jeans and cotton shirts most everyday.  I went to a birthday party recently and as I looked around at the Dutch women they were all dressed in some version of the same outfit.  A blazer or short leather jacket, a scarf, skinny jeans, and some type of ankle length shoes.  The scarf; I don't understand how they all do it, it would drive me crazy, I would feel as if I were being choked the entire time.  And the skinny jeans; it took me forever to understand this trend, I like loose fitting jeans and dare I say it, boot-cut.  But like I said, I occasionally try out the trends, and for the life of me, I can't find a pair of skinny jeans that fit me right.  I have decent legs, you'd think skinny jeans would suit me, but I also have a decent size midriff thanks to having a child and my eating habits.  And in order to get the pants to fit my waist, the legs end up being too loose.  My sister-in-law loves fashion and trends.  She looks nice, it looks fun, but there are few outfits of hers I would ever wear.  She tries to help me, she'll dress me up, put me in front of the mirror and wow, I look ridiculous.  How does an outfit that looks so trendy on one person look so silly on me?  It's not that I don't have the confidence to wear it, it's just not me.  I went to a party over the Christmas holidays, I gave in, dressed a bit more on the Dutch side, everyone noticed, everyone complimented me... and when I got home the first thing I did was strip it off because I was outrageously uncomfortable.  I put on my jeans, a tank top, a zip-up sweatshirt (all American Eagle, the only brand I truly love), and I could breath and relax again.  I'm not blind to style and fashion, even though my outfit choices might appear that way sometimes.  I look at websites and store fronts, they have so many great ideas.  But they also have so many layers and accessories.  I'm not on the thin side, and I'm constantly hot, layers are the last thing I want to wear.  My mother loves shopping, fashion, and make-up, what happened to me?  Don't think I'm not vain, because I can be.  I might be dressed casual but I'm always clean and have on make-up, I wouldn't leave the house otherwise.  (There is only one day a week I leave the house without make-up, toddler swimming  class days.)  I wonder if I'll ever find my style again... it's not just the move here that's changed my views on style, I'm getting older, what used to be acceptable no longer is.  Sometimes I flip threw my clothes and wonder how it's possible to own so many t-shirts with logos (long & short sleeve) or so many polo's, where are the blouses?  I try, and I try, I order a million things from H&M, keep one thing and ship the rest back.  H&M is one of the few places I shop in the Netherlands, mostly I count on my birthday or Christmas and the jeans my Mom mails me!  I keep telling myself once I have a car and will not be forced to walk everywhere my time will come... I'll be able to dress impractical and stylish, and will not have to worry about being hot and/or the climate conditions.  But until then, everyone is just going to have to deal with my boring, "relaxed" style.  I found a picture from dixi3chik/Polyvore, it's the closest thing to how I dress (and unbelievably, it's considered country, wow, didn't see that coming - my husband's probably chuckling right now).