Hey hey I just had a birthday!! I’ve now decided birthday’s are for Favourite things and sequins!! I wanted to share with you the little “alteration†or sleeve hack that I did to make it feel more MY style. Just a little reminder you don’t always have to settle for off the rack, go ahead and tweak your wardrobe to be perfect for YOU!
Photo credit to my husband, who did a quick “instagram husband photoshoot session†in the street in front of the house just before we were leaving to go to dinner.
FAVOURITE THINGS AND SEQUINS
Don’t you love birthdays? It’s when almost everyone around you, treats the day like it holds a little more importance to you. Even a stranger that might overhear it’s your special day, could break out in a smile and give you a “Happy Birthday!â€. I know I sure would. It’s the day you were introduced to the world, and as we get older, we are well aware that none of them are guaranteed. SO, here’s some of my fave things that happened:
- French toast breakfast
- French press coffee
- An Arabic Art painting that I LOVE, given to me as a gift from my family
- Video calls with family back in North America
- Messages from friends near and far
- A sequined dress (that I got on sale!)
- A private VIP feeling dinner with 6 of my favorite people! And after ALOT of social distancing, that felt opulent
BIRTHDAYS SHOULD BE SPARKLY
What other day can you think of, where you can get away with almost anything? And focus solely on your favourite things and sequins! Even if there had been no place to go, I think I would have still worn this dress to dinner in my own house. Everyone here expects it, ha!
I found this sequin number at a department store here in Dubai and it as WAY too expensive for me. I like nice things; but I don’t like it when they are expensive (which is pretty much always). Here it is on a mannequin the day I saw it.
Weeks go by, I happened to be in the same store a few days before my birthday, and there it is, in my size, almost half off. WHAT?! I tried it on. I bought that dress. And I feel like one million dollars while wearing it…..WORTH IT!
MY SLEEVE HACK
So I love this dress, and then after wearing it and taking a few pics with it on (because I was trying to be all proactive and have a cute pic to post for my birthday DAY), and I realized the sleeves were a bit too long, and I don’t mind showing a bit of arm.
There was no time to go to a tailor. Next best thing, safety pins! I went on the inside of the sleeve, and grabbed the seam going from shoulder to wrist, scrunched up the fabric and pinned it. That gave it a gathered look. That was ok; but still long, so I took the BOTTOM of the hem, closest to my wrist, turned it up inside to the shoulder, and pinned it there! It took about 10 minutes to get it right; but it stayed all night and now I know how I want the tailor to change it for me!
I know it’s easy to only see the clothes as they were designed or how they are shown in the store; but friends, these are YOUR clothes. Even if it was a pricier piece, maybe there is a way to make it even more perfect for YOUR style. I kind of like that ladies could ask me where I got it, go get it themselves; but it won’t quite be like mine. Make your wardrobe custom, and you’ll always have that little bit of originality others can’t replicate.
NOW THAT’S MORE MY STYLE
When the clothes you own, feel just right when you wear them, you’ll feel more confident, wear them more often, and think about any of the imperfections a little less. THAT, is far more the definition of style to me, than any specific brand or trend.
Here’s a few more pics that my hubby snapped! And thanks for being here! Be sure to SUBSCRIBE for style tips and advice once a week coming to your inbox. I love to focus on versatility and using what you already own to create your next favourite look!
Xo Taryn
PS….here is the proof that I have absolutely no chill, when people are singing happy birthday to me! Ha! But I also couldn’t have been happier ringing in 45 years of life in this moment. So maybe THAT’S what I had no chill about….I hope your next birthday has you feeling on top of the world too!
