My 24 plus month journey.

What a wonderful sartorial journey I began around 26 months ago.

Here is how it all started:

I confess I sometimes went to the (frumpy?) QVC boards. Many women talked about clothes at Macy's and other retailers. it was an occasional thing I did. Then lo and behold a fairy godmother whose name/moniker I forget talked about " You look fab" and I was intrigued. And I've never looked back.

I started off with tunics and leggings thinking that was the best way to "conceal" my less than perfect figure ( perception, distortion).
That was mysignature pre-YLF style. And I wore lululemon yoga pants on my days off work. Yes yes I know : Quelle herreur for certain!

I think it was Kari and Diana who first gently told me about
poison eye for anything that had the potential to leave crotch/butt exposed in
a tunic/ legging combo. I was a quick learner in that arena. Now when I see
tight buns on a young gal with a short top : I exclaim in my head: Little miss
you would look so much better with a butt covering top!!

My journey was not easy. I had a severe case of Angie-it-is. I was enamored by Angie and her outfits. Not realizing that my figure and
innate style were not like hers I tried to become Angie. Now take an
IT/rectangle with long hair and a jewelry lover and try to convert her into a
leggy, short haired hourglass who is a minimalist in the accessory arena. I was a groupie who blindly followed my rock star!

Slowly I learned by example. Like a malnourished, starving child suddenly exposed to a smorgasbord of delicacies I devoured and craved even more!

My first brilliant thought (or so I assumed!) was why reinvent the wheel? Lets find a 'twinnie' and emulate ( read as "copycat") her. Ummmm...yeah none of us are built exactly alike. Nada, never. And our lifestyle needs are different as well.

So I present here some pearls of wisdom mostly through YLF but also some from dermatologists, make up gurus, editors of magazines and books.

So without further ado I give you Sona's transformation and
head to toe journey:

Hair:

I lust over the sexy short locks of Suz, Angie and so many more
But the fact is my style, my face and my inclinations are towards longer hair.

So I keep strong and don't give in to a shorter haircut
because I know from past experience that it will make me miserable.

Being true to oneself and not being a blind lemming, asserting yourself and letting your stylist know what 'you' want are what has helped me.

Second thing I've learned is work with what you've got. My hairis wavy and frizzy. I have used Japanese straightening several times. However as
my hair grows out it gets frizzy in summer and becomes very high maintenance to keep it straight.

So this year I decided enough; I'm going to embrace my frizz
and use it along with some organic products to get beach waves in between
blowouts.I also embraced the low bun for work.

This way my date/non work days have me in a sexier hair down
look and a more professional tied up bun for work.

My fave products: Moroccan oil and oribu cream for style

Biggest discovery: silk pillow covers for low frizz/blowout
maintaining hair!!

Face:

-take care of your skin. You only have one of it!

- I use chanel moisturizer ( ultra correction) and its a
miracle for my super dry skin. Moroccan oil face has been another winner for
me.

-I don't have a clairsonic but a L'Oreal one and exfoliation
makes a ton of difference!

- Always wash off all makeup before going to bed.

-stay hydrated

-groom your brows- look at the movie stars: their brows are
always groomed and it makes a ton of difference. Have it done professionally.
The tendency to overpluck when we do it ourselves is almost inevitable!

- I sweat like a pig- literally- and thanks to Angie for
introducing me to certain-dri. Life/armpit/clothes saver!!

hole: need a really, really good lip moisturizer. I have
cracked lips.

I also have super dry knees and elbows- they look grey when I
neglect them-amlactin lotion that a dermatologist friend introduced me to is
simply fab. not a prescription medication.

Makeup:

Until recently I wore nothing but moisturizer. Nada. Except
while going out.

And when I was dressing to go out I always did smoky eyes and a strong lip ( Hello Sona did you think you were Paris Hilton or Nicole Richie when your idol/ideal is Salma Hayek and Penelope Cruz).

-Now I wear Giorgio Armani luminous foundation and it is
worth every penny. It seriously looks like I am wearing nothing and I glow in pictures!!.

-My best discovery yet: the beauty blender. This is the original one
but there are many inexpensive ones on the market that I believe would work just as well?

http://www.amazon.com/BeautyBl.....8/ref=sr_1

-Every makeup artist whose secrets I have read say blend,
blend, blend is the key!

I have learned to highlight and contour from the tutorials
from this lovely young gal. She is young and unassuming and her video tutorials are really simple to understand. can confidently say that I have learned to 'get the glow' a la movie stars for a big shindig should I want to go all out as well as a 'no makeup makeup' look!

http://www.maskcara.com

This book is also really helpful in my opinion:

http://www.amazon.com/How-Look.....id=1380730

-if you do a strong lip, go light with your eyes and vice
versa.

-less is more!

Footwear:

-I've learned to invest in quality footwear

-I discovered platforms- for as much flak as they might get-
its the only way I can wear heels.

- moleskin that YLF'ers introduced me to is a toe saver!

-I always bemoaned the fact that my right little toe would get
battered in summer sandals ( closed) but now a tiny bit of moleskin or toe protectors that ballerinas use allow me to be toe pain
free!

-I have a wide foot but can many times fit normal shoes
depending on toe box width. I have to shop for most of my shoes online because wide widths seldom make it to 'real' stores.

-something I need to work on: wearing my many booties in
winter too and not just reverting to my favorite NAS black knee high boots.

Clothes:

Ah, where do I begin?

-The biggest discovery/learning point: I have not worn my lululemon yoga pants in over a year!!. My casual bottom of choice are my wit and wisdom jeans. even on my most bloated ugh days they feel wonderful and comfortable!

Not quite as supporting and butt lifting as my premium jeans but yet: jeans are my casual choice! I certainly never thought a day like this could or would come!

-learned about PPL. now have jeans that are hemmed for no
footwear ( de rigueur in Indian households, we remove all footwear at the door; and I was tired of tripping in my Joe's at all our Indian friends houses)
and hemmed for heels on date nights.

-how to create a waist where there is none

-how to wear skirts!

-how to wear dresses and create the illusion of a waist.

-learning to love jackets as the topper of choice instead of
cardis.

-how to bookend

-experimenting with trends and learning which are for me and
which are not

-spending a lot of money on finding the perfect shape wear
for me ( yummie tummie paper thin shape wear)

-coming to accept that even though I am the lowest weight in my life and many other women that are the same height and weight wear smaller sizes than me.
They can wear a size 8 or 10 and have either not borne babies or just carry their weight differently. Attempting to have a tummy tuck/ removing redundant skin folds would be an expensive surgery and since I have some weird clotting disorder would not be a risk averse option. So I gotta work with what I got.
Most time I need to wear a size 12 ( sometimes 14 in dresses but they need alterations at the shoulders, armholes and butt!)

hurdle: My shoulders have shrunk so they are no longer the widest
part of my body. My lower abdomen is the largest part of my body but I have a
flat butt. Shape wear or dresses that pull your weight upwards make my belly
more prominent. I actually need shape wear that flattens. Also no trousers in my size fit me perfectly because of the crotch point issue. Due to the
belly/butt disconnect my crotch needs to be very low- not low waisted but a low lying crotch with a low waist that is 3-4 inches larger than the high waist.

To overcome this hurdle I plan to have two trousers and a
trouser suit made bespoke by a couturier in Bombay
when I visit in December. This is an expensive proposition but is the only way
I can actually have a suit that fits an unusual body type.

another hurdle: I've said this before. I'm Sona, not Sona152lbs
but size 12. A well known Indian movie star lost weight for a bikini shot in a
movie and became known as "Kareena Kapoor size zero" I mention her name
because she publicly talks about this. She talks about how this garnered her
tons of positive attention and made her the dream of Indian men and the ideal for Indian women throughout the country.

She says she loves and thrives on this attention so much that she does not mind havng to forego even an occasional treat (which she loves) in order to stay "size zero" I feel nothing but pity for her. I have an unusual body but I can work with it. not against it

For now the looser pant style/harem hybrid are a trend I am
loving because of no crotch pulling. I plan to 'ride' this trend out for as
long as I can!

Accessories:

I learned this from the stars on the red carpet: less is more. If wearing long earrings ( my signature style) arm candy is ok but if wearing a statement necklace keep the rest simple
.
Also contrasting/complementary accessories often pack more of a punch than all matchy.

Nicole Kidman in that gorgeous yellow dress with the Indian jewelry is my all time favorite look exemplifying what the correct accessories can do!

Handbags: I love neutrals and metallic handbags. Huge and dainty clutches are both my bag of choice for evening wear.

And for all this wisdom I thank you Angie and my YLF coral reef.I include pictures of the least six months as I have become more confident of my style. You will see work wear, play wear, date nite wear, ethnic wear and even a tankini in the following pics!

My sartorial journey also feeds my soul and emotions and I am so glad to be part of this family. Because that is who we are: nurturing, fun and fashion loving individuals that cohesively form a unit.

And to the Godmothers at YLF: I salute you for your offline support for so many of us in troubled times.

P.S: This is the reason I have been MIA for the last several
weeks. I have been meaning to get this post up on the forum and it has taken
forever. another confession: capsules scare me. I like the freedom and eclectic nature of planning just the night before!

So no capsules for me but I am back to mingle, comment and join in the festivities and help with solutions, wisdom, humor and therapy when I can!

Thank you Ladies.

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