A Brief History of the Argyle Print

Argyle has come a long way since first seen on someone's socks. This thought crossed my mind as I stared at my lovely green & pink steel water bottle. What began as a sock trend has now encompassed nearly every clothing and accessory item as well as stationary, lunchboxes, phone cases, water bottles, and much, much more!



So where did it come from? Well, funny you should ask. :)

Fashion legend has it that the argyle print originated in Argyll, Scotland, worn by the high clansmen of the family Campbell, and dates back as early as the 17th century. It appeared as a type of tartan, which refers to the pattern of crisscrossed lines displayed on cloth, i.e. what we Americans refer to as plaid.

They used it on their kilts, plaids, and socks. (For a Scotsman, a plaid is a cloth or blanket slung over the shoulder).

Supposedly, the first argyle sweater was created sometime in the 1920's by Pringle of Scotland, a luxury knitwear manufacturer and importer. However, the print did not become considered high fashion until after World War I. One source claims that it was the president of Brooks Brothers, having returned from a golf tournament held in Scotland, who presented the U.S. with the argyle pattern. Recognizing it's great potential while overseas, he took to producing the first pair of North American argyle socks in 1949. 




And you know the rest of the story. Now, argyle is everywhere! The "look" has become iconic and associated with intellectualism ("preppies"), suiting teenagers and adults alike.

Outside of my water bottle, I do not own any other argyle printed items. "Preppy" was never my thing. Nevertheless, I can appreciate the history, uniqueness, and originality behind a trend. After all, one would be hard pressed to find someone who has no clue what argyle is. For that reason, it pervades as a timeless classic in the fashion world. Kudos to the Scottish!



Sources (the jury is still out as to whether or not they can viewed as reliable):

• Wikipeida: Argyle (Pattern)
• Squidoo: Argyle

Owls Are A Hoot!

So huge in the fashion world right now - Owls!!! And I love 'em. I am so intrigued by their various designs. Because they are a feathered friend, featuring them as jewelry or on clothes automatically lends extra texture and pop to your look.

Apparently, Marc Jacobs is a big fan. I swiped this photo of a collection of his from a fellow blogger:

I think the easiest way to incorporate an owl into your wardrobe is as an accessory. And as far as they go, Forever 21 - a favorite spot of mine to snag cheap, trendy jewelry - carries a host of Owl accoutrements.

I am dying to get my hands on this necklace, but haven't found it in stores yet. If you do, grab it for me. I'll pay you back!!!

Charlotte Russe also offers some neat options.



I love this stand-out top by American Apparel (left) and covet this whimsical scarf (right) from ModCloth.

I was curious and looked into as to why this foul may have suddenly wound up in the fashion world, but came up with no real answer. So, I looked into what symbolism lies behind owls in general. They often denote: wisdom, mystery, intelligence, and protection. One could have fun flaunting and/or embellishing on such characteristics. In fact, if you want to up the wisdom/intelligence factor, Forever 21 has this "Nerdy Owl Necklace," featuring Harry Potter like glasses. Not for me, but I could seen a brain-iac going for this piece. :)

Well, I hope you have enjoyed this small overview of owls in fashion. I am actually somewhat surprised at myself for how much I enjoy them. But, the more I allow myself to indulge in things that heretofore may have been unlikely candidates, the more delight I find in my wardrobe.  Hope the same can be said for you!

Delighted by Devil's Food

So tonight, I had a craving for a nice big piece of chocolate cake. Mmmm.... However, along with this craving comes a few dilemmas:

• Going to any restaurant, desserts are killer - calorically and certainly when it comes to fat content. The portion is usually equal to what two people should have. There is nothing guilt free about it. For example, the Triple Chocolate Meltdown from Applebee's - a decadent and wonderfully chocolatey dessert option - clocks in nutritionally at: 820 calories, 48 grams of fat (30 which are of the saturated variety), and 9 grams of protein. Eek! That's a no go. (At least for tonight; I have been known to more than happily consume on of these yummy confections single-handedly before).

• I could make my own cake! Sounds like a good remedy; however, sweets in this house don't generally go quickly. In fact, they tend to not go at all. I am the only real dessert eater. The others in my household go more for salty fare than sweet at the end of the day. Furthermore, while the version I make would hug my waistline less than a restaurant one would, prepared as directed on the back of the box, it is still not my best friend.

So, I came up with a brilliant idea!!!

I set out to create enough cake for me to consume over the course of one week. How? I opened the package of Devil's Food Cake mix I had, and after measuring the entire contents to be 3 cups, I spooned out 1.5 cups of it. Now, I only have to make 1 8-inch or 9-inch round cake instead of 2.

Next, since I slashed the amount of mix in half, I needed to slash my other ingredients in half also. Instead of 1⅓ cups of water, I used ⅔. Instead of 3 eggs.....hmmm...I don't readily have access to only ½ of an egg, so I just used 1 whole egg. And for the oil, I was directed to use ½ cup. But the eggs and the oil is where the fat comes from, so if I could substitute something here I'd feel better. So, I did.

Instead of oil, I used 1, 2.5 oz. package of pureed banana (i.e. baby food). I should have probably only used 2 oz. but since I was down ½ an egg, I figured this would make up for it. Mixing them altogether, the batter became quite smooth. Into the pan it went and baked for 32 minutes at 325°. Since I don't particularly care for frosting in the first place, I figure once it cools, I'll dust it with powdered sugar, and it'll be a done deal.

Now for the exciting part:

The nutritional data on this whole cake is as follows:

• 291 calories
• 5 grams of fat
• 8 grams of protein

That's on the whole cake. For 1 out of 8 slices, this cake weighs in at 36 calories, .63 grams of fat, and 1 gram of protein!!!!! I could practically eat the whole dang cake with a clear conscience! Prepared the way it is directed, one piece is just about equivalent to the above measurements! Check out this breakdown from myfitnesspal.com:

	Devils Food (Betty Crocker Super Moist) Serving Size: 1/12 pkg, Calories: 260, Fat: 2g, Carbs: 35g, Protein: 2g

Now, the disclaimer is this: as of this moment, I have not tried a piece. This experiement could have gone horribly awry, and this cake could be the worst thing I have ever concocted. So, I will let you know after I try it how it turned out. But this just goes to show you that with a little bit of extra thought and some ingredient substitutions, you can still make tasty treats without damaging your healthy living habits. Go me!!!

---

Addendum: After allowing my cake to cool and diving into a piece, I was, in fact, delighted! The cake was super moist and delicious. Sure, it lacked a little decadence due to the lack of fat; however, I do not think that its absence left the cake wanting. On the contrary, it truly pleased my palate.

I've topped it 2 different ways: 1) with Friendly's Carmelot ice cream. Mmmmmm....; 2) with powdered sugar, drizzled lightly with caramel syrup. Both were great. I am thrilled that this recipe alteration worked out! Give it a try!

A Feather Frenzy

Dear Readers,

Forgive me for my blogging absence. Busyness is a primary cause, but more than that I have felt largely uninspired of late. I am having a difficult time with summer's fashions this year. I appreciate the Bohemian vibe and the throwback to the 70's, but few pieces strike me and/or would work on my figure. Both styles make use of billowy tops, dainty fabrics, and outrageous prints. Such accoutrements are not beyond me, but I've combed several stores in the last week as well as searched online and have come up empty handed. Meanwhile, I've made use of pieces I already own, which is probably better in its own right, but as a woman, I am only all to glad to add to my wardrobe. :)

My mother always keeps an eye out for interesting and controversial goings-on in the fashion industry for me. She came across an article about the newest rage - feather hair extensions. Made intensely popular by Steven Tyler showcasing them on the most recent season of American Idol, fly fishermen and their tackle suppliers are getting highly annoyed with women coming into their shops to buy the "hackles," the especially long tail feathers of a rooster. In an article posted on PETA's website, it is explained, "Roosters used to make these extensions are bred and genetically altered to produce long, luxurious saddle feathers (the ones on their backsides, which can take years to grow) before they are killed [euthanized] and de-feathered for their precious plumage." Needless to say, PETA sides with the fishermen. Recently, these birds have been killed in record numbers to meet the demand of fashionistas, desiring to make a statement.

My take on this situation:

I will not be adding feathers to my hair, albeit they do look pretty neat. They are rather expensive and only last a few months - not something I'm willing to put the money out for. (I'd rather get my next tattoo). :)

I do feel bad for the added number of birds who have died recently in the name of fashion; however, remember, this has been occurring for quite some time for fishing, etc. just not in this great a quantity.

As with any fad, the craze will eventually die out. Next season it could be peacocks! Actually, this would not altogether shock me. Why not peacocks!? They have beautiful feathers! But these roosters are already getting messed with by being genetically altered, so I will not be signing any PETA petitions.

 Nevertheless, since we live in the land of the outsourced and artificially fabricated, it would be nice if someone devised a way to create artificial feathers that looked great and did not cause a bird to die before its time. Oh look! China did! Furthermore, Amazon.com sells them for less than $10 with shipping. For that amount of money, I just might put them in. I could see my sister and I doing that together for the summer (*hint, hint*).


Your thoughts??????

The Quest of a Bathing Beauty, Part 2

So my quest brought me to Fashion Bug - on a whim, not really sure I would actually find anything, but I have found some winners there in the past. I tried on a few suits, finding only one potential possibility.  Behold...

I thought it looked nice on me. I liked the shirred sides, the shimmering color, and the skirt that served to minimize the girth of my hips and thighs. I tried two sizes - an 8, which fit albeit snugly over my thighs and a 10, which fit more comfortably over my legs without looking overly baggy in other areas due to it being a size larger. However, upon inspecting my back side to see how it measured up, I noticed with the size 10 that the fabric had pulled away from the center back seam. Now, in the past, I have had trouble with seams on items purchased from Fashion Bug, so seeing this occurrence sent up flags of alarm for me. Unable to get past this, and the $40+ price tag, I took a picture of myself in it and resolved to think about it for at least 24 hours.

I sent the picture I took to my sister - an always trustworthy 2nd opinion. She did not like it. In fact, she hated the skirt. She said it made the suit look like a dress. Her husband said it looked old ladyish, and my husband said it looked like it could pass for lingerie. Needless to say, I did not not return and purchase this suit. With my doubts regarding its manufacturing and such "glowing" reviews from those closest to me, I decided it wasn't meant to be.

I pressed on.

Today, I went to JCPenney. I tried on about 5 suits. I found myself getting highly irritated. You see, I fall in the middle. I am not small enough to pull off a bikini well, and I'm not large enough to require slimming add-on's like super spandex or boning. I took 4 pictures to bring before my committee. The results:

• One made me look almost pregnant - a definite NO! 
• One, upon review by Jon (husband), seemingly added about 40 lbs. to my figure - a resounding NO! 
• Changing the color of that style did not do anything for me; in fact, the picture I took of myself in color option #2 has been captioned, "Trailer trash." Eek! 
• I tried a bikini. The style wasn't bad, but well known to me, yet unbeknownst to my sister until this evening, I have a "funny hip," so exposing that much skin does make me appear a little odd. Indeed, my right hip actually sits higher than my left, throwing off my proportions. I've known this for years. It bewildered my sister.

I left Penney's discouraged and hating my shape. It seemed as if I would not be able to find anything. Not really an option for someone who hopes to travel to the beach semi-frequently this summer and whose suits from last year are 2 sizes too big. Thank you, Zumba. Nevertheless, woe is me.

This week, many department stores are having huge sales on all sorts of items. Specifically, swimwear has been discounted anywhere between 40-60%. So, I wanted to cash in while opportunity was knocking. So, later, I went to Kohl's. I perused their website beforehand to get an idea of which suits I wanted to try. I found these:





I really did not want to get a mostly black suit so bottom-right was my least favorite option, but at least armed with a few visuals I would not be searching blindly upon arriving at the store. I did not come across 3 out of the above 4 suits. Truly, I wasn't aggressively searching for them (except for the pink one; I liked that one a lot). I ended up in the fitting room with 4 suits again and repeated the process.

• A deep purple one - beautiful color on me, halter style, tankini. Tried on paired with 2 different bottoms. Close, but no. The picture of me in it was captioned, "Battling bulges!!!"
• One by Nike - the fit was not doing me any favors. It just simply was not me.
• The one pictured right - I didn't like all that black. I really wanted a print. It didn't look bad; it just was not what I was really looking for.
  
•  Top-right in the above table - turned out to be the one. This suit is by ZeroXposur - a brand that I had seen previously in my "research." I instantly fell in love with their overall look - athletic, yet not all brute and no class. I had seen similar suits in Penney's and Sears, but they were never quite what I was looking for (usually mostly black as in the case above). So, I was thrilled with this find. However, I was unable to purchase the displayed bottoms; they did not have them in my size. Instead, I purchased boyshort bottoms by Candie's (see below).

The best part about it was not only that I looked fabulous in it, but the top and the short cost $37.98 together, which is under the $40 I budgeted for this purchase. But, wait! :) There's more! Because they were on sale, I saved about $25 between the two of them! Major score! Now, I need only the beach!

I am happy to have closed this chapter in my never ending quest towards fashion greatness. (So is my husband).

My advice: don't settle. You know what you want; don't put out the money until you are 100% sure of what you are buying. It's not worth it. Furthermore, with everything online, your possibilities are endless; you must be willing to search for them, however. I've also heard that you love an item most in-store, so if you're not head over heels in love with it there, you most likely will not be when you get home. But I wish you all the best in your bathing beauty quests. Make sure you work with your body shape. I know it can be highly frustrating and even a little scary, but it is possible to find a suit that makes you look great and feel awesome while wearing it. Feel free to hit me up with some stories/photos of your journey. But until then, see you at the beach!

Rocco Dispirito's Shrimp Po' Boy with Spicy Mayo

Taken from Rocco Dispirito's cookbook, Now Eat This, this is his take on a po' boy sandwich.

Shrimp Po' Boy with Spicy Mayo Recipe
Serves 4

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups whole wheat panko breadcrumbs
3 egg whites
8 ounces medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
salt
1/2 cup lite mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Tabasco sauce
4 whole wheat buns
1/2 bunch romaine lettuce, shredded
1/2 cup roasted red peppers, sliced
.
1.Preheat the oven to 450F. Place a wire rack on a baking sheet and set aside.
2. Pat the shrimp very dry and season with salt.
3. Place the flour in a shallow dish. Place the panko in another shallow dish. In a medium bowl, whip the egg whites with a whisk until they are foamy but not quite holding peaks, about 3 minutes.
4. In small batches, lightly dredge the shrimp in the flour, shaking off any excess. Add the shrimp to the egg whites; toss to coat completely. Then add the shrimp to the panko and turn to coat them completely.
5. Place the shrimp on the wire rack. Bake until the golden and crispy, about 8 minutes.
6. Stir the mayonnaise and Tabasco sauce together in a small bowl. Spread 1 tablespoon of the mayonnaise mixture generously on the bun. Top with lettuce and red pepper strips. Pile the shrimp on top of the lettuce and peppers.

Gonna try it this week! :)

The Quest of a Bathing Beauty, Part 1

With all this warm weather lately and spring kicking into high gear, my thoughts drift off to continued warm weather, visits to the beach, and of course then - bathing suits. EEK! I don't know about you, but bathing suits are one of my most dreaded items to shop for. I loathe the idea because I know it will take a significant amount of time and more than several disappointing fittings before I find one that I can live with (let alone one that truly suits me).


Swimsuit shopping is seemingly a more treacherous task than others because it is the one clothing item that potentially has you publicly displaying more of your naked self than usual. Thankfully, many fashion magazines and fashionistas understand this peril and offer advice as to how to find the perfect swim suit for your body shape. I am fully convinced that it is possible to purchase a bathing suit, bask in the sun, and maintain a level of classiness while doing so. Unfortunately, others don't always share in my belief. You see it walking down the beach far too often.

 
So, in an effort to help, I offer you these expert opinions:

Click here for Cosomo's take on what works for various body types.

Good Housekeeping offers this 20 swimsuit slideshow with style tips.

Glamour magazine offers multiple looks & suggestions for each body type and includes categories of physical features that I have not seen receive a distinction in other guides.

And, Fitness magazine contributes these helpful guidelines specific to bikinis.

As for my own endeavor, I will now share the details of my maiden voyage. Before leaving for any store, I settled on a strategy:

1. I have zero money available, so I cannot buy anything today. You may ask, "Then why bother shopping at all?" But by not pressuring myself into thinking, I have to find the perfect suit today I can relax and enjoy the shopping experience more fully. And what's more, if I do find something I like, I can mull it over for at least a day to be sure I want to purchase it.This will safeguard me from an impulse buy.
2. $40 was my target price. I did not want to spend more than that.
3. I am primiarly looking for a tankini.

There was a specific swimsuit store in the mall that I wanted to check first. I figured if swimsuits are the only thing they sell, they ought to have a good selection available. However, it took me about 2 minutes after walking in to realize that all of the suits in the store were outside of my price range. Many of them were two piece suits with one piece alone costing $60. Granted, they were name brand suits, but names mean little to me. I moved on.

At the 2nd store, I found 2 possible options and tried them both on. I learned - bandeau tops, even when disguised as a halter top, do nothing for me. C'est la vie!

See them dimples? Not for me.

More of what I'm looking for.

Secondarily, I became comfortable with the idea of wearing regular bottoms. For the last couple of years, I have worn swim skirts in an effort to minimize my thick bottom half. I tried on a regular bottom today and was not horrified. In fact, I thought, "Yeah, I could rock this." However, after doing a 360, I decided that if I was to get a more traditional bottom, I want full coverage. No one needs to see half of my buttocks (as cute they are). :) Can't find the class in that.


I didn't even bother with the swim skirts at that store as they were longer in length than I like. So, I felt that they would end up looking matronly on me, as if I was trying to hide something, which I'm not.

I tried one more store and was disappointed in the selection. All of the bikinis were too itty bitty for me, and the tankinis were mostly in blacks and greys. While I would prefer dark bottoms, I want a fun print for the top, and this store just didn't offer that. So, that is where my search ended today, but I went home, feeling accomplished and a little wiser. Overall, it was a positive experience. I will continue my search and keep you updated as I go. Good luck with your own!! I hope the websites I provided help you in your quest.