For me, summer is about dressing up.   It’s sundress season, even though it’s felt like summer in New Orleans since February.  Summer is when my festival season begins, I doll up a bit more, and my dress collection is in current rotation.  So it’s no surprise that I’ve been shopping for easy, light, comfortable dresses since March.

Summer is also the season of weddings, parties, graduation, and more– perfect time for a little pick-me-up from eShakti!  My fab friends over there are giving away your choice of product- custom styled and sized for you. (I wish I could win this, though I don’t know which one I’d pick!)

To Enter:

• Visit to the eShakti website & leave a comment with what you’d pick out,
• Follow eShakti on Facebook and Pinterest (note: if you’re registered under a different name than you comment with, be sure to leave me your usernames so I can easily find you!)
• Contest runs 5/21 through 5/31. Winner will be picked & notified on 6/1. Open to US and Canada only– sorry my international friends!

That’s it, ma petit, & good luck!

Pictured Above:Long Beaded Caftan Dress (This would be my “If I Were Another Girl” pick!); Keyhole Front Eyelet Dress; Ship to Shore Dress; Digitalis Retro Frock

© Ash in Fashion: Fashion with a Twist. If you enjoyed The Dog Days of Summer – Summertime Giveaway with eShakti, please subscribe at dramatis personae. Company links may be affiliate links; see a full list of affiliates here. Be assured that all products have received that Ashe seal of love, lust, & approval.

‘W’ Magazine, Korea, March 2012

Queen of Holloway is the Queen of Counterfeit. This isn’t the first time one of Trashy Diva’s designs have been ripped off (former Trashy Diva wholesaler Unique Vintage reproduced Trashy Diva dresses & sold the knock-off alongside the original).  This time dozens of other popular vintage-inspired brands are also being reproduced, including Pinup Girl Clothing, Hellbunny, Story Staring,  Miss Fortune, and Heartbreaker Fashion.  Worst of all? The company is just ripping the images off the original company’s site!

And more on the knock-off front: Topshop knocks off Wendy Brandes Swear Rings.  Only Topshop, smartly, pulled them after the outcry of social media.

How to pose like a fashion blogger.

If you don’t like rap, are you racist?  Apparently there’s a few music critics who want to pan Stephen Merrick, of The Magnetic Fields, as racist because he doesn’t like hip hop, Beyonce, or Rap.  … ok.

On top of my post on being a recovering manic pixie dream girl: Whither the Manic Pixie Dream Guy? I spent quite a bit of time chatting with boys & girls about this link and examples of a MPDGuy who fits the mold of the dream girl, and the only two works I could come up with were: JORDAN CATALANO. One of the boy shared: Manic Pixie Douche Bag: Explained. (Which I find extra hysterical, because obviously Jes is more of the Manic Pixie Dream Guy than Logan, because Logan grows beyond his douche-bagginess.)

Do we really want to see “real” women? what a heavy & deep question to really think about.

Girls that Television will never know and The Girls backlash addresses nothing new to Hollywood, but it was sure quick to hate on women.  I haven’t caught the new show Girls yet, but it sure is stirring up a controversy.

Dressing with a Defined Aesthetic at Already Pretty. I’ve always been really intrigued by people who dress for a culture/subculture or certain aesthetic, especially as they age.  I’ve always wondered about the choices, and why a 40 year old would still be punk or goth, and luckily, Sally asked a few people about their choice in fashion.

Autumn questions Vogue’s decision to stop using models under 16 and that aren’t healthy. Is it enough?

Body image is an issue, no matter what the culture, what your style.  Modernizing Modesty & Hijab and Body Image explores body image in Muslim cultures and the impact dressing to express yourself has on the culture. (Via Sally)

How Hillary convinced us not to care about her fashion choices, and an interview with NY Senator Kirsten Gillibrand: hint– she’s been accused on running for “the hottest Senator” and called “just a pretty face.”

© Ash in Fashion: Fashion with a Twist. If you enjoyed Links to Love: Racism, MPDGuys & Models, and Women in Politics, please subscribe at dramatis personae. Company links may be affiliate links; see a full list of affiliates here. Be assured that all products have received that Ashe seal of love, lust, & approval.

Eau de Chuck Bass (smells like sex, gin, and money)!  Elixir of van Der Woodsen (for long legs & hair)! Hard as nails in “Waldorf” (a neutral, yet compelling lavender pink)!

Aren’t we glad I’m not in charge of creating a Gossip Girl-themed Birchbox?

This month’s box seems like the best of what Birchbox can do– I don’t have one gal pal who wasn’t THRILLED with her offerings this month.  I don’t think it hurt most of us are fans of Gossip Girl, either.

The boxes this month included lots of lush offerings overall-  BVLGARIA perfumes, Fresh Sugar lip balms, stila, Dior, Kerastese, and Kiehls.

Though they weren’t in my box, I’m hoping an upcoming box will recycle a few products and I’ll get to try out the Fresh Sugar Rose-tinted lip treatment, Atelier Cologne in Vanille Insensee (notes of Madagascar vanilla, lime, jasmine and oak moss), and Dior Miss Dior perfume (notes of lily of the valley, jasmine, citrus, and rose–all of my favorite scents!).

My version of the box included:

• Twistaband hair tie: Birchbox, why do you keep sending these to me? My fine hair keeps slipping right out of them since they can’t go around my little ponytail more than twice.
• Ojon Volume Advance Volumizing Conditioner: I have hair that’s so fine, if you look at it wrong it’ll knot. So I need a conditioner that helps fight those.  Applying this conditioner felt like I was stripping the moisture from my hair, without adding any conditioning elements to it.  After drying my hair, there seemed to be no noticeable difference in “volume”- in fact, my hair seemed to blow dry straighter and with LESS volume! (Can’t say I’d complain about that…)
• Dr. Jart + Water Fuse Beauty Balm: A combination moisturizer, sunscreen, and skin treatment with a tint– could this be a miracle product? The first time I used this, I felt it had the weight of a liquid foundation, and seemed difficult to spread over my face and apply evenly (as I expected something thinner). The second time, I applied more strategically, dotting around my face and spreading.  I’m not sold on it. Yet.
• BVLGARIA Omnia Crystalline Eau de Toilette Spray: A perfect scent. Almost all of my girlfriends received this, and loved the scent. The scent-sensitive fella said, “That’s not bad.” (An almost high compliment!) With notes of Asian Nashi pear, lotus blooms, balsa wood, and bamboo, it’s fresh and simple. The wear factor isn’t very long though–within 3 hours it was a faint scent.
• stila sparkle waterproof liquid eyeliner- STILLAAAAAAAA! Oh, I had such high hopes for you. I’d received Flash, a stunning bronze-olive shade.  I’m not amazing with a liquid liner, but I do all right. But one swish of this accidentally in to my eye, and the BURNING.  As for how it looks on: it sparkles so much it looks like it’s wet the whole time. Nothing but shine shine shine.
• {XOXO} notecards/postcards- A sweet and cute addition, but I can’t imagine spending $12 on 10 of these. They’re single sided and bit flimsy :/ (And y’all– I get things printed like this ALL THE TIME in real life, it’s not expensive to boost the paper power up a bit)

**When looking for product links, I try to use stores where the product is the cheapest.  I know not everyone may have a Birchbox account to buy through them (and they’re typically full retail value).  Who says a girl can’t try to buy a little luxury at a cheaper cost?

Are you hooked on Birchbox yet?

Or, are you as excited as I am for the launch of the US Glossybox? I know I’m signed up to get word as soon as they’re for sale– I can’t wait! A few of you have said in the comments how great their packages are, so I’m excited to check them out. (If you want to see a preview, pop over to Pretty Shiny Sparkly’s unboxing video OR check out Beautifully Invisible’s Glossybox vs. Birchbox comparison.)

And if you haven’t signed up for Birchbox yet, but want to– sign up! Enjoy!

© Ash in Fashion: Fashion with a Twist. If you enjoyed May Birchbox: Gossip Girl Edition, please subscribe at dramatis personae. Company links may be affiliate links; see a full list of affiliates here. Be assured that all products have received that Ashe seal of love, lust, & approval.

I am really excited to launch a new series on the site called Beautiful Bodies: a series of interviews with fashion and lifestyle bloggers on their body image, experiences with body image, and dressing for their bodies.  I’m hoping to include men and women of a variety of styles, sizes, shapes, and races.  That being said– I didn’t think it was fair for me to ask other women to get candid and open about their bodies if I didn’t get honest with mine!

Describe your body:

 At first thought, heavy and thick through my middle.  Thin through the limbs.  A body that is quick to build strength in my legs, quick to lose fat in my boobs, and slow to lose weight in the stomach.  One that often aches from too much desk time and not enough moving, but that tingles with the aches of a hard workout. One that responds well to hours and nights of dancing.  It’s a body with too fair of skin, that gets sick rarely, and is surprisingly flexible for its size.  I have a love affair with my dark blue-grey eyes, my high cheekbones, my dainty wrists, long nail beds and cheesy grin.

What’s your earliest positive memory of body image (yours or another persons)?

 I can’t recall a specific memory, but I feel like I grew up without hearing my mother complain about her body.  Prior to their divorce, my parents were always very affectionate and loving towards one another. It seemed that they accepted each other and loved one another as they were.

What’s your earliest negative memory of body image (yours or another persons)?

 That would probably be my parents, probably around 3rd grade, putting me on “diets.”  Efforts to limit the amount of sweets or dairy I would eat, without explaining the hows or whys.  I remember being an active kid, like all kids are– climbing trees, playing tag, walking or biking around my neighborhood, climbing in to forbidden places– but that feeling like there was something more wrong about me because I couldn’t wear the cute clothes my mother wanted to put me in.

Also, watching the Olympics and my parents always going, “Poor Katarina Witt– she has such German legs.  They’re like tree trunks.”  Thinking back on this now is mind-blowing.  I watched her videos on Youtube recently and thinking, “My god, she’s so tiny!”  But she was huge compared to Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding.

When it comes to other people + your body, what’s your biggest pet peeve?

 People assuming I’m pregnant.  Yeah, I gain most of my weight in my stomach. At the same time, my belly is lumpy– not round and egg-shaped.  It’s pretty obvious I’m NOT pregnant, and regardless– why would you ask someone when they’re due, or make jokes like, “Table for 3?”  I’ve even had one older woman go, “Well, what do you eat so I can avoid it?” after I told her I wasn’t pregnant, just fat. People have made these comments to me since I was 16, and regardless of what size/weight I was.  Pregnancy isn’t a bad thing, but people try to comfort themselves in to thinking the only reason a girl could be my size is because she’s pregnant.

When people comment on my weight (and for some reason assume that I CARE about their opinions on my weight.  At a party a couple of years ago, a drunk friend told me she thought I was getting too fat and it was “getting embarrassing to be seen with me.”  Even though I’d had a few cocktails, it was a turning point for me: I wasn’t embarrassed my friend felt this way– I was hurt and angry that her perceptions of me were based on my physicality.  I realized at this time that the only opinions who matter regarding my weight are mine, my doctor’s, and my partner’s.  Nearly a year later, at a friendly get-together, a male acquaintance made the comment, “Ashley, move your fat ass” when I hugged a friend goodbye in front of the TV.  At this time, I understood that I have no space in my life for people who will use my body image against me or who would try to bash a woman through her body.

What’s been your biggest struggle in accepting your body?

 Learning to love a body that comes from “peasant stock”: my body will never be thin and was never meant to be.  I have a strong British and German heritage.  Learning to stop fighting it and work with what it is has taken a long time.  The other biggest struggle has been learning what my body wants and how to provide it what it needs–within moderation.

If you could give 15 year old you advice [on your developin' bod, fashion, self-esteem], what would you say?

•  Cut back on the sugar and junk food– you move around so much, that if you learn nutrition, you’ll find yourself a lot happier.
• Boys will like your body as is–even if you don’t know it.
• It may seem like there are no clothing manufacturers for you, but just wait. One day you’ll be able to dress for you at any size, and it’s pretty awesome.

When it comes to dressing your body, what’s your motto? What rules do you swear by– or don’t you abide?

 At the heart of it, my dressing stance is whatever makes me feel good.  Some days that may be a trapeze tent dress; other days, I may hate that dress for making people think I’m pregnant.  My sense of style is very mercurial and is very much based on my mental and emotional state: what I may love one week I could hate the next.  It’s why I try to avoid trends and find objects instead that help contribute to an overall sense of feeling good.

Do you feel your body image is shaped by bloggers? How much do you compare yourself to other bloggers? Do you feel pressured to have a certain look or be a certain weight– and if so, how do you fight those pressures?

Lawd, yes! I should say no, because the blogosphere has space for all bloggers, but in reality, I think we all feel pressured if we’re not young, white, and thin.  Sometimes I feel pressured because, by plus-sized standards, I still don’t have the ideal shape. I look at plus-sized women who have amazing hourglass figures and crazy curves, fit clothes well, and they look so confident! It makes me feel, even within a niche, like I’m not the ideal.  Which is absurd and bullshit.  It’s a challenge, but I can only remind myself that I started blogging because I love that it represented, and was written by, real people and real women.  The niche exploded because real girls of all shapes and sizes were showcasing their style.  If we let that become homogenized, then fashion blogging has become no different than fashion magazines.

Are you happy? What’s that mean for you? Could you be happier?

This question came from Dorothy, and I think it’s a great one! In short, am I happy? No.  Being happy for me means knowing that I am putting the love, dedication, and time in to treating myself as well as I deserve to be treated.

Are there any questions you’d like me to answer (or have upcoming bloggers answer)? Bloggers you’d love to see participate? Let me know!

© Ash in Fashion: Fashion with a Twist. If you enjoyed Beautiful Bodies: Interviews on Body Image and Style, please subscribe at dramatis personae. Company links may be affiliate links; see a full list of affiliates here. Be assured that all products have received that Ashe seal of love, lust, & approval.

A few weekends ago I had the pleasure of working with Mallory/Miss Malaprop at the Festival International de Louisiane in Lafayette, LA.  It was my first time working a whole fest with Miss Mal, visiting Lafayette, AND attending this Festival. I gotta say– it was a pretty awesome festival!

Knowing we’d be outside all day, I packed two simple, cute outfits for the weekend– one including this City Chic Tangerine Splice Tunic.  I love the chevron stripes, the on-trend color of the year coral, and the easy styling of it.  As it gets hotter & hotter in the South, I want easy ways to stay cool, cute, AND comfortable. No small task.  I wish I’d ordered a size up in this tunic, as it wears like a fitted dress on me instead of having the cute, slightly oversized fit it does on the model. (I joke that it makes me feel like a Real Housewife.)

Since we were there to promote & sell Miss Malaprop goodies, I made sure to LOAD UP on accessories from her shop, including one of the resin necklaces I’ve been making. I received a compliment on it from my Festival crush, the gent working the Bon Repas food truck (we both at a TON of their delish sandwiches over the weekend. All the ingredients comes from local sources!).

I don’t have all the details on Miss Mal’s outfit, but I know her breezy & bright shirt is actually a swimsuit coverup from Target. She paired it with a long & light black maxi skirt, and grey Converse. Her super teal earrings are from the Miss Malaprop shop, and those AMAZING floral heart shaped glasses are from Trashy Diva.

I wish I could pretend working the festival all weekend was as bright and easy-going as these photos. In truth, it was hot, we were outside for 8-10 hours a day, and set up on top of a gravel pit.  By the end of each night, I stank (in truth, I texted the Beau that I was Stankasaurus Rank), my hair was filled with dust, and I was hacking up pollen.  It was fun to get to spend the weekend with Mallory but, like the one time I went camping & had a cabin full of bugs, I am really not an outdoors girl.  We’ll see how I fare tubing in a few weeks and whether I’ll get hysterical over imagined water moccasins!

What I Wore:

• City Chic Tangerine Splice Tunic (c/o City Chic)
• Kc Thomassie headband from Miss Malaprop
• Chrysanthemum flower earrings
• Made by me necklace (similar for sale at Miss Malaprop!)
• The Thigh Society bike shorts in black bamboo (not seen)
• Black Chuck Taylor Converse  (not seen)
• Betsey Johnson Sunglasses (from Ideeli)
• Michael Kors Silver Chronograph Runway watch

© Ash in Fashion: Fashion with a Twist. If you enjoyed The Dramatis Personae: Festival Fashionista, please subscribe at dramatis personae. Company links may be affiliate links; see a full list of affiliates here. Be assured that all products have received that Ashe seal of love, lust, & approval.