ModaFresca Turns 3!

Dress: Vestique, Sweater: Target, Booties: Dolce Vita, Purse: Lotus, Nameplate Necklace: Blue Jane Jewelry, Tassel Necklace: Stella & Dot

I wore this last Saturday. I showed up to teach Pilates that morning in a snow suit because it was friggin' cold outside, and by the time we finished an hour later it was almost 80 damn degrees. The weather is whaaaaaacky in Charlotte right now, but you know I'll take 80 degrees any way I can get it. Come to mama....

I have most of my casual summer dresses packed away, but this Lone Ranger was in a dry cleaning bag front and center in my closet so I decided to throw it on. I added the sweater because I knew I was going to need it later that night, but I assure you that in these pictures I am straight up perspiring. In fact... I distinctly remember wiping sweat off of my upper lip before they were snapped.

Throwing a sweater over a summer dress is an easy way to transition into the cooler months. (Not that I'm trying to convince you that that little nugget of wisdom is a cutting edge fashion tip or anything.) Just a friendly reminder that not all of your summer stuff needs to collect dust for the next 6 months. You can still extend the life of a lot of your warm weather items by layering them. And... don't be scared of wearing white. Not being able to wear a specific color after a certain point in the year (Labor Day in this case) has to be the single dumbest thing I have ever heard. Seriously. Who thinks of this shit? Stupid.

On another note, ModaFresca is 3 years old this month. Yup... it was started in October 2011. I was 31 (ahh... the good ol' days)... and at the time I didn't realize that everyone and their mother had a "personal style" blog. I only ever saw 20 year old, insanely thin women who wore designer clothes, and somehow had the means to blog from a different city (NY, LA, Miami, Paris, London, etc.) every week with them. Super skinny, young, rich, label whores that I could not relate to. So... I decided to create one for the rest of us. The women who aren't fresh off our teenage years, and a size 0 (whatever the hell a size "nothing" means). Women who shop at Target and occasionally Forever 21 (even if they're closer to 40 than 21). Women who work (in or outside of the home). Women who don't have unlimited funds. Women who want to read about more than a 15% off sale at Tory Burch and get sold to. (Have you ever noticed that most blogs have more advertisements on them than content? Annoying.)

In the 3 years I have been doing ModaFresca I have let people into a lot. You've been with me when I have been annoyingly happy and insanely sad. I've written blog entries that have pissed people off, made people giggle, made people wonder "what the hell is she wearing/saying" or "who the hell does she think she is?". You've been around when I have gone through life changes. Moving... second guessing myself the whole way to Pilates teacher training... going back to school for nutrition. You stuck around when I went MIA from spraining my ankle, getting the flu, accidentally sticking a knife through my hand while cutting an avocado (dumbass)... or just being so sick of looking at my own pictures and reading my own words that I simply dropped off the grid for a week or more.

I've shared stories about relationships, friendships, and family. You've seen pictures from 3 of my 4 brother's weddings. You comforted me when I wrote loooong posts at 3AM the week before and the week after my family lost our beloved grandmother. You were with me when I gained 15 lbs, lost 15lbs... went brunette for a hot minute... cut all my hair off... went platinum and back again. You've encouraged me, supported me, challenged me, and made me laugh my ass off with your FB comments. I don't know how long I'll do this blog. When I started I didn't think it would last more than a few months. I didn't even know what it was exactly. I guess I still don't. Maybe that's the trick? As soon as it becomes something I begrudgingly do it dies. 

I know a blog is not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but it's been a big part of my life for quite a while now. For some it's just a stupid website where an average woman posts a few too many pictures of herself. But... I also know that for others...  it is their break. It's like having a "conversation" with a girlfriend. Inspiration to say fuck it and wear a crop top. Their 3.5 minutes of "me" time. Maybe it's made them think? Laugh? Cry? Or smile. And for that... I am grateful.

So... "Happy Birthday ModaFresca"... and if you're reading... "THANK YOU"! Sincerely.