Sunday, September 25, 2011

When Unflattering Pants Attack.

Sometime in my early 20s, I started learning the hard way what looks I could and could not pull off.  

For example big prints, baby doll shirts, and skirts longer than knee length are a step away from hideous on my petite yet hippy/booby body.

Sure, I've got insecurities and would prefer to be built like Adriana Lima, but I don't hate my body.   It's functional enough, allows me to run semi decently, and gets the job done.
And barring going all "Heidi Montag" on y'all, there's not a lot I can do about the way I'm built anyways.  In the words of Cait, "Suzy Favor Hamilton never let her boobs get in the way of her running" and I'm not going to either.

As I've grown older, I know pretty much what is going to work for me.  Wrap dresses, pencil skirts and straight leg jeans?  Yeah dude.  I got that down.  Anything that doesn't make me look fat, short, or like a child is cool.  Nike Tempos?  Yeah those too.  They make anyone look sexxy.

Flares?  Anthony thinks flared pants are cute, and they've been on trend for fall (I work in fashion retail, I'm not just massively shallow, I swear), so when I was at Target last night, I decided to try on huge belled flares.  They felt really great on so I was excited to see how they looked...


Why hello short 'n stocky!
Yeeahhh...I'm crossing the giant flares off the list.  Yeah yeah...I know it could be worse (I am not trying to promote eating disorders here, they just ain't doin' it for me), but I am most certainly not buying these bad boys.  Glad I didn't live in the 70s.   Although disco might have been fun....and jogging headbands....

What styles can you rock?  What doesn't work with your body type? 

Alright, after all that fashion talk, it's time for a delicious recipe!  
This recipe is from "I Like You, Hospitality Under the Influence" by Amy Sedaris.
The book is hilarious, and she is awesome.

This is a very simple and tasty recipe.  One of my go-to recipes!

Carrot Cake:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking power
3 cups grated carrots  (this takes forever to grate...like 30 minutes!)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 and a half cups oil
4 eggs

Mix oil and eggs, add carrots.  Mix dry ingredients and add to carrot mixture.  Pour into cake pan or cupcake tin (makes about 20 cupcakes!).  Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes if cupcakes, 30-35 if a cake!

Cream Cheese Frosting!  (makes twice as much as you need...so half if you don't want much frosting)
8 oz. package cream cheese
1 stick of unsalted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 box confectioners sugar
nuts for topping (if desired!)

Enjoy!

If you're curious what I ran this weekend:
Saturday:  9 miles easy, 3 at half marathon goal pace (7:15).
Sunday:  30 mile bike ride.  Crashed again but this time into another dude on the ride.  It was like a 2 mph though, thank god.  I have a giant tire mark on my ribs.  That's cool though, battle scars!

15 comments:

  1. I'm short too - so the flares don't really work for me, either! As I become a more serious runner I find my body changing (aka "athletic" thighs) and I can't seem to get away with the skinny pants as much anymore

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  2. I was watching an old episode of Friends yesterday, and Rachel was wearing overalls. That is a trend I hope died in the 1990s fire, because man, even she couldn't pull them off.

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  3. I can never find jeans that fit properly. Skinny jeans fit fine around the thighs and down but then the waist is wayy too big! I'm with ya on the flares.. no way in hell I can pull those off, my body is just not shaped that way!

    PS - THANKS for the recipe!!! It's been starred :)

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  4. Grated carrots - food processor or I have a nifty old salad shooter that grates like a dream! They still sell them, I see. (Also great if you want to grate large quantities of cheese.)

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  5. Maybe they would look better with heels? I dunno.. I like skirts and dresses and only wear jeans for casual friday at work- and love my nikes :)

    OOh and those carrot muffins look delish!

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  6. haha. so true about certain things that will just not work. i go through the same types of clothes over and over again thinking "maybe this will work now." then i try it on...maybe not. anything striped is just not good for me. neither is yellow. or baby doll shirts. haha!

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  7. Well this is interesting news that large flares are in for the fall....I'll need you to be my fashion advisor. I only have one pair of jeans and I've had them for five years. Wow, I need to get some more.

    I'd love to eat the frosting off those cupcakes.

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  8. skinny jeans make me look ridiculously wide in the thighs/hips... but at the same time, I love them. especially since it is fall and I need to buy cute boots to wear with cute skinny jeans! haha. Plus, my thighs are the biggest part of me, so really, it's just truth in advertising haha

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  9. I have the boob thing too, so no baby doll tops or dresses... i just look pregnant again in them. No knit dresses... too sausage-casing -like. Jeans that flatten out my already flat ass are a big 'no'.

    Jeez... what does work?

    Well, I look pretty hot in thigh-high maternity compression hose. Or so I've been told.

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  10. My shape is similar to yours (minus the boobs). I also have a really short torso and longer legs with muscular thighs and that makes shopping interesting. I'm 5'3'' and short pants are too short and regulars are too long. So I just wear skirts most of the time. Saves me a lot of hassle!

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  11. Thanks to my huge calves, I can't do the skinny jean. I'm jealous you can even do straight legged.

    Finding comfortable knee-high boots has turned into the search for the holy grail. I'm starting to think they're completely mythical. Maybe I can ride off on my unicorn once I find them.

    Mmm, carrot muffins. Who would want to make only half the cream cheese frosting? Silly people....

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  12. Jeans in general are a pain for me - I've got muscular thighs, flat butt and tiny waist. So if jeans fit at the waist they are too tight for my thighs, and vice versa. I do like skinny jeans though...excited for fall just so I can wear them with boots.

    mmmm...Carrot muffins!

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  13. Oh I can so totally relate to the fashion. I am shaped a lot like you and everyone always tries to get me to wear skinny jeans. Hell no it just is not happenning! ha ha

    Love the recipe!

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  14. mmmm everyone has cream cheese frosting recipes up this week! I think it is a sign....those look scrumptious, and with my short/staulky body, I cannot rock the flares either, I like skinny and boot-cuts

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  15. Love carrot cake with cream cheese frosting! Yum! I wish I could pull off skinny jeans but my thighs aren't going to let that happen. I do like a little flare though in my jeans. It takes some time to figure out that no matter the trends there are certain things I just can't wear!

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