Seasons greetings.

• Tree: Walmart
• Lights: Walmart
• Star: Walmart

My wife and I will be spending the next few days visiting with friends and our families and observing the Christmas holidays. And while I will be reading and catching up on blogs here and there, I will be taking a posting break until next week, and posting lightly until after the New Years. I can't thank everyone enough who reads this blog, and thank you for all the wonderful comments you leave! It has really made a huge impact on my life! Rather than an outfit today, I thought I would post our Christmas tree. Our Christmas tree is rather small, but that does make it perfect for the moderate size of the space we live in. Even better, we bought this tree together while we were still dating in college, and so it has a lot of sentimental value to us. But I know many of you celebrate different holidays, or no holidays at all. But no matter the details of what you do or don't celebrate, I wish you the best! Thanks again everyone, see you next week!

A Christmas party.

My outfit

• Dress: Maurices
• Belt: Maurices
• Cardigan: Torrid
• Red tights: JC Penney
• Pink floral fishnets: Torrid
• Pumps: Nine West via Zappos (buy)
• Necklace: Maurices
• Bracelets: Torrid (previously)
• Purse: Nine West (previously)
• Coat: Kohl's (previously)
• Scarf: Kohl's (previously)
• Gloves: Isotoner via JC Penney (previously)

My Wife's outfit

• Top: Maurices
• Skirt: Maurices
• Belt: Maurices
• Cardigan: Torrid
• Tights: JC Penney
• Pumps: Maurices

In the middle of last week, some friends invited us to an impromptu Christmas party last Saturday night. While the party itself was rather informal, and involved good food and board games, we all decided to take the opportunity to dress up for the party. I don't always get a lot of opportunities like this and so I had to get to work planning my outfit. After talking with my wife and my blog buddy Pamela, I narrowed down my options, and came up with this outfit. In addition to my own outfit, my wife asked me to come up with an outfit for her. I pulled together a couple of ideas and laid them out for her to pick from while I got dressed. Now, it wasn't entirely on purpose that we color coordinated, but purple was the only pair of colored tights my wife owns. I ended up loaning her a purse and the cardigan (which was too big, but worked well when it was belted).

We spent the morning getting ready, and since this was a big deal, my wife did a fabulous job on my hair and makeup. After that it was off to the park to take pictures. Please excuse the wrinkles since we had a bit of a drive to get to the park and this dress wrinkles easily. Unfortunately, our photo shoot was cut short because the day was pretty enough that people were out walking in the park. My wife got a little nervous at the onlookers, but my paranoia ended up being more about the dogs. At least one friendly dog seriously considered jumping on my dress with muddy paws. Thankfully the dog did not, and most of the pictures turned out great.

After the park, the plan was to go out to a restaurant, but after my wife's nervousness in the park, we decided it would be best to skip another public appearance. Instead we hit up the McDonald's drive thru. After that we showed up unfashionably early. Thankfully our friends hosting the party were very understanding about the situation.

After everyone got there it was picture time. Someone suggested doing pictures by gender of outfit, and after a brief discussion, someone came up with the brilliant idea of dividing up by whether we were wearing pants or skirts. Since one of the female guests was wearing pants, this kept things roughly even, and I thought it was an especially pleasant way of splitting up. While I would love to post some of those pictures, I didn't get permission from the other guests (although most of them read the blog), and this is already a picture heavy post. But everyone was dressed quite well for the occasion.

The party itself was a lot of fun. We got to hang out with friends that we don't get to see as frequently as we would like. It also meant a great deal to me that we got the opportunity to dress up well and go out for the evening. And while fashion was not the preeminent topic of the evening, the layered tights were a hit, and we discussed scheduling a shopping date with one of our friends sometime early next year.

And with that, I want to thank my amazing and adorable wife for doing my hair and makeup and taking the pictures and being patient with me in general, and I want to thank our wonderful friends for having us over for a wonderful evening and providing an opportunity to dress up.

Short skirt and a long jacket.

• Button down: Old Navy
• Vest: Maurices (previously)
• Skirt: Old Navy
• Pantyhose: Just My Size
• Pumps: Nine West (buy (Cognac color))
• Jacket: Kohl's

This is another outfit from last week. When I put on this skirt, I realized it was a little shorter than I remembered when I bought it. But I figured it was okay, especially since I was staying indoors. And this is the blog debut for this pair of heels. I mention them because they are one of my favorite pairs of shoes. They're really comfortable for the height, and I love the color. I decided that if I'm going to be crazy enough to wear a short skirt in December I might as well pair it with a great pair of shoes. And I'll be honest... I just put the jacket on so I could use this title.

I know a lot of bloggers talk about how awesome the style blogging community is, but it really is. Its definitely made this holiday season more fun for me in a lot of ways both big and small! And there are amazing style bloggers like Bombshell Beauty who do wonderful things like this. And there are so many other wonderful bloggers out there too(like Megan, Pamela, and Melissa just to name a few. and I really can't link to everyone, the list is too long!) Anyway, thanks everyone! And of course, my fabulous and awesome wife took the pictures!

Big black boots, long brown hair

• Dress: Maurices
• Belt: Torrid (previously)
• Tights: We Love Colors
• Boots: Payless (previously)

A few months ago, I placed an order from We Love Colors, and while I was really happy with the tights, I have yet to wear them with an outfit here. I know some other bloggers, like Nicole at Coco Maria make really great use of colorful tights, particularly yellow. And the other day, Ashley of Ashley Getting Dressed made some great use too, so I finally broke my own pair out for this outfit.

In other news we had some friends arrange a last minute informal holiday gathering for this weekend, which is a very pleasant surprise. I also want tor remind everyone that I love answering questions, so always feel free to ask away. You can read past question and answers here. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. And of course, as usual, my adorable wife took the pictures.

Snow bunny.

• Sweater: Old Navy
• Belt: Torrid (previously)
• Skinny Jeans: Z. Cavaricci via Torrid (previously)
• Boots: Torrid (previously)
• Gloves: Isotoner via JC Penney
• Scarf: Maurices

First, I know I got a little carried away with the pictures today, but I had some trouble narrowing down my favorites! :) The title is due to my wife who said I looked a little bit like a snow bunny in this outfit. I don't have many cowl neck tops or cable knit sweaters, but last winter I decided I really wanted a long off white cable knit cowl neck sweater, and a short trip to Old Navy later this sweater was mine. Rarely does my vision of a fashion need want pan out so perfectly and so quickly. I knew it was almost cold enough to post an outfit involving this sweater when I saw this post by Jamie of Thrifty Threads. And then a few days ago, I saw a post that reminded me that I should probably try a belt with this sweater the next time I wore it.

Today's question is from Pamela who has the awesome blog Call Me Ishmael, and she asks: Is there anything you want to (and/or wish to) wear that you feel you either can't (just doesn't fit your body or xyz) or just haven't been able to (for whatever reasons) yet?

This is a great question, and part of it is because my understanding and answer to it has changed over time. A few years ago, I would have said yes, partially because of my body type, and given a long list of things I wanted that I thought I would never have. Even worse, this affected my shopping habits, because I would buy things that didn't exactly fit and "settle" for "cheap" looking, ill fitting clothes and shoes, which only reinforced some of these negative feelings. Shoes, ironically, were and still are my biggest problem.

I have come to realize though, that a lot of my sizing problems are because I'm a plus size and that I was shopping in places that didn't have a great selection in plus sizes. Now, I suppose I will always be frustrated that a lot of shoe brands stop one size short of my size (or possibly worse: come in my size, but run small...). I have also found some places that sell some great plus size clothes and I know some brands and places that sell great shoes that usually fit. Also, the feeling that I can eventually find something great has really helped curb some of my excessive shopping, although it does make it hard to hold back when I find that "perfect" vision of something I've been looking for.

Its interesting, because although I am a male, and have a male body, I've really come to understand that this isn't my biggest obstacle. The human body, whether its male or female, comes in a lot more shapes and sizes than ready-to-wear clothes are designed to fit. In fact, having read blogs by plus sizes, "core" sizes, petites, really tall people, people who have decided to make their own clothes, and others, I have really come to learn that it seems like everyone has at least some of the same problems with fit that I do. And while that's no fun for anyone, its been helpful to learn that I'm not alone in these frustrations. If something doesn't fit, its not the human body's fault, but the clothes that are at fault. Thankfully, it seems like some retailers are doing better about providing more options for the wide variety of shapes and sizes out there. Of course, that doesn't change the fact that if the shoe fits... I'm probably going to buy it immediately.

Okay, so some specific things that I've been wanting. Shoes are pretty high on the list (like I need another pair! :) ), specifically pair of black patent leather pumps with an almost round toe with a hidden platform and no seam in the front. I've also been wanting a pair of tall, plain, cognac/light brown boots with a round toe, a bit of a platform, and a chunky heel. And while I won't list specific the specific costume, an adult plus size version of the halloween costume I wanted to wear as a child that my parents denied me. (This perhaps might be a final bit of passive aggressive childhood rebellion. :) ) The perfect knee length party dress with a skirt that's not too full, basically a "little black dress", but it doesn't have to be black to make me happy. I am actually on a bit of a mission to find some slips lately as well. And in a somewhat related vein, I occasionally want to find some... sexy stuff. This could have gone in a previous post, but I have a swimsuit that's too nice to swim in, so I wouldn't mind a more practical swimsuit, and the opportunity to wear it.

But after listing all that, I am reminded again how incredibly lucky I am. Many of those items are as much about budgetary planning as fit. I feel richly blessed for the life I have. I am lucky enough to be able to afford owning a wardrobe that I can't use. It was a strange day when I woke up and realized I had a "complete" wardrobe. There will always be one more pair of perfect shoes, or one more style or trend that I want to try, but is that really any different from anyone else?

And of course, I have to thank my gorgeous wife for doing my hair and taking the pictures in a snow storm. (And for the record, these pictures were taken walking distance from our home, so its not like we risked life and limb to get them!)

Funky rockabilly?

• Dress: Maurices
• Belt: Maurices (came with the dress)
• Socks: Target
• Shoes: Converse via Target (men's department, buy)

My wife and I had some disagreement over this outfit. My wife liked it less than I did, but I wasn't 100% happy with it either, however it's growing on me over time. I actually almost didn't post it, but its always fun to see what everyone else thinks! I wish this separates instead of a dress as well, but I do think its still fun as it is. Normally I also would have worn shoes with a heel, but I recently bought these sneakers, and I really wanted to pair them with a skirt or a dress. (Edit: eek is an awesome blogger who occasionally makes great use of Converse sneakers in her outfits, and I I realized I omitted a link to her blog!)

I also have a question to answer today, the awesome Genevieve from sandbox romance asked: Just out of curiosity, do you ever experiment with wearing more "gender neutral" clothing in public? I have to confess; I have no idea what that would mean for men!

I love to do small experiments with the clothes I'm willing to wear in public, and over time, I have slowly expanded the list of things I'm comfortable wearing. Most of those items are clothes labeled for women though. However, the first image that jumps to mind when thinking about "gender neutral" clothing are some of those horrible (and not so horrible) grade B sci-fi movies where everyone is wearing muted pastel colored jumpsuits. In all fairness, there are some fashion forward sci-fi movies like The Fifth Element (er, but then again how many sci-fi movies can get Jean-Paul Gaultier to design their costumes?)

Thankfully this is a blog post, not a research paper, so I can do some vacuous uncited handwaving :). I recall reading several writers who have pointed out that "unisex" styling almost always defaults to "masculine" styles, and is almost always "functional" (in contrast to "stylish"). When I try to think of "feminine" unisex styles its difficult. For instance, I guess the closest thing to a gender neutral "skirt" that comes to mind is a Utilikilt. However, I don't own one, and where I live I have the vague feeling a Utilikilt might draw more attention than "simple" crossdressing. (Interestingly, I do know some male hikers that prefer kilts to other lower body garments.) Historically, leggings, tunics, and togas all seem to have been fairly gender neutral at some point, and even high heels were once worn by males. Well, actually I suppose toga's still sometimes count as "gender neutral" party wear on college campuses.

In discussing some of this with friends who live in more metropolitan areas, I am aware that its more common and acceptable to see guys wearing skinny jeans, deeper V-necks, and other items that would be labeled more "feminine". Certainly some visions of "gender neutral" seem to be more androgynous, in contrast to more "masculine" versions. I also think its interesting to think about the role of homophobia plays for some males in deciding whether certain articles of clothing are too "feminine".

Some of the things I have incorporated into my daily rotation include women's jeans from a medium to a dark wash. Most of them are boot cut, although a couple of pairs have more flare. All the jeans are more fitted through the thigh though. I also have some women's oxfords and women's sneakers I wear on a regular basis out and about. My hoodie is from the women's department, and it has more fitted sleeves and a double zipper. My gloves (coming soon in a post!) and my new winter coat are from the women's department. I don't know if any of this counts as "gender neutral" though. I would like to incorporate more items into my daily wear though, but I admit it, I get really self conscious the more things I wear out. In my ideal world though, I would want to wear everything I post on this blog out, and it count as "gender neutral".

As always, I love answering questions, so feel free to ask away in comments or via email, and I already have another question from blog buddy Pamela to answer in my next post! (And I always tag posts like this with q and a.) Of course my amazing wife took the pictures for today's post.

Its too cold for this outfit.

• Cami: Cato (previously)
• Cardigan: Old Navy (previously)
• Skirt: Maurices (previously)
• Shoes: Gabriella Rocha via Zappos (buy)
• Pantyhose: Just My Size via Walmart

A while back, I saw Ashley of Ashley Getting Dressed post a really cute outfit. It didn't take me long to realize that one of my favorite skirts was really similar to hers, and that I could recreate a very similar outfit for myself. As an added bonus, I realized it would make a great outfit for the blog debut of these camel colored T-strap pumps. And those white blurs in the last two pictures are not a camera malfunction, they're snow! I hope everyone had a great weekend, and of course today's pictures were taken by my beautiful wife.