I really have/had no intention of ever posting any style pics of myself, but I guess I’m warming up to the idea…not.   BUT perusing through all those fabulous fashion blogs out there, it just seems like so much fun to share, right??  

So, here I am to share…style in the midwest.  I use to plan my outfit for the day, but nowadays I’d rather sleep!  Don’t get too excited, my style’s not that crazy.  In fact, it’s almost to the other exteme…simple.   I like my basics and my basic colors.

                       jcrew top, Sass & Bide pant, LD Tuttle shoes, I picked up the scarf in Paris

Arlene and I are suckers for a great street style blog, so imagine my pleasant surprise when I stumbled upon copenhagenstreetstyle. If you haven’t yet had the pleasure, please do check it out. There’s a giant Acne logo on their page, for crying out loud, so they’ve definitely got some street cred. They’ve also got a whole lot o’ wacky going on, but these Scandinavians definitely know a thing or two about cold-weather style.

There’s way more to see… check it out here.

So, I actually posted this blog earlier, but I had an internal battle with my confident self and my unconfident self — the unconfident me won and unpublished the post. I received a lot of flack from my business partner, Arlene, and our amazing intern, Amanda, who both pointed out that what I personally find most alluring and stylish is confidence. I have an intimate and intense struggle with confidence. I definitely am willing to put myself out there, but a picture of me putting myself out there… well, that’s a different story entirely.

I seem to have a lot of arguments with myself.  About myself.  Apparently, according to me, I am not thin enough, I’m a little weird, I’m overly perky, and I have no sense of style.  We fight about other things, too, but these are the big ones. I also seem to always be in the middle of one of those pesky identity crises. But through all of this confusion and these unending bouts with my self-esteem, I have come to realize that the only person I can be is me. So, here I am. In all my glory…

Arlene would call this look “everyday fashion/Monday”

I am certainly no Anna WIntour, but I have learned that I do have a sense of style. I am a woman who knows what she likes, knows what looks good on her, and isn’t afraid of a little attention. I live my life playing dress-up and it makes me the happiest girl on earth. My motto is Be Yourself. I mean after all, isn’t that the only thing that separates you from everyone else?

hat: Goorin; sweater: See by Chloe; dress: Vanessa Bruno; jeans: Loomstate; shoes: Loeffler Randall Margo

So, most of you who follow this blog are undoubtedly familiar with the uber-stylish Jane of Sea of Shoes. We love Jane, but after reading Jane’s blog for some time, we have really become taken with Jane’s mom, Judy Aldridge. Judy should be the poster child (woman?) for twentythirtyforty.net. She wears what she loves and loves what she wears. She is not afraid to take risks and clearly dresses solely for herself. She rocks out every single outfit she dons with the utmost confidence and commitment. Just look at her in this shirtdress with piles and piles of accessories and good old-fashioned geek glasses.

Good, no? Judy has a long and prestigious history in the world of fashion (former model & boutique owner, now online purveyor of style), so it’s no surprise that she’s such a style maven. You’ll definitely want to check out her online vintage shop, Atlantis Vintage, as well as her fantastic blog, Atlantis Home(where she always posts about newly added shop items). Judy loves her some vintage shopping and she has a very keen eye, so things in her shop move quickly. Don’t wait too long or that YSL silk shift will be gone like McQueen on Gilt Groupe! 

It’s difficult as a woman over 40 to stay hip, stylish, current and age-appropriate. Somehow, Judy Aldridge always seems to get it right. She’s just down with who she is and that’s reflected in her impeccable personal style. I think what always gets us about her is how completely effortless and cool she always looks. We love those Olsen twins (haven’t talked about that much, but we do), but THIS is the style icon that we aspire to be.

Gotta love a woman who understands the power of a great shoe and some fabulous accessories…

And Judy’s style isn’t just about Judy: check out the skirt she made for daughter, Carol (this one bakes, by the way. such a creative and talented group of ladies!)

Thank you, Judy, for inspiring us all to take some risks, wear what we love, and embrace who we are.

A beautiful day like today makes me think of some family fun, cubbie tickets and (shamelessly) my shoe wardrobe (true, but at least I realize addictions!)  The change of seasons makes me daydream of styles I haven’t had on my tootsie’s for months!  I’m aching for some new platforms and sandals…..like these

LD Tuttle

Loeffler Randall Ever

Marni

Finsk

 Let’s throw one more in there for good measure…

LD Tuttle

You know us, we love to share inspirations and all esle that captivates us for hours on the world wide web. These fabulous and oh-so-refreshing fashion images are only 10% off this great blog.  A great blog for me is one that is jam packed with fantastic images and DOODERCITY.com is that and more.  The icing on the cake is the birthday celebration postings. Oooh wait…..there’s also the AB FAB magazine covers, the Ma Belle postings, the music images, I just cannot get enough of!  Love you Doodercity.com!

Lately, I have been having those recurring rock star fantasies again. It’s me, on stage in front of thousands of screaming fans, rocking it out fearlessly in any combination of leather catsuits, bustiers, Balenciaga shoes, tutus, fingerless gloves… I think that there’s a little bit of rock star in all of us just waiting to be unleashed (just ask Queen Michelle of Kingdom of Style who is obsessed with all things rock star, too). As an homage to all of the fabulous rock stars — past and present — I decided to pull a few images from one of my current favorite female rockers — Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. If you want to stand out on stage, you’ve really got to be willing to put yourself out there and Karen O does it EVERY SINGLE TIME. I just love a girl who has a definite sense of personal style and isn’t afraid to take some serious fashion risks. I mean, come on, if you’re not afraid to front a rock band, clearly you’re not afraid of anything!

My sister-in-law and her new husband just got back from an 8 month trip to India.  From the few stories I have heard and the beautiful gifts they brought back, I can’t wait to hear every little detail of this unimaginable trip.  My gift??  A scarf!!   To me, a scarf is the perfect gift.  To me, a scarf transcends…every season and almost any outfit from effort to effortless.  Scarves not only make me cozy and happy, but this particular scarf seems to also have the power to put me in front of the camera…yikes!   Yes, I am the terribly-camera-shy-other-half of twentythirtyforty.net.  Hi!  I’m Arlene.  I’m also terribly short on words, so to describe it would not give it any justice..I have to show you.

Thanks Tessie & Johnathan, I looove it!!

For the last few days I have been in Northern Wisconsin sans internet, phone, email, text….just some good family fun  So needless to say, I couldn’t wait to lay my eyes on some fashion!  First day back and nothing could make me happier than a great new fashion blog and a good dose of inspiration.  Check out this FANTASTIC blog Brandon happened upon and a new favorite of mine….EXTRASKINNY.com

I love a woman that understands the power of some solid basics and rocking out those favorite pieces in more ways than one…. great ideas here.

So, when Arlene and I launched this website we pretty much did it all by ourselves. Just the 2 of us — buying, styling, shooting, writing, selling, marketing, accounting, shipping, cleaning.  You get the point. Luckily, we came across this fantastic, sassy little sprite named Amanda (that’s the lovely Amanda, on the right)…

She was a recent performing arts grad from Loyola University and had decided to throw away the life of an actor and march forward toward a fabulous life and career in fashion journalism. She was dying to do anything in fashion and when we met it was clearly a match made in Heaven.  Amanda is a gifted and talented (and super-stylish, of course!) writer who has been a contributor on TWENTYTHIRTYFORTY.net since its launch.  Amanda is all grown up now and has spread her wings and started her own blog — sassafras (with Amanda, it’s all about the sass).  It’s a great blog.  And I say that with the utmost objectivity!  Here’s some random pics from her site…

Fabulous, no?  The girl knows her fashion.  And since she’s really a writer, her blog is thoroughly entertaining.  Very refreshing in the blogoshpere!  Get to know her a little better here.

all photos lovingly borrowed from sassafras