The Jerk Who Didn't Blog

Yep, that's me. The jerk who knew one of her friends was going to Disney World, and with all of the best intentions wanted to get a few more posts up before she went, is now faced with less than a week before her friend goes. So said friend of the first part is posting some sample outfits from her previous trip for the friend of the second part very last minute!

Searching for treasure in Magic Kingdom!
Double-up on tank tops, denim bermudas, my trusty Skecher Goga Mat sneaks<
deer antler necklace, leather wrap bracelet (love!)

Dressing 4 Disney - Night & Day

Disney World has many facets to it. On the surface, to the uninitiated it appears to be "just a theme park".  Be we who have taken the opportunity to fully embrace Disney know it is so much more.

People are always surprised when I tell them that fully half the reason we love to go to Disney is for the food! We have a sit-down meal nearly every night of our trip, some of them quite swanky (and there are entire blogs dedicated to the food at Disney, like my favorite DisneyFoodBlog.com, for instance.) Sure, some people will still walk in with cargo shorts and muscle tees, but that's fine. We're not there to look at everyone else, we're there to enjoy one another's company, soak in the joyful atmosphere, appreciate excellent customer service, and of course eat delicious cuisine from around the world (and World !).

10 Tips for Picking Shoes for Disney

The easiest way to sink your day at the parks? Painful, achey, blistered tootsies. Those parks are big, and there is no short, quick walk ANYPLACE. You don't want to be limping back to your room within a couple of hours; you wanna go all day! Picking the right shoes is important.

This topic is very near and dear to my heart. As someone who suffers from daily foot pain, the prospect of walking for hours and hours, miles and miles, every single day on hard pavement is a terrifying one. But over the years I have figured out some ways to make my days walking in the parks a lot more comfortable. Here are a few tips I can offer:

Trashy Diva hits the parks

If you love retro fashion and are not familiar with Trashy Diva, then you need to remedy that immediately.  Here, let me help:
http://www.trashydiva.com/post/what-i-wore-to-disney-world/

She took a trip to Walt Disney World and took photos to share her Disney fashion sense.  Her heels? ACK! I am amazed when people can walk all day in them, but that's not for me. The dresses? Oh yeah, I could rock those.

As far as theme park fashion, in her words:

"If you haven't been to Disney World, don't think you have to hold hands with Mickey while wearing a Disney T-shirt with flip flops & eat fast food burgers everyday. You can if you want - and many people do - but it is what you make it! ~ Candice"

I couldn't have said it better myself!

And while you're at it, also check out:
http://www.trashydiva.com/post/What-I-Wore-Fit-For-A-Disney-Princess/
Way more reasonable shoes. I think my bias is showing. :)

Dressing 4 Disney - Beat the Heat

I actually have many of the components in my closet right now: the cargo bermuda shorts (a bit lighter blue), the top, sunglasses and necklace, and a flower much like this one. The shoes, bag, and bracelet are my creative additions, as are the specific makeup and nail looks I added for a little extra somethin'.

Dressing 4 Disney - Beat the Heat by tribaldancer featuring crossbody handbags

Dressing 4 Disney - Spring is Sprung

Let's be honest, there are shoes I wish I could wear, and shoes I am better off wearing. This outfit has the more practical flat leather sandal I would wear during a long day in the parks, and the cute peep-toe wedge I would wear if I didn't have to walk for miles. The latter might be good for a "hang out at the resort" day, or shopping at Downtown Disney, or a short evening heading to Illuminations and a late night cocktail at World Showcase. Drapey colorful tunic over cotton blend cargos, simple accessorizing, peachy pink lip and cheek with natural eyes. I totally went to Etsy and bought this necklace for my upcoming trip. It made me think of Ellie in Up!

Dressing 4 Disney - Spring is Sprung by tribaldancer featuring engraved jewelry

Welcome to Dressing 4 Disney! Let's Get Disney Fashion Forward!

Hello and welcome to my Dressing 4 Disney Blog!

This has been inspired by my next trip to Disney World coming up this summer, and my desire to dress a little more fashionably than I have in the past. Comfort is king for me, with the incredible heat, and all the stand up sit down walk walk walk! Air conditioning inside, 90+ degrees outside, rain squalls, soaked on one ride, racing through the air on another...it's like dressing for 2-3 seasons while hiking a mountain...and now I want to look FASHIONABLE??

Yes. Yes I do.

And if you're here, maybe you do, too.

There are a lot of fantastic Disney fashion blogs out there, but most of them focus on
a) "fantasy" outfits themed to characters, attractions, parks (think the incredibly popular and oft-copied DisneyBound),
b) still more "fantasy" outfits, piling on layers of jewelry, bulky name brand handbags, and ridiculously high heels, none of which work for a long day in the parks, or
c) teenagers in teensy weensy cutoff jean shorts and shirts with cute cartoons and flirty phrases

I love DisneyBounding, and the creativity using an artful blend of colors, textures, and detailed accessorizing is really inspiring; but it isn't realistic or practical. It's a mish-mash of whatever items Polyvore has in its database, ignoring any actual availability, pricing, sizing...basically, nobody has these things in their closet.  The fantasy outfits depict ensembles worthy of a spread in a magazine, which is equally unrealistic unless you are a stick thin supermodel who actually only lives in the pages of a fashion magazine (hello in there!). And the teenagers? They're the real deal. Probably the closest to real park wear of the three...but good only until you're about 21. After that...you might want to up your game (and lower your hemline?)

You'd have to be madder than a hatter to wear some of the looks these sites and Polyvore accounts proffer (see what I did there??!. So what is a 30-something, 40-something, 50 and beyond avid parkgoer to do when they want find ideas for dressing "their age" while still feeling put together, fashion forward, and still comfortable and practical enough to see us through long hot days on the theme park pavement? Why, make my own freaking Polyvore sets and collections, start a Facebook page to bring together some like-minded folks, and BLOG ABOUT IT!

Would love to hear about your adventures in fashion in Disney. What do you do to make yourself look a little more stylish, while still being theme-park savvy?  Stay tuned for some inspiration boards, based on REAL CLOTHES I would wear to the parks. Sure, there will be a few fantasy elements in there--what's the fun in only living in the real world? But my goal is to create looks that "Everywoman" (and maybe even later "Everyman") would truly wear. Clothes that wear well, wash well, fit well, flatter, pack well. Is that so much to ask? I say NO!

Let's do this thing.