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:

Dressing 4 Disney - Keep it Casual

My summer wardrobe is coming together beautifully. These comfy orange braided leather sandals came and are in "walking around the house testing" as we speak. I love the simple crochet detail on the Old Navy tank--just enough to punch it up without being overdone. I found the brown leather wrap bracelet I have been seeking (not this one posted, though I love the fishhook closure!), which has a lightweight feel and effortlessness to it I really wanted.

Dressing 4 Disney - Keep it Casual by tribaldancer featuring a canvas crossbody

What's in your bag? Disney Theme Park Edition!

Seriously??

I was never big on purses. I resisted carrying a purse until half way through my 20's, and always kept it very very minimal. As I grew older (and older), I found my tolerance for purses has increased, and so has my expectations of what to carry on my person daily. My wallet and phone of course always need to go with me, but now things like glasses (for dark theaters or driving at night), sunglasses, lip gloss and/or lip stick (did I also mention I eschewed most makeup until my 30's?), the requisite pack of tissues (did we learn nothing from our grandparents? so versatile!), collapsible market bag, business cards, spare pen, headphones/bluetooth headset, my iPod touch, sometimes my tablet. Oh and my battery backup for my phone (hey, you never know when Ingress opportunities will arise). And though I still REFUSE to carry some of those giant bags that look like you're going for an overnight trip when you're at the grocery store, my daily purse is definitely larger as the years go on.

But when I hit the parks. It's time to simplify, pare down, scale back. Coming from Seattle, Orlando's summer heat (heck, spring and fall heat!) is challenging to my physical comfort. My skin gets very hot and sensitive and I would prefer to carry nothing on me at all save for what fits in pockets. On my first trip to the parks, I tried this. I packed only clothes with pockets (save for evenings out-outfits) and tried to tuck things here and there. I brought a shoulder bag just in case...and ended up using it most of the trip after all. Because I learned early on that going into a sweltering theme park for 8-10 hours, even if you split that into 4-5 hour increments with a hotel visit in between, requires some preparation and a few essentials.

Dressing 4 Disney - One Skirt A Dozen Ways

In our family, we TRY to share a single checked bag and bring our carry-ons and call it good. Methinks this upcoming trip will be harder to accomplish this, thanks to...well...Dressing 4 Disney. Ha! BUT this just creates another challenge, right?

Mixing and matching is the only way to get a week's worth of fashion into one checked bag. Here is a simple mid-calf jersey skirt I own from Old Navy, and a bunch of options for snazzy combinations, day and evening. (It's all about OPTIONS!)With my stretched ears I can't usually wear dangly earrings like these, but they were both so lovely I had to include them. The belts? They come as a three-pack! Aren't they adorable? I have found belts do a LOT to pull otherwise drab outfits together for me. One could easily include a shrug, sweater, or lightweight linen shirt in this collection for cooler evenings and yet more options.

Dressing 4 Disney - One Skirt A Dozen Ways by tribaldancer featuring a a line skirt

Dressing for Disney - Beachy Flair

I now own white pedal pushers. White. Pedal pushers. Like...non-ironically. That fact will not seem strange to many, but here in Seattle, the old "Don't wear white after Labor Day" would usually be better summed up by "Don't wear white...ever." We don't wear a lot of white. We are plenty white already without any help, thanks to nine months of grey skies and drizzle. But when putting together looks for balmy Florida, this fantasy of mine came to the surface. You see, white pants are something I have never felt I could pull off. No, not just geographically speaking, but just...me. I am a plus-sized 5'3", so white and light colors are something I shy away from and instead favor either saturated colors (like orange, fuscia, turquoise) or earth tones (deep plum, navy blue, burgundy). And of course black, the universal weight-loss miracle color. There is this world of pastels, neons, and whites that live outside of my vision--I can see it out of the corner of my eye, but I will not look directly at it.

Yeah, like that.

To me, white always looks so carefree and beachy. Like I should be on the deck of my boat with the wind in my hair, sipping champagne. Or strolling down some avenue perusing the shop windows for my next Hermes scarf or Birkin bag. Why I associate white pants with such extravagance, I will never be able to pinpoint, but there it is. So when I was skimming through various fashion blog posts and online catalogs, and invariably all the summery white dresses and shorts and sarongs are on display for the season, I felt the call...and I answered the challenge. I knew I had this green and white swingy A-line tank and thought it would go great with some white shorts or capris. The pedal pushers at Lane Bryant looked cute and were on 50% sale, so I snagged them.

I am happy to say I have since received them, tried them on, and decided yes...I CAN wear white pants. They fit well and look cute (in my opinion of course), and bonus, as a true neutral they go with tons of other items in my summer wardrobe for mixing and matching. Now, to get my skin to contrast just a teensy bit more...

Dressing for Disney - Beachy Flair by tribaldancer featuring yellow glasses

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 - Hipster in the House of Mouse

Anytime there are owls, giant glasses, and fedoras, it makes me think of hipsters. I don't care, I love the look. Pop of orange/coral makes the darker browns and navy blues of this outfit a bit more exciting. How cute is the owl purse, I mean seriously? Super comfy Merrell sandals make walking easy (though I included my fantasy yellow All Star high tops as well, though my feet have been too wide to wear them most of my adult life).

Dressing 4 Disney - A Touch of Hipster by tribaldancer featuring a blue top

Dressing 4 Disney - Meet the Mouse

I am not afraid of full-on whimsy when it comes to Disney. I wear my ears loud and proud. Doesn't the Big Cheese himself deserve a little homage? I think so! I would be proud to shake his hand wearing this look, and I would be comfortable in the heat at the same time.

I bought this Old Navy dress in XL Petite and it fits me like a GLOVE. Bought it in three more colors while they were available. I wear Luvees or Jockey Skimmies under my dresses in summer to prevent rashy thighs and to add a little modesty protection when getting around town (or in the case of the parks, on and off rides).

My Mac Russian Red lipstick would look stellar with this look. And I think I just might get my nails done like this before I fly out on my upcoming trip. Ya know...to get in the spirit!

Dressing 4 Disney - Meet the Mouse by tribaldancer featuring a brown shoulder bag

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.