Be – You – tiful, but Be You!

Readers, you might remember my friend Marie and her careful step into the risky waters of dating at  “a certain age”. Well, John asked Marie to meet his family! I guess things have progressed, and I am so happy for her!

Funny, I remember back 25 years to meeting my husband's family. On one occasion I met his two good-looking sisters and their boyfriends, his mom, dad and grandmother. Of course I wanted to make a good impression. I thought about looking pretty, svelte (as much as I could trick/fabricate), carefree and comfortable all while looking fashionable, sexy and wholesome. Whew!

Talk about contradictions...I was a panic-attack waiting to explode!

·                  sexy  – but wholesome

·                 fashionable – but not a big spender

·                 pretty – but not too much make-up

·                 confident – but soft-spoken

You get the picture. Trying to be all things to all people was a lot of work - in fact, too much work. And of course, it can't work. 

When you walk into the lovely Ulla Popken offices in Glen Arm, Maryland, you see this sign: 
Be-YOU-tiful. It sort of brings a lot of this rambling into perspective. Yes, by all means be beautiful, but be YOU.  

Too much planning, contriving, hiding is exhausting. It drains one's energy tank and leaves nothing left with which to enjoy meeting the people who love the “special someone” you are starting to care for. Sometimes, reflective of the craziness and obsession of looking beautiful (read, thin), we lose ourselves. 

Marie, my green-eyed, lovely, curvy, 50+ friend chose this plus size dress to wear and here's her reasoning:  Ulla's Lace-Trimmed dress, 31245 

·                   one-piece dressing is easy and always looks put--together and finished

·                   viscose spandex is always comfortable

·                   from Ulla's new Gently Shaped™ Collection, flattering a woman's curves 

·                  the lace is sexy, youthful and appealing but still provides appropriate coverage – a tasteful balance

Getting back to Marie, the best part, she reports, was that with this simple, lovely outfit, she was able to focus on meeting John’s mother, his two grown children, their spouses and the grandchildren, ages 2 and 6, but still have a good time and look great!

Two other Ulla Gently Shaped™ dresses strike me as good go-to choices as well. The first: Ulla’s Faux Surplice Knit Dress, 32253, in “fragrant” Hibiscus or  “comfy” black. The second: Ulla’s Ancient Inspirations Empire Knit Dress, 32254, choose either Brown Multi or Black Multi, coordinating with similar-toned accessories you already have for an easy pulled-together look.

Do you have a favorite great looking, easy, go-to outfit?

Babe

Ulla Popken Blogger & Stylist

Feel good in what you wear.