unflattering

Quick post this week - I’m currently in Oregon for 16 days. We were in Portland for three days, and then moved on to Hood River, where my sister lives, for the remainder of the time. It’s been a while since I was away from home for this long, so I thought extra hard about packing. I recorded a video (~7 minutes) of my process to share with y’all.

This is style stories, an interview series where I ask guests about their relationship to clothes over the course of their life and how external influences have shaped it. I focus on the ways that women are able to reject societal expectations about what they should wear. Every guest answers the same questions. My friend and writing group member Ryan Rose Weaver (she/hers) introduced me to Leigh because she experienced in person Leigh’s welcoming inclusive retail environment.

Life has been hectic lately. I’d quiet switched the day of the week I publish on (Wednesday instead of Tuesday so I don’t have to scramble on Monday) since I’m the boss around here, but last week a post didn’t go out until Friday and it’s unclear whether I’ll be able to get this one out today (Thursday). Speaking of Substack schedules, not only will we be visiting my sister in Hood River for two weeks in July, but my book is due July 31st. I’ll definitely be quieter here for a few weeks.

The complete transcript of this video chat is available by clicking the “Transcript” button below the video. Hi everyone — I have had the craziest week. I had the live styling session recording from last week ready to go out on Wednesday, but on Monday, my family and I traveled to Kansas City to see a World Cup game. The next day, on the morning of the game, I got an email from Stubhub saying they didn’t have tickets for me (which I’d paid for in November 2025).

While yes, I did recently do an entire month of thrift content, I’ll never want for ideas of more. Enjoy! I think of thrifting and secondhand shopping a bit like a game with different levels. Level 1 is your nicely curated secondhand store (i.e., Buffalo Exchange, Clothes Mentor, etc.) Level 2 is a nicely organized (clothes are sorted by category and size) thrift store like Savers.

Important housekeeping note! If you are an annual paid subscriber and are interested in putting your name in the hat to win the live personal styling session with me for June, fill out this form. The session will be next week, on June 11th, at 12pm central time. Make sure that time works for you before you sign up! I will do a random name drawing on Friday. A reminder, this is a paid perk — both the chance to win the session and to attend or watch the recording.

it’s hard to find modern silhouettes in vibrant colors — I’m using accessories I already own instead First of all, happy chaos season to those who celebrate (for the uninitiated, this is post-school, pre-camp, hope-your-kids-can-entertain-themselves-while-you-try-to-work time) 🤪 I’ve been feeling like my style is finding its balance point after swinging from all neutrals all the time at one end to all the crazy colors and patterns at the other.

a transparent look at subscriptions, affiliate income, book writing, chronic illness, and three years of running this newsletter. Over the weekend, I hit a milestone — three years on Substack! If you’re new here, welcome! In the unflattering community, we challenge everything we’ve been taught about style and then choose which pieces we want to keep and which we want to let go of. We look at clothing as an expression of our true selves and something that we can use to care for ourselves.

Finding pants that fit in both the hips and the waist can seem like an impossible feat. Many of us have wondered why manufacturers can’t make women’s pants with the elastic inserted that they do for kids’ pants. In addition to solving the fit problem, having pants that can adjust throughout the day would be a godsend. You can DIY this or have a tailor do it: The reverse is also true, you can have elastic or fabric added to make the waistband larger.

Lately, I’ve found myself wanting to try a little harder when I get dressed. I’ve also been hearing from clients, class participants, and readers about how pajamas or sweatshirts aren’t quite doing it anymore. The Covid-19 outbreak in 2020 changed everything about getting dressed to work from home. We were all scared and in need of comfort and one of the places we tried to get it was from our clothes.