Grunt Style: This We’ll Defend

Today I want to tell you about Grunt Style, a line of clothing made right here in the USA, started by Army Drill Sergeant Daniel Alarik.

He founded Grunt Style after realizing in 2009 that there just wasn’t anything fashionable out there for people to wear to express their love for their country and the military.  Drill Sergeant Alarik contacted me to ask if he could send me a shirt from his line at my choosing for a review.

I have to tell you I was pretty excited.  I like to think of myself as patriotic and aside from the flag Old Navy tees and my old Army PT gear from college (that doesn’t so much fit me anymore), I never felt I had anything patriotic to wear either.  I chose the Daughter of the Republic shirt, which I fell in love with right away.  The shirts are soft and comfortable, made of 60% cotton/40% polyester.  It’s also form fitted to show off your curves ladies!  This particular style comes in v-neck.  So comfortable to wear, I love it!

The one thing I want to caution you on is make sure you get your proper size (there is a sizing chart on the website you will want to follow).  How should I put this.  While the shirt fits me great up top… being not as … in shape as I used to be, it doesn’t look that wonderful in the stomach area.  There is some stretch to the shirt but it does appear a little ‘fitted’ there too.  For someone who is looking to still try and hide that area I would suggest the next size up.

However, now that my boys will all be starting morning school in a few days and I will soon be living at the gym, I really do look forward to being able to confidently put this shirt on in another month or so when I have lost a bit of that added post baby weight.  Maybe at that time I’ll even do a follow up with some photos of me in it.

Grunt Style has a men’s line as well as a women’s line and has recently expanded to include wristlets – which I am loving the look of!  Have something you would like to see on a shirt but they don’t make it?  Grunt Style will custom make you a shirt!  Another plus?  Drill Sergeant Alarik has a beer guarantee – exchange any product at any time for any reason!  How can you go wrong with that?  Grunt style retails from $9.95 to $29.95 and can be purchased directly from the website.  Some styles even available on Amazon.

Disclaimer: I was not paid for this review, I was however given one free shirt to wear and write about.

Jackie O, Vera Wang And Fashion Uniforms

Vera Wang rang in the new year by publishing her very first post on her blog, Vera Unveiled. I adore Vera Wang (she’s the only reason I’ll step foot in a Kohl’s), so I was in fashion heaven reading her first post, Even Jackie O Had a Uniform. She’s so down-to-earth and not the least bit fancy off the runway. Get that woman some powder and mascara and I might just have a full-fledged girl crush!

Anyway…

Vera’s first post was all about fashion uniforms and how the best wardrobes boil down to a basic look that all other looks are born from. Jackie O’s everyday look was a great pair of trousers and a crew neck t-shirt (Katie Holmes even emulated the style on the cover of New York magazine), Miuccia Prada’s is a white t-shirt and a skirt, and Vera’s is leggings and a t-shirt.

I love that all these style icons depend on a basic t-shirt, something anyone can pick up at virtually any store, and it got me thinking about my own fashion uniform. Low and behold, I definitely have one, and I’m kind of giddy that, just like Jackie, Miuccia, and Vera, it centers around a basic t-shirt.

Stretchy jeans and a basic t-shirt topped with a long cardi (I own 74 cardigans, so my love for them runs deep) is what I always reach for no matter if I’m running errands, zoning out with a marathon session of ANTM, or meeting friends for drinks. Sure, I have a closet full of clothes for work and special occasions, and  I change up my shoes and jewelry depending on the outing, but the bones of my every day uniform is almost always the same.

That Vera, she’s a perceptive one.

So, do you have a fashion uniform? Are there pieces in your wardrobe that you always reach for? Do you build your outfit around one key item?

Hanes Pink: Comfort for a Cause Contest

Hanes has teamed up with Susan G. Komen for the Cure and with Melina Kanakaredes to create Hanes Pink, a line of super comfy and cute T-shirts to help raise awareness for breast cancer prevention and to celebrate those amazing women who have battled breast cancer.

If you go to Hanes Pink you can view the four shirts that Melina Kanakaredes has designed, and purchase one of those if you like, or….. here’s the super fun part! You can design and create your own shirt, and even browse the gallery of shirts that other users have created and uploaded.

The lovely people at Hanes were kind enough to contact me, and send me a shirt to try out and review, and also to give one away to a lucky reader! The shirt I got is so pretty, and it’s so soft and comfy. You know how you have that one T-shirt you got from some random event in college like ten years ago, and it’s been washed so many times that it’s just about the softest thing you’ve ever felt, and you can’t bring yourself to get rid of it even though it’s fugly and only fit to sleep in? Well, this shirt feels like that, only it’s new. And pretty. And has no holes in it.  And you aren’t ashamed to wear it out in public. It’s really lovely, and the fit is great. And just like all Hanes products that I’ve had in my life, you can tell it’s very well made. I asked for a Large shirt to be on the safe side, since I wasn’t able to see the shirt first, and I will say that the shirts run true to size. I could have gotten a medium and it would have been perfect.

If you go here, you can also shop the entire Hanes Pink Collection. The bestselling shirts (including the MK designs) are currently buy two, get one free, and they are $9.99. They are also offering free standard shipping on orders of $50 or more as of right now.

So you ask, how do you enter the contest? How can you get one for free? Well, I’m gonna make you work for it. We all know how important early detection is in the fight against breast cancer. I personally know three beautiful women who have survived breast cancer, two of whom were in their early twenties when they were diagnosed, and were only diagnosed because they found the lump themselves while doing a self exam. I myself found a lump a few years back during a self exam. Thankfully it turned out to be benign, but it totally could have gone the other way, and I was months away from my annual exam where the doctor might have found it, and I was far too young to be a candidate for regular mammograms.

So here’s what I want you to do. Leave a comment here, and tell me that you WILL start and keep doing your monthly self exams, and if it’s appropriate to your age and family history that you WILL start and keep getting your annual mammograms. Don’t lie about it. I’ll know. OK, no I won’t know. But if you lie, you’ll feel really bad about it and it will haunt you. So go on. Go get in the shower and feel yourself up, or call your doctor and make that appointment for a mammogram. Deadline to enter is Monday, October 25. The winner will be chosen at random from the comments.

EDITED: Random.org generated #3 as the winning number. Lisa, I will be in touch to get your information so your shirt can be sent to you. Thanks for commenting!

Get Your Geek On: Shirts & Gifts For Bloggers

The Internet is a strange and wonderful place, filled with strange and wonderful people.  And not all of us are living in our parent’s basement anymore.

While blogging and the blogosphere haven’t gone completely mainstream yet (we all still have friends who “don’t get it” and use air quotes when talking about “the Internet”), our cool factor has definitely gone up in the last few years.

Here’s a few products to help you embrace our geek chic.

Read more