The Post Where I Discuss Lingerie. (Sorry, Dad.)

If you’ve read anything that I’ve written, especially over the past year, you know that I love fashion and style.  I love getting dressed up, feeling confident in what I’m wearing and how I’m wearing it, and helping other women to feel the same way.  My mantra is that “no one can take their eyes off of a confident woman.”

Think I’m wrong?  Try thinking back to a woman in the past that you’ve known or were acquainted with whom everyone just thought was AMAZING.  Breathtaking.  Incredibly beautiful/fabulous/fantastic, etc.  People fawned all over this woman.  Maybe you did too.  But then, one day you stepped back and thought:  um, she’s really not that pretty.  Or maybe even that fabulous or fantastic.  I was drinking the Kool-Aid! What’s up with that?

Oh c’mon, it’s just me, don’t pretend like you don’t know what I’m talking about.

Do you know what her secret is?  That woman that we’re talking about?  I do.

Confidence.

Of course, confidence comes from a number of sources, but why not take all of the help that you can get?  Here’s my little piece of advice  — I think that physical confidence starts with what you have on underneath.  (A quick aside to my family members:  I’m about to start talking about my personal lingerie philosophy.  I won’t be offended if you click over to something a little less personal, now.  Oooh, look – here’s my “About” page!)

So let’s set this up, shall we?

In two weeks I will be emceeing a Mardi Gras Ball here in New Orleans.  I plan on wearing this drop dead gorgeous strapless BCBG ball gown that has been in my closet for a while, but has yet to see the light of day (or the glow of night).  I will be on stage in front of the entire Krewe as well as about a thousand of their guests.  I will be the one who reveals the identity of the King and Queen, as well as the rest of the court (for those not familiar with Mardi Gras season, this is a highly anticipated moment).  I will be, quite literally, in the spotlight on stage for a solid hour.

Raise your hand if you think I could probably use a little extra confidence during that hour?

Right.

No doubt the dress will help.  The dramatic makeup will help.  Telling myself that I’m not going to trip on my way up the steps will help (please, oh please cross your fingers for me on the night of January 23rd).  But um, wearing a dingy old pair of cotton panties and any ol’ bra is totally not going to help.  I’ll spare you the details, but it’s safe to say that what’s going to be underneath is a matching set.  And it’s not old and dingy.  It’s sexy, and I feel good in it.

There’s the key – I FEEL GOOD IN IT.

Lingerie is not about sex.  I don’t wear it because I anticipate someone seeing it later.  I wear it because it makes me feel good, because it’s like I have my own little secret underneath my clothes and I like the way that makes me feel.  I stand up a little straighter, and hold my head a little higher.

Now, I’m not saying that dropping a fortune at La Perla or Victoria’s Secret is going to be an instant confidence builder and it’s certainly not going to turn you into one of those supermodels in the ads.  I’m also not saying that awesome lingerie is the only way to feel good about yourself, physically.  But, you know what?  It’s a start.  A great start.

We’ve all got to start somewhere.

Chic Tunes Tuesday – Mardi Gras Style!

Happy Mardi Gras!  I’m proud to say that I was born and raised here in the New Orleans metro area, and am essentially a part of “old” New Orleans.  My family and ancestors have been a part of this great city since it’s inception.  Growing up here I think it is really easy to take the culture and history for granted a bit, and it wasn’t until I was in college that I started to truly appreciate the rich traditions and history that we have as a state.

Naturally, Carnival season is one of those traditions!  If you don’t know, Carnival starts on January 6th, which is Kings Day (or Twelfth Night) and goes through Mardi Gras Day itself (the date of which changes each year, depending on the date of Easter!  Mardi Gras is scheduled to be 47 days before Easter.).  I know, it’s kinda confusing, but in a nutshell it was a season created to “live it up” before Lent begins.  It is such a fun and festive time of the year, and well, the fact that you can only buy King Cakes during Carnival Season doesn’t hurt either.  (Can you say yummy?)  I do want to say that the seedy side of the Carnival Season that is so often played up on TV and in the movies IS NOT how Mardi Gras really is to the people that live here.  The flashing, drunkeness, excuse to do whatever you want type of attitude is one that sweeps into town along with the hoards of tourists, NOT the locals.  As a matter of fact, we hate that you think that is ALL that Mardi Gras is!

As a native New Orleans girl, I grew up hearing the music of the city.  During Carnival, that music takes on a very specific sound, and there is music that I know by heart – every beat, every tinkling of the piano keys, the sound of each horn – that has been ingrained in my soul since I was a child.  It was never “forced” upon me, it just found its way into my heart by virtue of its mere existence.  Then one day, not too long ago, I realized that people who aren’t from here have no idea what this odd sounding mix of music actually is!  To think that it sounds foreign to your ears truly blows my mind!  How can you not know what it means to Second Line, or to instinctively hum “Big Chief” under your breath?

So, with that, I give you Chic Tunes Tuesday – Mardi Gras style.  All of the songs linked here have multiple re-makes, but these are the originals, and the best versions, in my opinion.  Enjoy this fun mix of Jazz and Blues songs – and mostly enjoy hearing a little bit of Mardi Gras!

1. “Mardi Gras Mambo” by The Meters – Play this song and NOLA folk can’t help but dance.  I promise we know every word!

2. “Carnival Time” by Al Johnson  – Frequently played on the radio this time of the year, Carnival Time is a favorite, and yet another way that you know the season has arrived!

3.  “Big Chief” by Professor Longhair – This song is very old, but that hasn’t stopped it from becoming one of the main Mardi Gras Anthems.  There are words to the song, but most people just know it by the instrumental part.  I was on the dance team when I was in High School, and we marched (for 3 straight weekends) in 6-8 parades a year.  This song was one that our band played during the parades, and I can STILL remember the dance that we did to it.

4. “The Second Line” by Stop, Inc.  – A New Orleans tradition, but one commonly associated with Mardi Gras, the second line referred to the people drawn to the brass band processions because of the music.  A sweet tradition at New Orleans weddings is to hire a brass band and “Second Line” to the reception, with all of your guests following behind you.  My cousin Jennifer recently did this at her wedding, and it’s so much fun.  (And it gave French Quarter tourists quite the eye full!)

5.  “Hey Pocky Way” by the Neville Brothers  – I have no idea what it means, but I groove to this song almost every year!  One of my faves, and sure to get me dancing and acting silly!

Can’t get enough?  There are SO many great songs that I associate with Mardi Gras, that it was hard to choose just five!  You can also check out “Iko Iko“, and “Go To The Mardi Gras“.