Last Night, A Maxi Dress Saved My Life...

“Beauty, to me, is about being comfortable in your own skin. That, or a kick-ass red lipstick.” ~ Gwyneth Paltrow

I have my body issues just like the next woman. I love myself, don't get me wrong. But there are parts of me that I have a love/hate relationship with. One of those parts are my upper arms, which I call my "wings". I never bare my arms in public because I don't feel comfortable with showing my wings to the world.

But while shopping with a friend, I had a moment, which now has me on another road in my life's journey... to acceptance. I was in the dressing room, talking about how this was showing and that was showing. And my friend simply said: 

"Hey, that's your body. You have to own it all. Those parts you don't like aren't going to disappear in a split second." 

And after thinking about that, I realized that I was the one making those body parts an issue. Not anyone else. I'm not there 100% but I am getting there one day at a time. It's all about having a love affair with yourself. 

Part of that love affair is dressing up your body and feeling good in what you're wearing. Staying true to your style because your style is who you are. We shouldn't dress to cover body parts we don't like or for any other reason than loving what you're wearing because when you look good, you feel good.

So when that friend was taking pics of me in my new maxi dress that I found at Catherines, I decided to bare my arms in order to show the full detail of the dress. I felt so pretty that I thought, what the hell! I did wear a cropped jacket for some pics but thought it would look even better if I showed the dress without the jacket.

This dress is amazing in so many ways. It's my favorite piece at the moment. I love stripes and the chevron stripe is so flattering. I also have a nice waist so the colorblock detail at the waist really shows that off, which I LOVE. The fabric is lightweight and stretchy. The dress flows nicely and feels so comfortable. Lastly, the length is perfect. I'm 5'7" so sometimes a maxi dress is too long or too short. 

I also added a simple necklace, black purse and teardrop earrings.

For a pop of color (which I am always a fan of), I paired this dress with my pink patent leather flats from Lane Bryant.

I also love the versatility of this dress because I can also dress it down with a denim jacket and some sandals for a day look. This dress is so far the best item I have purchased this year yet. I will probably wear this dress over and over again. 

You can shop my look here:

• Chevron Stripe Maxi from Catherines
• Cropped Jacket not available online (I found it in-store) - but you can shop shrugs and cardis here
• Patent Flat in Vivid Pink from Lane Bryant
• Geo-Deco Pendant Necklace from Catherines
• Bag and earrings were borrowed from a friend

You can check out all maxi dresses at Catherines here if this one is not your style.

As spring comes into full swing, I'm starting to think baring arms was not so bad. My wings are beautiful because I AM BEAUTIFUL. I'm really inspired to keep conquering these little things that hold me back from living life to my fullest potential. And everytime I think of this dress, this song pops in my head (hence the title of this post). Fashion has had a hand in building my confidence and helping me realize that beauty is not about a size tag. It's about just being you. So thanks for "saving" my life.