For Jenna

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Hi babes and studs!  I loved reading your responses to Olive Oil Day 2009.  Seriously, at least once on a vacation, you have to go balls to the wall, ya know?  I was all prepared to write a post about a romantic evening in Roma con mi amore, but I want to take a break from Italy recaps to address a more timely issue. 

If you are a reader of Jenna’s blog, Eat, Live, Run, you will see that she posted yesterday about purchasing some fabby clothes amidst all the summer sales in anticipation for her interview next weekend in wine country with Murphy Goode.  She also asked everyone, especially me, for a little style advice.  Here you go lady!

Jenna’s interview will be several days long and will take place in wine country along with the 9 other finalists.  They will be showcasing their personalities and gusto for the folks at Murphy Goode, each hoping they have the “panache” that will land them the dream job of Murphy Goode’s wine ambassador for six whole months!  We all know Jenna is gorgeous, intelligent, fun, and down-to-earth.  One way for Jenna to showcase her amazing personality to the Murphy Goode peeps is by really standing out with her clothes.  Jenna already has a great sense of style- she loves shopping at Anthropologie and JCrew.  She understands that a good fit is they key to making clothes look flawless.  I do, however, have a few recommendations that I think everyone, even the well-dressed, could benefit from when it comes to dressing to impress.  Here are my tips for looking your most classy and exhuberant, which would apply to meeting the parents, going to an interview, or showing up your boyf’s trampy ex. 

Dressing to Conquer- Tips from Your LBD Girl

1.  Each day, don one extraordinary piece that could easily be the focal point of a discussion.  If you are wearing a blouse, khakis, flats, and simple stud earrings, you will look pulled together.  If you add a brightly colored scarf to the mix, you have insta personality and aconversation piece.  Even if people don’t directly comment on it, trust me, they notice.  They will remember you as being the girl with the interesting and fabulous wardrobe components.  Bonus points for pieces with an interesting provenance like, “Oh thanks, I got in when I went on safari” or, “I love it too- it was my great great grandmother’s.” Tie you well-made, perfectly fitted clothes all together with some seriously standout accessories to elevate your look from “good” to “eye-catching.” 

Carrie basically invented this rule. Perhaps without the ciggie though.

Nikki punches it up in Pucci.

Why be boring when you can be fabulous?

2.  “Never settle for anything less than butterflies”- when it comes to shoes.  Uh, SATC is LIFE isn’t it?  I am a big fan of hating on mediocrity in all its forms, but I most especially eschew mediocre shoes.  What is a mediocre shoe?  It is a shoe that doesn’t make you feel more fabulous, sexy, and pulled-together than you felt before you put it on.  In fact, mediocre shoes don’t just fail to contribute to your look, they hurt your look.  Examples of mediocre shoes:

Flip flops are for the beach, or wading through puddles of PBR in a dirty frat house.

Anything marketed as "comfortable." Just walk away.

I could go on, but I would fall asleep just thinking about the dowdiness.  Shoes are a chance to add some Kimora-Lee Simmons-esque girl-power fabulosity to your look without actually looking like Kimora Lee Simmons.

Cause that might be a little much.

Experiment with embellishments, metallics (Jenna, def. bring those fabby gold Steve Madden sandals!), and brights for day.

LC wears some great shelled sandals to spruce up her dress.

Reese pull her look together with some bright red flats.

JLo don't do mediocre footwear. Uh-UHH.

At night, walk the line between flirty and appropriate.  I would not recommend the all-out hooker shoes I tend to wear when going out with the girls, but would encourage heels with a sleek design that perfectly keep your tootsies looking fiiiine.  Some reasonable  options might include peeptoes, strappy-but-not-bare-shoes, or high-quality nude pumps.

LC tones down some teeny shorts with proper looking peeptoes.

Perfection.

These little babies definitely have sauce, but the t-strap and mid-height heel keep it kosher.

3.  Carry the most regal, wordly, and expensive  leather bag you can get your hands on.  I know this sounds ridiculous, but I swear it works.  Remember that leather is an important component- no other material looks more polished.  Any woman will instantly look pulled-together and more important with a handbag that oozes good taste and high quality.  I’m certainly not saying go out and buy one.  But if you have a fantastic Coach you keep for special occassions, now is the time to use it!  Otherwise, ask relatives and friends if you can borrow their Hogans, Balenciagas, or Chloes for your important event.  I swear, you’ll excude class and bus-NASS.

Exhibit A: Actually, I can't stand this woman, but her look perfectly illustrates my point: boring shirt, boring jeans. Add an incredibly fancy handbag? POW!

Exhibit B: A fancy bag even helps fish an Olsen twin out of the depths of homeless bag lady syndrome!

But please, please, stay away from trashy “Logo bags.”  It just screams “princess,” and no one wants a princess working for them.

Exhibit C: Exactly.

4.  The finishing touches are everything.  Perfectly polished nails (Jenna, I love the bright reds you sometimes wear!), a fresh trim, a new fragrance, or a fun lipstick will give you that extra boost of confidence you might need when the pressure it ON.  When I know I have something big happening, I always make sure to wear my favorite undergarments and exfoliate every inch of my skin with grainy scrub.  Whatever it takes- an at-home facial, a fake bake, whatever, do what YOU need to do to feel your best! 

Girl you are worth it!

Now onto a less sarcastic portion of the post, I had a thought this morning that I turned into a reality.  I have been following Jenna since her very first post, and I have always been so inspired by her enthusiasm for healthy living and drive to share her dreams with the world.  Over the past year and a half, I have so appreciated her willingness to put herself out there for us.  She has shared not only her joys, but her sorrows, her hopes, her insecurities, and her struggles.  Through that I have felt like I not only gaining a healthier perspective on diet and exercise; I felt like I was gaining a friend.  Jenna has been through so much in 2009, primarily, losing her baby brother to a horrible accident.  Through the entire nightmare, she shared every bit of fear, anger, and emotion with us, and I know that took a lot of courage.  She also used her brother’s wonderful hunger for life to refuse to give up.  She quit her job and has been pursuing her dreams full-force ever since.  I know that Jenna is by far the best candidate for the job at Murphy Goode.  She would do more for the company than they could even begin to imagine.  But more importantly, I know that this experience is just what Jenna needs to continue to live life to its fullest after her brother’s parting.

More than anything, after all Jenna has done for me, I wished there was something I could do to help her.  So I wrote the following letter to the folks at Murphy Goode:

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am a regular reader of Jenna Weber’s blog “Eat Live Run,” and I wanted to write today to strongly support her candidacy and encourage you to choose her as your Wine Ambassador.  Jenna’s blog is a healthy living blog, yes, but it is also a lifestyle blog, which is why I think so many people relate to her.  She celebrates food, drink, family, and friends the way only a oenophile could- with passion, gusto, and energy.  She loves living “the good life,” and knows how to enjoy it while not being hedonistic.  Jenna has already demonstrated her commitment to good food by graduating from Le Cordon Bleu.  You can see that each meal she eats is thrilling to her, from a vegetable smoothie to a plate of buttery snails.  She employs the same approach to her wine- treating it like a celebration, even if it’s just a Wednesday.  This is the sort of ambassador that would perfectly relay the beauty of Murphy Goode wines to the world.

I am a young professional female living in Washington DC whose adult tastes are developing.  I have always wanted to learn more about wine, but am often daunted by wine books and stuffy commentaries by “older people” who I think take some of the fun out of it.  Jenna’s down-to-earth approach to relating to her readers would be the optimal way to approach your target audience about wine.  She is always informative and interesting, but she couches it with optimism and energy that is contagious.

Thank you for your consideration, and once again, I urge you to pick Jenna Weber for A Really Goode Job.

Sincerely,
http://mealsfromthegirlinthelittleblackdress.wordpress.com

The Challenge:

I want to urge you all to write a letter to the folks at Murphy Goode to express our united blog world’s enthusiasm for her candidacy to be the Wine Ambassador.  Jenna is a ray of sunshine in a very disordered health world.  Let’s contribute any way we can so her rays extend even farther!

How to Do It:

1.  Address your email to webmaster@areallygoodejob.com.

2.  In the text of your email, express your support for Jenna!  If you would prefer, use the sample text below:

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to express my strong enthiasm for Jenna Weber of Eatliverun.com in her running to become the Wine Ambassador for Murphy Goode.  I am a follower of her blog, and daily read her musings on food, health, wine, and life.  I am particularly fond of her (list quality/ies you like a bout Jenna here).  Her writing is inspirational, her reach is far, and her message is one that Murphy Goode will greatly benefit from.  Please entrust Jenna Weber with A Very Goode Job- her many readers will stand behing and follow her Murphy Goode experience, and her new acquaintences are sure to be just as inspired by her vibrant spirit.

Sincerely,
(Put your name here.  It also might be helpful to include a link to your blog so they can see just how “big” our little blogging community is!)

3.  Leave a comment here to let me know you sent the email.  I think keeping track of numbers will help us in our endeavor!

 

I hope you enjoyed my silly advice for looking like a power girl, and that you will be as inspired as I am to advocate for Jenna so she will nail this Murphy Goode job.  Thanks for reading, and I will be back with more ridiculous stories from Roma!!

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