Before and After

I don't know if all of you realize, but Kelly, who does our Monday fitness posts, is actually my cousin. Both of us grew up without sister (she has one brother, I have four) so she's the closest thing I have to a sister. Despite our 10 year age difference, we're super close. She lives outside of Toronto, so I see her every few months, whenever I can fly up there. Anyway, our favorite thing to do when I'm at home is to go shopping. You see, Kelly is a personal trainer and she absolutely LIVES in workout clothes. I'm forever pestering her to wear other clothes and generally making fun of her. We make fun of each other a lot in my family. Her poor husband has to take a deep breath whenver I'm around because it means Kelly is going to be spending a lot of money. Before she went on a trip to Europe I took her out and could have fed a small third world country. Sorry Tom. Last time I was home, she had a party to go to and enlisted my help to get her a new pair of jeans that actually FIT her ridiculously tiny body and didn't, IN ANY WAY, look like yoga pants.

Observe:


This is Kelly's before picture. Yes, we were creepy and took pictures in the fitting room. DEAL. This is how Kelly is dressed for work and usually when we hang out UNLESS it's a party or something. Granted, she totally needs to live in workout clothes because that's her job. I don't begrudge her. I do make fun of her, but I don't begrudge her. (Kelly, I can hear you cackling from here.)

Now, the thing about Kelly is she has a bangin' trainer's body but is always covered up in sweats. Her request was for a pair of jeans that actually fit. We tried a few stores and I convinced her that it was time to cough up some coin for a really good, staple pair.

We were looking for a few things: dark wash, misses sizing (this is not the time to squeeze into juniors jeans) and very little spandex in the denim. We found her a pair that she loved and was willing to spend the money on:


(Jeans and top, GAP. Cardigan, shoes and necklace, Costa Blanca)

After! Super cute, right? When I was dressing her, I wanted to keep some of her sportiness, which is why I kept her top basic but added a sequin cardigan. You never want to feel overdressed in your own clothes. Then we added a pair of heels and she was ready for her husband's work party (he's a firefighter.) We also tried the outfit with flats too, so we could make sure she could wear it on a daily basis as well.

When I was snapping pictures, I went back through to have Kelly look at the before and after side by side and she was like OH MY GOSH. Having a good pair of go-to jeans makes you look slimmer and more importantly, feel better. She still lives in yoga pants and Lululemon for work, but now she knows how easy it is to throw together a quick outfit for parties, hanging out with friends and going shopping with me. (Yes, that is a hint that you should wear your jeans when we hang out in a week... just saying.)

Anyway, Kelly works hard posting her fitness tips each Monday and I wanted to give her a day off while spotlighting easy changes that you can make to your daily wardrobe.
1) A good pair of jeans that FIT WELL.
2) Basic but well-cut tops that have interest. Hubby's tees need not apply.
3) A bit of jewelry.
4) An open mind. Kelly never balks at anything I put her on. She is one of my favorite people to dress because I've never heard her say "I can't pull that off" or "I don't know if I can." She just loads up the clothes and tries them on and looks pretty. YAY KELLY.

Then I get a Cinnabon and eat it while she nibbles the edges = why I'm not a personal trainer.

Anyone else want a makeover?