The Frump Factor

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Reflections on beauty and fashion for women who weren't born yesterday. Bring your sense of humor and fight the frump with me!

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The Frump Factor

Ask not for whom the jingle bells toll

Every year at about this time, I become dimly aware that some holidays are approaching. And like death or taxes, they are coming whether I’m ready or not. The Holiday Express is rumbling toward me...

Dec 4, 2012 Like

The Frump Factor

And all I got was this lousy T-shirt

Photo courtesy of Morguefile.com October was a strange month here at Frump Central. Since I know you’re all wondering, here’s what I’ve been doing: Trying not to become homicidal in response to...

Nov 4, 2012 Like

The Frump Factor

Will run for beer (a break from fashion-centric blogging)

I don’t usually call myself a runner. I consider myself more of a “runner,” and the real runners out there get the distinction. Real runners enter races hoping to set personal records; “runners”...

Sep 30, 2012 Like

The Frump Factor

The quest for perfect basics: Tops and blouses edition

In my last post, I shared the imperfections of my wardrobe. I mentioned how difficult it can be to find wardrobe “workhorses” — those practical, versatile items that will serve us day in and day...

Sep 9, 2012 Like

The Frump Factor

Ode to an imperfect wardrobe

I’m fond of saying that my wardrobe is held together by duct tape and staples. I’m sure this is an overstatement, but it’s hard not to feel this way when confronting the annual onslaught of fall...

Aug 26, 2012 Like

The Frump Factor

Folk fest, old lady shorts, and a two-stepping Brazilian

Outdoor music, especially the free kind, is one of summer’s great pleasures. I didn’t think it could get much better than last weekend, when I got to hear the Roy Sludge Trio performing “Too Drunk...

Jul 29, 2012 Like

The Frump Factor

Special TV offer! Act now!

I’ve been spending lots of time at the gym lately, and not because I’m suddenly dedicated to fitness, believe me. No. Unlike my house, the gym is air-conditioned. So even though exercise is far...

Jul 16, 2012 Like

The Frump Factor

Visible Monday: Outfitting for Oregon

Every now and then, I am reminded that clothes serve a practical purpose. Like the rooftops over our heads, they protect us from the elements. Last week, Mr. Frump and I took a special trip to...

Jul 2, 2012 Like

The Frump Factor

Shopping with Mom

I recently returned from a visit to the Frump Factor ancestral home. It was here that I endured junior high school, an endless sequence of bad haircuts, and culottes. So let’s just say the style...

Jun 12, 2012 Like

The Frump Factor

Once in a lifetime

I recently attended my 25th college reunion. The journey involved a seemingly endless car trip, during which the rocky ridges of Massachusetts gave way to the green meadows of New York and,...

Jun 7, 2012 Like

The Frump Factor

Visibly thrifted: A top for spring

For some time now, I’ve been fighting the scourge of Thrift Envy. This disease is a side effect of reading too many fashion blogs. So many of my favorite bloggers are champion thrifters. They go...

May 7, 2012 Like

The Frump Factor

A sports bra of one’s own

Public domain image from wpclipart.com Women of all ages, sizes and fitness levels strap themselves into some kind of exercise gear on a regular basis. If you’re like me, you probably don’t think...

May 1, 2012 Like

The Frump Factor

Those were the days

Beauty pageant from another era (public domain photo) A friend of The Frump Factor, the inimitable Maggie T, recently drew my attention to some interesting online content created a few years back...

Apr 22, 2012 Like

The Frump Factor

We have a winner!

With a little help from some invisible robots over at Random.org, I have chosen my MarketPlace giveaway winner. Let’s have a big round of applause for Tamera at Menopausal Supermodel! Tamera is a...

Apr 12, 2012 Like

The Frump Factor

The mascara games: Fear and loathing at the drugstore

Not too long ago, as I was half-squatting, half-sprawling on the floor of my local drugstore, unsuccessfully searching the lowest possible shelf for a replacement mascara, a question popped into my...

Apr 6, 2012 Like 1 person likes this

The Frump Factor

Visible Monday: Green fashion, a good cause, and a giveaway!

After about a year and a half of writing this blog, I am happy to announce my first-ever giveaway. I’m even more pleased to be giving something that I would definitely love to win myself — a $100...

Mar 26, 2012 Like

The Frump Factor

An apple and a banana walk into a bar…

This month’s style-related obsession? Demystifying body types. I thought I had figured this out long ago, but learning is cyclical and recursive, right? Why should I care? Well, there is a very...

Mar 20, 2012 Like

The Frump Factor

Late to the arm party

When I was in my early thirties, I used to make bead necklaces. It was fun while also being a source of endless frustration. For every successful necklace that got worn, there were several others...

Mar 13, 2012 Like

The Frump Factor

Visible Monday: One dress, seven outfits

I’m not sure when or why I stopped wearing dresses, but it probably had something to do with my belief that they’re less versatile than separates. While people are much more likely to notice repeat...

Mar 5, 2012 Like

The Frump Factor

Playing with Boho-chic

For months now, I’ve been wanting to try some necklace-layering techniques that I learned in this post by the lovely Debbi at She Accessorizes Well. I’ve noticed that fashion bloggers layer jewelry...

Feb 22, 2012 Like

The Frump Factor

Fantasy vs. reality: The closet edition

In the fantasy, I stroll into my perfectly organized closet to assemble my perfectly coordinated outfit. My clothes are color-coordinated and organized by type. Outfits assemble themselves...

Feb 8, 2012 Like

The Frump Factor

Visible Monday: Tropical shopping

Straw hat by Peter Grimm (purchased at Charme in Ft. Myers, FL); Belt by artist Leoma Lovegrove Who doesn’t fantasize about ditching everything and fleeing to a tropical island? Sure, it’s a...

Jan 30, 2012 Like

The Frump Factor

Not quite an “it bag”

We’ve all heard about the “it bag” — the gaudy, blingy, overpriced-but-I’ve-got-to-have-it bag of the moment. Your attitude toward the “it bag” may depend on your value system, budget, and/or...

Jan 11, 2012 Like

The Frump Factor

Visible Monday: Rocking a fake pashmina

Once you start wearing a big old shawl everyday, you’re on the express train to old ladyhood, right? Well, that’s what I’ve always thought. So it was with mixed feelings that I fell in love with...

Jan 2, 2012 Like

The Frump Factor

The other gold

Mr. Frump and I recently got together with two old friends. They started out as Mr. Frump’s coworkers, but they soon became friends in earnest. But things changed, as they often do: first the job,...

Dec 23, 2011 Like

The Frump Factor

Glasses half full

So I finally did it. I finally gave in and picked up some reading glasses. I’d been thinking about it for over a year. Maybe I resisted because it’s a sign of aging. The first time you start moving...

Nov 27, 2011 Like

The Frump Factor

All aboard the gratitude express!

This is the time of year when many of us pause to reflect, with gratitude, on all the good things in our lives. But what about all the bad things that are finally gone from our lives? Can’t we be...

Nov 19, 2011 Like

The Frump Factor

Visible Monday: Authority & Authenticity

The phrase “fake it ’til you make it” has been on my mind a lot lately. I’m facing some challenges at work, beyond the normal, everyday challenge of staying on top of the four classes that I teach....

Nov 14, 2011 Like

The Frump Factor

Still here! Almost.

In the outfit post you see here, I am on day two of no electricity or running water. Fleece vest by Columbia Pajama-style shirt, also by Columbia Sweatpants: Target (Champion diffusion line) Boots:...

Nov 1, 2011 Like

The Frump Factor

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The Frump Factor

Ask not for whom the jingle bells toll

And all I got was this lousy T-shirt

Will run for beer (a break from fashion-centric blogging)

The quest for perfect basics: Tops and blouses edition

Ode to an imperfect wardrobe

Folk fest, old lady shorts, and a two-stepping Brazilian

Special TV offer! Act now!

Visible Monday: Outfitting for Oregon

Shopping with Mom

Once in a lifetime

Visibly thrifted: A top for spring

A sports bra of one’s own

Those were the days

We have a winner!

The mascara games: Fear and loathing at the drugstore

Visible Monday: Green fashion, a good cause, and a giveaway!

An apple and a banana walk into a bar…

Late to the arm party

Visible Monday: One dress, seven outfits

Playing with Boho-chic

Fantasy vs. reality: The closet edition

Visible Monday: Tropical shopping

Not quite an “it bag”

Visible Monday: Rocking a fake pashmina

The other gold

Glasses half full

All aboard the gratitude express!

Visible Monday: Authority & Authenticity

Still here! Almost.

Dressing in the Dark (and other joys of fall)

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