Ow, my bowling hand. . . . .

This is how out of shape I am. I went bowling with the boyfriend on Friday. Today it's Sunday and my arm and legs are sore, specifically my wrist. SAD!!

Anyway, it was an interesting experience. It was the first time I had ever gone bowling with just 1 other person. I've always gone bowling as a group. It was really fun, and I got to do A LOT of people watching. The most interesting person we saw was a 66 year old woman who came up to us, grabbed my boyfriend by the shoulder, and said, "I think I'm drunk. . . . but you know what? I'm 66." Too bad her daughter swooped in and rescued her mom. . . . I wanted her to finish her conversation. What about her being 66?

Anyway, some people also wear the worst things to a bowling alley. Especially when there's a giant bar in the alley. . . . and said bar has karaoke. I think the worst outfit I saw was this girl who wore a lavendar shrug (a la prom) with a black flouncy tank top, jeans, and metallic lavendar platform stripper heels (to match her prom shrug, of course). To make matters worse, she sang Rihanna's "Take a bow" off key, which, I know you're supposed to sing karaoke off key, but only when you're being goofy. No, this girl was singing her heart out, closed eyes and Mariah Carey hand going up and down in the air and everything. It was horrible. For once in my life, I felt like Simon Cowell.

Anyway, if you want to prevent yourself from such embarrassment, A) NEVER partake in karaoke singing a sad song about a breakup B) if you do partake in karaoke, kudos for being brave, but you're doing it for fun, so HAVE FUN. I hate it when people go up to sing karaoke and just stand there and sing. Dance around a little, goof off, etc. And finally, C) Don't ever wear stripper heels to a bowling alley bar. . . . or to a bowling alley itself.

Now, I know that a bowling alley is pretty much game for a plethora of outfits, but seriously, it's bowling. Rule of thumb, if you really don't know what to wear, wear something that will go with bowling shoes. Usually that means something pretty casual. If you're in a date situation (like I was) and would like to dress up a little for your hunny, here are some suggestions.



A plain jane, 1 colored t-shirt that you can find at any store, like this one for $16 from American Apparel. I would pick a flirtier color than gray, but you get the picture. I like the longer length t shirts that are still fitted. Think of how sexy you'll look at the end of the night pants-less like the model, tee hee!!




Or a casual button down like this one from Martin + Osa that I have had my eye on for months, but for $79.50 it's a little on the pricier side for a casual button down. If you want justification, Martin + Osa's things are very well made and will be very comfortable, but if you don't really care for those things, there's plenty of similar shirts out there, like this one I found at the Gap. Course, I don't love it as much as the M + O shirt below.
And then some oh so very classic jeans. Right now I'm digging the boyfriend jeans look, especially for the casual, "I so didn't plan this look," jean. If you're looking for some similar jeans, try the Levi's to the left from Denim Express. They're only $20!

Or, if you don't mind dropping a little more moolah for some "funner" jeans that are appropriate for an adult, try these fun jeans from Married to Mob that I found on Karmaloop.com. They're a little pricier (like $84), but check out all the fun little details, like the red button on the fly, or the little multicolored thingamabobs on the pockets, or the tiny little flowers on the seam. Hmmm. . . I might have to splurge and buy these. . . . You can never have too many pairs of fun jeans, am I right?



Notice that both pairs that I've shown are NOT shorter, capri jeans. Remember, you're going bowling, and those jeans don't really go that well with bowling shoes and socks. Speaking of socks, DON'T FORGET SOCKS!! I did, and it wasn't pretty, lemme tell you.
For shoes, since you're gonna be wearing bowling shoes anyway, you might as well go comfortable and wear some sneaks to go with the, "Oh I just threw this together" look. I would go with the Chuck Taylor look, but that's just me. If you've never bought Chuck Taylors and would like to get some, I suggest buying these babies, in person, since the sizing on them is sort of . . . . not normal. I found the ones below at JC Penny.
Finished? Not yet! Girls, we always get cold, so don't forget a cardigan. I know, cardigans are not sexy. Who wants to do a girl wearing a cardigan? (Lindsay, that was for you) There are, however, some cardigans out there that don't make you look like a librarian. I am a huge fan of the boyfriend cardigan (of course, anything with boyfriend in front of it, I like. Boys are so lucky. They don't have girlfriend jeans). For me, the baggier, the better because, hello, that's the look. Baggy can be sexy if done right. I found this cardigan at Kohls for $29.99.


Think we're done now? Not quite. If you haven't noticed, this outfit is pretty casual. . . . and didn't I say I was recommending a "dressier" bowling outfit? But it's bowling, how can we spice this thing up without going overboard? ACCESSORIES!!!! For this outfit, I would wear a shorter, but super flashy necklace, such as RHINESTONES like the necklace I rocked on Friday from Urban Outfitters (this necklace was on sale for $4, so I would hurry if you're lovin' it) or something just as bold, such as the second necklace shown for $10.80 from Forever 21 that I'm kind of loving.Now STOP!! If you must wear other accessories, be simple, because you've already made your "statement" with the necklace. I am a fan of this outfit because it says that you know where you're going (the bowling alley) but you're still a fashionista (the BLING). And of course, if you're unsure about the rhinestones, or equally flashy necklace, just try putting the outfit together in th privacy of your own home, and if you really hate it, then feel free to disregard everything I said and put together your own outfit. There is no right or wrong answer here. And if your date hates your taste, then dump him!! Who needs a guy with bad taste?