Show your back because who cares?! Today, showing skin can be taken in two different very ways. It can either be taken inappropriately OR it can be a jaw dropper, in a good way. To me, showing skin is not an insecurity nor an issue because I do it for the right reasons. When I have holes in my Shirt or a Backless piece of clothing, I am not wearing it to impress someone or get attention, I do it because I think it is pretty, CUTE, and different.  In shorter words, I do it for my own good and no one else's. And yes, showing skin may come with backlash from people, but if you feel content and happy with what you are showing because you are wearing it for YOU, it is simply beautiful. In shorter words, beautifully back-less!

In this blog post, it is all about backless clothing because back-less is back (see what I did there?). Whether in a dress or a shirt, there are many ways to make your outfit go from "scandalous"and as though you are calling for attention, to elegant and beautiful, like I said above, a jaw dropper. By the end of this, you will not only know the best places to shop for backless clothing but also what to pair it with and why being back-less is nothing more than something to make you feel beautiful both on the outside and feeling beautiful on the inside!

Backless shirts, to start, usually have a flowy "feel." Although that is not 100% a true statement, it is accurate most of them time. And if I have not written it before, I will write it again, when wearing something flowy, you have to pair it with something tight. When I wear my knitted, cream colored backless sweater from Free People, I always pair it with darker colored skinny jeans. The skinny jeans because of the "no flowy on flowy" rule and darker jeans because the color contrast gives the outfit a little more character. And if you have a lighter colored Backless Shirt like me, the darker jeans give an immense amount of attention to the backless shirt (because of the drastic color difference between the two pieces of clothing). As with a darker colored backless shirt, lighter jeans bring the attention grabbing contrast. As with darker jeans and darker backless shirt, the outfit will be more subtle and calm, but with a backless shirt, as it calm as it get. Shoe wise, heels always add a little more to the outfit, kind of like the tiniest but most amazing bit of "spice." Fashion sneakers such as the Adidas Superstars, Vans, etc. make the outfit edgier. In shorter words, the fashion sneakers make the outfit casual, cute, and chic (the CCC)!

Ok, I know that each and every one of us struggle with this. And if you don't, you are honestly a god or goddess. CONFIDENCE. Let me say it again, confidence. Every day, we look at ourselves in the mirror and critic our hair, body, and much more. We wonder why we cannot look like (this person) or be (this person). Or, in a totally different scenario, we feel great about ourselves and then we see somebody else who looks just that much better than us (in our opinion). We bring ourselves down because of our own expectations for ourselves. And I am not saying that expectations are bad,  because they encourage us to reach higher and achieve more. But expectations of ourselves are NOT GOOD when we make them compared to someone else. If we strive so hard to look, act, and live like this other person, we forget who we are and what makes us special. I personally think we use the wrong word when talk about wanting to achieve something that another person had. Expectations are merely of pessimism, where we look down at ourselves for "not be that." Have inspiration not expectations. Be inspired by this person and be motivated by their actions. To be motivated and inspired, you don't have to expect yourself to become them, following every little step they take in their life, Stating the obvious but we are who we are and if we try so hard to become someone that is constantly changing and setting the bar higher and higher, we will never be satisfied. We will be unhappy. And being unhappy is never okay. GOOD VIBES AND HAPPINESS ONLY. With that point being put across in many sentences, let's cut to the chase. Confidence is hard to have when there are thousands of famous people with perfect makeup and more. I totally understand. BUT HERE ARE A FEW TIPS: Never look down at yourself. As hard as that sounds, always give yourself a reason to smile over yourself. Name the things you like. Ec. Today I like my shoes, they make me feel chic. Today, I am wearing my new jacket and it is gorgeous and adorable. So when you are wearing a backless piece of clothing and feel like people are going to look at you weirdly, remind yourself that you put it on for a reason. And when you decided to wear this backless piece of clothing, they were not part of the decision making process. With that in mind, they shouldn't be the reason you take it off. Whether they like it or not, you put it on because YOU LIKED IT and let's not forget, you are the one wearing it after all. So, hold your head high and embrace the fact that your skin is showing. Last I checked, the clothes are on you and not them. Love what you are wearing and remember, you are so much more than other people's opinions!

So many stores are now selling clothes with backless details. Although many stores have cute and affordable backless clothing, you want pieces that hold up after many washes and stay new looking. Clothing stores that sell backless clothing usually fall apart quite quickly. The seems come undone in the first wash, fabric color lightens, and more. Even though these stores are a little bit more expensive, they definitely are worth what they cost. Whether knitted or cotton, you get the wear out of these shirts. AND, they never look old and worn out, taking the 'wow-factor' away. I highly recommend Free People (website below). It is wear I got my backless sweater. The knit is still in tact as is the mesh-feeling material. It looks as it did the day I bought it. Aside from Free People, Lulus (link below) is another amazing option. Total play on words, but they have amazing backless options, with thousands of different backless types. They have a tied style, where to create the backless look, you have to tie strings together. They also have an open back style where there are no ties to create an "oval" shape but more of an open triangle. This triangle style is either create by a zipper only half zipped or just open/hemmed fabric. They also have what I like to call a scrappy style. Where the shirt is backless but the two sides of the shirt are connected by fabric in either a criss cross pattern, one piece of fabric across, and much more. Honestly, they are adorable and have so many styles to choose from. Free People is more pricy than Lulus but is amazing quality with more of a boho chic background. Lulus backless inspiration comes from all over. They have a flowy inspiration (boho) in some their shirts, a softer more subtle style (not as eye popping), and so much more. Quality is also really great as well.

That is it for this blog. I know, I know, this was really long but I think I got all my points across in lots of helpful detail. Besides just assuming, I hope this blog post was helpful and inspiring. Every one deserves the confidence to wear what they love. Besides just the confidence, every one deserves to love what they are wearing by knowing how to fulfill their outfit to the fullest extent, whether subtle or dramatic. You are beautiful in whatever you wear, you just have to believe that. Make sure to follow me on Instagram @thequeenofvogue to follow my everyday life, both in fashion and not. Also, remember to subscribe to my blog and never miss a post. With that said, happy new years and thank you so much for reading!

Love,

The Queen of Vogue, Maya

Free People: www.freepeople.com

Lulus: https://www.lulus.com