green pleather jumpsuit Archives

I’m back from a whirlwind trip to BC to visit family and friends.

When I arrived this vibrant woman was waiting for me at the airport.

Of course it’s the one and only Mel Kobayashi from Bag and a Beret.

Bloggers Without Limits

Mel and I understand each other perfectly. We know that anything worth doing is worth over doing. The main question when we get together is how much trouble we can get in. There are no limits as long as it’s fun or funny but ideally both.

over 50 bloggers mel kobayashi suzanne carillo — Excuse my lack of makeup. I’d just gotten off the plane and had been up since 3 am.

Middle-aged Tweens

Mel invented the acronym MAT (middle-aged tween) and that is the best way to describe our time together.

Mel Kobayashi Over 50 style blogger and model — Taking the regular bathroom selfie up a few notches

Laughing is our number one priority when together.

Mel has so many wonderful creative ideas and one of them was, “2 Strangers On A Plane”. You know, when you’re on a plane and are forced into awkward conversation with the person sitting next to you? We’ve all been there right? I agreed to film the debut episode with Mel as her guest.

On the first day of filming I risked losing my voice from laughing so hard.

We filmed in the tub because it had the best light in our hotel room. We sat next to each other on a little ledge and the tripod was placed at the opposite end inside the tub. It was cozy!

We improvised pretty much everything and laughed until we cried. The usual over fifty thing to do.

That video turned out to be mostly unusable due to lighting issues.

Day two started out with the video below which some of you may have already seen on Mel’s Instagram.

Apparently there is an audience for middle-aged tweens. It has been viewed some 8,800+ times and counting. Who knew?

*Warning* There is talk of Kegels and other wildly inappropriate topics by two women over fifty.

Here is Mel showing how easy it is to be a professional model.

Here I am trying to pose like Mel and failing miserably.

Over 50 style blogger Suzanne Carillo — The pleather jumpsuit was an anniversary gift recently from the husband.

Over 50 style bloggers Suzanne Carillo and Mel Kobayashi — This was taken before the wild video ride.

We walked through Nordstrom on our way to the hotel and we expressed how much we’ve both pulled back on our personal style, leaning towards simpler lines and classic, basic styles. Then I caught our reflection while walking by a full length mirror and burst out laughing.

Who are we kidding?

We might be drawn to simple silhouettes and neutral tones but we’re not wearing them. In our minds we’ve gone mainstream but our personal style choices tell a whole other story.

Case in point, we stopped by a Club Monaco for an experiment.

We chose outfits in classic styles and beautiful fabrics and modeled them to see how they would make us feel.

Many people judge our styles to be over-the-top and extravagant.

I’ve heard others say they could never wear what I wear because they’d feel like they’re wearing a costume.

Turns out it’s the exact same for us but in reverse.

Club Monaco style experiment, two bloggers change their personal style drastically, how clothing changes how we see ourselves. — How do you like our fake model laughs? Scary right? We both look like serial killers.

before and after suzanne carillo mel kobayashi Club Monaco style experiment — I don’t have to tell you which is the before and after do I?

Okay Mel looks great in everything, that is clear but can you see the look on my face? That’s me feeling like a total imposter in my clothes. Proof that confidence is everything when it comes to personal style.