I need to get it together..

Okay.

My last fall semester here at my university is wrapping up. I'm in my finals week, trying to get it together to get this 3.25.

My internship is over so i have a LOT of free time now. My roommate is graduating this weekend so there will a couple of outfits for me to post up.

I promise to stop neglecting this blog :( I'm just trying to finish up these last few days and then i'll be FREE..til the third week of January.

Time. Management. Skills. Need. Work.

Charge it to my head and not my heart.

It's About Time!

I have been obsessing over Forever21's Faith21 plus size line ever since they dropped it. For real. I cannot get enough of this line. I received a gift card for my awesome 21st birthday and spent it all PLUS some when i needed some retail therapy.


I CAN FIT IN THEIR SKINNY JEANS. I struggle SO MUCH trying to find pants that are not only long enough but stretchy enough for me. I scooped up my first pair for my birthday, a pair of light grey skinnies for only $24.50. I normally have to pay twice as much when I buy some from Lane Bryant and/or Torrid.
I bought my second pair of dark wash skinnies for $11.50. I didn't know whether to scream or cry from excitement. I wore them at a lecture Spike Lee gave at my university.

My birthday dress was from them, along with the top I wore at my school's version of 6th street in Austin (good ol' Fry!). It's ridiculous, every time I go in there i have to pick and choose what I really want over what I can wait on.
Plus there is literally 2 walls of shoes and an ENTIRE ROOM full of jewelry and accessories. Shut the front door! I'm in affordable fashion heaven every time I step foot in the overly lit, crazy techno rhythm store.

**I highly recommend that everyone try out Faith21, you will be pleasantly surprised.

Picture tiiiiiime (Jersey Shore-esque). Most of what you see me wearing is from there, a few pieces are also from New York & Co. and Lane Bryant.

Erin's Closet

Last Thursday I had the opportunity to go through another closet and pull clothes! This time it was for Erin, a young lady I met sophomore year. I mentioned I was doing this a month ago at an event we were both at and she offered to let me create new cute outfits for her.

She lives in one of the dorms on campus, so we put all her clothes on her bed. In order to show you guys the full outfits, we laid them out on her floor. Dorms are super tiny! Again, these are all clothes she already has but has never put together herself before. A different perspective can be a wonderful thing.

Erin is 5''6 (correct me if i'm wrong girl!) and has cute curves like all the rest of my volunteers :)




The first outfit was a floral print halter dress which is perfect for the predominantly hot Texas weather. By placing a jeweled neutral colored cardigan over it, it instantly transitions to the fall/winter weather. She wanted outfits for church, work and everyday and this can easily be used for any of them.


The second outfit is my FAVORITE. She had this awesome navy blazer with embroidered patches on it. I paired it with a black top that has a lace neckline. Lace isn't exactly churchwear BUT if she layers the blazer or a cardigan over it, the lace won't be as upfront. We added simple black pants to finish the look. She can always substitute the black pants for a black skirt, either works.

The third outfit is very simple. She had a navy button up top she always paired with her jeans and I just suggested she pair it with some grey slacks she had.
Button up tops can be used as jackets as well! I learned that from my internship. It works best when they are of thicker material, maybe a heavier cotton or a blend of manmande materials. But i love the idea of a button up completely open, a tank and skinny jeans.


The fourth outfit is great for when she may have to go straight from class or campus to her job or something semi-casual. We paired a black plaid cap sleeve top with a green top that has a turtleneck and some dark wash denim pants. Very versatile, comfy and cute.


I pulled some more outfits but just wanted to show a few. I gave her a few tips and secrets, including the fact that you can mix blue with black, and also brown with black. If you make sure it's a navy blue but not a black blue (does that make sense?) and chocolate brown instead of tan or light brown.

Any questions? Ask me!

Missing In Action!

Oh em gee, I have been SUPER SUPER OVERWHELMINGLY BUSY for the past 2 months! I have been seriously slacking on this blog, which was supposed to be my project for the semester. Everything has been going 3240234mph and I've been stresssed and running around doing 3558356 things.

I will be posting a blog about my birthday outfits, thanks to Forever 21's Plus Size line. I even bought SKINNY JEANS from them! Epicness!

I also recently met up with a friend of mine and helped her pull things out of her closet and make different outfits. Very successful day.

Tomorrow I should be able to post one of those up. Forgive me!

Surprise Findings

I went home about a month ago and wound up going to the Target near my house to browse their clothing selections. Usually I can always find something cute there, whether it be for work, church or every day/school wear. I found a BUNCH of cute stuff except for a dress.

On a whim, I decided to look at their maternity wear (gasp!)

And guess what?

I FOUND THE CUTEST DRESS.
Its super soft and yellow on top, with small horizontal stripes going across it. There's a little pocket on the left side as well. At the waist, it's stretchy because it's obviously made for someone with a baby bump. The bottom of the dress is a solid charcoal color. It comes down to right above my knee. I love it!

I wore it to my internship Monday for Labor Day and I'm hoping to wear it again maybe out with friends or to church. Maternity wear has definitely become more wearable and cuter over the last few decades. Forever21 recently dropped their own maternity line (I don't know yet how I feel about that).I'm not ashamed to take a peek at specifically Target's line. They always have cute clothes in general, and their maternity wear is no different.

You would never know my dress was meant for an expectant mother unless I told you. Don't be afraid to try their stuff on, it might just surprise you!

School

I've been super busy.
Between senior level classes and doing a 20 hour a week internship, this blog may be put on the back burner until I figure out how to balance everything. I'm getting super stressed!

ANYWAY.

LANE BRYANT RIGHT FIT JEANS= BLESSING

I wear the Red Triangle ones. They're my absolute FAVE and have lasted about 2 years with me. I've worn one pair out so much the bottom of the legs are ripped up and fraying. I wore my fave dark wash pair to my internship today and they slimmed me down. Try them, they are so amazing. Dark wash again is the most flattering.

I'm exhausted soooo yeah, this is it for this post. Maybe i'll have energy tomorrow to do another post. I found an amazing dress and it's from the least expected place.

Have a great Saturday :)

Chevonne

This is another post where I played the role of stylist to someone. Chevonne goes to school with me and offered to let me look over her clothes last Thursday and come up with brand new outfits. I made sure to ask her if what I was picking had already been done by her and if she was comfortable in the outfits. If it was something she would never wear out of the house, I went back and tried to come up with something else. In total I came up with 6 new outfits in about an hour; we would've done more but she had class and I had other errands to run. The jewelry all came from my outrageously large collection (seriously, it looks like I'm a jeweler) while everything else was hers. She liked one of the outfits so much she wore it out that same night! Chevonne is 5'4 and has a curvy body shape. I tried to piece together outfits that could easily go from class on campus to meeting up with friends to going out. I definitely tried to play up her waist and cute shape so others with a similar body type can get an idea of what to wear.


The first outfit I put a lace tank top under a dark denim wash, gold buttoned dress. There are pockets on the side of the dress as well. Dark denim is flattering for ANY body type, and the gold buttons down the middle acted like a necklace. None of the rings I had were a match for the gold but a gold ring would've been a finishing touch. The dress came in at the waist, which was flattering. Without that added shape, the dress probably would have looked too big and baggy on Chevonne.


The second outfit is my fave and the one she wound up wearing out that night! She has a plain black leggings, a black knit top with a lace pattern on top and a cropped denim wash shirt over it. If you wear head to toe black, you should try to break it up with some kind of color. The denim top was perfect, and nipped in at her waist. The top came down to almost mid-thigh; the necklace and rings were great accents. Without the denim and the leggings changed to a black pant, Chevonne could easily wear that to work.


The third outfit is something she could definitely wear on campus to class, especially in spring, summer and early fall. I started with a simple blue dress and added a long, tunic style cream colored top. The belt literally pulled it all together, again showing off her waist and the necklace brought out the brown in the belt and shoes, while adding to the cream and blue in the clothes. She can always take off the tunic if it gets too hot.


The fourth outfit is similar to the third, only a little more dressy. It's a darker colored blue dress with a charcoal colored knit shawl-like top; because of how it lays, Chevonne can either have the belt on or leave it off. I think the hem was bubble-like, which is flattering on her at that length. You never want it too high, otherwise it will accentuate your hips too much and add weight where you don't want it.

The fifth outfit is a different take on the white tee and denim classic look. Instead of a white tee, I used a fitted white tank top. Skinny light wash jeans instead of a bootcut/straight leg style. I added a sleeveless, brown knit top over it, along with a necklace that helped picked up the brown and white. In my personal opinion, skinny jeans look best on girls that have curves. Others may disagree but I really don't care. Chevonne has other colored tanks, and she could easily switch them out for the white and trade her light wash skinnies for dark wash/black colored ones. Another outfit perfect for class.

The last outfit is another great one for going out. The black tank has a sequined, sparkly bow design on the front so I used a bow ring to go along with it. She's wearing her plain black leggings again, along with a purple sleeveless knit top that is just like her brown one. She can trade the leggings for jeans if she wants to.

I think the best thing about these looks is that they came from items she already had but had never pieced together. 6 new outfits for FREE. The best kind! If anyone else wants me to come do this, let me know and we can schedule something. You never really know what you have in your closet until you let someone else take a peek.

Banded Minis!

The original intent of this blog was to offer fashion advice/tips to other women who have hips, thighs and booty, aka "plus size" women. And not just the "fashion" type of plus size, which is generally a size 8 and up. I want to get to people like myself, who have to wiggle into a straight size store XL and have a list of specific stores for specific clothing items that will accomodate all that we have to work with. Seams, panels and fabric can be our best friends or worst enemies when the mood to shop strikes us.
I've recently become obsessed with mini/short skirts. For YEARS I was under the impression that "big girls can't wear that." Whoever made that up is a LIE. In fact, I think mini skirts look better on women who have thighs, booty and hips. It just depends on the fabric and your confidence level! I personally prefer something that has some spandex in it, so there's a little give and thhe skirt won't stretch out over the course of the time I'm wearing it.
In total I have 6 short skirts. They range from hot pink to a cute black and white pattern. I'll try to upload pics of them so you all can see what I have. I prefer the banded style, which is basically large horizontal stripes going around the skirt. Makes you look slimmer yet hugs your curves at the same time. The blue, pink, and two black skirts are from Forever 21's Faith 21 line, the yellow is from a store named Piatra and the multi-colored one is from Target's plus size line.
CONFIDENCE is key. If you're shy about showing off your legs, thighs and having something that shows off your booty lol, then I would not suggest this look. I always make sure whatever top I'm wearing isn't too revealing. No need for a bunch of skin showing, otherwise you may be approached by some raggedy guys.
The black and white skirt was a surprise for me. I follow Gabi, the writer of the blog Young, Fat and Fabulous/the new MTV TJ and she bought it, along with a girl she did a piece on. I decided to go for it and wound up wearing it out one weekend with some friends and got a lot of compliments. I encourage you to try this, something new. You never know how surprisingly flattering and amazing it can look on you!

These pics were taken on my phone/my roommate's phone. I'm having trouble finding my camera chord to upload, so I'll be using my phone. Sorry about the quality of the photos!

Jennifer

So, here is my first post where I played stylist! This is Jennifer, a friend of my family. She's about 5'9, so this is especially beneficial to all the taller girls out there who want to get an idea of what to wear. Jennifer was looking for clothing to wear to work, but could also be worn outside of the workplace. We went shopping at NY&Co. and found some very good deals.
In the first outfit, Jennifer has on dark denim colored work pants. They're a dual effect kind of pant; the fabric and cut makes them work appropriate while the denim coloring makes them okay for casual wear. We decided to give the top a shot, and it wound up working perfectly. Since both items are in the blue color family, it made Jennifer look taller and even slimmer.
With the second outfit, Jennifer has on the same denim colored work pants. We originally tried a different cami-like top under her orange cardigan but found this flattering ruffle top instead. Even though Jennifer is of a lighter complexion, the cardigan color works because it's a darker orange shade. It's cold at work so she can easily slip it on at work and then take it off once she gets outside in the hot Texas heat.
The third outfit is similar to the previous once since it's the same style of cardigan in an ice blue color. The pants are the same. The neckline of the charcoal top is almost like a second necklace, but I opted to have Jennifer add another blue necklace on top to bring the whole outfit together. Again, she can leave the cardigan on for work and take it off upon leaving.
The last outfit was my absolute favorite. I should've taken a pic of the dress alone, but the ending outfit was so cute. The dress has a spaghetti strap and ruffles straight down the middle of it. Upon first glance, most would think the ruffles would add weight to the body. But even without the belt or cardigan, the cut of the dress was very stretchy yet fitted and more flattering than not. We added a plain black mesh-like cardigan over it and a studded skinny belt to complete the look. As you can see, Jennifer looks AMAZING. There's buttons where the ruffles are so you can leave some unbuttoned if you have a top to layer underneath.
**Jennifer wound up buying a second pair of pants (they were buy one get one FREE) and a few bodyshapers/camis to layer with.
Clothing that has different necklines, sleeves and added ruffles can be your best picks for outfits. They take the eye off an area you may not be fond of, leaving people curious with the idea of if they could pull it off. You can wear a color in the same color family head to toe and not look crazy. Always buy clothing that is more fitted to the body because it will subtract pounds, rather than add to them. Bulky clothing adds unnecessary and unflattering weight and can even make you look shorter than what you are. Embrace your height (I'm 5'10!) and pick colors that look the most flattering with your skin tone!

HairRules

Like I said in my first post, on top of giving fashion tips I'll also be giving tips on how to keep natural hair happy and healthy. People are always asking me what I use on my hair and the nighttime routine I do to keep my curls.
I recently switched to a new brand. I'd been using Garnier Fructis Sleek and Shine shampoo and conditioner but I wanted something more natural. Now I use BioInfusion Olive Oil, which can be picked up at Walgreens. I use their conditioning shampoo and leave in conditioner. I use A LOT of the leave in because I have a lot of hair even though it is very fine. Then I top that off with Herbal Essence Totally Twisted Mousse, and a little of their None of Your Frizziness Creme for any frizzies that try to creep up. I alternate between the creme and some Moroccan Oil my mom picked up for me at Sally's to try out, which is absolutely amazing.
My hair stays healthy, shiny, smooth, curly and smelling yummy. All the products are as close to natural as i can afford, and are found at the grocery store, drugstores, and beauty supply places. I'm including pictures so you can see exactly what I use. If anyone has any other products that are great for natural hair, leave a comment!

Stretch Anything Is A Blessing

Whoever invented stretch denim/pants/bottoms should have streets named after them. Yesterday I worked Tax Free Weekend (aka Out of Line People Weekend) and I wore some black pants that were stretchy to work. Everytime I wear them people think I've lost weight. Why? Because contrary to popular belief, FITTED clothing makes you look SMALLER. The added stretchiness makes them very comfortable and compliments women who have a pear shape, like mine.
I have a couple pairs of skinny jeans and the ONLY reason why I can wear them and don't look like a fool is because they are stretchy, figure-forgiving material. I use Torrid's Tripp brand. The first pair I bought I wore them out so bad they went from black to dark charcoal from all the washing and wearing.
Embrace the stretch. Love the stretch. Buy the stretch lol. Especially anyone who is also considered "plus size". It will change your life for the better!

Wish List

A couple of items from the Forever21 Faith21 line that i'm obsessing over lol. I realized a while ago that i like simpler, "clean" clothes that I can easily accessorize.

Another one

Yep.

This is another blog casting a spotlight on the "plus size" women of the world and how we "make it work." Shopping has never been easy for me and it probably never will, even though i am obsessed with fashion. Jean shopping is almost always a full day event, i can literally look at the fabric of a garment and determine whether or not it will fit me AND things are usually either too short or too tight.

I plan on one day being a stylist, possibly owning my own plus size boutique. Catering to my fellow big hips, big thighs, and big booty sisters.

I'll be writing and uploading pictures of my fashion trials and errors. I'm also going natural in regards to my hair, so i'll include tips and tricks on how I maintain my hair.

Stay tuned. And tell your friends.