Monday, November 14, 2011

Recently I wrote a post about bravery & my pursuit of it.  When Katie from Boutique Zekara called me recently & asked if I would be a model in their upcoming fashion show I quickly said yes without hesitation, feeling brave.
I felt less brave the night of though.  Silly girl I am, as I now look back at the night & the photos taken by local photographer Beaver Smith of bigdayfoto & realize my age & size (& of course hair) made me a fun addition to the runway.  I may not have felt brave in the moment... but I feel pride after the fact & that is an accomplishment as well.




You might recognize this dress as the one I almost bought for my brother's wedding in September.  It is from Cherry Velvet. Super cute!



In fact all these pieces are from Cherry Velvet! This is one of their new styles & I can't lie... it wanted to come with me!! It is styled up a bit here but I had leggings under it at one point & it would be great for casual too.  It might have walked out ON me if it wasn't pretty much sold right off my back! Boutique Zekara has other styles, fabrics & colours though for those of you who just fell in love with it.


Of course this holiday dress from Cherry Velvet was the show stopper! There were actual oooh's and some aaahhh's as I walked down in this gorgeous number! This dress is a brocade & I felt like I was glowing in it when it was combined with my hair.  My husband is almost insisting I buy this one...

So I moved outside my comfort zone, walked the red carpet & in the end feel braver for it... Success!




And finally, for those of you who entered my Birthday Giveaway with Manchester Shoe Salon.... the winner is Julia Hurst! Coincidentally Julia also has a blog, Fortunate Fool so I can't wait to see her post  what she purchases with her $50 gift certificate!

Thank you again to the wonderful Natalie from Manchester Shoe Salon... I'm heading uptown today to purchase my big new bag that I've had on layaway, as a birthday gift to myself!

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Easy Breezy

Back in St. Andrews I ventured down to the main road, Water Street, feeling a little brave since the tourists are all gone for the season. I had a certain store front in mind for some photos...


One of my favorite local boutiques, PGal's Closet has a summer time location in St.Andrews & it's store front perfectly matched today's outfit!


Addition Elle chevron tights, shoes from Payless



This was my first time wearing my new Forever 21+ skirt & I wasn't entirely prepared for it's light weight meeting up with the fall breezes!

The 'polite' breezy shot... lol
My birthday is just 2 days away, which means there are only 2 days left to enter my Birthday Giveaway - have you entered yet?
Also means I should pick out something to wear!!

Monday, November 7, 2011

Fall Fabulous, Forever 21 OOTD

Blouse; Reitmans. Vest; Torrid. Jeggings & shoes; Forever 21

This week I've spent more time driving to work than actually working so I needed outfits that would come out still looking good after being seatbelted in.  Luckily my Forever 21 order arrived just in time!
These shots are from a favorite New Brunswick town, St. Andrews. In the summer it is bustling with tourists, locals & those of us locals on day trips. Come autumn though the town becomes quiet again, and I might just like it even more... 

Love my fabulous leopard flats!!
The streets are quiet & traffic moves by slow & unhurried. The boardwalk & shops uncrowded & I can see everything I want to see...


And of course outfit photos can be taken without strange looks, which is always a bonus.
Hair tip? When in the wind, go for the 'messy' look...
These Forever 21+ jeggings are fabulous! So fabulous (at $13.50!!!!) that I might have bought 4 pairs.... expect plenty of jegging sightings in the blog future.


Since I love my province & this little town, I thought I would leave you this; Rick Mercer's recent visit here to whale watch!


In case you missed Friday's post, I am having my first giveaway in honor of my Birthday! Make sure to enter before the 11th for your chance to win!

Friday, November 4, 2011

Boutique Talk & Birthday Giveaway

So many boots they couldn't all fit into one post!
This time Monique takes centre stage in these Rieker Booties & Fossil bag. She can correct me if I'm wrong but I think this was Monique's favorite combination. I heard her exclaim more than once 'I just LOVE the key!!' about this cool Fossil bag & that red zipper detail had us both swooning.

Rieker Kadie bootie $140 & Red Leather Fossil Purse $180

Truth be told, I've eyed the Fossil 'key' bag up more than once in tan, purple & mustard! The fact that there are so many colours to chose from might be the reason I don't have one yet... choices, choices...

This next look is La Canadienne's Red Patent Leather (Waterproof) “Tula” bootie.  Take note people... I'm wearing a heel! I seemed to have discovered that I actually can walk in a small heel or wedge, thanks to Natalie's advice.  I haven't worn even a small heel in about 15 years since I had an accident, breaking my ankle.  The weakness in my ankle has meant no heels (and no derby with Monique... yes another awesome derby girl!!!).  These patent red leather boots were too good not to try on just for a photo though...

La Canadienne Red Patent Leather (Waterproof) “Tula” $265
Cabrelli Red Cheetah Clutch $55
Turns out, if the bootie (or boot) comes up high enough it is just the support my ankle needs to let me walk with a bit of heel! Just the sheer glee of walking in these fabulous Victorian inspired booties almost had them walking right out the door with me...


Rieker “Thelma” $155
Fossil Grey Leather Purse $200
So for our final look of the day, Monique tried the Rieker "Thelma" bootie (with another one of those fantastic Fossil bags... seriously Mon, just buy one!!) How awesome does she look, staring out that window (dreaming of a place where it wasn't snowing I'm going to assume)?
Thank you Monique for being such a good sport, trying on all these beautiful boots & trudging out on our first snowfall.

And now for the most exciting part, more exciting than all these fabulous boots to look at.....
Manchester Shoe Salon is giving all of my local readers a chance to win a $50 gift certificate in celebration of my birthday!!

To enter & win you must;
  • be local (enough to travel to SJ & collect your prize)
  • 'like' Manchester Shoe Salon on facebook & leave a comment on their wall saying that I sent you
For an extra entry you can;
  • 'like' Full of Fabulous on facebook
  • tweet about the contest (make sure to link to the blog & include @FullOfFabulous so I can find your entry)
The contest closes on my birthday, November 11th, at 11pm AST, 2011 (yep...11-11-11!) & the winner will be announced that weekend!

Good luck & stay fabulous....

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Boutique Talk - Manchester Shoes

Can you tell it was a pay week? All of my posts are shopping related!
Sunday I went uptown (yes in Saint John we have an 'uptown' but no downtown...deal with it) with my friend Monique to visit my friend Natalie at Manchester Shoe Salon in Market Square.
Natalie is in most women's dream; living amongst the shoes.


Now I know from past posts that not all women have the shoe bug but a majority of my reader's seem to & most of the plus sized women I know do. My theory on it is this - shoes, bags, scarves, jewelry, & accessories in general are a 'size doesn't matter' purchase. It makes us bigger girls feel like the 'rest' of consumers. You can wear a size 22 dress and still be the perfect size 6 or 7 shoe with endless possibilities before you. You can fit into an XL blouse in a handful of shops but you have bags & clutches in every conceivable colour.
I bet I'm describing at least a few of you...

There is a particular issue that can be difficult for larger sizes or larger legs & that is boots. So many women struggle in the store with zipping up that perfect knee high boot. It is heartbreaking to fall for a boot, find it in your size but as you slide your foot in & begin to zip  up the back or side, realize that the zipper only makes it halfway up.You will mostly be out of luck in mall shoe stores & big box retailers at that point but shoe shops like Manchester Shoes have so much more to offer!
Monique & I were like giddy girl's as Natalie laid out a huge selection of wide calf boots & adorable booties (fashion & waterproof) & we ooooo'd & aaaahh'd over their bags, scarves & clutches.
The three of us put together several pieces to highlight just a few things you can find at Manchester Shoes. Take a look...

Blondo Tall Black Riding Boot (Waterproof & Wide Shaft) “Viviane” $225
Totally waterproof, wide shaft & made in Canada... not sure a boot gets much better than this Blondo Tall Riding boot! Monique thought they had a cool rocker look to them & I can't say I disagree.
I've honestly never had a boot this high on & although I've known there were wide calf boots, I hadn't come across them til Manchester Shoes.

Really liking the look of my lace tights with the boots. Rocker chic?
Next we got Monique into some Remonte Dorndorf booties!

Zipper Zig Zag purse $70
This is the same designer as my recent bootie purchase  paired with a Joanel 'Zipper Zig Zag' purse. Monique is like me, caught up in the details, so she loved the zippers on the bag & folds of the boots.  Booties like these are a fabulous alternative to a full sized boot if you are worried about wide calves or want something with the fashion of a boot but without the bulk.

Remonte Dorndorf Tan Slouch Bootie “Federica” $170
Afterwards I tried on this 'brown' pair of Aerosoles boots which really have an almost olive colour to them, which is gorgeous. These boots have a zippered calf extension which you can adjust as needed to expand the boot AND.... these gorgeous boots are only $140!! 

Aerosoles Tall Brown/Olive (Wide Shaft Extension Zipper) “Mezzotint” $140
I couldn't pass up the chance to pair this with one of the many Fossil bags in the store. This canvas one looks great with the colouring & texture of the boots.
Fossil Brown/Olive Canvas Purse $105
Stay tuned for my second post featuring MORE fabulous finds from Manchester and a very special birthday giveaway....

(If you want to stay a step ahead of the game.. .make sure you like Manchester Shoe Salon & Full of Fabulous on facebook *hint hint* )