Sweet Cherry - Cherry Velvet review

If you have been following my blog for a little while you will already know that I love the Canadian company Cherry Velvet and their truly adorable dresses!


Inspired by retro & pin up designs the British Columbia based, plus sized fashion boast to 'Juice up your curves' and every experience I've had has followed through with that claim!
When looking last year for a dress to wear to my younger brother's wedding I was pulled out of my dread with the delight of discovering this company. My black and white damask dress was a hit& has served me well at other occasions over the past year... with coloured tights & cardigans changing up the look.

When the ladies at Cherry Velvet suggested sending me one of their new styles to try out I was tickled pink (or teal in this case)!   
They chose a teal polka dot Brigitte dress for me. My previous Cherry Velvet dress was in a 1X so I requested the same time this time.

The fit of this dress is very similar to my other one but a shorter hemline, a knotted back and I found the fitted  baby-doll type cut to be higher.. or the chest area to be smaller, I'm not sure which but either way I find this cut the tiniest bit small on my chest. With the right push up bra I was ready to rock it though!

This is a fabulous little summer dress that can be dressed up with the right shoes and jewelry or kept simple and summery to enjoy the boardwalk. I fell somewhere in between with some Darling Dilemma skull jewelry and white flats.

                                                                                                                                                                  I happen to have the perfect matching  nail polish for this dress, China Glaze's 'For Audrey'. I get blissfully delighted about perfect coordination. I'm nerdy like that.
  

Overall I'm thrilled with my Cherry Velvet dresses! The 'Brigitte' feels like a more casual summer alternative to my previous dress with it's cute high waist and short length (but keep in mind... I am 6ft tall!), as well as all the fun summery patterns it comes in.

 

Spectacular Spectacular!

Last night I had the chance to attend the local, Imperial Theatre for an Moulin Rouge event as my friend Pam's date. She won a pair of tickets from Fusion, a Saint John based networking group & lucky me I got to tag along!!

With my awesome date, Pam from Heartbreak Boutique!

Thanks to my wonderful & gorgeous friend Monique in her eshakti dress, for posing with me! 

Monique is wearing an eShakti dress with a crinoline from etsy shop
Swank Underpinnings. I think I should definitely order one
for under my Cherry Velvet dress!



Obviously, I couldn't resist getting a bit into the spirit of the night with some big hair, big accessories & of course fishnets!!

I decided to layer some We Love Colors tights underneath my fishnet to get some extra color & flare in my ensemble. I threw on a variety of big bangles to match my gorgeous damask Cherry Velvet dress & teased my hair til it reached the sky!

Thanks again to the Imperial Theatre, Fusion and of course Pam & Monique for a fabulous night out on the town! Can't wait to do it again soon... we already have plans to see a production of Romeo & Juliet in May!



Santa Baby...

Let's just ignore the elephant in the room... the one that hasn't written a post in awhile cuz she was moving & being overworked? K, thanks!


So some how fall whizzed by & we are in December already! Once the 1st rolls in I find myself consumed with decorations, to-do lists & shopping. Although frankly, when am I not thinking of shopping??

instagram'd beauty

Since it is that time of year when I save all my pennies for my adorable GingerKid & handsome hubby I thought I would put together a Christmas wish list of my own.  There are far too many beautiful winter items I've been dreaming of & if my husband or mother just happen to read this post (which they assure me they do actually read the blog...) & find some gift giving ideas, so be it!

At the top of my list is this amazing wool dress, or tunic from eshakti!  I adore everything about it - colour, cut, pockets, and check out that collar!! I envision feeling toasty warm in the wool, with leggings, tights or even some skinny jeans underneath.

Polka Dot pencil skirt $55, Metallic Knit shift dress $61, Chino Pants $41

These lovely winter selections are all from the ASOS Curve line.  Maybe I've got a thing for red but their particular shade of red this season, almost a cranberry, is my favorite!!
I want to make all these beautiful pieces mine & the fact that their shipping & returns are free makes shopping with ASOS an awesome choice.

The Peggy Dress, $195

Of course I can't let the chance pass by to mention the Cherry Velvet dress I modelled at a local fashion show recently. Local shoppers can find this Canadian line at Boutique Zekara but the dresses are also available online.
* Honey, I'm sure any one of our friend's would gladly show you the way there.. & I'm sure Karen or Donna would even show you to the dress - just sayin' *

Up next my wish list of accessories!

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!

Wedding Blog Series - Part 2, What I Wore

I promised I'd share my outfit today in part 2 of the Wedding Series!
Last month I visited Boutique Zekara in Rothesay, NB & stumbled upon the perfect dress for my brother's wedding. The thing is though, I didn't tell you which one I chose!  Check back to the post to see what my options from Cherry Velvet were.

While I seemed to deliberate... I truly didn't. The moment I tried this dress on, I knew it was the perfect one. So without any further delay, the dress!



Daddy-O & Me!

As much as I wish I had a picture of me twirling in my pretty dress, I was trying desperately to avoid being the 'embarassing inlaw' this day. 

$3.00 shoes from Winners

As you can see I chose the damask version of Cherry Velvet's Charlotte dress & after much shopping, endless pondering & searching for accessories (so many choices, should I go with purple, pink, red, teal..??!) I went with my already owned black & white oxford style mary jane shoes with a cardigan from George & a cute leather flower brooch from H&M, both in black. 

Brother/Groom & Me!

In perfect symmetry, the Cherry Velvet site is now up & features an online store! You can bet I'm drooling over the latest dresses.

I wish I had a picture of my super cute & glittery nails in purple that matched my husband's outfit & my handmade bag from Parker Buttons!  Stacy of Parker Buttons created this (currently) one-of-a-kind reversible bag for me in an enchino fabric that I have been coveting for almost a year!
Here is a closer look;

You can expect to see this bag with me often, & in it's reverse, slate grey form! Thank you again Stacy!

Great thing about this dress is the potential. The black & white lends itself to endless combinations & events. Pink bolero, or purple leggings? Heck ya!

Bride aka Sister In Law & Me

How gorgeous is my new sister in law in her dress? Check out my next post to see more detailed pictures of it, the ceremony & the partying that ensued!
(Plus as an exciting bonus... I finally talked my husband into letting me post a picture of him!! Proof he exists!)

*Oh, side note; I totally based my decision to dye my hair red almost solely on this dress.

Homeward Bound

Yes I'm in my car, but no I'm not driving so please don't hassle me about dangerous driving

Well by the time you read this I will be en route to Ontario!
I am heading back to my hometown for 10 days & 2 weddings & I have to admit I am beyond excited about the whole thing.

Our first stop will be Edmunston to spend a night with my husband's Aunt & Uncle before we make our way to Montreal for an evening with my gorgeous cousin, Noelle & her adorable family. From there we will make the drive home & arrive mid day Friday. Saturday is the first wedding, so needless to say it is a jam packed trip!

Our friend's Phil & Tiffany are an adorable couple, with an even more adorable daughter Claire (sorry guys, but she IS way cuter than both of you combined, just sayin'). We couldn't be happier that these two found each other & are finally joining us in the 'husband & wife' category!
I can't wait to show you the dress I picked out from Torrid for their wedding & how I style it.

The second big event for us on this trip, is actually HUGE... one of my younger twin brothers, Noah, is getting married to the gorgeous Mary Claire.  I mean this is huge for me. So big I don't even have words.  Let's just say I get teary thinking about it.
It is going to be an outdoor/barn wedding & I'm sure the photos I have to share from that day will be magnificent! As will the Cherry Velvet dress & a few surprises I have up my sleeve!

While I am away I have some awesome guest bloggers lined up for you so make sure you are following via google friend connect of bloglovin' to keep up to date (& this may help with an upcoming blog giveaway... hint hint).  Check back tomorrow for my first guest blog post ~ Heather from Gully Beads!

Shop Talk - Boutique Zekara

After my last post/rant I knew I had to further explore my clothing options.  As a six foot tall, size 20 woman I'm used to not finding anything that fits in a store.  So much so that I guess I gave up on boutiques.  Eventually it becomes a heartbreaking experience to see beautiful things that were never meant to be yours.

I'm sure many of you know what I'm talking about. In fact, I know you do because I've talked to some of you, commiserated with you.

Then Donna from Boutique Zekara sent me an email...

Donna has started to carry two plus sized lines in her Rothesay shop; Cherry Velvet & Diane Kennedy! I'm not going to lie... my excitement level was high!

If you are not familiar with Boutique Zekara or are not in New Brunswick, it is an amazing shop. Shoes & make up in the front, clothing & salon services in the back!

Make up counter above, shoe selection right



Clothing with items from the Diane Kennedy line in front

 I tried on all kinds of the Diane Kennedy line to discover some of the comfiest clothes I've had on in ages! It is an organic bamboo line with some amazing cuts.  But I'm going to have to tell you all about them some other time, and this is why;



ignore the bruise on my leg

I'm in love.

This dress in a simply perfect cut from Cherry Velvet, a Vancouver based dress company focusing on retro inspired plus size dresses.  Boutique Zekara is carrying this style in X to 3X in several different patterns.

                 Hanging on the rack does this dress no justice. Trying it on made me want to twirl!

The length is great for my 6ft tall frame. The sizing is appropriate (I normally wear a 2X or 3X depending on the designer... i wear a 1X in this dress - gotta love that feeling!).  It is fitted in all the right places & it shows of just the right amount of cleavage.

Cleavage I won't be disowned for

I thought for sure I was sold on ordering from eShakti for my brother's September wedding, but the idea of supporting a local business AND buying Canadian feels so much better!

 

My dilemma now is.... which one?

The polka dot one draws me in with the tiny detail of lace on the neckline, and because who can EVER resist polka dots??

But once I tried on the damask it just 'felt' right for the occasion. A simple but gorgeous dress for the outdoor wedding of one of my favorite people in the whole world...

Also I'm picturing finding the perfect hot pink shoes & clutch for it.

So I'm turning to you readers for some help.  Which one do you like better? Which one would you choose for me?

Leave me your vote & if you are out in Rothesay make sure to stop in and say hello to Donna & check out everything this one shop has to offer!

The shoes that must be mine