Work Wear - Spring Edition

forever 21, asos

When I last checked in I was in the midst of job hunting & struggling with it.

Happily the hunt is over & I found something fabulous that I am totally suited for!

I plan on telling & showing you exactly what I will be up to but for now let's just talk about my priority - a new work wardrobe.

I'm looking for simple, classy & comfortable but still want my clothes to reflect my style.
Have you given my thought to what your personal style is?
Is it consistent? On trend?

 



asos



I suppose I lean towards the flamboyant style - colours, patterns & large funky accessories.

I am not afraid to try interesting pairings like contrasting bright colours or polka dots

 with animal print.

asos, Torrid, asos, asos, forever 21

I love dresses. Short shifts & tunic with leggings are my favorite comfy yet chic style.

Paired with a little cardigan & lots of fabulous accessories.

 

 

all accessories from mod cloth except heart bracelet from Torrid

 I'd love to hear about your style! Send me a tweet, check me out on Facebook

 or leave a comment below!

New Me

I've had to take a major shopping hiatus since I am currently career hunting so my wardrobe is getting a mix & match work out but I can't help dreaming about a closet revolution! A new me, a new look.

I'm thinking of florals for spring.

Great fits and perfect cuts.

Fabulous bold patterns.

A love affair with the bow.

And lastly I think I'd love to try out a pair of patterned jeans like these ones!

*All of these beautiful pieces I discovered on the Dorothy Perkins website which carries regular and plus sizes

A Real Heartbreaker

Ever walk in a shop and feel a sense of excitement, a buzzing?

It's rare, right?

Heartbreak Boutique in uptown Saint John has that excitement and gives me a serious buzz.
I don't know if it is all the fun patterns...

The variety in sizes...

Or owner, Pam's huge smile and giddy excitement over her own shop!

Located at 80 Princess Street, the boutique is the latest gal to join the uptown in-crowd but with her own distinctive style and flare!  Heartbreak, like owner Pam, has a serious crush on the retro styles of the pin up girls and rockabilly stars.

My favorite items are the dresses without a doubt but Heartbreak also has fantastic tee's & cardigans, as well as men's clothes and lots of fun accessories!

Pam tells me that there are more plus sized items coming in all the time, so if you haven't been in yet, or haven't visited recently put it on your to-do list!


Heartbreak Boutique
80 Princess St, Saint John.

Hours:
Monday thru Wednesday - 10 to 5:30
Thursday & Friday - 10 to 7:30
Saturday - 10 to 4


*side note: Heartbreak Boutique is also THE spot to get your derby gear.. skates, pads, helmets and all the etc. are available in shop and to order plus as a bonus you can visit the Rollerball trophy!

Spring In Your Step

Spring In Your Step by fulloffabulous featuring an owl dress

Owl dress
$65 - eshakti.com

Ruched dress
$43 - shopruche.com

Evans Floral Print Dress
evans.co.uk

Miz mooz shoes
$100 - zappos.com

All I can think of for spring & summer weather is little summer dresses paired with adorable flats! To say I narrowed down this post to just a few cute selections, is a major understatement.
I'm feeling whimsical about the upcoming seasons & might even have visions of myself flouncing around on the beach or boardwalk uptown Saint John. I always love the options that wonderful summer dresses have to switch between daytime boardwalks & evening events. You can simply switch from sun hat & sandals, to heels & jewels and your outfit has a whole new look.

Have any of you come across a great summer dress? I'd love to see some links!

Oh & before I forget, yet again, if you have a pinterest account you can now also find me there; http://pinterest.com/fulloffabulous/ I try to post body positive images, great plus size fashion finds & you can also see some of my other interests there as well!

Measured

I consider myself a fairly confident woman. I have worked hard to accept myself. Worked harder to love myself. And I walk pretty tall.

I have hips & curves. Smooth lines and bumps. I have stretch marks but blemish free skin too. I have a round belly but hips that match.

Thing is...sometimes I can still forget all of that. Some days I forget myself and fall back into old habits. Usually, something that can be referred to as a trigger will send me into these negative spirals. Today it was a fashion trigger. Today I was measured.

Knowing your measurements is pretty much mandatory if you want to order clothing online. You can think you know your size but each company seems to have their own opinion on what equates a 0 or a 2X, so check their size charts to your measurements and you should be able to order yourself a great fitting item. However taking my measurements this morning to double check before ordering a magnificent dress triggered all sorts of shaming feelings towards my size.

I definitely don't want to use this as a forum to talk about those negative feelings but simply just acknowledge that it happened.  It will happen again. It happens to all of us.
Somehow this is part of our contemporary lives.
For me it is body shamming, but for someone else it could be a different physical feature, a personality characteristic, a work related habit...

Right now the most important thing is for me to recognize that it was a moment and that it will pass. In the end I can like myself once again & remember all the things I am proud of & enjoy when I see myself. Even just writing this post & knowing that at least a few of you will know exactly what I mean, encourages the moment to fade.

Fabulous Chic! City Chic Shopping Cart

On Friday, online plus size fashion store, City Chic had a flash sale of 60% off everything!


Everything.

I'm relatively new to the whole online shopping thing when it comes to clothes, so each time I do order I like to try a new site.  60% off sounded like the perfect excuse to make City Chic my next stop! Oh and, (pay attention here, fellow Canadians) one of the best things about this site is that they actually ship to Canada for free!  I seriously cannot figure out why more & bigger clothing websites haven't managed this yet. I can often buy from UK based ASOS for zero shipping fees but somehow Torrid wants to charge me more that $30+ to cross the Canadian border...

So 60% off, plus free shipping AND... a coupon code worth an EXTRA 20% off led to the following delicious purchases...

Frill Hem Jacket with Belt

Love the cut of this piece! Puffy sleeves, funky belt and all on sale for only $39.20, regularly $98!
Can't wait to wear it with skinny jeans for shopping & form fitting skirts on date night.

Chiffon Flocked Spot Top

I think my love of polka dots is obvious by now, so this top should come as no surprise. At the regular $54 I would probably never consider this piece but for $21.60 I found it irresistible!

Velvet Leopard Print Jacket

I saved the best for last... for only $37.60 I couldn't pass up this beautifully tailored, velvet, leopard print jacket. Matching it up with a LBD, pencil skirt, jeans... even my pajamas! I want to wear this all the time, everywhere.
Looking for me? I'll be the one with the scarlet hair in leopard print.

Anyone else score some great deals from City Chic's sale?

Boutique Talk - PGal's Closet

Last week I took a short drive to the nearby town of Rothesay to visit the lovely ladies of PGal'sCloset, Baye & Patricia. 

There was a better picture of me with them but they are too smiley & gorgeous here, so they win!

This mother/daughter duo are known for their kind, sweet nature, beautiful looks & fabulous shop, PGal's (which is accompanied by Country Treasures the home decor side). You might remember Baye as a guest blogger while I was on vacation in September.  She told us all a bit about the Sympli line they carry at PGal's and after the blog post I figured I should check the line out for myself...

I wasn't 100% sold on Sympli before heading out to visit the ladies.  Currently the line is sizes 2 to18 & I wear a 20, sometimes even a 22 so I was concerned nothing would fit me properly. Patricia tells me that Simpli will be coming out with a plus sized line late this fall & though I am excited to see it, I needn't have worried... just as Baye told me.

Firstly, whether you are interested in the Sympli line or not it is always worth a visit to PGal's. The accessories, beauty products & home decor are always fully fabulous & the attention you get from all the staff is top notch.  It is another beautiful example of why I am SOLD on Boutique shopping.

Some of the lovely & cute items at PGal's! I adore this lip gloss!

 

Baye & Patricia played dress up with me for about an hour, trying different combinations of pieces from the collection & jewelry.

Chakra Tunic with Oliva leggings, Infinity jewelry scarf

The pieces are definitely forgiving, even to my size 20 body- feeling as comfortable as pajamas or yoga pants!  A few selections didn't quite fit my chest & not everything suited my personal style but most of the pieces were flattering.

Timeless tunic & the infinity frill scarf (LOVED this scarf.. I may have to come back for it ladies!!)

It is awesome how the collection is styled to layer, mix & match or even be worn with your own favorite pieces in your wardrobe.

Aria tunic with Culture cover, with my favorite Forever 21+ jeans & jewelry from PGal's
This outfit is probably my favorite look that I tried on, although the colour is maybe not the right one for me.

PGal's keep a selection of pieces that work together in stock in a variety of sizes but you can also custom order your pieces, mix & match! The Sympli line comes in a HUGE assortment of colours & takes about 6-8 weeks as each piece is made to order (all by women, Canadian women!!!).

The lovely Baye, showing of the huge assortment (36) of colours to choose from!

 You can be sure that when the plus size line is out I will be back out for another visit with the PGal's to let you all know about it...although truth be told, I probably won't be able to stay away that long.

New Brunswick Fashion Week - Overview

Media Party, Fashion Forward, & NBFW runway show

What a week! I'm not going to lie, I'm exhausted.  Between trying to adjust to my new schedule & flying out the door each evening to events, I'm so glad my Saturday consists of a latte from my favorite barista & a red velvet cupcake from our new local bakery!  It is also Canadian Thanksgiving weekend so I have 4 delicious days off with nothing much to do!!

As I enjoyed my coffee & cupcake this morning I pondered today's post. 
After attending the Fashion Event last night I wondered what approach i should take in covering the event.  There was some fabulous fashion, some baffling decisions & some obvious hard work, but as a Plus Size blogger I wanted to offer my perspective.  My intention was to focus specifically on the plus size pieces, accessories & overall general tone of the affair, since it was my first fashion week.  I asked about plus size long before the event & was told specifically there would be plus size representation, in models, clothing & with at least one local designer - exciting!!!
Unfortunately the 'plus size' component seemed to have disappeared by the time the event came to fruition.  There were no plus size fashions, designers or models*.  Although I was glad to be included in the event & have my opinion valued, I'm left wondering, as a blogger, what do I say?


What I can say is this, we have some amazing local talent & contributions to the fashion world!

Our stylists work hard & come up with stunning looks.

Our local designers have vision & talent.

Chainmaille Obsession by Andrea Cyr

Our shops have amazing product & staff.

Runway look from Walsh Luggage

And our local bloggers support their community & fashion! Check out my fellow bloggers & their different takes on the events of the week;

• Barb of barbbarbbarb
• Leigh-Ellen from LittleWaterlily, Big Pond
• Melissa of Sigh..gush..gasp
• Chelsea, our Maritime Shopaholic

With blogger, Chelsea

I was really enjoying all the opportunities I had to dress up this week! This outfit was put together of simple affordable components but I was so happy with how it all came together. The dress is several years old from Reitman's, top from Old Navy, shoes came from Payless & I layered several necklaces. Oh, the clutch was a score at Winner's, from XOXO.

Overall I had a fun night out, with lots of great company & saw so many beautiful, fashionable things. Do I wish that my plus size community had of had representation? Absolutely - but there is always the spring collections, right?





*there was a plus size model in the hair competition, but not in the runway show

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.

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