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!

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!

Crazy for Color - Spring 2012

Spring 2012 by fulloffabulous featuring plus size skirts

Red tunic
evans.co.uk

Plus size skirt
$50 - asos.com

Asos Curve Exclusive Lavender Skinny #4
$57 - asos.com

$49.95
dress911.com

Evans Print Embroidered Hem Top
evans.co.uk

Pink handbag
evans.co.uk

Betsey Johnson - Pink Quilted Love Satchel | New
$108 - torrid.com

It is undeniable - spring makes us crazy for color!
Personally I try to ignore my black cardigan, black hoodie, black wrap, black sweater & black tee as soon as the first great sunny day hits my skin, but living in Canada part of me always fears that there is one last snow storm around the corner, waiting to spring itself on me.
So the hoodies & cardis are staying... for now - but my credit card might as well be floral or  painted pink! These are some of my current favorite finds for spring & while bright colors feature predominately I am on the current hunt for some pastel additions to my closet!!
Anyone come across pastel mary janes??


So enjoy the first signs of spring my friends & as always, stay fabulous!

Always Dotty

I think most women have a favorite color. Some of us even have favorite colors for each facet of life; walls, shoes, lipstick, cars etc. (for the record mine is warm red, red, soft pink, hot pink & yet strangely I think of teal as my favorite color). So if you have a favorite color, surely you must have a favorite pattern!
On first thought you might think no not really, but think for a moment longer... are you on the chevron craze? Maybe for your sheets or throw pillows? When you open your closet are you bombarded with floral? Are you wild for animal prints or delighted by stripes?
For me it is polka dots. Always polka dots.

Even my favorite, well-passed-their-prime sunglasses are delightfully dotty!

These are some of my favorite spotted, dotted & polka'd items currently out there!

From top left corner, clockwise; eShakti, eShakti, Domino Dollhouse, Torrid, Torrid
Domino Dollhouse, ASOS curve, Evans, ASOS, eShakti

So what is your favorite pattern or color? Send me a tweet @FullofFabulous of you wearing your favorite!

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....

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?

Shopping Cart - The Etsy Experience

About a year & a half ago I opened my etsy shop, Darling Dilemma, selling my one of a kind beaded jewelry.  It has fed my bead addiction nicely and been quite successful as well as fun! I have to admit though, one of my favorite things about having the shop is watching my paypal account balance grow & know that on some quiet Sunday evening an Etsy shopping spree will spontaneously occur.  I will fill my cart with long ogled treasures, scout out new finds & before I know it dwindle that account back down to zero.
It gives me something to strive for!

So in case you haven't figured it out, this Shopping Cart is featuring some of my current favorite Etsy finds...

Magpie Flower Necklace from NestPrettyThings

 One of my favorite shops to browse is Nest Pretty Things. The colour palettes & designs are sweet & lovely. This piece is my current absolute fav!

Handcrafted Wooden Sunglasses by tumbleweedsoddities

These wooden sunglasses from Tumbleweed's Oddities have got to be the coolest thing I've stumbled onto lately & as a woodworker's daughter, I find them irresistible (in other words, I might be blowing my budget on them)!

Calliope Double Wrap bracelet by Twillypop

This is a colour combination that is just screaming to me this fall!! I'm always amazed at how simple design appeals to me, time & time again....Twillypop nails it!

Indigo Star Earrings by missficklemedia

Tiny, handmade stamped brass star earrings for only $12? Yes please! Miss Fickle makes some of the nicest materials, tutorials & a few select pieces. I've been looking for a set of tiny studs & adore these.

Rock the Casbah set by bullfinchbarbury

The textures in these enamel/mixed material bangles blow my mind but the colours are what draw me in every time!

Petticoat by Miss Brache

And lastly, the petticoat...
I think it needs to be a mandatory purchase for my wardrobe. In fact, don't even bother checking this one out because I'm off to fill my shopping cart now!

Full of... Courage?

Lately I've been wondering - how much is enough?

How much confidence is enough? Do I just need a little more... or a lot?
There are body acceptance movements, of varying types that I have been exploring mostly as a voyeur thus far.

Blogger & fashionista, Jessica Kane recently had a 'full body shot' campaign, accompanied by a contest to liberate us bigger gals to take a full body photograph of ourselves.  A daunting feat for any self conscious woman, so an interesting concept to tackle with plus sized readers.  The response was  fantastic from both women & retailers with Jessica receiving 1100 entries.  She will be drawing the winner's today.
I love Jessica's blog & have been thinking about this idea of empowering someone to love themselves & physically SHOW the world all there is to love.  Writing a plus size fashion/lifestyle blog has forced me in front of a camera and instead of just the (as my husband calls them) 'myspace portraits' I used to take & use as profile pictures I have to think of myself in a more 4x6 format... full body, outfit pictures.

A typical Emma portrait from back in the MySpace days...

Moving from close up to 'wide format' (ok that pun was totally intentional) takes guts.. bravery... courage! So I must have some, right??

Bah!! Wide Lens!!

But about 10 seconds after a blog post goes up, the self doubt kicks in. So clearly, not THAT brave.
Sometimes the posts don't even go live because once I see the photos on the screen I think 'now THAT was a bad outfit decision'! So clearly, not that much courage.


Another body acceptance movement I stumbled on was, funnily enough (& not at all a coincidence given my choice of wording) on tumblr*.  There are tons of accounts just there to promote beauty of one kind or another... be it very specific, (fuckyeahchubbyfashion or tattooed & chubby ) or just open to positivity (lovethechub or Curvy is the new black ).
I really dig the idea that girls can just go & post a picture of themselves from when they felt fabulous! In fact both my friend Vanessa & I have done it!

Hot Vanessa-ness

Not only is it accessible & easy to have a 'feel good' moment, but your fellow tumblrs are right there, supporting you through it & cheering you on (in the form of reblogs & likes... tumblr lingo but sweet all the same).

This isn't a post with any resolution, or even a glaring insight. It is strictly a post of me rambling about something that has been on my mind a lot lately, something I am trying to examine about myself.  When do you know that you have enough courage? How do you test bravery?

I will keep you up to date if there are any further developments or acts of bavery.

Stay fabulous....

Em


*I should warn you right now that not all of tumblr is safe for work, familiy viewing etc. Anyone can post images & thoughts about whatever they would like. Please use your own discreation.

Bloggerfull

Last night I attended a local blogger meet up at the shoe heaven known as Urban Shoe Myth. It was great to talk about our blogs, recap recent fashion events & enjoy some munchies from one of our favorite restaurants, Saint John Ale House.
Of course the shoes were distracting...

Before we dug our heels into deep discussion & deliciousness bloggers Kate, Chelsea & I took the opportunity to hit the streets for some outfit shots.

Chelsea being photographed by Kate, while Candice instagrams the moment & I catch it all... that's how we bloggers roll!

Heels & shiny tights... nothing slows a blogger down

The great thing about when bloggers meet is we don't pass up the opportunity to have someone else take our photos & make us look less like a dork in a public place with a tripod.  Thank you Kate for playing photographer for me!

I came pretty much straight from work so wasn't overly glam in my Reitman's denim & leggings but I love my new polka dot top from Old Navy. I kept warm with my black George cardigan & necklace from Laura.

I jumped at the chance to take my new Remonte Dorndorf booties from Manchester Shoes out for a spin! Oh how happy they make me!! If you saw my previous post about my sad lack of footwear, you might understand why.

Hello pouf! Hair experiments gone right!

This vintage bracelet was a gift from my aunt when I was in high school. I adore it.
OPI nails in Malaysian Mist

Strike a pose...

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.