Happy Thanksgiving, my fellow Canadians! Check out my new dress from Queen Grace Collection!

Hey Everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving! And Happy Columbus Day to my US readers! Here is the outfit I wore to Thanksgiving Dinner at my Mom's house. We like to dress up ;)

Marina, owner of Queen Grace Collection (Facebook/Twitter), sent me this stunning Elise dress, which I received about a week ago, and I was so excited about it that I just had to wear it at the first possible occasion! It is a beautiful, sophisticated dress, that is SO well made. The quality of the fabric is just amazing (and I always find fabric quality to be lacking in plus size clothing). The dress is cut beautifully for my shape, and it has a very subtle sexiness to it. I don't normally wear things with this much decollatage, but with this dress, it didn't feel scandalous at all, probably because of the long lace sleeves and the modest length. I absolutely adore the lace on the sleeves (again, the quality of the lace used is impeccable), and the sleeves' blouson shape really balances my pear shape out (because I am bigger on the bottom than on the top). I really love this dress and I am just waiting for another occasion where I can wear it! They have so much stuff that just looks fantastic, and you should definitely check out their website if you have a special event coming up or holiday parties to go to. They have something that will work with every shape (pear, apple, hourglass, and strawberry), which I also love! I was lucky to have the privilege of seeing Marina's collection debut at Full Figured Fashion Week in New York this past Summer, and I was blown away. My favourite (other than the Elise, which I have on) is the Victoria. The shape is amazing, and I love the sequins and satin!

Dress - Courtesy of Queen Grace Collection/Peacock Feather Hair Clip - Urban Outfitters/Necklace and Earrings - Tiffany & Co./Clutch - Vintage/Shoes - Torrid

A close-up shot of the beautiful lace on the sleeves

I love Thanksgiving because it means I get to get together with family and celebrate everything I am grateful for in my life, and that is so much! I am so lucky to be as blessed as I am! This year, I really committed myself to this blog. I started writing in May of 2010, but I wasn't really focused on it at all, and I was WAY too embarrased (still really ashamed of my body) to make my fashion blogging public to my friends and family. One night in March after a couple of glasses of wine (aka liquid courage), I posted my blog URL on Facebook for everyone who knew me to see. I woke up the next day kicking myself - but honestly - it was the best decision I could have made. It forced me to stand up for my own body and my place as a fat woman in the world. It was not an easy task, as some people were not as supportive in the beginning as I would have liked.

In some ways it was almost like a coming-out experience. I was talking to my blogger friend Queen Sized Flava about this, and she was like, "how can you come out as fat? That doesn't make any sense. Everyone sees that we're fat!" And I was like "I know, but no one can tell just by looking at us that we're proud of our bodies, and that we're not ashamed of the way we look." I think then she understood. You can't come out as fat. But you can come out as proudly fat. People won't like it. They will want to shame you into losing weight. No one cares if you're fat or not. They just don't want you to feel okay with it. That's what they feel uncomfortable with... But I am a healthy, happy, and proud human being. We all deserve respect. And we should constantly adopt a position of shame just because it's what others expect of us. Be proud. It's okay. I promise. Once you stop letting other people make you feel inferior, you will begin to hold your head up high and the sky is the limit.

I think that's one of the main parts of blogging that I am thankful for. It's almost like scripto-therapy. I have finally been able to let go of all the shame that I've been holding onto and it feels great. I no longer seek validation from others to make me feel better about myself, because deep down, I love myself. It took a long time to get to this point, but I am so glad to finally be at peace.

I am also so thankful for the wonderful community I am now a part of. We're all such strong, beautiful, and confident women! And I feel so happy to be surrounded by all of you. You are fantastic!

I am thankful to all the contacts I made this year, and the businesses that constantly strive to provide us with fashionable clothing that makes us feel great and allow us to express ourselves. Thank you for all your hard work. I promise it is more appreciated than you'll ever know.

And of course I have to thank my wonderful support system. My family and friends have really been great about my blogging. They have been especially good listeners to when I am constantly blathering on about something fashion or blog-related! Thanks guys! I promise I'll try to talk more about other stuff!

And then there's Peter. I'm not sure if you all know this, but I really don't think there would be a blog here if it weren't for him. He is always there to take pictures, to drive me to obscure locations to cover photo shoots or fashion shows, to support me emotionally and to give me honest (and actually quite insightful) opinions about my outfits. I am, above all, thankful for him... I love you, sweetheart.

So what about you, my dears, what are you thankful for this year? And what do you think of my beautiful new dress from Queen Grace?