100th International Women's Day

Hey Everyone,

I was planning on writing a post about my Pick of the Week today, but since it's the 100th International Women's Day, I've decided to write a bit about women, their bodies, and self-esteem. I don't want this to turn into a rant or tirade, so I'll avoid bitter remarks, and I think what I have to say will be really helpful for the many wonderful women who read this.

First of all, you are beautiful, you are smart, and you are perfect the way you are. The media portrays beautiful as a size 2, but this does not mean that this is the only form or manifestation of beauty. Beauty comes in all sizes. Society's perception of beauty is constantly shifting, and thin wasn't always considered ideal. In fact, if we plus-size girls had lived in the Renaissance, WE would have been the ideal. Look at this Botticelli painting of Venus (the goddess of love, beauty and fertility) from 1485. Clearly, thin was not in...

Thin women were considered unattractive during the renaissance because they were likely poor. Having a bit of extra chub showed that you had enough food to eat and demonstrate health and fertility. Check out any depiction of Venus or a nude during the renaissance. They all look healthy and beautiful.

Women have historically done terrible things to their bodies to acheive a certain aesthetic. In the 19th century, women put drops of acid in their eyes in order to dilate the pupil and achieve a dreamy, doe-like look. Historically, women have also painted their faces with lead-based paints and powders to appear paler. Our female forbears knew the dangers of these actions, but they were so adamant on acheiving a certain look that they went ahead with them anyways. How often have you heard the phrase "beauty is pain"? We should not have to put our bodies through significant traumas to adhere to society's perception of beautiful. Crash diets are just this. We should embrace and love our bodies at the state which is natural and healthy for them. If curvy is that state, then right on!

As James Joyce once said, "Be yourself; everyone else is taken." Don't compare yourselves to others. Just be who you are and love it.

Happy International Women's Day! Tell another woman how wonderful she is today.

Cleaning out my closet...

Hey Everyone!

I decided to clean out my horribly disorganied closet so that I would be more easily able to pick out outfits. Well! I found a lot of things I forgot I even had. It was like shopping in my own closet! I've been putting it off for a long time, because honestly, who wants to clean out a closet in their spare time? It was quite the task, but I feel like I have a better sense of my wardrobe's strengths and weaknesses after having done it, and I also feel like I will be able to pick out better outfits. Here are some pictures from the process...



MESSY Closet!!!



I took all the stuff out so I could totally reorganize

Ahhh! That's better!

And I'm done!

A few tips for cleaning out your closet:

1. Try to make the experience as pleasant as possible (difficult, I know). If you have a television in your room, put on a good show to distract you from the fact that you are actually cleaning out your wardrobe. If not, turn on some good music to keep yourself motivated. Take breaks if necessary (I did!).

2. Make sure you have some sort of organizing principle. For my bottoms, I arranged the items into groups: trousers, jeans, shorts/capris, leggings/athletic wear, and skirts. This way, I know how to find everything. For my tops, I arranged them into everyday wear tops, going-out tops, career wear, sweaters, jackets, and dresses. You can also choose to arrange by colour. Whatever works for you! As long as your way of organizng makes it easier for you to find and use things, then it's a good system.

3. Donate or sell any clothes that don't fit anymore or that you haven't worn in the last season they'd be appropriate in. If you're not wearing something, it's just taking up room in your closet that you could use for something more fabulous that you'll love and that will make you feel great. Getting rid of it will make your wardrobe and your life more efficient. If the clothes are too small and you're hanging on to them, seeing them will just make you feel bad about yourself. If they're too big, what's that point in keeping them? Make two piles - stuff you're keeping and stuff you're getting rid of. Don't allow yourself a maybe pile. Be a bit ruthless and edit your wardrobe accordingly.

I hope this post has been helpful and has inspired you to organize your closet!

Stay tuned for a post on my Pick of the Week soon!

Welcome!

Welcome! I've decided to write this blog mainly out of sympathy for the frustration many Canadian women of both style and size experience during clothes shopping. The fact is, that while we may love fashion, unfortunately, the industry (and especially the Canadian retail market) does not love us back! So this blog is intended to provide some shopping solutions for (mainly younger - or just young-at-heart!)Canadian women of size who wish to dress in a way which allows them to express and represent themselves in the ways they want to. I find many of the Canadian options quite frumpy. The selection at certain stores seems to reflect an older demographic. The philosophy of the design seems to suggest that the looser the garment is, the more appropriate it is for the plus-size women. But covering up isn't helping anyone! The idea is to find clothes that accentuate your best assets. This doesn't mean that your clothes should be tight, but just that they should fit properly and have some structure so that you can discern a shape. Baggy clothes just create the illusion of more volume (which is entirely counter-productive!).

Each week, I will post a new "Pick of the Week" from either a Canadian store, or a store which provides shipping to Canada. I will also blog on certain fashion issues that affect the plus-size woman (look out for posts on where to find wide-width shoes and wide-calf boots, the best shape-wear and undies, good jewelry choices for specific outfits, and the most flattering hair designs for rounder/fuller faces). I will also photograph myself in some of my favourite outfits and provide lists of where I found the pieces (with prices if I can remember) so that you can see some of my shopping prowess in action! I plan to develop a list of Canadian stores that are plus and plus friendly as I blog. I hope that the content that follows will be both helpful and entertaining, and that the many beautiful, vibrant Canadian women-of-size out there who have trouble finding clothes and styling themselves will benefit both on the outside and on the inside from reading and participating in this blog. Remember that confidence is always the best accessory!

A note about my own style: I like many different styles, which you will see reflected on the site. My outfits will usually be fairly adherent to one sort of style, but each of my outfits can be very different from one-another. Hopefully, you will all agree with me that "variety is the spice of life" and experiment with styles you may not have tried before. If I had to describe my style, I would say that it is eclectic, yet feminine, sometimes with a flair for light touches of punk or rockabilly, or sometimes indie. The creation of this site, however, may inspire me to branch out even more, though, so stay tuned to see what I come up with!