What to Wear for Hallowe'en - Some Options for Plus Size Women

Hallowe'en used to be so frustrating for me. All of my friends would buy these adorable little outfits like a sexy nurse, sexy cop, sexy angel, sexy devil, etc... and I would feel totally left out. I was never able to get cute stuff like that in my size. It was either the cheap plus size polyester floor length nun's habit, or I was on my own. Needless to say, I took the latter route. I am a fairly creative person, so I took to putting together my own costumes. For many years, I just went as a cat or a bunny with good make up, using my own black or white clothes and topping it off with a one-size-fits all pair of ears and tail. A couple of years ago, I found an amazing store that sells really beautiful masks. It's based in St. Jacob's, Ontario and it's called Dream Power. They have a couple of masks up on their website, but it's really nothing compared to what they have in-store. If you're anywhere near there, you should drop in and see what they've got. Peter and I both got our masks from there last year:

I can't remember where my wings were from - I've had them for years. I think it was a hallowe'en pop up store

This was a pretty low-key hallowe'en for us. We were just hanging out with my family and spending time with our nieces, who got to go out trick-or-treating. For that, a mask and wings is perfect.

When I am going to a hallowe'en party, or out to a pub or bar, though, I want something a bit more elaborate. This was my costume from two hallowe'ens ago, when I went as Alice in Wonderland:

Everything except wig - Torrid/Wig - Queen of Hearts Costumes

I love Torrid's hallowe'en costumes. They don't have Alice this year, but they do have the Queen of Hearts, a bumble bee, a gypsy, a zombie prom queen, a cartoon-mouse-who-shall-remain-unnamed-due-to-licensing-legalities, a super-hero-who-shall-also-remain-unnamed-due-to-licensing-legalities, a cat, a race car driver, a can-can girl, a pirate, and (perhaps my favourite) a 1960s inspired flight attendant!

So many options! And they have amazing accessories to go with each costume so you can jazz it up a bit if you want. Check out what they've got for hallowe'en here. I can certainly speak to the high quality of the costumes that Torrid sells, as well as the value for your money. I find most hallowe'en costumes so cheap and flimsy. Typically, the fabric used is terrible and it looks as if the item was thrown together because the fit/stitching is so shoddy. You won't find that with Torrid's costumes. They are awesome.

If you're looking for something a bit more provocative, or are just interested in seeing what else is out there, you should definitely check out Hips and Curves They sell plus size lingerie, and have a few really awesome pieces in for hallowe'en. Here are a few of my faves:

If you're looking for something a bit more conservative, or again, just for a few more options, this website has a variety of options and they do ship to Canada...

I'm not sure what I'm doing for this hallowe'en yet. I want to see what masks Dream Power has, and I should be going down to St. Jacob's this weekend. So tell me, ladies, what are you dressing up as this year?

OOTDs: Showing a Friend Around Town

Everyone,

My friend Jen came over from Ireland (a couple of weeks ago, now, actually), and I'm finally getting around to posting the pictures of what I wore while I was showing her around town. On day one of her trip, we went to the Toronto Islands and visited Kensington Market and Chinatown. On day two, we took a bus tour of Toronto and went to Casa Loma, and on day three we headed down to Niagara Falls. I hope she had fun! I know I had fun showing her all of the sights!

I got this shot of the Toronto skyline as we made our way back into town on the ferry from the Toronto Islands. It was such a perfect day to go to the islands. The dreamiest sort of weather - warm, but with a lovely cool breeze coming in from the lake.

The next day, we went to Casa Loma, a castle located in Toronto that was built at the turn of the century by Sir Henry Pellatt, a very wealthy Torontonian with a monopoly on electricity. The provincial government decided that it was not fair to let one man have this sort of a monopoly, so they fixed that and started offering Hydro power to Toronto. This development, as well as a number of other poor investments on Pellatt's part, lead to his rapid financial demise, and he had to sell everything he owned for a fraction of its worth in order to avoid bankruptcy so that he could keep his royal title (I'm not sure if the British monarchy will still strip you of your title if you file for Chapter 11, but it's definitely interesting). He ended up living in a small apartment above the garage in his former chauffeur's home. 

It's just as beautiful inside, with stunning furnishings and an amazing ballroom and library. The opulence is astounding, especially considering Pellatt's modest accommodations after his financial ruination. Jen wore this dress that I'd been eyeing for awhile on Dorothy Perkins' website and I recognized it right away. I think I have an internet window shopping addiction problem! Still absolutely love the dress. It has a lovely bow in the back as well.

I also really liked what my sister Gill (right) had on, and it was sort of weird that we ended up in the same colours! So I decided to force her to allow me to put her picture up here too ;D She told me where she got the dress, but I can't, for the life of me, remember... Was it H&M? If you're reading Gill, can you comment with where you got it from? 

Top - ASOS Curve/Shorts - Dots/Bracelets - Forever 21/Belt - Thrifted/Purse - Costa Blanca/Necklace - Charming Charlie/Shoes - Target/Sunglasses - Gifted from Kmart

Casa Loma is a really beautiful sight, and the picture doesn't even do it justice. If you're ever in Toronto, make sure to check it out. My eldest sister got married there. So beautiful. 

The next day, we went to Niagara Falls. We did a walk along the falls, got some Linner (that's a combination of lunch and dinner) and decided to get on the Maid of the Mist. Hilarious! We all got absolutely soaked, so it was a good thing that we brought sturdier ponchos than the ones we were given by the Maid of the Mist people. My mascara was running like nobody's business. It was amazing how close to the falls you get though. Pretty incredible. We also got on the Niagara Skywheel, which is like a very high tech ferris wheel. You get your own completely enclosed pod, sort of like the London Eye, but with much smaller pods. The view is awesome. This is the (comfy) outfit I wore for our day (including a lot of walking) at Niagara Falls:

Sorry for all the nublies in this shot. I have to go over this top with my nubly shaver!

That's the Falls in the background. Top and Necklace- Forever 21/Tights - Torrid/Shoes - Target via Redress NYC/Belt - Redress NYC/Purse - Thrifted/Sunglasses - Courtesy of Kmart

And just to show you guys how seriously I take myself, and also that I can rock anything, even a translucent blue poncho layered on top of a bright yellow rubber poncho while soaking wet, I've decided to share this picture that my sister took just after I got off the Maid of the Mist. Enjoy! Rockin' a poncho.

Six Take: Celebrity Style - Kate Middleton

Hey Everyone,

So remember a month ago I did a three-take on what I would wear to a wedding with Rikke from Sticky, Sweet Danish and Jessica from tooMANYsequins? Well we've added my room-mates from NYC as well! Welcome to Jessica from Chic in Every City, Yoli from Diva in Deep Thought, and Sarah from Queen Sized Flava made in Montreal! They will be joining us for these monthly features from now on.

This month we've decided to interpret our favourite celebrity's style for ourselves. I would say in terms of style, my favourite celebrity is Zoe Deschanel. She has a very pretty, feminine, and unique style, but my style is already so similar to hers and I wanted to try something different! Since Kate Middleton and Prince William are visit Canada at the moment (and everyone seems to have royal fever) I thought I would play along and use Kate as my style inspiration for this blog post. She's very feminine, proper, and conservative, she loves navy blue and has worn the military jacket look before, so I thought that's the way I would go with it.

I found an amazing vintage hat at Public Butter for $12 and I thought it would work perfectly for this post. What do you think? Did I capture the essence of Princess Kate's style? Make sure you visit the other beautiful bloggers' sites!

Suit - Thrifted (Vintage Christian Dior, damn they don't make 'em like this anymore.... $10!)/Hat - Vintage from Public Butter/Shoes - Costa Blanca/Clutch - Express

Advance Screening of Bill Cunningham New York

Hey Everyone!

This past Thursday, I got to go to an advance screening of a fantastic fashion documentary called Bill Cunningham New York, courtesy of Fashion Magazine Canada. I thought I'd just do a quick review before showing you what I wore to the screening!

Bill Cunningham New York is a film about the endurance of the human spirit as much as it is about fashion. It chronicles the life of Bill Cunningham, octogenarian style photographer for the New York Times. We are invited into his life, and what we find there is stunning - both beautifully and tragically. The passion demonstrated by the notoriously un-fashionably dressed Bill Cunningham is an inspiration and most certainly anomolous. It is rare to glimpse the life of someone so determined to find beauty everywhere, in places expected and unexpected. At 80 years of age, we see a determined Bill Cunningham cycling all over the (cyclist unfriendly) streets of New York, determined to capture the perfect moments on film (yes - film - he doesn't use digital), creating a fascinating narrative about the city through his images of its style. His work is even somewhat anthropological in nature, as his office is full of filing cabinets bursting at the seams with photographic negatives that document decades of the street style and culture for which New York has become famous. The film includes interviews with several important people within the fashion world (Anna Wintour says "I've said many times that we all get dressed for Bill") who emphasize Bill's participation in that world (and the massive effect he has on it), but he is not merely interested in high fashion. Many of Bill's photographs are of "regular" people on the street who simply happen to wear something that interests him. He is not interested in "celebrities and their free dresses," he is interested in clothes - no matter who designed them or who's wearing them. His vision of fashion is rather democratizing and insists that fashion is available to all. I love this aspect of the film because it is so in keeping with my project here. Bill and several of the people interviewed in relation to Bill  (especially Patrick McDonald and Shail Upadhya - former UN official to Nepal) are true characters, and exhibit such a determination to be themselves despite what others think that they are incredibly inspiring. Bill entirely eschews worldly goods and refuses to sell out to or for anyone, living an almost-monk-like lifestyle, insisting that he will not accept anything (even a meal at a function he is covering) so that he can maintain artistic integrity and true freedom of expression. This aspect of the film is truly refreshing in our capital-driven times. I strongly recommend that you go see Bill Cunningham New York. Anyone who is interested in fashion will love it, and those who are not interested in fashion, but just interested in humanity, will love it too. My favourite quote from the film was something Bill said: "He who seeks beauty will find it." Well, I have found it. In this film, and definitely in you, Bill. Thank you for dedicating your life to helping us all to see the beauty.

With Michael from Films We Like - The production company for Bill Cunningham New York

Many thanks to Fashion Magazine Canada for the complimentary pass!

Jacket - Forever 21+/Dress - ASOS (their straight size collection - a UK 18 or US 14, this one looked stetchy and big at the hips so I chanced it and ordered it - glad I did)/Leather Look Leggings - Yours Clothing/Shoes - Clockhouse Brand from a department store in Amsterdam called C&A (these need some love from the shoe repair guy as they have a kitten heel, and I wore them in Amsterdam walking on cobblestones and the heel kept getting stuck and the leather is all messed up now)/Purse and Scarf - Costa Blanca/Feather Fascinator/hair clip - Urban Outfitters

Peacock feather fascinator/hair clip

And the man behind all the fashion madness finally consented to me posting a picture of him on here! This is my boyfriend/life partner/significant other/whatever-you-want-to-call-it, Peter. We've been together for over 12 years now, and he's always amazingly supportive with everything I do (which is quite a lot, actually). Thank you sweetheart, for being my photographer, sometimes my assistant self-stylist, a great ear and shoulder, and my best friend. I love you.

When we got home, I realized this detail on the dress had been hidden in a lot of the shots by my scarf, so I decided to take a shot of it because it's one of my favourite parts of the dress!

And zoomed out...

So what do you guys think of the outfit? Have any of you seen Bill Cunningham New York yet? I truly recommend it (no one has paid me/given me anything to say this - it's just my honest opinion). Peter even liked it, and he's not into fashion at all. We even spent this past Sunday perusing the style section of the New York Times (which is where Bill's articles appear) in a coffee shop in Liberty Village because we were so inspired by the film. Go see it!!!

On Set at Voluptuous Clothing's Spring/Summer Collection Photo Shoot!!!

Hey Everyone!

Recently, I was invited by Karen and Angela Samuels of Voluptuous Clothing to their Spring/Summer 2011 collection photo shoot. I was really excited to get a behind-the-scenes peek at what goes on on-set! I'll have to warn you that this will be a very photo-heavy post, since I saw so many beautiful things (and people) to photograph! Everyone was so friendly and welcoming, so I just want to extend a big thank you to everyone who put up with me snapping random shots of them doing their work!

Speaking with Karen, I was able to gain some valuable insight into the Voluptuous brand. They aim to provide a collection to their customers which is youthful and which fits well, which makes them feel great and which is affordable. Essentially, they are trying to make fashion fun and accessible for curvy Canadian women who are fed up with the much more conservative plus sized designs that the Canadian plus clothing market is already saturated with. Their designs are inspired by runway fashions, which is definitely refreshing considering that much of what is available for Canadian plus women is huge, shapeless, and tent-like, and has nothing to do with what's on the runway...

Voluptuous Clothing is a relatively new company, and has been providing plus size Canadian women with fashionable options for about the past five years. Its founder, Angela Samuels, has been in the fashion industry since 2000. It is her goal to empower young women by providing them with stylish clothing options. Because it fills a void in the Canadian fashion industry, Voluptuous Clothing's sales have tripled over the past several years. Voluptuous would like to branch out to other areas of Ontario as well as other provinces, and they currently have their eye on the Montreal market. Voluptuous has a varied range of clothing options, from club wear and more formal wear to denim and career wear. They currently have four store locations across the Greater Toronto Area (Dufferin Mall, Scarborough Town Centre, Vaughan Mills, and Square One).

It was a pleasure to meet with them and to attend this fabulous photo shoot!

Me at the fabulous photo shoot!

The photo studio

Marek, the stylist and creative director, doing the makeup of model Lianne

Makeup and Hair Artist Dylan working on V Doll (explained below) Nadia

Dylan with model Karyna

Wow - look at all the makeup! Awesome!

Beautiful eyelashes!

Stylist/Creative Assistant Craig posing for the camera ;)

And he's back to work steaming this gorgeous dress to perfection

A table full of accessories to help with the styling. It was all I could do to keep myself from diving in and trying everything on.

Racks of clothes for the shoot

Shoes, glorious shoes! (That was an Oliver! reference, for those who didn't catch it)

Bags, glorious bags! Seriously though, Marek's shoe and bag collection rivals my own. And that's saying something.

Marek tries different shoes and bags with Voluptuous's gorgeous red dress to decide what looks the best for the shoot.

The very talented photographer, Irem, at work.

And the shoot begins with beautiful model Patricia - "wait Marek, you dropped something!"

The camera was connected to this laptop so Marek and Irem could see how the shots were looking on a larger screen and give feedback to the models.

Patricia is rocking this tan and teal dress!

I absolutely adore this amazingly colourful maxi dress!

Seeing this photo just makes me want it even more...!

Karen and Irem discuss the photos

Karen gives a bit of direction to Irem, Marek, and model Patricia

A makeup artists job is never done! Touch up time...

Marek directing Patricia

Just stunning.

Model Lianne in a gorgeous aztec print maxi - these are very in this season and will be all over the place next summer. Get yours this year and you'll be the most fashion forward of all your friends!

Marek giving Lianne's hair a little love in between shots

Awesome animal print dress!

I love this shot because Marek is a blur and Lianne isn't. Marek moved so fast that this is actually what he looked like in person. Just kidding! Sort of...

Loving this sexy LBD...

Up on the ladder to get the perfect shot for Voluptuous' upcoming bus ad campaign

Fixing the hat so that it's just so...

Rockin' a romper.

More touch ups!

This is Nadia, one of Voluptuous' V Dolls. Voluptuous has a contest where Ontario residents can send in their pictures for a chance to be featured in the season's photo shoot. Nadia was a natural!

Another V Doll, Sandra (left) taking the photo of Karen Samuels's daugter, Schylan (who has a music video on YouTube here) on set, just for fun.

And of course, since others were playing... I couldn't resist being a bit of a diva myself on set!

So what do you guys think? What's your favourite piece? Mine is the colourful maxi dress Patricia was modelling. Love! You should all stop by a Voluptuous store near you soon to try some stuff on. I know I'm headed to Square One soon to grab that maxi.

To see more pictures of my day on set, visit my flickr profile. To watch videos I took, visit YouTube or for both, just like the facebook page.