Catching Up... I don't even know where to start! And Plus Size Shopping in Edmonton

Hey Guys!

It's been SUCH a hectic summer for me this year... So much on the go! I feel like I haven't updated you all in forever! Around the beginning of July, I took a trip out to Alberta with my sisters. We got to see lots of really amazing stuff (we visited Jasper and Banff, and stopped off at Lake Louise, beautiful!). I also got some shopping done (of course!). I felt it was about time to give you all the scoop!

Me and my big sister Linda... It was a bit chilly, so I got to break out my new Spanner jacket from Lola and Gigi

Me and my big sister Gillian

Stunning Lake Louise!

Canada Day in Banff with Mounties!

While we we driving through the national parks, I saw all sorts of animals: mountain goats, elk, deer, and even a bear - oh my! It was very pretty!

Once we got back to the city (Edmonton) it was definitely time to do some shopping. Especially since Edmonton has the biggest shopping malls in all of North America (the fifth largest in the entire world). I stopped in to a lot of stores and ended up getting some great stuff on sale from Anthropologie, J. Crew, and The Bay. No, you didn't miss anything... neither J.Crew nor Anthropologie carry plus sizes. BUT they do sometimes have things that are stretchy or oversized enough to fit, and I got very lucky with several pieces that I'm sure you'll see in upcoming posts!

After the mall, we decided to check out a few of the independent boutiques on Whyte Avenue. OMG. Retail heaven. So many beautiful, trendy stores. With much more reasonable prices than comparable boutiques here in Toronto. Again, not much available here in regards to actual plus sizes, but I did come across one boutique called Oak + Fort that was absolutely amazing and had great stretchy and oversized pieces. The sales associates were really helpful. I think they caught the drift of what I was looking for and started bringing me pieces that were likely to work/fit on my body type. It was really amazing. Often when I walk into a straight sized store I feel really unwelcome, but here, this couldn't be further from the truth. I was really happy to shop here.

I came away with a really cool, structured type of white t-shirt, and a woven step-hem sweatshirt... Gorgeous!

After doing a bit of research, I also found a store called Fashion Addition in Edmonton. I decided to drop in and check them out. Here are a few pictures from the store. 

Hey, there's a familiar face! It's @liisw!

There is an emphasis on career and active wear and I would definitely recommend this store for women 35 and up who are looking for high-quality brand name clothing for work, travel, leisure and/or exercise. 

When I got back from Edmonton, I really had to hit the ground running to get the word out about BIG Deal Toronto, so I made sure to visit the Fuller Woman Expo, which was held at Yonge/Dundas Square to hand out some postcards and mingle. I also got to see my friends Sasha and Garcia's runway showcase. Their line's name is Flaws of Couture, and it's totally amazing.

Dress - H&M (size L, but very stretchy)/Shoes - Payless/Earrings - Shoppers Drug Mart/Purse - Random store in NYC/Sunglasses - F21

New Friends! I finally got to meet fellow blogger Lala Joan

Flaws of Couture 

 SexyPlus Clothing

This piece is actually from SexyPlus Clothing. If memory serves me, it's a Joseph Ribkoff piece. LOVE.

After BIG Deal Toronto, I had to drop something off at a Caribbana Mas Camp for one of my girls Sarah (who came in all the way from Montreal for the event) and I couldn't resist taking some pictures of my own outfit and the amazing costumes! Man, I really would love to do Caribbana! Maybe next year, lol!

Body Suit - ASOS Curve/Skirt and Petticoat - Sofistafunk/Shoes - New Look/Purse and Bracelet - Random Store in the 6th and 36th area of NYC

I hope you've enjoyed this (somewhat jumbled) catch-up post and review of where to shop for plus size clothes in Edmonton. I have a fatkini post coming up VERY soon (nervous!) and also a post about my fabulous vacation in Montreal, Quebec City, and PEI and all the fab clothes I wore during it ;)

Modelling for/Review of SexyPlus Clothing Toronto

Hey Guys!

Last weekend, I got to go and hang out with Stefanie from SexyPlus Clothing on Yonge Street in Toronto. Stefanie invited me to do some modelling for her, and I shyly, yet happily, agreed. I was supposed to do some runway modelling for her back in early December, but the event ended up being cancelled, so I was glad I finally got the opportunity to work with her! The shoot was a lot of fun, and I got to try on about 5-6 different outfits. Stefanie also wanted me to do a review of one of her pieces, so I'll show you some of the outfits I modelled and the dress I ended up picking out for my review.

The store itself is really lovely. It has a very warm, inviting atmosphere, which partially has to do with the layout and design of the store, but mostly is because of the lovely service provided by Stefanie and one of her shop associates who was there, Michaela. While I was modelling and changing outfits, I got to see them both work with a number of customers, and they each made the women who entered the store feel immediately at ease, which is so important, especially in a store dedicated to dressing plus size women, who can often have trouble with self-esteem and confidence (not that this is exclusive to plus size women, but it's certainly a pervasive issue in the community). A couple of beautiful women came in and tried on corsets. They sheepishly allowed themselves to be assisted by Stefanie and Michaela, but by the time they were finished being laced-up, their faces resembled a renewed, or perhaps newly-found, confidence that they didn't seem to have when entering. It just goes to show how important clothes are in terms of affecting one's own self-perception. These women, first ill at ease, were now proudly walking out of the changeroom into the store, where several people could admire both their beauty and their new confidence. What an inspiring scene!

The actual changerooms themselves are very comfortable. There is a hook for your purse (it's actually labelled) a hook for your coat (again, labelled) and a long closet style bar where you can hang all your garments up comfortably without having to worry about things getting all tangled together or falling off. The changeroom is large enough for a plus size person to very comfortably dress and undress, and there is (what I like to call) a husband chair just outside with a big ol' pile of manly magazines (with stuff about cars, and motorcycles, and pumping iron, etc... lol). They also have girl magazines in case you bring a straight size friend with you for their opinion. Sometimes I find change rooms are way too hot. Stores use the hottest type of lightbulb available, and by the time you're on outfit 3 or 4, you're sweating up a storm and you're ready to go home. I found the temperature in Stef's store (and her dressing rooms particularly) to be just perfect. I was totally comfortable the whole time. Stefanie has set the store up in such a way that you can be sure you will have a comfortable, relaxing, enjoyable, and successful shopping trip.

Now to the actual looks Stef chose for me to model!

The perfect outfit for a tropical getaway...

Love this dress...!

This was my favourite dress of the day, a stunning a luxurious Joseph Ribkoff number. It would be perfect for FFFWeek!

Left to Right: Myself, Stefanie, and Michaela

Another beautiful Ribkoff piece...

And from behind...

Stef cracking me up during the shoot...

And look how cute my Peter looks!!! So handsome. <3 Love that jacket on him!

After awhile of modelling, I got to pick out my piece that I was going to review. I chose this beautiful, full skirted, faux-double breasted dress by Chic Star. The quality of the fabric is really beautiful, and the workmanship is excellent too. The design is stunning. The dress is remniscent of the Ribkoff one I love so much, but it's a bit more casual, which means I can be sure I'll get more wear out of it. It's a lovely dress that's very comfortable and that I know I will wear again and again. What do you ladies think? =D

Dress - Chic Star Design, courtesy of SexyPlus Clothing/Turban - Domino Dollhouse/Gloves - Urban Behaviour/Belt - Forever 21+/Shoes - CBX