A WONDERFUL night of Toronto Plus Size Fashion at The Time is Now, by On the Curve Events

A while back (sorry I've been a bit slow to post lately - I'm so busy with school and teaching), I was invited by Liis Windishmann to what is to be the first of many fantastic events for Toronto based plus size women. I was so honoured to be invited by her, and I had a really amazing time. Liis is a totally amazing person. She has done so much to pave the way for Canadian plus size women, and this is a major milestone along that road. Here is a short bio of Liis and a description of On the Curve Events:

On the Curve Events is a series of fashion events throughout the year, starting with The Time is Now, to celebrate the curvy woman through intimate and large scale fashion shows, seminars, presentations, designer Q&A’s and boutique shopping events.

As an entrepreneur, educator and top model, Liis Windischmann has played a leading role in building a diverse and inclusive fashion industry. She initiated Walk the Catwalk, a ground-breaking advocacy campaign that was the first organization in the world to link the singular sample size with the lack of diversity in fashion media.

Liis Windischmann has enjoyed a long, successful career as a top model. She has appeared in numerous worldwide print campaigns for retailers such as Talbot’s, Eddie Bauer, Laura Plus, Reitmans and Addition-Elle. Her frequent television modelling appearances have included Fashion Television, Fashion File, Breakfast Television, Canada AM and CityLine. Some of her editorial appearances include Woman’s World, Wedding Bells, Lush, Canadian Living, Chatelaine, Homemaker’s, Today’s Bride, Clin d’oeil and the coveted September cover of MODE.

She is also a director of the world-renowned Ben Barry Modelling Agency, headquartered here in Toronto, which provides representation for models who demonstrate beauty diversity (they have models of all different sizes, heights, and ages). If you ever read Lou Lou magazine's 14+ blog, she is it's author! Liis has done a lot to promote body acceptance and fashion options for women of all size, height and age groups. It was truly a pleasure to meet her and attend this wonderful event.

Lola and Gigi, Toni +, Gussied Up, Stephanie Bezaire, and Allistyle all showed their Winter 2011 collections, and I must say, I was very impressed. I had always throught that Toni + was more for an older crowd, but the collection that they showed looked fairly youthful (or maybe I'm just getting older?), so I think I am going to go and check them out soon!

I invited Sheena from MTV (since I know her now, how cool is that?) to join me, and I was so glad that she came. We got to hang out off camera for a while and it was great to see her again. I also got to see Karyn from Killer Kurves, and Sarah from Garters and Stockings. It was a great night with wonderful fashion, friends, and swag, and I can't wait for the next On the Curve Event. Seriously. When will there be another one???!

Me, Karyn, and Sheena :D

Me and Liis

Everything except shoes - Forever 21+/Shoes - Rainbow

Styling MTV's Sheena Snively!

Hey Guys!

So I mentioned before that I was given an amazing opportunity to style MTV host Sheena Snively at the beginning of the month. I have been anxiously waiting for the editing to be done and the video to be posted, and it's UP!!! I wanted to make sure I gave you guys the inside scoop, a sort of behind-the-scenes look at the styling I did and my experiences, so that's what this post will be about.

Sheena was an absolute dream to work with, and I think I can actually call her a friend after getting to style her! She is so warm and open and sweet, and I was REALLY excited to get to meet her, but she seemed excited to meet me too, which was so weird for me because, like, she's the celebrity, ya know? But she did seem really happy to see me, and I was super flattered about that. I studied Sheena's fashion on her facebook fan page and in her videos to get a sense of her style before pulling samples for her. It's SO important for the person you're dressing not to feel as though you're dressing them in someone else's style. They need to feel like themselves, just the best possible version of what that is. I made sure I was careful with all of the selections I made for Sheena, and I really think that she was pleased with everything I picked out for her. She especially liked the DKNY pink moto jacket from Lane Bryant, and the ruched back boots from Torrid. She was also so excited to learn about a less-known brand called Domino Dollhouse that offers fashions that are really consistent with her youthful, edgy style, and she loved the Dahlia Pencil dress, Pretty Kitty cardigan, Miss Fancy Top, and Bowie Metallic Leggings in Red that they sent.

All of the samples I pulled from the different retailers had been sent directly to MTV, and I was so eager to see all of the items in person so I could get a better sense of the garments. Sheena had waited for me (very patiently, I might add) before she even tried anything on, but I am pretty sure that the wait was killing her, as she was super excited to finally get to put on the clothes. She looked absolutely fantastic in all of it!

When I got there, I put several outfits together out of all the lovely pieces that had been sent, and we got to filming. I got to be a bit silly on camera with Sheena, which was awesome, and I don't think she was expecting that at all, lol. We had a total blast working on the video, and afterwards, Sheena gave me and Peter (who was there snapping LOADS of photos) a tour of the MTV Building, which used to be a Masonic Temple, and thus, is very creepy. It was lots of fun to have her give us the grand tour! Without further ado, here are a few photos of the shoot, Sheena looking absolutely fantastic in her new clothes, the MTV FORA video, and links to all the lovely stuff Sheena's wearing. I'd love to hear your comments! =D

Checking out all the stuff that was sent to Sheena when I first arrived...

Chatting with Sheena and Leeor, editor of MTV FORA (right) about all the pieces!

The first outfit pull. A red leopard blazer from Addition Elle and a black leatherette panel dress also from Addition Elle.

Putting some bangles from Torrid on Sheena... She was really excited about the bangles!

Sheena and I chatting about how hard it is to find bangles that fit at accessory stores, and how you try to fit your hand in ones that are too small anyways... LOL.

Outfit 1 - Blazer and Dress - Addition Elle/Bangles and Shoes - Torrid

Outfit 2 - Ruffle Shrug and Oxford Shoes - Torrid/Miss Fancy (Pink) Top - Domino Dollhouse/T3 Jeans - Lane Bryant

Outfit 3 - Striped Sweater, Tripp NYC Skinny Pants, Leatherette Boots, and Leopard Bangle Set - Torrid

Outfit 4 (which Sheena doesn't look at all excited  about, lol) - Pink Moto Jacket - DKNY for Lane Bryant/Shoes - Lane Bryant/Leopard Bangle Set, Black and White Lip Service Skirt, Belt, Cami - Torrid

We're getting excited about how awesome these red metallic tights from Domino Dollhouse are...

Outfit 5 - Blazer and Top - Torrid/Leggings - Domino Dollhouse/Shoes - Lane Bryant

Sheena's interviewing me about my blog here... This part didn't make it on the cutting room floor :(

Peter took a shot of me in between outfit changes =D

Sheena looking adorable in Domino Dollhouse's Pretty Kitty Cardigan.

And here in Domino Dollhouse's Dahlia Pencil Dress.

A final shot of all of the fine ladies who worked together to make this happen!

And just me and Sheena... LOVE this shot! =D

And that's a wrap! It was SUCH an awesome experience to style Sheena, and I really hope I am invited back to do it again! You should definitely check out the MTV FORA video (below) and see the antics we got up to. Pretty hilarious! =D