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Outfit of the Day: My Blog's Birthday!

Hey Guys!

I was looking through some old posts last night, and I realised that it is my one-year blogo-versary! I started the blog in May of 2010, but I didn't really start focusing on it (and consistently posting Outfit of the Day posts) until the post from March 2, 2011. This is also when I "came out" to my friends and family as a blogger (and as a proud, confident fat woman), which is why I consider it my blog's "true" birthday. I hadn't told anyone about my blog or even participated at all in the amazing community that I am now a part of until then. I think a part of me was still ashamed of being fat, and incapable of loving myself or appreciating my own beauty.

I am so glad I did went public with my blog, and I am so glad I have kept it up, even though there were days when I didn't feel like posting or putting together an outfit. It has changed my life and my outlook immensely, and I have all of you to thank for keeping me motivated by commenting and visiting so often. I never knew that my voice could reach so many of you. I thank you for the opportunity, and promise I will always be trying to inspire each and every one of you as much as you inspire me!

I thought it would be fun to do a collage of my favourite outfits from the past year, kind of like musicians do "best of" albums, to celebrate this milestone. They are all in chronological order, so you can kind of see the evolution of my style over the past year (and the change in seasons!). It's kinda cool to see all of the outfits I loved wearing and sharing over the past year (and how long my hair has grown, and the fact that I have eyebrows now!). What do you think? Which outfit is your own personal fav?

I know I personally hate it when tv shows do recap or clip episodes, and the collage post is sort of like a blogs version of that, so here's a NEW outfit of the day post for ya! I think this might be one of my favourite outfits ever. I wore this to celebrate my friend Gen's birthday with her. Hi Gen!

Skirt, Cropped Jacket, Earrings, and Clutch - Vintage/Shoes - Torrid/Camisole and Bracelets - Forever 21+/Belt - Dots

Oh, and if you haven't entered the giveaway with Your BIG Sister's Closet yet, there's still time! Enter here!

Outfit of the Day, and a Rad Giveaway - with Your BIG Sister's Closet

Hey Guys,

I wore this dress, which I absolutely adore, last Saturday to get my weekly latte fix with Peter. I think this dress is totally gorgeous, and I felt so pretty in it all day! I love the fullness of the skirt and the volume at the shoulders. It gives the dress a very unique feel. I also love that this dress comes with a belt, which I feel really completes the look. I wore it with leggings and my knee-high boots, but as the weather gets warmer, I'll probably wear it without the leggings, although the length might make it a little scandalous! ;) I really like the contrasting black and grey together, and the dress was very comfy, which is definitely a bonus. All in all, I am very pleased with the quality and style of the dress, and I am definitely going to remix it with different accessories soon to create a different look with it.

Dress and Belt (set) - Your BIG Sister's Closet/Boots - Courtesy of Torrid/Leggings - Forever 21+

So now to the part you're all reading for, THE GIVEAWAY!!! I am giving away a $60 gift card to Your BIG Sister's Closet that can be used to purchase this dress or something else that you love on the site. How do you enter? Just follow the steps in the form below, and make sure you click: "I did this" after completing each task to ensure your entry gets submitted. Good Luck!!!


CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING

Outfit of the Day: At the Cafe Again...

Hey Everyone,

So you already know that I tend to spend a lot of time in cafes. It might be less clear why. Well, I am working on my PhD at the moment, and I honestly find cafes among the easiest places in which to do research and write.

I get a lot of quizzical looks when I tell people this, but it really works for me. It gives me a reason to wake up, eat breakfast, shower, and get ready for the day, when if I planned to spend my whole day at home, I'd probably have none of that stuff done by noon. I also see others in a similar situation at the cafe, and I feel a quiet but discernable sense of camraderie with these fellow writers and readers. There's a certain appeal about working amongst others. I know I am not alone, and if I let my eyes wander from my screen or page for too long, I can be sure that one of these kindred spirits will shame me back into focus with their own prying and distracted eyes.

There is also an endless supply of caffeinated beverages just waiting for me to order them, giving me that 3pm boost that I always so desperately need. There is no tv, couch - or worse yet - bed, to draw me into hours of procrastination that will ultimately lead to an all-nighter or a missed deadline. So the cafe is a warm place of solace for readers and writers to gather and work, drink coffee and think. And for that reason it will always be one of my favourite places - either to study, write, or pass a Sunday morning with The New York Times style section. Baristas - you have no idea how appreciated you are!

I tried a new cafe in Toronto, and I absolutely love it, despite the fact that it's almost always absolutely full of patrons (and there are many good reasons why). Peter took these pictures of me at Crema (the Junction location) in Toronto. Such excellent coffee, atmosphere, and the best chocolate almond croissant you've ever had.

I got this amazing (yes - shoulder-padded, deal with it!) dress at Goodwill for $4. The boots are c/o Torrid, the leggings and bracelets are F21+, and the scrabble piece necklace (which spells out LOVE) is from ASOS.

Another couple of fun new things to show you: my "new" (another $4 Goodwill score) bright blue coat, and my closet jewelry organizer. Peter was tired of untangling all my necklaces all the time (I do NOT have the patience for that kind of thing!), so I've been looking for something like this for ages. I found one by Umbra, which was featured in January's Vogue, that was shaped like a little black dress, but it was $25, and didn't have as many pockets as this one that I ended up with. I found it at Wal-Mart in the jewelry section amongst the 50% off stocking stuffers and I was ecstatic. Each one was $7, so I bought two, because I have quite a bit of jewelry! I am so pleased with them. No more tangles, and now I can find everything so easily - no more burrowing through my jewelry box for that matching earring that can't be located anywhere when I'm already running 15 minutes late. It makes it easier to co-ordinate jewelry choices with clothing as well. Big time saver! If you can't tell, I'm really excited about organization, lol. Anyway, just thought I'd share that fun stuff with you!

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

Outfit of the Day - Rust, Teal, and (Faux) Fur! New Hairdo!

Hey Guys!

I have some outfits left in my "archives," but I am just so excited about today's outfit that I couldn't help but post it before my earlier outfits! I got my hair done about a week ago, and I took a big risk and decided I wanted to do something a bit fun and funky with colour. It's just my bangs, so I figure I can dye them back to black later if I fall out of love with this look. But I don't think that's going to happen any time soon. I love it!

I am loving the 70s luxe trend that's happening right now, and I am wearing the style as much as I can before it goes out of style. Feathers, fur (faux for me),sequins, leather, flowy dresses, rich colours, and just general opulence... How can I not love this?!

Check it out!

Your first look at my new do! What do you think? It fades from green into blue at the top, but you can really see it all that well in this shot. Maybe I'll ask Peter to take some shots of just my hair and I'll post them on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter. I was inspired by peacock feathers. Peacocks are very proud animals, and I want to reflect that a bit, and just show the world that I am proud of the way I look and that I refuse to be body shamed. I also just think it makes me look like I'm cool and awesome and trendy and adventurous... All elements of my personality that I want my look to reflect. So I'm pretty happy with it if you can't tell. =D

Dress, Hat, Earrings, and Necklace - Thrifted/Coat - ATTITUDE Jay Manuel for Sears Canada/Belt - Forever 21+/Boots - Courtesy of Torrid/Tights - Addition Elle/Purse - CBX

So what do you all think of everything? I am especially curious to see if you guys like my new hair as much as I do, lol!

Six Take - Happy Halloween! - Here is What I Dressed Up As!

Hello My Plus-Size Ghouls and Goblins!

Happy Hallowe'en!!! I just thought I would write a quick post to show you what I am dressed up as today. I wore this to class (I teach Children's Lit at a university), and there was practically no one on campus dressed up. :( I got a few disapproving stares from passers-by, but I don't really care. I am an individual, and today is one of the best days to show it off (because you get to be even more outrageous with your outfit choices than usual! LOVE!!!). So it was just me and one student in my class, who dressed up like a tuxedo-ed lego man. Pretty awesome costume. I hope he puts as much effort into his essay as he did making it! If he does, I know it will be fantastic. Anyways, without further ado, here it is, my Helena Bonham Carter inspired witch.

Jacket - Delirium Clothing (Waterloo, ON)/Skirt and Petticoat- Courtesy of Sofistafunk/Boots - Courtesy of Torrid/Top (not really visible underneath jacket) - Forever 21+/Fingerless Lace Gloves - Urban Behaviour/Sunglasses - Vintage/Hat - Dollarama/Nail Polish - Ski Teal We Drop by OPI

One thing I consistently hate about hallowe'en costumes is the flimsy fabric used. Like, if I wouldn't wear this outside under normal circumstances, why would I wear it now? O_o

That's why I love putting costumes together out of fashion pieces I already own.

All of the pieces here are a part of my normal, everyday-wear wardrobe, I just don't typically mix them together because it's a bit over-the-top for my style. I would normal wear one of these "statement" pieces on its own with some basics and it looks fashionable and not at all costume-y. But when Hallowe'en rolls around, I mix several statement pieces together, and voila! I have a very couture inspired costume! =D

What are you going as tonight?

Have a happy and safe hallowe'en, and send me pictures! I can't wait to see what you're all wearing!

Make sure you visit the other girls' blogs to see what they dressed up as!

Rikke from Sticky, Sweet Danish, Jessica from tooMANYsequins, Jessica from Chic in Every City, Yoli from Diva in Deep Thought, and Sarah from Queen Sized Flava made in Montreal