An Evening Spent Gussied Up at Gussied Up!

Hey Everyone,

A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to attend a mix-and-mingle event at Gussied Up (a fantastic plus size boutique here in Toronto that I have written about on here before). Whitney Thompson, winner of America's Next Top Model Cycle 10 (the only plus-size winner to date), was there to promote a new clothing line with which she is affiliated called Allistyle. So I got to meet her, as well as reconnect with a few familiar faces from the Toronto plus size fashion community, which was great! Here are a few pictures from the evening.

Liis from On The Curve Events, Karyn from KillerKurves.ca, and Mari Grace from Mari Grace Accessories, chatting

Me and Whitney Thompson, winner of ANTM Cycle 10

 

A couple of close ups of my outfit... Dress (which I ADORE) - Courtesy of Damn You Alexis/Tights - Courtesy of Secret/Shoes - Rainbow/Purse - Aldo/Necklace - Ardene/Feather Fascinator - Urban Outfitters

A beautiful bracelet given to me at the event by Mari Grace, from Mari Grace Accessories

Left to Right: Myself, Courtney, Sarah, Liis, and Karyn

All in all, it was a great evening spent with old friends and new, and a wonderful continuation of the affirmation that the Toronto (and Canadian) plus size fashion scene is heating up fast! Thanks for a lovely night, ladies!

Happy Thanksgiving, my fellow Canadians! Check out my new dress from Queen Grace Collection!

Hey Everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving! And Happy Columbus Day to my US readers! Here is the outfit I wore to Thanksgiving Dinner at my Mom's house. We like to dress up ;)

Marina, owner of Queen Grace Collection (Facebook/Twitter), sent me this stunning Elise dress, which I received about a week ago, and I was so excited about it that I just had to wear it at the first possible occasion! It is a beautiful, sophisticated dress, that is SO well made. The quality of the fabric is just amazing (and I always find fabric quality to be lacking in plus size clothing). The dress is cut beautifully for my shape, and it has a very subtle sexiness to it. I don't normally wear things with this much decollatage, but with this dress, it didn't feel scandalous at all, probably because of the long lace sleeves and the modest length. I absolutely adore the lace on the sleeves (again, the quality of the lace used is impeccable), and the sleeves' blouson shape really balances my pear shape out (because I am bigger on the bottom than on the top). I really love this dress and I am just waiting for another occasion where I can wear it! They have so much stuff that just looks fantastic, and you should definitely check out their website if you have a special event coming up or holiday parties to go to. They have something that will work with every shape (pear, apple, hourglass, and strawberry), which I also love! I was lucky to have the privilege of seeing Marina's collection debut at Full Figured Fashion Week in New York this past Summer, and I was blown away. My favourite (other than the Elise, which I have on) is the Victoria. The shape is amazing, and I love the sequins and satin!

Dress - Courtesy of Queen Grace Collection/Peacock Feather Hair Clip - Urban Outfitters/Necklace and Earrings - Tiffany & Co./Clutch - Vintage/Shoes - Torrid

A close-up shot of the beautiful lace on the sleeves

I love Thanksgiving because it means I get to get together with family and celebrate everything I am grateful for in my life, and that is so much! I am so lucky to be as blessed as I am! This year, I really committed myself to this blog. I started writing in May of 2010, but I wasn't really focused on it at all, and I was WAY too embarrased (still really ashamed of my body) to make my fashion blogging public to my friends and family. One night in March after a couple of glasses of wine (aka liquid courage), I posted my blog URL on Facebook for everyone who knew me to see. I woke up the next day kicking myself - but honestly - it was the best decision I could have made. It forced me to stand up for my own body and my place as a fat woman in the world. It was not an easy task, as some people were not as supportive in the beginning as I would have liked.

In some ways it was almost like a coming-out experience. I was talking to my blogger friend Queen Sized Flava about this, and she was like, "how can you come out as fat? That doesn't make any sense. Everyone sees that we're fat!" And I was like "I know, but no one can tell just by looking at us that we're proud of our bodies, and that we're not ashamed of the way we look." I think then she understood. You can't come out as fat. But you can come out as proudly fat. People won't like it. They will want to shame you into losing weight. No one cares if you're fat or not. They just don't want you to feel okay with it. That's what they feel uncomfortable with... But I am a healthy, happy, and proud human being. We all deserve respect. And we should constantly adopt a position of shame just because it's what others expect of us. Be proud. It's okay. I promise. Once you stop letting other people make you feel inferior, you will begin to hold your head up high and the sky is the limit.

I think that's one of the main parts of blogging that I am thankful for. It's almost like scripto-therapy. I have finally been able to let go of all the shame that I've been holding onto and it feels great. I no longer seek validation from others to make me feel better about myself, because deep down, I love myself. It took a long time to get to this point, but I am so glad to finally be at peace.

I am also so thankful for the wonderful community I am now a part of. We're all such strong, beautiful, and confident women! And I feel so happy to be surrounded by all of you. You are fantastic!

I am thankful to all the contacts I made this year, and the businesses that constantly strive to provide us with fashionable clothing that makes us feel great and allow us to express ourselves. Thank you for all your hard work. I promise it is more appreciated than you'll ever know.

And of course I have to thank my wonderful support system. My family and friends have really been great about my blogging. They have been especially good listeners to when I am constantly blathering on about something fashion or blog-related! Thanks guys! I promise I'll try to talk more about other stuff!

And then there's Peter. I'm not sure if you all know this, but I really don't think there would be a blog here if it weren't for him. He is always there to take pictures, to drive me to obscure locations to cover photo shoots or fashion shows, to support me emotionally and to give me honest (and actually quite insightful) opinions about my outfits. I am, above all, thankful for him... I love you, sweetheart.

So what about you, my dears, what are you thankful for this year? And what do you think of my beautiful new dress from Queen Grace?

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!!!