Outfit of the Day: The Start of Winter Term

Hey Guys,
So last Wednesday, the Winter term started and I got a whole new group of students and a different course to teach. I kind of miss my last term's class, but I know that I'll probably feel the same thing about this group at the beginning of next semester too. I always like to dress well when I'm teaching because it helps the students (whom I'm not much older than) see me as an authoritative person, it helps some of the girls who enjoy fashion to relate to me, and, well, it gives me something to post here for you! I don't know why, but I am really in love with all shades of green suddenly...!

Dress - Winners (Straight Size XL, but stretchy)/Leggings - F21+/Boots - Dots/Purse - Ardene/Necklace - Joe Fresh

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!

So many updates, so little time! 4 Outfits of the Days...!

Hey everyone,

You know how time can just get away from you sometimes? Well that's totally what's going on with me at the moment! I have several outfit posts in the works, along with coverage of some amazing events (I attended a meet and greet at Addition Elle Square One, met and chatted with Jay Manuel, met Karyn Johnson, amazing Canadian plus size model and winner of the wellies giveaway, visited Gussied Up and met with its owner Victoria, went to The Clothing Show in Toronto, and received several new items that I am really excited to tell you about... So much to tell you, where to begin?!

I think this post is just going to focus on some outfits I've worn to teach class in. I can't take pictures outside anymore because it's still dark outside in the morning when I am leaving to go in. :( That's one way you can tell that Winter is rapidly descending upon us.

The first outfit I think I actually wore out for dinner with my in-laws last weekend. It's pretty simple, but I like the small details. I got the print top from a thrift store, and it's a size small. It just goes to show that you needn't always look at the size on the tag to see if something fits. When I'm thrifting, I typically just pull stuff of the rack that stands out to me, and then I eyeball it to see if I think it will fit my body. A size small is different in the 80s and early 90s (when really oversized tops were totally cool) than a size small now. Just use your judgment. The most important thing is that you feel comfortable!

Top - Thrifted/Cami - Forever 21+/Jeans - Swapped at Big, Fat Toronto/Shoes - Dorothy Perkins/Hair Bow - Ardene/Necklace - Was attached to a top I got at Forever 21/Earrings - A gift from my sister/Purse - CBX

This next outfit is one I actually did wear to teach in. It's nothing special, really, but I definitely think career wear is important. And it's not totally boring... The hat adds a bit of uniqueness.

Cardigan and Necklace - Courtesy of Penningtons/ Top - Ricki's/Skirt - Giant Tiger/Purse - CBX/Hat - Thrifted

I also wore this one to teach in, but it was a Friday, so that explains the jeans. I wanted to do something a little different with my hair so I did a big bun right at the front of my head. What do you guys think?

Top and Bracelet- Forever 21+/Jeans - Swapped at Big Fat Toronto/Shoes - Dorothy Perkins/Necklace - Courtesy of Penningtons/Purse - CBX

This is yet another teaching outfit. I was talking about feminism, and since a large part of our current understanding about feminism comes from French cultural theorist, I thought I would pay homage to them by wearing something a bit inspired by French style.

Jacket and Skirt - Thrifted/Tights - Legs Beautiful/Shoes - Redress NYC (originally from Target)/Purse - CBX/Necklace - Courtesy of Penningtons/Earrings - Courtesy of Pixics/Hat - Le Beau Chapeau

Make sure you keep checking this page for coverage of all of the events I've gone to and the products I've worked with. There is a giveaway coming up very soon! So which outfit was your favourite?

OOTD and N: A Really Beautiful Wedding (and what I actually wore to it!)

Hey Everyone!

This past Saturday, Peter and I were invited to the wedding of one of my closest friends! It was such a beautiful wedding. It was held at the Toronto Hunt, and the ceremony was stunning. It was an outdoor ceremony with loads of flowers and it was right in front of the lake. There were a couple of butterflies flying around too. The weather was absolutely perfect for the outdoor ceremony, because it was lovely and warm, but not too sunny, and there was a nice cool breeze coming in off the lake. They had a classical trio playing music before and during the ceremony, and the music was so pretty. Peter and I got the musicians' business card, lol. The officiant was also really great! Sometimes the officiants can rush through ceremonies, but I really felt like all of her words were totally heartfelt and that she was enjoying what she was doing. Fantastic! When the bride, my friend Suzana, came out, she was absolutely breathtaking. She looked totally fantastic. She and her husband Jon are away on their honeymoon enjoying their first day in Paris today! Enjoy, you guys!

For this wedding, I decided to wear a IGIGI dress that's sheer black with a lavender layer underneath. I paired it with some chandelier earrings and a set of shiny black beads. I wore my (relatively comfortable) black heels and carried a vintage hand beaded black clutch which I think is from the 1940s. I decided to wear my hair up, since I always tear up the dance floor and get so hot that I just end up throwing my hair in a messy pony tail anyway... I thought a red lip would go really nicely with the luxurious look of the lace on the dress and the beaded clutch. What do you guys think?

Dress - IGIGI/Necklace - Ardene/Earrings - Forever 21/Shoes - Torrid/Clutch - Thrifted Vintage

Doesn't Peter look handsome? He let me pick out his outfit! I wanted to do his hair too, but he wouldn't let me :(

This is one of my new favourite pictures of the Peter and I. I think it might be frame-worthy!

A Fantastic Weekend!

Hey Everyone!

I had a really fantastic weekend, what about you? It is SO hot and humid in Toronto right now. Peter snapped these pictures so quickly because it was sweltering outside and we wanted to get back into the air conditioning! My family took me out for brunch to celebrate me passing my PhD field exams and brought me a big bouquet of flowers! My niece even painted me a beautiful ceramic wall hanging that says "Dreams." So sweet! It was just the ladies at brunch, so we got a chance to catch up. It was awesome. We started out on the patio at about 10, but it got so hot so quickly that we had to move inside.

I think it's finally hitting me that all I have left to do before I graduate is write my dissertation. I am so excited to get down to work on it! I finally get to write solely about what interests me. I am also looking forward to finishing and defending my thesis so that I can finally get full-time work, get married and (eventually) start a family... Not to mention all the fantastic clothes that I will be able to afford once I'm working full-time.

I saw these murals in Etobicoke (one part of Toronto) that I really loved, and I wanted to make sure I took some pictures in front of them at some point. Peter and I decided to go down this weekend to take them. Is there anything like this in your city?

Skirt - Giant Tiger/Top - Redress NYC via Forever 21/Shoes - Target/Earrings and Mirror Necklace - Forever 21/Bangle and other necklaces- Thrifted/Ring - Ardene

Full Figured Fashion Week - Day One

Hi Everyone!

I sit here at my computer, ready to post, but astonished by the amount of information I have to share with you, and wondering how I can do so without overwhelming you. Sorry it has been so long since I've posted! I planned to blog as I went during Full Figured Fashion Week, but I couldn't get free wi-fi anywhere ($16 a day at the hotel) and I was so crazy busy that it would have been next to impossible to do the events any justice. There is so much to tell you, so I think I am going to break my posts up into days, and over the next four days I will write a post a day about each of the days at Full Figured Fashion Week.

I left on Wednesday, June 15th on the Greyhound from Toronto at about 9:15pm. The bus was supposed to get into NYC at 7:30am on the 16th, but we had problems at the border because one of the passengers didn't have the right documents and we were delayed about two hours. Other than that the bus ride was pretty uneventful, but my seat was broken and wouldn't adjust, and so it stayed stuck in a terribly uncomfortable position for the whole trip :( We got into NYC at about 9:30am and the first event of the trip, the Lane Bryant Bloggers' Conference, started at 10am. I was in a big rush to get there. The bus had dropped me off at the Port Authority, but never having been to NYC before, I thought it was Penn Station, which was a lot closer to the hotel than where I actually was. My GPS wasn't working (because I had no 3G network in the US) and I just tried walking to see if I could find where I was going. No such luck. I hailed a taxi because it was already like 9:50am at this point. I got to the hotel about 5 minutes before the event started. Needless to say, I wasn't looking very pretty after a 12 hour overnight bus trip from Toronto, so I had to change and pretty myself up. I went to use the bathroom at the hotel and performed the fastest make-up application and quick change possible and stored my luggage at the Affinia Manhattan (our hotel and luckily where the event was being held). I snook in quietly and took a seat in the back. The team at Lane Bryant had many things to show and tell us!

They went over their Fall Collection and described some of their major influences. You'll be seeing a lot of knit with sequins (I love sequins!), plum, blueberry, earthy green accents, and other naturally inspired colours. You also be seeing some great graphic patterns such as colouful paisleys, animal print, and floral. Here are some of the looks that Lane Bryant featured from their upcoming Fall 2011 collection.

This last one's my favourite! The people at Lane Bryant were kind enough to give us a gift card to try out some of their latest fashions, and I'm going to wait until this skirt hits stores before I use mine!

After the Fall Fashion preview, Gill Heer, director of the Cacique line (Lane Bryant's lingerie collection), talked to us a bit about upcoming lingerie fashions. I am a big fan. The collection she showed us was fun, flirty, feminine, and vintage inspired. The bras and undies they featured were so luxurious, colourful, and they looked like they would fit impeccably (if Cacique's previous bras are any indication, they will!). Here are some of the gorgeous pieces from the Cacique Fall 2011 collection:

Gorgeous stuff, right?

Lane Bryant also introduced us to a limited edition bra that will be introduced during the holiday season. It is encrusted with genuine Swarovski crystals! Isn't it gorgeous? There are only 31 going into production.

Lane Bryant Runway Glam Bra with Hand-Stitched Swarovski Crystals

Lane Bryant is having a contest for all the bloggers who were there and one will win this bra! We have to get all of our trusty and loyal readers to vote for us, and the blogger with the most votes will win! In addition to this bra, the winner will get a $100 gift card to give away to their readers. So if I win, you guys get a chance to win a $100 Lane Bryant gift card! It takes less than one minute to vote (you just click on Curvy Canadian and submit and you're done!), so please vote now! Click here and you can vote for me: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/redrunwayglambrapoll4

Lane Bryant also introduced a new type of jeans to us at Full Figured Fashion Week called T3. T3 stands for "Tighter Tummy Technology" and these jeans, while comfortable and not at all girdle-y like similar solutions, smooth the stomach and tush. Here are a few pictures of some of the bloggers trying out regular Lane Bryant jeans (top) and T3 jeans (bottom)

Look how cute they all look! I definitely want a pair of these T3 jeans. They also unveiled their upcoming ad campaign for the jeans, which they hope kicks up as much of a stir as their recent Cacique ad, which was banned from broadcast during American Idol (even though Victoria's Secret ads ran during the same timeslot) because it was "too racy" for primetime. 

And the most exciting news I got at the Lane Bryant Bloggers' Conference? Lane Bryant will begin SHIPPING INTERNATIONALLY as of September! SO exciting, don't you think? I made sure to tell them that we're suffering up here from a lack of good options. They said that expansion to Canada is something which has been discussed at length at their head office (one of the top five things they talk about, apparently), and that expanding to Canada with some stores is a priority (though they wouldn't commit to saying there are stores coming soon or anything like that). So what do you think? How eager are you to have Lane Bryant north of the border?

Maybe you'd like to see what I wore to this event as well? I had a few wardrobe malfunctions at a number of Full Figured Fashion Week events, but I tried to (I hope successfully) hide this from other attendees and in pictures. The first of these was at this event. The top two buttons of my blouse kept coming open and letting all the fabulous out! I think I just need to use some safety pins or put a couple of stitches in for the next time I wear it. Everyone was asking me where my skirt was from and gushing over it. I wore a lot of ASOS Curve stuff during the course of the week (in fact, I think almost all of my outfits to the events included a little ASOS...) and everyone loved what I had on. What do you guys think?

Blouse and Belt - Dots/Shoes - Target/Skirt - ASOS Curve/Earrings - Thrifted

Aren't the other lovely ladies in this picture beautiful? I love their style!

After the Lane Bryant Blogger Conference, I was able to check in with my new roomies, fellow bloggers -  Jessica from Chic in Every City, Yoli from Diva in Deep Thought, and another Canadian, Montreal based Sarah from Double XL Queen Sized Flava. Here's our beautiful room! It didn't look so beautiful after 4 fashion gurus got through with it, though! Getting ready for the events was chaos. It was amazingly fun though. I have 3 new besties! 

We all got settled in and started to get ready for Full Figured Fashion Week's welcoming event, a cruise of New York harbour where all of the guests were invited to wear white. It was a beautiful soiree, rivalling the most ultimate of P. Diddy's white parties. Here are some pictures from the event.

From left to right, my roomie Jessica from Chic in Every City, plus size model Maxey Day, and me!

A sea of white on the high seas!

Another of my roomies - Sarah - from Queen Sized Flava Made in Montreal

Me and Ms. Full Figured USA 2011

Do you guys shop at Forever 21+? Denise Bidot, centre, is their model. She's so gorgeous I almost didn't want to post this picture. I don't need to be seen beside her, lol!

This is Fluvia LaCerda. She's the totally gorgeous model who's done work for Monif C. Her curves are amazing!

Me with amazing bloggers Tina from T Minus, T Plus, and Kimberly from Fab Finds Under $50

Me and one of my favourite bloggers ever - Alison from Curvy Girl Chic. My outfit details: Dress - ASOS Curve/Purse and necklace - Thrifted/Earrings - Forever 21/Ring - Ardene/Shoes - Target

So that's it for day one. I pretty much got back to the hotel after this and crashed. It was a crazy day and so much fun! I am so fortunate to have been able to go to such a great event. Stay tuned for day two which I will post tomorrow!