#jeansdujour - Transitioning from Summer to Autumn with Plus Size Fashion Jeans

Hey Guys!

It's the time of year when kids are headed back to school, the frequency of weekend barbeques slows down, and the weather starts to get a bit cooler. Sometimes it can be hard to figure out what to wear when transitioning your wardrobe from Summer to Fall. For this week's #jeansdujour post, I will be showing you how jeans can function as the perfect piece to build an outfit around for those in-between days. You all know what I mean...! Those days where it's chilly in the morning and evening, but warm during the daytime. It can be hard to figure out what to wear on days like that since you don't want to be too cold or too warm, but the key is (drum roll, please)... layers!

Layers are the perfect solution for fickle weather. If it gets too hot, you can just take a layer off, and if it's cool, you're always prepared with a cardigan or blazer. Jeans go with virtually everything, so they are a definite Fall go-to. Usually the way I work the layering look is with a pair of my favourite plus size jeans from Addition Elle, a tank or tee (can be fancy or casual) a cardigan, blazer, or bolero, and depending on how chilly it might get, maybe a light jacket like a trench. If you are a fan of scarves, they also make wonderful Fall wardrobe accompaniments, and can help keep you warm if it does get chilly. Make sure you love each piece and how they are working together in order to create great outfits that you'll feel wonderful in.

I always get a little sad at this time of the year because Summer's winding down, but the one thing I do love about the Fall is all the beautiful fashion! If you're like me, and the end of Summer gets you down, know that there are all sorts of pretty things to be done with your wardrobe that the heat of Summer simply does not allow! Have fun playing with all sorts of colours and wardrobe combinations, and don't forget the layers! A little retail pick-me-up is all you need! ;-)

This is the outfit that I came up with to show you... I picked up the jeans for curvy women from Addition Elle this past weekend. I was so pleased with all the new plus size designer denim they're carrying. I found several pairs that fit perfectly. I ended up choosing the bootleg denim pants by 69 Jeans. They fit so perfectly (and make the butt look great!). I recommend sizing down one size with this style. The fabric of this jean is very stretchy, so to get the right fit, you want them to be snug. I love the dark wash of these jeans, as well as the side button closure and wide waistband that accentuates your natural waist. The rise is just right which I rarely see on plus size jeans (I always find it either too high or too low - I must be the Goldilocks of jeans or something!) and the pockets on the back are the perfect size with just enough embellishment to be fashionable while not overstated, like some embroidery patterns I've encountered. I love these jeans, and I think that they would work out to be long enough for some of the taller women out there too (I'm only 5'4", but I am wearing 6" heels in these shots...yes, seriously...6"... I have a love-hate relationship with Jeffrey Campbell). So they'd likely work on someone 5'10" or 5'11" wearing flats with no problem.

Jeans - c/o Addition Elle/Jacket - Your BIG Sister's Closet/Tank Top - J.C Penney/Purse - Penningtons/Shoes - Jeffrey Campbell via Nasty Gal/Earrings - New Look/Necklace - Laura

So ladies, what do you think of my new jeans? And what are your secrets for dressing during seasonal transitions?

Toronto LG Fashion Week - Thanks to L'oreal Paris Canada!

Hey Everyone,

I realize that this is coming a bit late - you've probably all seen a bazillion posts about LGFW, but not from the perspective of a curvy girl, so hopefully it was worth the wait!

I meant to buy the full week-long media pass for LGFW, but I put it off too long (waiting for my paycheck to come in) and by the time I actually got around to wanting to place my order, they were already all gone :( I was praying to the fashion gods all week long to let me go and see at least one show. You can imagine my surprise when they answered!

I had been tweeting people who were involved in LGFW all week to see if they had any spare tickets floating around. No such luck. Finally, I entered a twitter contest with L'oreal Paris Canada, and I WON! Honestly, this has been the winning-est two months of my life. I hardly won anything up until then, but now, I am on quite a streak!

I was totally excited about the shows (Caroline Neron, Bustle, and VAWK [if you watch Project Runway Canada, this is Sunny Fong's line and I was really excited about it]). I found out that I won the tickets like less than an hour before we had to leave to see the first show, so you can imagine what my bedroom and closet looked like after I had finished picking out my outfit! I didn't have as much time to style myself as I would have liked, so I just fell back on the dress I like to call "'ol faithful" because it's always an easy choice if I'm not sure what I want to wear and I have to look presentable in a hurry. I tried to jazz it up a bit with some seventies-inspired jewellery and accessories. Do you think I pulled it off?

Outside the tents at the step-and-repeat. I was so excited!





On the red carpet with my red vintage suede jacket...

And without the jacket... Brr...

Inside, near the box office






































In the "Fashion Environment." There were a few sponsors here: Special K, DHL, Woolite...




































When I saw this maple leaf, I was like OH MY GOD. It's the perfect backdrop for a blog picture! Especially since I'm "Curvy Canadian"!

I know that was a lot of shots of the same outfit, which I apologize for, but I was just having so much fun posing everywhere! Here are some close-ups of the pieces:

Dress - ASOS Curve/Belt, Breacelets, and Earrings - Forever 21+/Thrifted Vintage/Necklace - Laura/Purse - CBX/Shoes - Charlotte Russe

I guess I should also show you some pictures of the fantastic stuff I saw on the runway too, huh? Okay... Highlights from:

Caroline Neron

Image Courtesy of Fashion Magazine



Image Courtesy of the Ottawa Citizen



I was actually lucky enough to be able to take a short video of the finale of Caroline Neron's show. Check it out:

Such stunning jewellery! The show was really fantastic and actually had a theme. The women were different cultural interpretations of goddess figures. They definitely looked the part. They were ethereal and beautiful and were shining so brightly that you could actually almost believe they were from another world. I would give Caroline Neron five stars for this show. I was so impressed. I don't wear jewellery like this every day (obviously), but when I am looking for my wedding bling, I know where to go!

The next show was Bustle, a menswear line. There were a lot of nautical inspired looks and some pastels mixed in for good measure. It's a really preppy line. Peter was with me and he really liked a lot of the looks.



Image courtesy of fashionist.ca

Sonny Fong's collection for VAWK was amazing, and was insect-themed. There was one skirt in particular that I fell pretty hard for (sort of like the middle picture, but it also covered the front, lol). What I liked about this show was that they used both a fuller-figure (size 12) model, and a more mature (62 years old) model. I would like to see more of that, of course in the show (2 out of like 25 models were "diverse" beauties), but I know we have to start somewhere.



Image Courtesy of Toronto Life

Another thing I noticed was that there were A LOT of curvy girls attending the shows. If there are this many fashionable curvy women in Canada, where are the brands to cater to us? Canada has a long way to come in terms of serving the curvy market. It seemed like most of the clothes that the fashionable curvy women were wearing were from UK retailers. Another thing I would like to see is a plus size label (or a few of them) exhibiting at Toronto Fashion week. If you really want to impress the truly fashionable curvy women out there, you'll should be able to put your clothes on display in the international public eye! More plus size brands and designers need to step up to provide options for the young and vibrant curvy women who want fashion in their lives. Personally, I would love to do all my shopping in Canada, but if I want to achieve the aesthetic I'm going for, then that's just not a viable option for me. Anyway, enough ranting!

I owe big big thanks to L'oreal Paris Canada for holding the contest so that I could come and partake in the Toronto Fashion Week joy! Thank you so much! It was great to meet you and have you host me at the shows! I had such an amazing time! =D

Another Teaching Outfit of the Day and Kmart Love Your Size, Love Your Style

Hey Everyone!

This is yet another teaching outfit... Sorry I'm not doing things that are a bit more interesting that I can tell you about! I do have a couple of really awesome things coming up at the beginning of next month, so make sure you stay tuned for that! I am really excited about it, and can't wait to tell you all what the surprise is! 

I wore this outfit to school, and I noticed a couple of the uber-fashionable international students from Hong Kong checking out my outfit in appreciation, and that's always a good sign! The cape sweater was sent to me by the very fabulous Nicole, designer of Kmart's wonderful Love Your Style, Love Your Size brand. Recently, I found out that Kmart has begun to ship to Canada through Sears (since they are owned by the same company), and I was SO excited because I wanted my LYS stuff - I got introduced to Kmart LYS (and Nicole) at Full Figured Fashion Week and I have been so sad that I haven't been able to get pieces from their collection ever since. I was so disappointed when I saw that, for some reason, the LYS brand was not included as something that Kmart ships here. I contacted Nicole to ask her what was up right away! She's still looking into it, and hopefully we'll hear something back soon and LYS will be available here! I love their stuff. Nicole sent me several samples from the collection to curb my cravings for LYS in the meantime, and you'll be seeing a lot of those on here over the next little while. I am all set for Fall now because of the lovely stuff she sent. Thanks Nicole and LYS! Hopefully we'll be able to shop with you soon!

Cape Sweater - Courtesy of Kmart LYS/Bodysuit - ASOS Curve/Skirt - Thrifted/Shoes and Purse - CBX/Tights - Addition Elle/Necklace - Laura/Bracelets and Earrings - Forever 21

Outfit of the Day - For a Day (of browsing) at the Mall

Hey Everyone,

Have you entered to win the Torrid wellies yet? They're a size 10, and they're beautiful! Sorry if they not your size... I'm sure I'll have another giveaway shortly that won't exclude you non-10s!

The other day I had nothing (that I wanted) to do and so I decided to head down to the mall to do some browsing. Sometimes being a PhD student can be frustrating because you feel like you've been in school forever (because you have) and you have to live like a student for far longer than it is appropriate (or even comfortable) to do so. When I see my friends from high school, undergrad, and even my masters program getting married, starting families, buying cars or houses, and living lifestyles that looks so comfortable, I am reminded of what a sacrifice it actually is to do a PhD. It sort of feels like everything is on hold until I graduate. I've got (probably at most) 2 years left until I finish, and I guess that's not so long. But it's like the modern day equivalent of living like a hermit or ascetic.I absolutely love what I'm studying, and I know it will be worth it in the end.

Fashion blogging definitely isn't easing my materialistic desires either. I constantly see other bloggers buying things that I'd been drooling over for ages and I turn green with envy! I simply can't afford to constantly buy my favourite pieces from each of the plus size lines. Do I lust after Christian Louboutin heels and Miu Miu bags? Of course. Sadly, I'm just not in a position right now where I can rush to my nearest Holt Renfrew (Saks for you US folks, and Harrods for those from the UK) and rescue them from their shelf so they can claim their rightful space in my closet.

That's why you see a lot of my thrifting finds on here. I comb through racks and racks of rather dreadful stuff in hopes of uncovering a hidden gem. Most times, I find a couple of really beautiful pieces, but there are also many times where I'll walk out empty handed. I recognize that sometimes it's annoying to see a piece on here that's not available to you guys since I thrifted it, but I hope you'll bear with me! I am thinking of sharing my wishlist with you guys once a month. It will be a compilation of items that I would buy, given the chance, so you can see all my favourite new items in plus fashion. What do you think?

Anyway, sorry for that long spiel. So I kind of got tired of the thrift store and wanted to spend a day at the mall, even if I was only going in to browse. Peter took these pictures of me while we were at Square One in Mississauga. They're opening an Express and an ENORMOUS Zara soon. Seriously. It's the biggest retail space in a shopping mall I think I've ever seen (except department stores, obviously). And you know what else I just found out? Zara offers select items in up to an XXL. This makes me very happy, but also very sad because I'm not likely to be able to buy anything just yet... So bitter-sweet... Anyway, their grand opening is tomorrow, and I think I might just have to head back to the mall so I can check it out.

Dress and Earrings - Thrifted (big surprise, eh?)/Shoes - Target/Purse - Costa Blanca Accessories (aka CBX)/Necklace - Laura

Six Take: Film and Television - Mad Men!

Hey Guys,

It's time for my September six-take post! This month, my fellow bloggers and I decided to interpret the style from each of our favourite fashionable films and television shows. Come on, you knew I was going to pick Mad Men. I absolutely adore the style from Mad Men. The women are so beautiful, and each has their own unique and individual style. While January Jones' character Betty Draper is my favourite, donning indulgent, beautifully full dresses with fitted bodices atop amazingly pouffy petticoats, Christina Hendricks' character Joan Holloway also has amazing style and such voluptuous curves! Her fitted dresses and combination of pencil skirts and colourful blouses give her an enviable style - no wonder she ended up working at Hermes after leaving Stirling Cooper! Elizabeth Moss' character Peggy Olson also has a few outfits that are nice (but, unfortunately, just as many that are awful - I don't think the writers meant for her to be especially fashionable). Even many of the secondary characters, such as Pete's wife Trudy, are the epitome of late 50s and early 60s style, looking absolutely stunning and historically accurate to boot. Janie Bryant, the show's costume designer, is doing a remarkable job ensuring that the women look wonderful and that their style is representative of the era.

Elizabeth Moss as Peggy Olson

Hat and Purse - Thrifted/Dress - Courtesy of Penningtons/Shoes - Penney's (Ireland)/Necklace - Laura/Bangles - Forever 21

 

 

 

 

January Jones as Betty Draper

Dress - Thrifted (I also lopped off the sleeves and added the white trim - it made a world of difference!)/Earrings and Necklace - Thrifted/Shoes - Payless/Bangles - Forever 21/Belt - Taken off a top I got from Dots

Christina Hendricks as Joan Holloway

You guys might remember this picture from awhile back, but I felt like it was very Joan Holloway-esque, and thus, re-post worthy. Top - Thrifted/Skirt and Necklace - Forever 21+/Tights - Hue brand from The Bay/Shoes - Dorothy Perkins/Ring - given to my by my mom

Same with this one... It was taken at Lola and Gigi when I visited and showcased their store. This dress is an Anna Scholz

I absolutely adore 1950s and 1960s fashion! So what do you guys think? Do you watch the show? Did I capture Mad Men's style?

Make sure you visit the other lovely six take bloggers to see interpretations of their favourite television series and films!

Jessica - Too Many Sequins - Australia

Sarah - Queen Sized Flava - Montreal, Canada

Rikke - Sticky Sweet Danish - Copenhagen, Denmark

Yoli - Diva in Deep Thought - Baltimore, USA

Jessica - Chic in Every City - Philadelphia, USA