Blog Ladies You Should Know About

Two fashion bloggers who inspired me to go into fashion and explore all types of cloths for my body are Gabifresh and Nadia Aboulhson. These ladies who have different lovely shapes are part of the new wave of up and coming regular/plus size women are spreading body positivity to a whole new generation. Check them out!

gabifresh.com Gabi is all about wearing cloths that you like. This blog made me realize that I don’t have to follow the “plus size” fashion rules because if you feel beautiful in it, you’re beautiful! On Gabi’s side info she says “If you love fashion but you’re sick of being told to wear A-line skirts, wrap dresses, boot cut jeans, and slimming prints, this is the blog for you.”. And of course she has amazing fashion taste.

 

nadiaaboulhosn.com When I first found Nadia’s blog, I was amazed at how beautiful she was in her photo shoots and in her regular day life photos. The ability to look good dressed up and dressed down can be accomplished by anyone. Nadia is a powerful woman and isn’t afraid to put her followers inn their place if they have a skewed opinion on non-skinny fashion. I learned that we should take pride in ourselves and never let anyone walk all over you.

Melissa McCarthy: Fashion Icon

When people ask me who my fashion celebrity icons are I think of a couple of women who have dominated red carpets with their perfect outfits for their bodies…but the one woman who has inspired me the most is Melissa McCartney. I just want to talk about how amazing this woman is. Not only is she a hilarious actress, who was in Bridesmaids and the new movie Tammy, she is also a fashion icon for all big ladies. It’s not all about what she wears, but how she ended up wearing it.

Finding cloths can be difficult for a plus size woman but finding a top designer dress is almost impossible. Melissa realized this the first time she went to the Oscars two years ago. None of the designers wanted to create a dress for her. They said their designs would not look good on Melissa or just said that they don’t create them in her size. This was a huge problem for Melissa as award shows continued. She then got to a point where she decided to ignore those designers and start designing dresses herself. With the help from the couture dress maker Daniella Pearl, they created the plus-size clothing lines, Pearl. Melissa started to make her own dresses and began to find designers who would gladly make her a gorgeous dress, like in the picture above.

What I’ve learned from Melissa McCarthy is that if the world says it doesn’t want to dress you, then YOU figure out how to dress yourself. Find the right people, brands and companies that will have beautiful clothing for you. Start creating your own cloths or reinvent them. Just like Melissa, we deserve to look great.

 

 

World Cup Fun

 

The world is going crazy over the World Cup in Brazil, which means there have been a lot of World Cup parties. Whether your going to a laid back party sitting on the couch or a watching the games at a nice place in town, you can always look on point. My roommate, Alyssa, likes to wear fun creative prints in honor of the games being in Brazil. Her shirt and skater skirt are both from Forever 21, her boyfriend cardigan is thrifted, her tights are from Avenue and her booties are from Target.

Hope you all are having fun!

Swimming is Getting Easier

   

With all the new positive exposure for plus size women, getting swimwear has become an easier experience. New styles, like bikinis with high-waist bottoms and fashion one pieces, are styles that look good on plus size ladies and fit great! Here are some of my favorite pieces at some awesome online spots!

http://www.swimsuitsforall.com/Swim-Sexy-Cherry-Plus-Size-High-Waist-Bikini?p=5423&c=438&utm_source=AFF&utm_medium=CPA&utm_campaign=5699550

http://www.everythingbutwater.com/swimwear/browse/all.html?page=1&filters=3201&size=&color=

http://www.hm.com/us/subdepartment/LADIES?Nr=4294928449#Nr=4294918090

Spring Chafing : Bandelettes

 

Spring is when we take our fun dresses out from hibernation and let our legs feel the air again. However, with our leg’s new bare freedom comes some painful side affects. Chafing.

People can always tell when I’m chaffing because I start gracefully waddling around campus. I use to get so frustrated about my raw thighs that I tried to find a way to prevent this event from happening. There are so many weird chafing precautionary items but I’d rather not wear spanks or shorts underneath all of my skirts and dressed. I wanted something that would stop the problem but look cute just in case a spring breeze gave me a Marilyn Monroe moment! Ladies, I have found the solution to all of our problems with Bandelettes.

Bandelettes are elastic lace bands that go over the thighs’ chafing area and prevents the rubbing. They keep the pain away while also looking fun. They range from $12 to $16. I am a proud owner of a beige pair and I’m so overjoyed that they stay in place and work. I’m also happy that if I do have a Marilyn Monroe moment, I’ll still look pretty cute!

Check them out: http://www.bandelettes.com/ 

Spring Semi-Business

Spring is a perfect time to figure out if you want to stick with the strictly business look or go for spring business casual.  This is Ally Jackson, a BYU-Idaho University student, and she put together an outfit that works for her professional side of school life. Ally is always looking for pieces that she can put together for any type of situation. And of course, she’s always looking for those bargain pieces. “I love finding good deals.” says Ally, ” The blazer was $10 on clearance and the pants were $13. It’s so fun to find something that fits right, looks good and is a bargain!” The key to Ally’s outfit is that her blazer gives her a trimming look and shape.

Blazer: Target

Lace Shirt: Dress Barn

Pants: Target

Shoes: Target

 

 

Thrifting For Spring

 

 

The cold winter is finally over, but we can guarantee there are going to be some chilly spring days.  I caught up with my friend Alyssa Frazier, who has a not so secret place to get cheap light sweaters for these brisk days. “The men section at thrift stores!” Alyssa said, “You can find cute unique looks from grandpa sweaters to cool vests.” The funnest part of thrift shopping and our big tip for today is to go and experiment. Experiment with crazy jackets, flannels and button ups. Don’t be afraid to look through the crazy dresses because you might just find a kooky dress just for you. It’s amazing how many creative pieces you can find that are plus size, affordable and cute.

 

Alyssa is wearing a green sweater from a local D.I. (thrift store), and she loves to tuck in the front part of her sweater so she can show some curves. “You want to make sure that you don’t look frumpy. Just because the clothes look old, doesn’t mean they have to look old on you.”

“This is my favorite thrift outfit”. Alyssa is wearing a collared print long sleeve and a vest from the men’s department of the same D.I.. A cool way to make your thrift items look trendy is to combine pieces together. It also can help you make your outfit look flattering on you. “I wear the vest on top of this shirt because the shirt has a lot of prints on it.” Alyssa said, “The prints kind of distort my figure and the vest gives me a shape.”

Last Tip: Just remember to be patient while looking for the right size and look in places that are out of your comfort zone.

 

Roommate Style

I have a lovely roommate this semester and she is my fashion idol. Her name is Alyssa and is from L.A., California. Today she is wearing a black skater skirt, button up blouse, tights, and booties.

Lazy Summers = Maxi Summers

I don’t know about you guys, but I am a really lazy person. When it comes to shaving my legs, I have days in between shaves that require myself to be covered. The problem is when these occurrences happen in the summer. What do I do to keep the public safe from my legs? Maxi skirts and dresses my friends. I know that some girls have problems with them because of the way that maxi skirt/dresses tend to cling to their bodies. Well, I totally know what you’re talking about, and I know how to avoid that problem.  To give examples, I found a dress and skirt on ASOS, a fantastic online store. http://us.asos.com/Women/Curve-Plus-Size/Cat/pgecategory.aspx?cid=9577#state=Rf900%3D1573%2C1465&parentID=Rf900&pge=0&pgeSize=36&sort=-1

 If you are afraid of having every curve of your body shown through your maxis then find a more flowy maxi that will let your body breath under there and maybe even have a slip.

If you really don’t like your maxi flying everywhere in the wind or don’t feel protected, then go with the more fitted ones.

I consider myself to be a little bit of both of these types. I like my maxi skirts fitted, but not showing every beautiful lump of my body (especially in the booty region) The way I defuse the problem is that I add a flowy shirt over the skirt and that way my butt is covered enough that I feel comfortable.  So next time you ladies forget to shave, grab a maxi skirt and think of me!

No More Grandma Swim Wear

Growing up as a chunky kid, I always wore plain one piece swimsuits. I always wanted to wear something else but I was not comfortable being totally exposed and I was already self-conscious about my belly. I remember being at pool parties and feeling like I was the only one with a grandma swimsuit. And when I saw actual older ladies with swimsuits similar to mine, I definitely felt like I was already part of the grandma club.

Thankfully, times have changed and there are all types of cute one pieces out there. But what’s even cooler, it that new styles of swimsuits are coming out for bigger ladies and it’s making a splash this summer. It is reshaping the ideal look for plus size swimwear and are promoting girls to take a risk and make a statement. What is this trend you ask? The fatkini of course! The fatkini is a bikini that has high waisted bottoms. They usually go over your belly button and are pretty secure. It’s a way to get that bikini look without feeling too exposed. There is a great variety and they really bring a flare to your summer wear! Popular fashion blogger/mode, Gabifresh (at http://www.gabifresh.com/) , has created a line of fatkinis that would flare up anybody’s summer wear!

http://www.gabifresh.com/2013/05/gabifresh-x-swimsuits-for-all-available.html

Gabifresh’s galaxy print fatkini has been a fast seller. Gabifresh also believes that girls should wear what they love and not care about “fashion rules” or what other people thing.  Her line of fatkinis has influenced girls to go have fun at the beach while feeling and looking their best! I know that I’m going to get myself one because I’m ready to quite the grandma club.