Dressing Room 8

One of the great things about blogging is the ability to meet new people at the random events that I get to attend. It was at the Lane Bryant Spring Preview when I got the chance to meet Natasha Nurse of Dressing Room 8. I am a pretty sociable person, but when she approached me and told me that she knew who I was- I was taken aback. As a baby blogger, I still blush when someone seasoned knows who I am and likes my work. Another reason why I was taken aback was her demeanor. She has this incredible chill peaceful vibe. It was different. We exchanged information and kept it touch. We as women are constantly pitted against one another. Why? Could be a myriad of reasons (socio-economical, psychological, etc), but she does not see competition. In this world where you are based on numbers, not content, when you meet people that want to better not only themselves but others, that's worth writing about. 

What do you love about fashion?

Fashion is art, and since we all wear clothes, it allows us all to be artists every day. You can decide who you want to present to the world based on the look you put together, which is very empowering. 

Natasha, Dressing Room 8

 

 

For those that do not know Natasha, she is creator of the site Dressing Room 8, and her work has been featured in Plus Model Magazine (joining the team is one of her biggest accomplishments besides launching her site) and The Curvy Fashionista, and she is a licensed attorney. So what made this attorney switch gears and pursue a career in life coaching? Her response "I’ve been coaching people through their personal and professional obstacles all my life, and have been told by many along the way that I should pursue it as a career.  I had never considered it seriously until I started Dressing Room 8. The goal of Dressing Room 8 from the onset was to spread a message of positivity as it relates to fashion. As my audience grew and I became more involved in the plus size fashion community, it became clear that there was a need for the services I could offer based on my personal and professional background. In fact, some of the successful women I interviewed on Dressing Room 8 are current business consulting/coaching clients of mine. I went from being a licensed attorney working full-time job that I didn’t enjoy to being the owner of my own business now, doing what I love to do and helping other women achieve their goals and feel fulfilled. I learned many valuable lessons throughout this process that hope to pass on to my coaching clients."

I admire Natasha for using her expertise to help women realize their full potential. It is easy in this life to become complacent, because at times we feel as long as things are going ok, we will be ok. What makes her different from other life coaches is that she ties fashion into her coaching. How? She says that "What I’ve learned from starting Dressing Room 8 is that there are many women that feel like they don’t have any sense of style or have low self-esteem because of their bodies. It made me realize that a lot of people view fashion as something that has an objective standard and as a result, is out of their reach if they don’t fit within that mold. From this, I saw a need to spread the message that fashion is actually approachable and can be used to feel good about ourselves; that the only standard in fashion is whether what we’re wearing makes us feel beauty and comfortable. However, this message is not that intuitive given what’s being presented on billboards and mainstream magazine ads, so it does take a bit of coaching to help see past all of what surrounds us. A lot of times, clients who seek a life coach are people who just want someone to talk things through with and come up with a plan of attack for whatever obstacles they’re dealing with, whether it be self-image issues, stagnating career, or lack of direction in life"

 

3 things that a woman should have in her bag?

 I would say a pocket mirror, lip gloss, and pen. A mirror because you should always be able to see yourself to make sure you’re presenting the image you want the world to see. Second, lip gloss is a woman’s best friend. A little bit of gloss goes a long way if you are about to have a meeting or meet someone special; throw on some lip gloss and you are good to go! Third, you should always have a pen because you should always be able to write something down. You never know who you are going to run into. If your phone happens to die, you should always be able to write down how people can get in contact with you. Plus, you’ll come off as prepared for whatever situation you are dealing with.  

There you have it lovers, Natasha & Dressing Room 8 is ON MY RADAR, and she should be on yours!

Definitely check her site out, it not only features her coaching services, but there is also her fashion blog covering a myriad of topics out in the Plus Size Fashion World. Muah!!!!

#supportwomen #marchiswomensmonth

Happy Birthday

Another year older, another year wiser, and more fabulous. This past weekend I celebrated MY BIRTHDAY!!! At first I was going to wear this fancy dress and heels, but I decided to wear three things that I love- blazer, jeans, and sequins. 

My love affair with sequins started when I was little. My mom enrolled me in ballet I lived for the end of the season productions with costumes adorned with sequins and tulle. When I saw this top it was an immediate eye catcher. The checkerboard and sequins was very mod which I loved. 60's fashion was so fun and eye catching. With it being my birthday, fun is the way to go. This top is on sale, so definitely hop on it. I think it's seasonless. It can be worn in the daytime with jeans, or night with a cute skirt. 

My love for jackets and blazers will never die. My go to with jeans is a blazer, but I wanted to be a bit more dramatic and go with a cape blazer. White is perfect because there is not a time where it will be inappropriate. White blazers or capes are staples in my closet. It can elevate an outfit without any effort. Jeans are a big part of my life. I'm my most comfortable when I'm wearing them. Boyfriend jeans look great on me because they balance out my hips but still show off my curves. 

I have been coming across some great accessories so far this season. First was these shoes from Zara. The fringe detail grabbed my attention and the block heel makes them easy to walk in and super comfortable. I wish these came in another springy color like yellow or hot pink, but you can't go wrong with classic black. I spotted my handbag in a store window and I just had to share it with you. One side has an eye and the other can't. Circus by Sam Edelman started with these catchy phrases on shoes, and now they are rolling out handbags. There is another one that says Kiss Me (super cute), and there is a Rose All Day tote. I enjoyed my birthday weekend. I ate cake, hung out with friends and family, and I received some great gifts. This gal is blessed and appreciative of all the love I received. Let's go 34!!!

Werk

Wearing head to toe print was always on a list of something not to do. Why would you want to call attention to yourself. I say why not? I'm at a point in my life where I will just give something a try and see what happens. When you are in the privacy of your home or in a fitting room, it's just you and the mirror. The worse thing, is that it doesn't look good, you take it off and go on with your life. When it looks good, you can do your happy dance and check another "fashion don't" off your list. 

As everyone knows, I am a big fan of the Kady pant. My biggest issue when shopping for pants is the fit. Either there is a problem with the length being too long, or it's not roomy enough in the thighs. These pants come in a myriad of colors, prints, and lengths to accommodate anyone. I do not know anyone that has a pair and does not like them. I have at least 4 pairs, and they have yet to let me down.

 

When it comes to dressing (especially for work) I like to look polished without much effort. If you want easy work attire, look into these pants. I decided to pair the leopard pants with the matching bow blouse. Going matchy matchy in this was comfortable for me because I stayed with neutrals. I originally was going to wear black pumps, but I wanted to try something and go with nude pumps. I was not big on nude pumps until I saw these from Sole Society. I like the crystal bow detail, which helps the shoe stand out. Even though the goal was to stick with neutrals, I wanted to have just a bit of color to tie it all together. Cobalt blue is one of those colors that compliments everything. Definitely going to try some more print combo's with more color in the future. What do you think lovers? Love it or leave it? 

Brunch

It's always a good day when I get a chance to spend some time with my blogger boo's. Georgette (Grown & Curvy Woman) was in town, so Sandra and I met up with her to celebrate our favorite time of the day: BRUNCH! We went to this cute restaurant called Cabo in the Bronx. Food was ah-mazing. Definitely will be heading back there soon for some more goodies and unlimited mimosas. 

For the occasion since it has been such nice weather here in NYC, I wanted to break out from my traditional black and break some of my Spring wardrobe. A new pair of white jeans was needed, and I tried these from Melissa Mc Carthy's line. These are her super skinny pencil jeans, and these fit me well. I am wearing a size 16, and they are stretchy and soft. This is the first pair of white skinnies that I own that are soft. These are on sale currently, so if you need a new pair of skinnies, give them a try. 

In the tons of jackets and blazers I own, I did not have a baby blue blazer. When I saw this blazer, I just had to have it. I loved the color, and its lightweight so it's great for layering. I love how the blue and my pink lipstick play nice with one another. I went with a peter pan collar top with a scallop edge. I love my white wovens, but they can easily wrinkle, this top is scuba, so you can go from work to happy hour and still look hot. Metallic pumps are always a yes, but rose gold?? Perfection. I found these INC rose gold pumps for $40, and for those that have wide feet like myself, these come in medium and wide. Pinky toes can rejoice!!! Roomy and sexy- ladies get on these quick. To tie everything together, I went with my hologram bag (another score on sale, currently sold out, but here is something similar). How do you brunch???

Twinning

The first blogger I ever met was Sandra from La Pecosa Preciosa. We bonded over our love for the same Forever 21+ sweater. Over the course of our friendship, we have found out that we have so much of the same clothes. We affectionately nicknamed each other Twinny and the rest is history. Despite having so many items in common, there are times where she inspires me to try something new. Last week she posted herself in an Ashley Stewart polka dot dress. I loved her outfit so much, I thought I would do a remix. Most remix outfits are fairly similar, but I wanted to do a Puff Daddy remix- instead of wearing a dress, I went with a polka dot jumpsuit. 

This lovely polka dot jumpsuit is from Eloquii and it is just the cutest. I love that it is wide leg crop so it's flattering on any one. Jumpsuits can be tricky for my fellow vertically challenged ladies, but with a cropped one, all you need to do is throw on a pair of heels to elongate your silhouette. Besides the length of your jumpsuit, another major decision factor is the room in the hips and thighs. Since this is a wide leg version, despite the fact it does not stretch, I went with a 16. Since I am never without a jacket, I always toughen up my polka dots with a moto jacket. There are a lot of cute moto's out this season in ton of colors, so definitely give one a try. Polka dots and pink go hand in hand, so pink pumps and clutch ended out my look. I really enjoyed working on this post and I definitely will do this again. If you see an outfit that you want me to remix email me at styleoversize@gmail.com and I will make it happen!