Lovely

Last week I headed over to the Rue 107 showroom to check out their sale. I have been an admirer of Rue 107 for years, their bold prints have always stood out. This line is not for the faint of heart, it's bold in your face and you will stand out in a crowd. 

Let me introduce you to the Mercedes Swing Dress in the Lovely Print. I love the bright shades of red and cobalt, and the funniest thing about it all, is that my name means Lovely. So I guess you can say it was fashion kismet that I found the only one on the rack and it fit me. I am wearing a 1X in the dress, but I usually wear a 2X in their clothes. I did try on the swing top, but since it was cropped, it hit in the wrong spot so I passed on it, but the dress looked super cute. It is a little snug across the chest, but that is usually the case with me so as long as I was not uncomfortable I went for it and bought it.

Since this was a sample sale, the dress is no longer available, but if you love the print, they do have other silhouettes available. The Marion top (the cropped swing version I tried on) is available, as well as Muni Scuba Skirt and Miriam Scuba Dress. 

I will definitely get a lot of use from this dress. For a more casual vibe, I would swap out my cobalt sandals for some sneakers. These are oldie but goodies from Vince Camuto, but I have found a similar pair that are super cute. 

Well this lovely in her lovely dress is out to enjoy this weather. Can you believe we are a week away from the unofficial start of summer??? Jeez this year is flying. Later lovers!!!

Friyay

We are slowly but surely heading into summer. Can you believe it Memorial Day Weekend is only a week away! Spring has been here one day, but gone the next (NYC has been all about cloudy, dreary conditions and windy days), so the fact Spring has been more of a get in where you fit in situation kinda sucks. I am the type of person that I will not wear dresses or skirts, if the weather is not great. I will just wear some cute pants or my go to uniform of a blazer with some jeans and be contempt. Trust me I am happy to see the temps going up, instead of down, because I have been wanting to wear this floral skirt for the longest. 

I saw this super cute floral skirt on Fullbeauty's site. I have shared my affection for Melissa McCarthy's line here on the blog, but this was my first skirt. If you have not tried her line, please do, there is something for everyone. I am fan of her denim and tops, but this skirt has me expanding my horizons. The paperbag skirt is a midi on me, but for my tall gals it would be great short option. What drew me to the skirt was the color scheme. The colors play well with each other. Definitely gives off a Spring vibe with the shades of purple and green's. I am wearing a 1X which can fit anyone that wears a 16-18. 

It's very rare that I wear a floral item without mixing it up with a stripe. Stripes and florals go hand in hand, and I went with this super affordable striped tee from Target. When it comes to my tee's I look for items that feel great against the skin, and fit well. Target's Ava & Viv tee's fit well and are always on sale. 

Since the trains in the morning are extremely cold,  I have my trusty leather jacket from Jessica London to keep me warm. This jacket has been on the blog several times because it is a great leather item to own. As a moto obsessed woman, don't get me wrong, I love my faux leather one's, but you should have at least one in leather in your closet. It will last a long time, and it is great for layering especially if you live on the East Coast where the weather is just bipolar. Currently the jacket is on sale, and in comes in cobalt, so I suggest checking it out before it sells out. 

My shoes are called the Genie from Nine West. I have had these shoes in my closet for months waiting for some great weather so I can wear them. Yes, I am that person- I buy sandals when there is snow on the ground, but if I can get a deal on them, why wait and run the risk of FOMO. Besides they are a lace up block heel, my two weaknesses in one shoe. These are currently on sale, and they are quite comfy, so if you are in the need of a new shoe, then go for it. 

I'm looking forward to this weekend. The weather is going to be great and I am going to spend some time with the crew and enjoy. Make sure you are following me on Instagram to see all that i  get into! Later lovers!!!

Retro

Nothing ever really goes out of style. There is a season for any and everything. I learned this a long time ago when I was told wearing sneakers with dresses was not something one should do. I guess you can call me a rebel in the 90's because now in 2017, wearing dresses and sneakers are just the cool thing to do. 

Now 90's me would have never thought that in 2017, I would not only be in gingham, but ruffles too. I was all about jerseys and baggy jeans (well as baggy as I could wear them cause my mom was not letting me buy pants 3 sizes too big). My daily uniform consisted of 1. Plaid Shirt 2. Jeans 3. Nikes, now don't get me wrong, all three are still in my closet, but my style has crossed over the girly dark side.  

This season, all the trends of yesteryear have come back, but in a whole new twist that is fun and makes you want to be a bit more adventurous. Take for example, the gingham top. Once an adornment for tables, this staple is all over this season in unexpected silhouettes. For example, how about an off the shoulder top with bell sleeves. Yeah- this once tomboy is wearing an off the shoulder top with bell sleeves and I love it. 

 

This top is one of the latest from Target and their collaboration with Who What Wear. I love how it's roomy and slightly cropped. Best thing about this Gingham Off the Shoulder top is that it actually stays off my shoulder. I have many that just would creep back up on my shoulder any time I moved, but this one it stayed true. It's super lightweight and breathable so I will be getting some serious wear out of this top. I am wearing a 2x, since I have big arms, wanted to make sure I had room to move about. 

I figured if I am going to wear a fun top, why not push myself and wear some cropped ruffle pants. I have had these pants in my closet for over a month, but I just did not know what to wear it with. Anything I was pairing it with was just not giving me the effect I wanted. That all changed when I put on the gingham shirt. The Jaye Ruffle Pant (this may or may not be named after me...lol) is definitely one of those items that you love it, don't think you can wear it, put it on and you are like you know what, I can. When I first saw ruffle hemmed pants, I thought on my 5'5" frame they could just look all types of wrong. Actually, Eloquii proved me wrong, because they hit me right at my sweet spot. These pants come up high on my waist and the size 16 fit perfectly.  These pants come in petites as well, so everybody can enjoy these amazing pants. 

I wanted to add a pop of color, so I went with my ankle strap sandals from Nine West. These are great for walking around since the heel is only an inch. Grab you a great pair of sunnies and a bold lippie and you are ready to go!

May Flowers

When it comes to designer collaborations, 2017 has been cranking out some hits. One of the most anticipated was Target's collab with Victoria Beckham. When she first launched her line in 2008, no one suspected that she would end up being at Fashion Week, and now almost ten years later launching a line with Target. 

Like many other fashionistas, I was up at 3am to get my hands on this must have collection. Unfortunately none of the Target's in my borough had the plus size collection in store for me to try on, but the fact that I was able to order all the pieces I wanted was fine for me. One of the dresses I had to have was this Tulip Applique Shift Dress. I loved the 60's vibe of the dress, and the faux leather tulips were an added bonus. For it's price, the quality is amazing. When it comes to collabs, the first thing that most expect is a cheaper quality garment. All you are paying for essentially is the name. This collection is not that at all. The material used in this collection are great for the price. For those that didn't partake you are in luck because this dress is now on sale for $28 versus it's original price of $40. 

I wanted to keep the mod vibes going, so instead of wearing heels, I went with my favorite loafers from Sam Edelman. These are pretty old, but there are two new versions currently out called the Loraine and the Talia. There is also the Perri, which is a loafer/mule hybrid which is super on trend. Since it was chilly out here in these NYC streets, I went with my Jessica London moto to keep me warm and cute.

Target Plus Size

I received so many compliments on my dress. No matter what size you wear, having great fashion is something that should be for all of us. Give the girl the right dress and she can take over the world. Even better when it's on sale. Enjoy lovers. 

Bikini Season

Once I hit puberty I disliked swim season. Options back in the 90's for a plus size teen were far and few between. My choices were a swimdress (which I hated), or some floral boring one-piece which was suited for a middle aged woman that a teenager. Me wearing a bikini would have never been an option, but now that's all I want to wear. I was very self conscious about what I wore, because I did not want to draw attention to myself. Even though I started breaking the so-called rules when it came to fashion, swim was always disregarded because I could not have a cute swimsuit. 

Love my tote, click here!. 

That all changed when Gabi Fresh debut the fatkini. I loved how the higher waist smoothed out my tummy, and I had all the support I needed. I wore my first two piece swimsuit on a beach in Miami and you know what happened- nothing. No comments, no concerns, no staring, just me enjoying sun and sand. Then when Gabi announced her collection with Swimsuits for All, I stalked the website so that I could get my hands on a great looking swimsuit that was made for my body. Now on her third collection, Gabi Fresh for S4A continues to be a favorite of mines. 

This year the collection features swimsuits with all of the hottest trends of the season. There's an off the shoulder swimsuit, kitschy prints, cutouts and hardware. When perusing this year's collection, I fell in love with the Midnight Bikini. Normally, I stay away from black because we as plus size women are always given black, but this suit was super sexy and fun. 

I wear a 40H cup, so the fact that her bikini's went up to a H cup had me doing my happy dance. One of the reasons it's hard to find a good bikini is due to the fact that I need support for the twins. Most bikini tops can support up to a D/DD/DDD comfortably. So for me, it's either I have to sacrifice support, or just not buyt the suit. There is nothing worse than having a swim top so small to the point you are spilling out. Having options in cup size ensures a better fit because our bodies are not the same. Yes we may wear the same size, but our bodies are different. I want to enjoy myself, and not have to constantly move and re-configuring my top because of the size. Also, no one, absolutely no one wants four boob. For the top I went with the size 20 (I noticed that with S4A, going up a size works best for me) in the G/H cup. The back straps are fully adjustable which allows for a more precise fit. There is side boning, so it fits just like you are wearing a bra. 

The bikini bottoms have metal hardware that criss cross. The bottoms are highwaisted so they are great for those that have a tummy and want coverage. There is power mesh so it does hold you in. I went with a 20 in the bottoms as well. The band does not dig into my sides. I was definitely comfortable in this suit. 

Sunnies & Slides

If you are on the hunt for a new swimsuit, definitely check out Swimsuits For All (Current promotion 30% off swiim). They have so many options to satisfy your taste from sizes 8-24. Finding swim has always been a struggle, but since I found S4A, that is a thing of the past. My biggest problem now- having too many suits! Guess that means it's time to plan a vacay right????