Rebel In Blue

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of meeting Rebel Wilson when she and Dia hosted a soiree displaying pieces from her new collection. Then in September I got to see the pieces come down the runway at Curvy Con. Today, I'm sharing the one piece that I had to have- a suede moto. Now yes, I have tons of moto's. I have a pretty vast collection of them, but this one was different- why? Because it was real suede. In plus size, the options have exponentially increased, but when it comes to specialty fabrics like silk, leather, and suede there is far and few between. I love suede, so when I find pieces that come in my size I check them out. Now when it comes to jackets, 90% of the time we are given black. Don't get me wrong, black is a staple. It's part of my DNA as a New Yorker to wear all black and own it, but as much as I appreciate black, anytime I can find an item in a bold hue, I add it to my collection. 

The Rebel WIlson x Angels moto in Surf the Web is a versatile piece that you can wear with so many things. Granted it's cobalt blue, but it goes with so many colors that this for me is a neutral. It's currently on sale, so I suggest you check it out before it sells out. I bought this in a 3X because as the temps drops, I like to layer and I want to make sure that I have room in the arms so that I can wear all the great chunky knits that are out this season. Being a busty gal, with a wide back, having adequate room in my jacket is majorly important. If you love the moto, but not a fan of blue, it now comes in green and black both suede.

Lately, I just have been enjoying wear fun pieces whether its day or night. While I was packing away my summer clothes, I found these sequin pants that I bought from Eloquii a while back and never wore them. I'm big on "saving" items for a special time, but why wait- if I love it, I'm going to wear it, even it's just a Tuesday and nothing is going on. I thought this would be great to wear with the moto, because it's a fancy update to my athleisure looks. Wearing a deeper shade of navy with the cobalt creates a dimension in my look that looks like I made a lot of effort, but trust me, it is easy. These pants are no longer on the site, but Eloquii created a newer version that is more of a skinny pull on pant. 

Well you know I'm all about comfy, cozy, and cute, so I wore my Girl With Curves tee that I received at Curvy Con. When it comes to tee shirts, they must be soft and fit well. This tee is great, and going strong. Once again, I'm rocking my favorite blue sandals. I must say that these were one of the best shoe purchases I made. I found these on sale, and they have held up for two years without missing a beat. 

So lovers are you going to bring out your inner rebel?

A Day Out with Dia & GWC

A couple of week's back I hosted my first Facebook Live via one of my favorite brands Dia & Co. It was all about how I get ready for a night out with my gals. In my box, I was lucky to receive pieces from one of their new lines that launched this fall. One of Dia's exclusive lines is with blogger extraordinaire Tanesha of Girl With Curves. The Girl With Curves collaboration has a great mix of casual and dressy items that will amp up your wardrobe.

In my box I had the following: striped tunic blouse, skinny step hem jeans, peplum blazer, dark floral dress, and a velvet studded clutch. With the great versatile pieces in the box, I was able to mix and match different items to make a bunch of cool looks. One look that the Dia viewers wanted to see was how I would wear the jeans for a night (well in this case day) out. 

We all know I love mixing dressy with casual, so when Ashby curated my Dia box, she was spot on with all of my items. Any one that knows me, knows that I love wearing denim. Denim is definitely one of those items that most have a love/hate relationship with, but when you find the right pair it's magic. These jeans I must say fit like a dream. They are perfectly stretchy, and the step hem is so on trend. Frayed hems, hi-lo hems are really big this season, so I'm happy I got to try a pair. These jeans sit perfectly on my waist, and I wore them all day, and they did not stretch out. Win win!!!

Striped Tunic

I love a good blazer- it's an easy way to dress up a casual look of jeans and a top. So I was excited to receive this peplum hemmed version from the GWC collab. Having a black blazer is a wardrobe must, but this is a fun twist with the peplum. I ended the look with the velvet clutch and my favorite flats. 

If you love the items you see here you can ask your Dia Stylist to send you items from the Girl With Curves collaboration. Not a member of Dia? Well you can sign up now on their site and request all the goodies to your hearts content. Muah lovers!!

Check The Rhyme

Back in the day on the boulevard of Linden...

ATCQ Mural

I met up with my bestie for brunch in Queens, and when we were done, I decided to head over to the ATCQ mural. I'm rarely- when I say rarely, I mean maybe twice a year (yeah I'm bad), in Queens so I took the opportunity to shoot at the infamous Linden Boulevard. It was referenced in one of my favorite ATCQ songs- Check The Rhyme. I have been wanting to check out the mural for a while, and it was the perfect day to do so. No wind, perfectly sunny, and all to myself (after a family had their mini photo shoot). 

I've raved about Melissa McCarthy's denim, but another favorite of mine are her jackets. I picked up the Military Jacket in black (it comes in Olive, but I have been soo obsessed with olive these days, I didn't need another thing). I am wearing a 1X, which is rare for me because of my arms. I will say her tops are roomy in the arms, and for all my big arms gals, check out her line. The jacket has pockets (I find jackets with no pockets an epic fail), and it has cool patches on it. This version is sold out, but there is another style available. 

I paired the jacket and one of my favorite oldie but goodie tee's and a pair of sequin leggings from Roamans. I wanted to have fun with the classic legging & tee look, and these definitely upped the ante. With these being all black, there are a great addition to your wardrobe. You can wear them with practically anything. With the holidays coming up, you can wear these with a great sweater or go all out and wear this with a tuxedo jacket and button down. There's definitely no wrong way to wear these. Now for those that are a part of team thick thighs, I suggest sizing up in these leggings. For me, most bottoms from Roamans require me to size up so that it fits comfortably.

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As of late I have been living in sneakers or flats. The latest to my collection are these Basket Platform sneakers from Puma. These are soo versatile and comfortable, that I practically live in these. I love them so much, I'm thinking about getting them in another color. Just slip them on and I am out the door. Can't get any better than that. 

Rules that once held us back from wearing things should no longer be a factor in ones life. If you want to wear lingerie as tops, do it. Sequins for the day- why not? Wear all the pretty things day or not, and enjoy yourself.

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Shutterbug

Before blogging, I always had a passion for photography. It all started in high school when my mom sent me to Harlem School of the Arts. I was being the typical teenager, not really doing anything productive with myself outside of hanging with my friends and boyfriend at the time, so she sent me there to do something constructive. I had a chance to try different things like chorus, sculpture, and painting, but I really loved video production and photography. From those intro classes on the weekends, I began taking classes after school. I loved taking pictures of people- never really wanted to be the focus of the art. I found peace in the darkroom when my boyfriend stressed me out and I really came into my own. I had a passion, and that changes you. 

Style should always reflect things about yourself, and this Conversational Print from Eloquii in Drop Shot definitely captures my love of photography. I have this top in several prints because I love the tie neck and a kitschy print is always a great way to stand out. I am wearing a size 18, and it does not stretch so always be mindful of such- especially if you have big arms and busty like myself. 

I have been dabbling with print mixing here and there, but I always stayed on the safe side and worked with a neutral palette. When I go the skirt and shirt I was looking at them and they actually looked good together. I'm big on mixing stripes and florals, but wearing this pleated skirt with the blouse was out of the norm and I loved it. The skirt is a 16, and it's on the shorter side so be careful on windy days. I rounded out the look with my favorite striped belt (it's coming back so don't worry), and some blue strappy heels. 

I loved my black and white film camera- I still have it actually. If darkrooms weren't so hard to come by, I would go back and spend a couple of hours developing film. Though technology has definitely taken away the need for film, I do miss the simpler days. It reminds me of how I found this passion and years later even though the subject of my photos majority of the time are of myself, I have a creative outlet. Another great thing especially now that I blog, is that from time to time I get take pictures for my boo's. For that I will always be grateful. So the question of the day lovers is - What's your passion?

Cherish The Day

I'm an 80's baby, so that means I love me some R&B. Quiet Storm was a must listen when I was growing up. One of those singers that was always played was Sade. I loved her smooth voice and when I got the chance to see her videos her style was always on point. She rocked a ponytail and bold lip like it was nothing. She was the epitome of sexy meets cool, and she was one of my style icons in my tweens (In my youngun days- I was all about emulating my Mom & Miss Piggy). 

As the music loving stylish shopaholic that I am, when I saw this oversized Sade tee in Zara I had to have it. I have been feeling nostalgic these days listening to R&B from the 80's and 90's and most of that music comes from her. Since it is oversized I was able to wear a size L, and it fit perfectly. That is the upside to the oversized trend this season, you can easily wear items from straight sized stores and they fit well. Unfortunately, the tee is sold out, but there is a sweatshirt now available. 

Though I love color, most people are shocked when I tell them that grey is my favorite color. Let my boo The Real Sample Size tell it, grey is not a color...lol. Even though most don't' look at it as such, it is a great color that works with everything. While I am on the quest to own a moto in every color imaginable I found this cute one from Mango via Fullbeauty. It's muted palette makes it just as versatile as black. I am wearing a XL, which is equivalent to a 18/20. Besides the color, I love the cute studs. I went with some light grey denim jeans from Melissa McCarthy. Her jeans are great because they have a good amount of stretch and don't stretch out once you start wearing them. I found these as well on Fullbeauty and lovers you are in luck because they are one sale!! Yes that's right, you can get a pair of great quality denim for less than $50. Definitely hurry, so won't miss out. 

I ended out the look with some statement flats. Though I love the look of heels, when it comes to my day to day running around, I wear flats or block heels. I picked these up during the summer and was waiting for the right time to break them out. Sam Edelman is my go to for a great on trend shoes, so if you are looking for something a little out of the ordinary, check them out. 

Taking a cue from Sade's classic Cherish The Day, I make sure I do all the things that bring a smile to my face. Wearing what makes me feel my best, spending time with my friends, eating the burger, just doing what comes naturally to me. Enjoy yourself, enjoy those that mean the most to you, and value the little things as well as the big things. Trust me, everything else will fall into place.