CCX

It's crazy how Athleisure has taken over and become such a big part of our day to day. Now that Atlhleisure is here to stay more brands are getting on board and creating plus size activewear. It's one thing to have just your basic black yoga pant and a sports bra, it's another when you have fun and colorful options. There is nothing wrong with basics, but when I work out, I want them to be fun. For me, wearing something fun gives me a little bit of motivation to get out and be active. New to the active world is City Chic. Their line, CCX just launched this month and there are some goodies being offered. My pick was the Zip Front Tank Top in Paradise.

I love the bright coral color and its stretchy but still holds you in and smooths you out. It does have a built in shelf bra, but if you are on the busty side like myself I suggest wearing a sports bra underneath (they have a cute one up on the site). CCX also has a matching jacket which is great for those chilly morning workouts. I kept the rest simple with a pair of leggings and one of my favorite sneakers of all time: Air Max 95. Neon green looks great when paired with coral (definitely going to try this color combo again).  I have been wearing this classic sneaker since high school. It looks great with activewear as well as streetwear. Definitely feeling the new active line from City Chic, and I can't wait to see what else they will drop in the next couple of months. Until next time lovers!!

Flutter

Easter ushers in Spring and all the beautiful colors of the season. For me Easter is the official start of dress season. Now I wear some dresses or skirts here and there during the winter, but I love wearing dresses sans tights. This is the start of my favorite time of the year. To celebrate I wanted to wear this dress that I bought a while ago in anticipation of this weather. 

This dress has been in my closet for months, just itching for a nice day to wear it. I'm not the only one that loved it, because it has been sold out for some time now. This is the quintessential wrap dress. I am a firm believer that all women should have one wrap dress in their closet. It creates a waist, and just embraces your figure in all the right places. This one I love for the print as well as the slight hi-lo hemline. The hemline lets you show off the gams, which I love to play up as much as I can. The wrap is sold out, but there is a tee shirt version in the same print. I love this print, it was such a hit in the crop top and wide leg pants. Half of this collection is no longer available due to its popularity. Fingers crossed, hopefully they will bring it back because it's perfect now that the temperatures are warming up.

I have been looking forward to Spring for another reason - the cute shoes from Eloquii!! They have been teasing us for some months now with their next shoe collection. Their Fall shoe collection was a hit (over the knee boots, and booties), and Spring is even better. Block heels, jeweled, cutouts, flatforms, there is something for everyone. I'm all about a ankle tie. They can be fun and sexy. I am wearing the Lili ankle tie in Cognac. The block heel makes them easy to walk in, and the cognac color looks great against my skin. If you are looking for a cute heeled sandal, I say give these a try. These shoes and this dress- definite hit. What did you wear this Easter?

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?