DESIGNERS FOR PAYLESS

Although I am still fairly young, I remember when I was growing up that is was never cool to wear Payless anything, especially sneakers (think XJ900). If your parents brought home a Payless bag you would look at them like they just sent you out to be hung. You knew that you would be subject to ridicule and atleast a weeks worth of jokes in the cafeteria. As you got older you began to understand why your parents bought you Payless shoes (affordable prices).

Well, times have changed. Since celebrities starting snagging Payless ad campaigns (remember Star Jones Starlet collection), many shoppers started to think twice about buying Payless. Now that designers are designing shoes based off their own collections or just creating designs specifically for Payless many high end fashionistas are secretly dipping into the store with their $300 shades to scoop up a pair of designer shoes for cheap. Brands like Abaete were one of the first to kick off the trend. Although this has been going on for a few years now, I never really went to check any of them out.

Today, I decided to take a peek into the store to check out Christian Siriano and Lela Rose's Payless designs for this season and I must say, they are very impressive. I know they are online, but, sometimes you just need a personal inside look.


All shoes are under $40.
Christian Siriano

Lela Rose

Lela Rose even had matching handbags

What do you think?

MY WATCH LIST

Hey curvy girls,

Check out this week's watch list:

             

Lace Tee $49.95                                                      Lace Leggings $39.95

Boyfriend Blazer $70.66                                             Plaid Button Up $31.99

Flower Wedges $165                                                           Ruffle Blouse $34.95

Surplice Dress $88                                                             Denim Shirt Dress $48

Peep Toe Pumps $89                                                   Ball Necklace $75

THE HEART TRUTH 2010 RED DRESS COLLECTION FASHION SHOW

My personal picture

Hey curvy girls!
Last week I was afforded the opportunity to go The Heart Truth Red Dress collection Fashion Show. You know the show where celebrities wear red dresses to help warn women about the effects of heart disease. Well, I must tell you that the show rocked. Celebrities from Regina King to Kim Kardashian strutted their stuff down the runway. Of course two of our favorite young curvy girls- Raven Symone and Jordin Sparks was there representing for us. (Read more of the story after the pictures)

Check it out:

Picture courtesy of USA Today

Picture courtesy of Yuku

Picture courtesy of USA Today

My personal picture

Here's a little recap of  my 5th row seat inside the show:

Excitement and anticipation filled the air once Lady Gaga's bad romance blared from the speakers. You could see heads bopping and necks stretching to see the first celebrity-Pushing Daisies star Kristin Chenowith walk down the runway in her Swarovski gown. As the celebrities walked down the runway, a large screened displayed their names and the designer dress they were wearing. American Idol winner Jordin Sparks and Cosby show alum Raven Symone were giving major diva attitude as they sashayed down the runway with their curvaceous hips swinging left to right. At the end of her walk, Raven Symone tossed her head back and kicked off her shoes into the crowd before she left the runway. One of the most surprising celebrities to see was Bethany Frankel from Bravos Real Housewives of New York, gracing the runway with her pregnant belly in tow. As she was walking, her dress kept riding up her leg and the audience got a peek at her undergarments. The second most surprising moment of the night was seeing true diva, Joan Collins gracefully walk down the runway as the crowd cheered in admiration.


No strangers to the runway, and new moms, Heidi Klum and Kimora Lee both looked great after just having babies. Kimora wore a strapless knee length dress from her new Kouture collection and Heidi's gown was designed by John Galliano. Kim Kardashian showed off her curves in a Marchesa one shoulder gown and singer Estelle gave a bashful smile in Zac Posen. My favorite celebrity of the night was Regina King who showed the runway who was boss with her bold and sassy walk in a fitted ruched mini dress. As the show came to an end, a shower of red confetti fell from the ceiling while all the beautiful celebrities came back out for their final walk. It was nice to see these powerful celebrity women wearing their red dresses with pride- knowing that the message they are sending will save lives.
 
Note: For attending the show, I received a heart health gift bag filled with the heart health journey pin, a pencil case filled with band-aids, visine, neosporin lip protectant, a diet coke heart health straw, heart truth sport bottle, and a $10 coupon to use at RueLaLa.com/VIP


P.S. Check out my story on http://www.thebudgetfashionista.com/

IT'S ALL IN THE SHOULDERS!

Hey curvy girls,

Sometimes you find the cutest items when you are not looking for them. The other day I was browsing through H&M just to see what new items they had. I had no intentions on purchasing anything, but, I just wanted to look. Well, to my surprise, I found a great deal of pieces that I just needed to grab up, because our sizes are always the first to go. (Read more below)

Today I wanted to share one of those pieces. A ruched puff sleeved green cardigan. What I liked about it was that the puff sleeved was not wimpy, it had a stiffness to it. The ruching added an extra effect to the other wise plain cardigan. I love bright colors and thought that the green was perfect for my chocolate complexion.
I also love big oversize earrings, so I added these peach colored tear drop earrings to jazz (old skool word) up my look.

What I'm wearing:

Ikat print dress, Faith 21
Cardigan, H&M
Earrings, H&M
Patent Leather Shoes, Rampage

I will share the rest of my purchases throughout the week.

SKINNY GIRL FASHION FOR CURVY BODIES

Happy Monday curvy girls! It's skinny girl fashion Mondays. In this feature we take a celebrity look and recreate it for the plus size curvy girls. This week, Stylish Curves wants to give you a little inspiration from Taylor Swift.

What I love about this look is that its sweet and girly. An empire waist with a ruffle hem is flattering on just about every shape. The bright red color of the dress reminds me that spring is only a couple months away. I love that Taylor (or her stylist) chose to pair the dress with a black cardigan and mary janes. It makes the look casual enough to run errands in and cute enough to have some daytime fun with your girls.
Get Inspired:

Dress: Faith 21 $27.80, Sizes 1X-3X

Cardigan: Old Navy $16.50, Sizes XS-XXL

Bag, Topshop $55

Shoes: MIA $49.95

CELEBRITY FASHIONATION FRIDAYS!

Hey Curvy Girls:

Today's celebrity fashionation is Jordin Sparks.

Ms. Sparks wears a red flirty dress with black Chuck Taylors.

Is she "Working It!" or is it "Back To The Drawing Board!" for Jordin?

Vote:

CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY

All this week The Fashion Bomb has been posting throw backs of black history fashion trends (my favorite was the big gold rope chains that Run DMC used to wear) and it inspired me to represent some of the history that black plus size curvy women have made.

Photo Credit: Jordan Tesfay

Cover Girl has been influential in representing women of color. Thanks to Queen Latifah's Cover Girl line, Jordan Tesfay was the first black plus size model to be in a nation wide campaign, for Cover Girl cosmetics.

Who is Jordan Tesfay: (According to Wikipedia and her myspace page)- Jordan is a model with Wilhelmina model agency in New York. She won a model search with MODE (Remember this magazine) magazine. She has made appearances in the straight to DVD movie, Carlitos Way, Rise to Power. She has graced the cover of Amaze magazine multiple times.

 

Check out her spread inside the Nordstrom 2009 Fall Winter catalog

                       Photo Credits: Runway Revolution

Stay tuned for more black stylish curvy girl moments in history

 

What do you think?

VALENTINES DAY THE CURVY GIRLS WAY

Hey curvy girls!

Valentines day will be here before you know it. Are you going out with that special someone who makes you smile, laugh, and feel all tingly inside? Then wear something that shows off your curves in a sexy understated chic way.

For this Valentines day step away from the norm by choosing to wear something black. Go for a fitted bandage v-neck dress with red peep toe ankle boots and a pair of heart patterned tights. Ditch your usual perfume and try something new. I suggest Michael Kors "Very Hollywood" perfume. The smell is alluring and sensual (perfect for Valentines Day). Step the look up by choosing bold lips with minimal makeup and false eyelashes for a hollywood effect. Lastly, complete the look with silver accessories. A y-shaped necklace, drop earrings, and bracelet are just the dainty accessories you need to make him say, "WOW!"

MY ASOS DRESS

This weekend I received my ASOS Curve dress in the mail. I was so excited to get it, because I was looking for a new black dress to wear to work. All of the black dresses I have are made of jersey material, so, I wanted something with a little more structure. Since I work down on Wall street, I like to keep things structured and corporate.

When I tried the dress on, it fit great and the little puff sleeves actually stood up and didn't sag. The material was light and soft with a hint of stretch. Since this was my first time buying something from ASOS I was a little skeptical. So many times have I ordered something that looks great online and it disappoints in person. This was not the case with this dress. It looked the same and moved the same as it did on the model. This week I will be ordering more pieces.

What I'm Wearing:

Photo On Left:
Thrift store necklace, NY & Company belt, fishnet stockings, Nine West suede pumps.

Photo on Right:
Necklace: Ann Taylor Loft (Summer 2010 collection), NY & Company belt, Forever21 earrings, Nine West suede pumps.

BLACK PLUS SIZE MODELS

Where are the Black Plus Size Models?

Before you read what I have to say today, I want to be clear that I am not trying to pull the race card (Ok, maybe I am), but, I have good reason. For the past couple of months plus size women have been taking over fashion magazines. First it was Glamour then V magazine, and countless others. It seems that the fashion world is finally starting to see the power of curves and how common they are. Crystal Renn, Kate Dillon, Lizzie Miller, and Amy Grahams are some of the most known plus size models today. Crystal Renn is considered the leader of the pack when it comes to plus size models and high fashion.

While, I think all of this is great, I can't help but to wonder where are all the black plus size models? Back in 2007 there was an uproar in the fashion world about designers not using black straigh size models. Legendary model Bethann Hardison was at the front of the line shedding light on the issue. She even hosted a debate in October of 2007. Could this be the same issue for plus size models? Well, I think so and the proof is in the pictures. A few months ago Glamour magazine pledged to use more plus size models in their magazine with a photo of some of the top plus size models today. In that photo there was only one black plus size model, Anansa Sims, daughter of legendary model Beverley Johnson.

I think there is not enough light being shined on black plus size models. Fashion, an industry that has shunned curvy women is finally beginning to accept us, even if it is just the size 12 and 14 models, nevertheless, fashion's most prominent leaders are taking notice. I just wish I could see more black faces. Especially when black women are known for having the most curvacious bodies of any other race.

So, today I dedicate this post to some of the known and unknown black plus size models of today:

Check them out:

Teiko Dornor
London based model and organizer of Miss Plus Africa. For more info check out her self titled blog Teiko Dornor

                          

Toccara Jones
Americas Next Top Model contestant and the FIRST BLACK PLUS SIZE MODEL to be featured in Italian Vogue.

Anansa Sims
Featured in Glamour Magazine's plus size photo shoot

Mia Amber Davis

Jordan Borgella

Haitian model who was the winner of Mo'Niques F.A.T chance and American Idol contestant

Check out her interview about the Haiti disaster in the February issue of Plus Magazine

Sharon Quinn

Runway Diva for Plus Size models as well as a 3 time judge on Mo'Nique's F.A.T chance check her out in the February 2010 issue of Plus Magazine and her self titled website Sharon Quinn

I would love to hear your thoughts on this issue. Do you feel like there is a lack of black plus size models?