STYLE ON A BUDGET FEATURING NORMA KAMALI

Hey curvy girls all over the world,
I have always been a firm believer that you can find stylish clothes on a budget. With major chain brands like Target and Kohl's becoming the go to stores for luxury designers to present their more affordable bridge lines, a girl could easily find a great outfit for under $100.

Now when I think of budget friendly stores to find stylish clothes I never really think of Walmart. It actually wasn't until I went to the Just My Size symposium that I even considered buying clothes at Walmart. I know people have been giving pretty good reviews on a few lines from Walmart like Norma Kamali and Miss Tina, but, I still never considered it. I received a gift card to Walmart for attending the JMS fashion show and I thought what better than clothes to use the gift card on. I cruised the website and checked out Miss Tina's line and Norma Kamali's line and I found some really cute pieces at very low prices.

I'm no stranger to buying clothes for less than $20, but, when I do, I'm always skeptical of the quality (I don't expect much). Which is why I was skeptical of buying at Walmart. I wasnt sure of the quality or if I wanted to waste $20 on something that was going to unravel after 2 washes.

Although I was skeptical, I still decided to order. I bought a black and red striped skirt from Norma Kamali and a black sheer ruffled front top. Both pieces really caught my eye and I knew they would work together creating a no brainer outfit. I must say for the prices, I was pleased with the quality of the pieces 9for right now, we will have to wait and see how they look after the first wash). Although the skirt is polyester it had a little weight to it. I liked that the skirt was full and that the pleats weren't too tight and structured. I liked how the skirt draped over my hips, however, it was really windy yesterday and the skirt kept flying up showing all my goodies (not a good look).  I'll be sure to wear it in the summer on a really hot and humid day with no wind. The blouse was thin and sheer but it didn't feel rough and itchy like some cheap sheer items can feel. I also loved how the sleeves were flowy and giving a batwing effect.

Most importantly both pieces were $15 each. Plus, each piece can work double duty because they can easily be paired with many other items in my wardrobe. I decided to rock my classic tan trench with the outfit and breakout my new black suede side scalloped pumps from Vince Camuto that I scored at Lord and Taylor's for under $50. I truly love these pumps because they're not too high and they were pretty comfortable for heels. I actually wore them today on my commute to work and my feet didn't hurt.
Overall my entire outfit including the trench and the shoes was $100 exactly. That's what I call style on a budget.

If you like what I'm wearing the skirt and top are still available at Walmart. Just click on the links below

Norma Kamali Jersey Skirt

Sheer Gerogette Top

REDRESS INDIE RUNWAY SHOW TICKET GIVEAWAY

Hey curvy girls all over the world,ReDress has hooked SC up with 2 VIP tickets to giveaway to one of you lucky ladies to ReDress's Indie+ Runway Show on Fri. November 12th.

The Indie+ trunk show is the first annual show that will feature new collections from seven top emerging plus size fashion and accessory designers. The trunk show will run from Fri Nov. 12th -Sunday Nov. 14th. However, kicking off the trunk show, is a super fabulous runway show on Fri Nov. 12th that will feature the designers themselves as well as a performance by indie R&B singer Celine.

This is going to be an amazing event. The designers are going to be Jibri, La Dan's Closet, Fennimas Cupcake & CuddleBunny, Nikki B of Decadent designs, Size Queen Clothing, and Jessica Pritchett Shoes. Also one of my fave shop girls Taueret will be showing off her accessories line called Luxidermy.

Now for the giveaway

The two VIP tickets will give you access to the following:
The winners will receive VIP treatment, access to the back of the house before the show and a chance to meet the designers in person.

How to enter:
Leave your name and email address in the comments and be a follower of Stylish Curves. That's it! The contest is going to run from Sunday Nov. 7th-Wed. Nov. 10th ending at 11:59 pm. I will use Random.org to pick a winner.

For more info on the designers and the trunk show be sure to checkout the Indie Plus Blog Here

This is going to be an experience to remember so I encourage you to enter. You have an opportunity to finally get to try some of your fave designers up close and personal without having to order online.

Good Luck!

CHRISETTE MICHELE'S NEW ALBUM COVER ROCKS!

Fellow curvy girl and dynamic singer Chrisette Michele will be releasing her new album this month titled "Let Freedom Reign" on Nov. 30th. The natural haired beauty looks amazing on the cover of her new album. We love that Michelle likes to take risks with her looks and never looks the same. The lashes, the hat, and the bold lips work so well together.

For CM fans, here's how she describes the new album, "It’s not typical and there might be a song that you might not relate to, but at least you’ll know it’s mine.” With tracks featuring Rick Ross and Talib Kweli, we can't wait to get our hands on this CD.

GET HER LOOK:JANET JACKSON

Looking for a cool weekend look? Take a few cues from Janet Jackson. "The For Colored Girls Only star was at 106 and Park looking super cute in a leather jacket, skinny jeans, and animal print boots. What we like about Janet's outfit is that it's made up of basic pieces like a black turtleneck and black skinny jeans that are probably already in your closet. We also like that she spiced things up with a pair of leopard print boots.

Get the look:

Skinny Denim by Forever 21
Boots by Rock & Republic

SHOE CRUSHING ON VINCE CAMUTO

Currently SC has a new shoe crush. We have been eyeing Vince Camuto styles since the summer. We were digging the super sexy peep toe sandals in rich blues, purples, and reds. Everytime we would enter the shoe department of Lord and Taylor we would see such a vibrant assortment of current trends like the wedged oxford  and classic styles like round toe platforms, we just had to find out who was designing this shoe collection.

So, who is Vince Camuto? Well, we were surprised to find out that Vince Camuto is known for being one of the co-founders of Nine West and has over 30 years of experience in the shoe industry. The shoe brand has been out since 2001.

Their target customer better known as the Camuto woman is timeless, edgy, strong, and feminine.

Checkout SC's picks from Vince Camuto

NORDSTROM UNVEILS EXCLUSIVE PLUS SIZE LINE SEJOUR

Hey curvy girls all over the world,
Yesterday Nordstrom unveiled their new plus size line called Sejour. A few months ago I was contacted by Nordstrom along with some of my fave curvy girl bloggers to try out their new line. They reached out to seek our opinions on fit, fabric, and style, and let me tell you they were thorough with the questioning, making sure they understood our needs.

Currently the line consists of basic pieces that you can pair with your more fashion forward pieces. I know it may not necessarily be the young, trendy, contemporary pieces that many young plus size women are looking for but  it's definitely modern pieces that are easy to incoporate in your wardrobe.

The two pieces I liked most from the collection were the over sized cardigan and the lace top. I do like that a couple of pieces like the sequin blazer and cargo pants let us know that they are paying attention to the trends. The oversized cardigan in purple is super cozy and warm. I wore it in an ootd HERE.

This is a little blurb from Nordstroms about their new plus size collection Sejour:

Nordstrom recognizes that plus-size women deserve more on-trend, in-store and online choices, and is pleased to announce its new plus-size brand with modern styling called Sejour. Sejour will be available exclusively in the Encore department beginning the first through second weeks of November. The brand will launch in two phases with the first roll-out in November, and culminate in the spring with our entire selection of styles.

 Sejour is designed to meet the needs of the modern customer while still offering the core styles that our customers love. Sizes will run from 14W- 24W, and 1X-3X, priced from $28 to $200.

Checkout the rest of the collection and let SC know what you think. You can also go to Nordstrom to see the rest of the line

STYLE TIPS FOR THE CURVY GIRLS FROM STYLIST LORI GOLDSTEIN AND PURPLE LAB CREATRIX KAREN ROBONOVITZ

Last year I had the pleasure and honor of meeting two powerful and exciting women in the fashion industry, Karen Robinovitz and Lori Goldstein. I met them both at Lori Goldstein's house when she was unveiling her Fall collection for her QVC line Logo Instant Chic by Lori Goldstein. After meeting them I was blown away by their personalities as well as their style. They are truly two amazing accomplished women.

Lori is a legendary stylilst who has been in the business for over 20 years. She has styled just about every celebrity from Madonna to Rihanna. Karen is a marketing genius who has penned two books and is the creatrix behind Purple Lab Cosmetics plus she has amazing personal style.

I thought it would be cool to reach out to these two fabulous industry insiders to get some of their personal and professional styling tips for curvy girls that doesn't say wear all black and only show your legs.

Here's a few of their tips:

Lori Goldstein

Photo Credit Glam Chic

Lori's Tips:

1. Embrace color and patterns. Play with them to make them work for you.

 2. Always try new things. There are no rules for any body type

3. The staples are a great bag, great jewelry, and great shoes

4. A new haircut every season is THE MUST HAVE ACCESSORY (Even if just a trim, new bang, maybe a new shade!!)

5. Secret weapon is altering a sleeve length, skirt length, pant length. Changing a little detail like a button can reinvent your favorite piece from last season to a must have for this season.

Karen Robinovitz

Photo Credit: Karen's Chictopia Page

Karen's Tips:

1.First, be confident and embrace your body. So much of style is not about what you wear, but feeling in good in whatever you wear. If you can't sell it to yourself, you'll never sell it to anyone else.

2. Know your body type and what silhouettes work on you, regardless of what the trend is.

3. Play with proportion. If you're wearing a cropped jacket or sweater, pair it with a longer and flowy Tshirt or blouse and then a slimmer pant to create a nice balance.


4. Make sure you have a good bra and that it's the right size. I can't tell you how proper support will elongate your look and improve your posture. Get a real fitting!

NEW PLUS SIZE LINE F3

If you haven't read the latest issue of Plus Model Magazine than you are missing out on some really HOT fashion. Plus Model Mag always delivers and in their November issue they have introduced  the curvy community to plus size line F3.

F3 is designed  by Shuchi and Anjula Sharma, two dope stylists behind styling group Material Thangs. Shuchi and Anjula have been in the fashion industry styling the hottest celebrities, music artists, and their styling can be found in countless magazines.

As anyone with eyes can see, the plus size fashion industry is lacking fashionable clothes for the fashion forward woman who wants trendy and youthful looking clothes. Luckily Anjula and Shuchi saw the same thing and decided to come up with their very own line called Full Figured Fashion or F3 for short.

The fashion duo is no stranger to the plus size industry. They worked with NYU's hospital for surgical weight loss helping patients who lost hundreds of pounds find fashionable clothing for their shape. They also worked with plus size music artists Jill Scott and Jazmin Sullivan. To further their portfolio in the plus size fashion industry Anjula and Shuchi has collaborated on photo shoots for Whilimena Modeling agency. They have teamed up with independent designers such as Project Runway contestant Qristal Frazier and establish brand Igigi.com. But wait, it doesn't stop there, Anjula and Shuchi have worked with plus size industry big wigs like Lane Bryant and Sonsi.com.

In my own words, this line is what the plus size fashion industry needs. It speaks to the curvy confident fashion forward young woman of today who wants to make a statement with her clothes, who wants to follow the trends, and not fall victim to the same old boring plus size fashion. Basically, the designs are HOT! SC is loving the exaggerated leather puff sleeves and the metallic dress. F3 you have our attention. Can't wait to see what's next in the collection.

Material Thangs decided to work with Plus Model Magazine to show off their F3 line as well as their dope styling skills in the November issue of Plus Model Magazine. If you haven't checked it out yet, than you need to click on this link HERE and drool over the amazing editorial.

Checkout more F3 pieces on their website F3. What do you think of the new line?

TWO WAYS I'M ROCKING MY SEQUIN BLAZER

One of the trends I have been coveting this season is sequins. Last week, I was finally able to purchase one of my wishlist items which was a Calvin Klein Plus sequin jacket. I had been eyeing the jacket for awhile online and I was over at Bloomingdales jut browsing when I saw it. I snatched it up immediately since there was only a couple left. Since majority of my wardrobe is made up of classic pieces, I don't mind purchasing trendier pieces to spice up some of my looks. This jacket goes with just about everything and it is an attention grabbing show stopping piece that I will wear forever. I like that it fit like a boyfriend blazer because it adds a little sophistication to all my party/club dresses.

Outfit breakdown- Dress-Plus Size Fix, Stockings-Rainbow, Jacket-Calvin Klein, Shoes-Betsey Johnson, Bracelt-Ann Taylor (gifted), Earrings-Forever21

Another way I'll be rocking my sequin blazer is with jeans and a t-shirt. I love how the blazer looked with jeans and a cute top because it's great to wear to a lounge or a little dressy casual get together. Don't under estimate pieces like a sequin blazer. It may not be an every day piece but it is a special piece that will make you shine like a star.

This weekend I found this super cute t-shirt at Faith 21 and thought it would look awesome under the blazer with my black skinny jeans. I wear these skinny jeans so much that they're beginning to lose its shape which is why they're creasing.

Outfit Breakdown-Skinny Jeans-ASOS, T-shirt-Faith 21 Plus, Shoes-Nine West, Earrings-Call It Spring

SC's DAY AT REDRESS

Last Friday, I was an honorary shop girl at the ReDress boutique. I had so much fun chatting it up with customers and helping them find some of the cutest pieces in the store. I am definitely no stranger to retail so this was like second nature to me. The ReDress team was superb and they really love helping their customers find the greatest stuff to embrace their curves.

Checkout some of the goodies they had in store.

I love how they style their mannequins, they're always so retro

Spectator peeptoes  

 Trentacosta Floral Dresses

Fur Coats

Cute prints

           A DKNY multi colored snake skin dress and a one shoulder two tone flower adorned dress

Great belts

My favorite pieces of the night

Left-Customer in a Rachel Pally Dress Right-Blogger Netta P in a red double breasted cape

Right-Customer in a leopard print trench, Left-Customer in a brown shiny chiffon dress

Sometimes, you never know what you're going to find at ReDress blogger Netta P. of XOXO Netta P found her halloween costume. She's going to be a weightlifter.

Me, Deb, and the shop girls

I had so much fun thanks ReDress team and their customers. You made me feel welcomed and you may see me this weekend. :),