LEOPARD PRINT MEETS CRIMSON RED

I'm the kind of shopper who utilizes the wishlist on websites. I like to save my favorite items just in case I come into some extra cash. A few weeks ago, I was the crazy online shopper due to coming into some extra cash. I'm wearing 3 of the items that I had on my wishlist. One of the items on my wishlist was this leopard print faux fur from Torrid. I'll admit, i didn't like how it looked online, but, I ordered it anyway because I figured it would probably look different in person. When I opened the box, I was taken back a little bit because I thought the coat was too loud, but, after staring at it for a few days it started to grow on me. I love how sassy and over the top it looks with my skinny jeans. It's definitely a coat I would wear when I want to standout from the crowd.

The second piece I bought was this crimson red lace trim dress from ASOS.  I had been coveting this dress for sometime now waiting for it to go on sale. It never did. So, I decided to just get it. I debuted it at the Redress Indie Plus show and received so many compliments on it. What drew me to the dress was the detailing. From reading my blog and seeing my outfit posts, you know I am a sucker for details. I was intrigued by the combination of the pleated waist with the lace trimming on the neckline and waist. The clothes on ASOS models are always too big for the models, so, sometimes it's hard to decipher how something will fit. I wasn't sure what size to get in the dress, so, I went one size up.

The 3rd item I purchased was these above the knee ruched suede boots from Piperlime. I received a $15 b'day coupon and thought, what better way to use the coupon than on shoes. I liked the ruched detailing on the boots and thought they were quite sexy.

I still have tons of items on countless wishlists, but, since Christmas is coming up, I will have to keep those items on my personal wishlist and work on getting items for friends and family before Christmas.

WHAT I WANT NOW:DRESSES WITH ROMANTIC DETAILS

Right now, I'm really into dresses. I want dresses that embrace my curves while giving off a romantic and slightly bohemian vibe. I want dresses that are adorned with ruffles and that have billowy sleeves. These 6 dresses are everything I'm looking for.

1. Rachel Pally Rowan Dress

I love the print of this dress and the billowy sleeves. It's fitted through the body which helps to showcase curves and it comes in plus sizes too.

 2. Dorothy Perkins Floral Double Sleeve Dress

I love the bohemian feel of this dress. From the flowy sleeves to the dreamy floral print, this dress was made for Fall.

3. Amanda Uprichard silk and lace strapless dress

I love the contrasting blue and black in this dress. The ruffled hem and bust scream romantic.  

4. Dorothy Perkins Ruffled Sleeve Dress

 

I was automatically drawn to the color of this dress. I love the over exaggerated ruffles on the sleeves and the u shaped neckline. It makes me want to put a red rose in my hair.

5. David Meister Ruffle Front Dress

I love this dress because it just screams sexy and chic to me. The side draping and ruffles give off a sexy vibe while the round neck blouson top part of the dress looks so chic.

6. ASOS Embellished Smock Dress

I love smock dresses with bare legs and chunky heels and this dress is so pretty. I love the sequin trimming around the sleeves and neck. A smock should have a flowy body skimming fit on a curvy girl. It should never swallow her up.

What style of dresses are you into right now?

TADASHI SHOJI, THE DESIGNER WHO KNOWS HOW TO DRESS CURVES

For so long plus size women have had to succumb to unflattering ill-fitted prom looking dresses when it came to evening wear. Over the years the evening wear selection for plus evolved to much more modern and stylish pieces. However, no one has tickled my fancy for evening wear like Tadashi Shoji. His curve hugging dresses for plus size women have been unmatched. Tadashi Shoji's name is on the lips of some of the most well known curvy and non curvy celebrities in the world. The Japanese born designer has also become the go to designer for plus size celebrities like Oprah, Mo'Nique, Amber Riley, Jill Scott, and Queen Latifah. So, just what is it about Tadashi's designs that flatters a curvy girls figure? “Proper fit is critical, and draping is really my forte,” the designer tells a reporter for Pasadena Weekly. Indeed! You can see the intricate detailing in everyone of his pieces.

 

Tadashi is one of very few designers who carved out a  lucrative niche market for himself by doing evening wear as well as catering to plus sizes. His pieces go up to a size 24. Most women's wear designers turn their skinny little noses up at the thought of designing for plus, yet, a 60 year old Japenese man jumped at the opportunity and is sitting on millions because of it. According to published reports in 2009 his annual revenue was at 60 million. One of the main reasons that celebrities love Tadashi's designs is because of his figure flattery. His designs either drape or outline the frame of a woman's body. Shoji is not afraid to play with fabrics or texture which can be seen in this seasons draped sequin dress as well as an ombre shutter pleat dress.

The full on sexiness of Tadashi's designs can bring out the highest of confidence in any woman. He believes that a woman should always be comfortable in what she's wearing. In a 2009 Pasadena Weekly article, he says, “A woman’s biggest mistake is buying a smaller size because she thinks it will make her look smaller. Not so. It will only emphasize every figure flaw. When I spot a woman at a party and she is wearing one of my dresses and it looks good on her, I always introduce myself and compliment her. If the dress is too tight, I look the other way.”

You just have to love a designer who wants to make women of all ages and sizes look their best. It's because of his attention to detail and eye for symmetry that his brand has created a loyal following from curvy celebrities. Other designers should whip out their pads and pens to take notes from this amazingly talented designer who has a knack for creating fabulous luxurious clothes for women of ALL SIZES. 

So, I must ask these 2 questions? How can Tadashi Shoji get fit and style right for the plus size woman, but, other straight size designers can't? Second, with the success of his plus size line why aren't other straight size designers following in his footsteps?

The Tadashi Shoji collection runs anywhere from $300-$500 and The Tadashi Shoji Signatre collection runs from $500-$1,000.

You can checkout his Fall 2010 collection HERE

CURVY GIRL STYLE BATTLE: JENNIFER HUDSON VS CHRISETTE MICHELE

Today's curvy girl style battle is between two of our favorite curvy girls, Chrisette Michele and Jennifer Hudson. They're both showing off their new svelte figures. J Hud is rocking a draped wrap dress with black steel toe pumps and Chrisette is donning an all black ruched dress, sexy strappy sandals, and a jeweled embellished belt.

Who wins this curvy girl style battle?

VOTE!

Jennifer Hudson

VS

 Chrisette Michele

LEATHER MAKES EVERYTHING SO COOL

I'm the kind of shopper who likes to buy things that can work double or triple duty for my lifestyle. I need to be able to wear a piece of clothing to work, on the weekends, or for evening. So, when I found this BCBG Max Azria dress at the Last Call Studio By Neiman Marcus, I knew I would wear it to work and for drinks after work with just a few changes.

To make this dress work for a round of drinks at happy hour or for dinner on the weekends, I decided to throw on my waterfall leather (actually pleather) jacket for a youthful yet cool look. To punch things up, I went for my bold red suede shoes. I've always been a fan of leather being worn with more feminine pieces because it offers such a stylish and slightly bad ass contrast.

 As for this dress, I truly love the feel of this dress. It's soft and doesn't feel clingy. I also love the versatility of it, because like I said, I can wear it to work with a blazer or on the weekends with a long cardigan, scarf, and flat boots. I have always been a fan of BCBG since my last year in H.S. I own a few pieces from the line and have always loved the chic style of Max Azria clothes. As I stated in my previous post this dress is a size L and I am a true size 18, so, when shopping it's helpful and important to not always focus on the number of the tag, but on the cuts and shape of clothes.

If you haven't already I suggest rocking a leather jacket over your dresses and with your skirts for that added cool factor.

What I'm Wearing
Dress-BCBG (also available online)
Belt-NY&CO
Shoes-Guess
Jacket-Torrid
Earrings-Forever21
Cuff-Alexis Bittar

LAST CALL STUDIO BY NEIMAN MARCUS OPENS UP SHOP IN NEW JERSEY

"Look Fabulous, Be Frugal" is the slogan behind the new Last Call Neiman Marcus Studio store. So many high end brands are looking to reach out to those customers who want high fashion on a real budget. Yesterday, SC was invited to checkout one of only 3 Last Call studio stores and we were psyched. The Last Call Neiman Marcus Studio store we went to was located in Paramus, NJ at the Bergen center mall.

Awesome Faux Fur Vest

Now, I have never been to the Bergen Center mall so my eyes widened with glee as my car drove past the Saks and Nordstrom  outlet stores. Once inside the NM store my eyes were greeted by a beautiful sequin dress from Alice & Olivia and a row of Marc Jacob handbags. For a second, I almost forgot that I was there to find out more about the store. So, just what is Last Call Studio by Neiman Marcus? It's a new way for you to shop designer brands for less. Unlike discounted stores like TJ Maxx, Nordstrom outlets and even Neiman Marcus outlets, Last Call Studio will be bringing it's customers exclusive fashions directly bought from designers and fashion brands. Which means what you will get current designer styles for less. The merchandise is specifically handpicked for the Last Call Studio stores.

 Marc Jacob Handbags

The prices weren't bad either. You were getting $200-$600 dresses discounted anywhere from 40%-60% off the retail value, plus additional in store discounts. The prices weren't necessarily TJ Maxx prices, but, they were still pretty significant. Last Call carries designers such as Tracy Reese, BCBG Max Azria, Nancy Gonzalez, Stuart Weitzman, Michael Kors, True Religion, Andrew Marc, Alice& Olivia, Marc Jacobs, and the list goes on and on. The Bergen Center Last Call Studio store is also the only one that offers a children's section. Need something for the man in your life, they had a pretty healthy selection of men's pieces too.

Chic Sparkling Jackets

My only disappointment was that there was not a plus size section (email going out to the company about this today). I just knew there was going to be. As I circled the store, I saw there was nothing plus in sight. However, there were pieces in the store that went up to a size 16 ( mainly Michael Kors pieces) but, there was a heap of size 14's and a handful of XL's. So, what's a curvy girl to do? That's right, Make It Work! I scoured the store looking at the various shapes and silhouettes and found a few hits. I purchased 2 designer dresses which totaled $95. Not Bad!

Dresses

Bloggers were all over this black and white splash print dress

Children's

Shoes

You can also shop Last Call Studios on line at Last Call

Below are a few pieces that I tried on (Don't know why I'm cheesing so hard), can you guess which one of these I bought?

This is the BCBG Maz Azria dress in a size L. I am a true size 18/2X. Now, do you get what I mean, when I say Size Doesn't Always Matter?

Little Black dress by Andrew Marc size 14. This one kept riding up, but, I think a few alterations could make it work.

Plenty by Tracy Reese size L. In the video below, I said that this dress would work better on a pear shape and you can see why from this pic. My boobs are like, HEY, I"M OVER HERE. Although I am not a pear shape, I really thought this dress was cute. All I needed was some Spanx to hold me down, a good t-shirt bra (because my boobs are kind of loud in this dress), and I would be ready to go.

Also, there was so much to cover that I put some of my finds in a little video. You can view it here or on You Tube

Note: For attending this event I received a $100 gift card.

AMBER RILEY DAZZLES IN YRB MAGAZINE

The talented Amber Riley is featured in the November issue of YRB magazine looking confident, sexy, and just plain hot. The Glee star shares with YRB her journey to the Emmy nominated show Glee and even offer great advice for those of us who are trying to follow our dreams. Thanks to YRB for featuring Amber in a beautiful way .

Here's her advice for people trying to follow their dreams.
“The best advice I can give is just be focused, be sure about what you want and don’t let anyone tell you no, you can’t do it. Don’t let that deter you.”

For more on the interview checkout YRB Magazine

XOXO NETTA P. HOSTS SHOPPING TRIP TO NEW JERSEY

Hey curvy girls all over the world,
Fellow curvy girl blogger Netta P. from the blog XOXO Netta P. is hosting a shopping trip to NJ's own Garden State Plaza Mall. For those of you who don't know, that mall is huge and filled with tons of stores to max out your credit cards in.

Checkout the details of the trip below:
Includes: round trip bus ride on private, chartered bus leaving from central location in NYC. gift cards and giveaways and a gift bag from some of your favorite stores, salons, and tanning locations! a celebration treat on the ride back to NYC with complimentary wine. styling services will be provided by yours truly! we’ll also be working with a restaurant in the area to provide a discounted lunch special to all shopping trip attendees.

You’ll be able to visit: forever 21+, torrid, lane bryant, lord & taylor, macy’s, ny & company, nordstrom, old navy, talbots, aldo, ann taylor loft, bakers, banana republic, claire’s, charlotte russe, coach, coldwater creek, gap, gucci, h&m, jcpenney, j.jill, juicy couture, kenneth cole, michael kors, naturalizer, neiman marcus, nine west, sephora, shi by journeys, soma, steve madden, urban outfitters, wet seal, white house black market, wild pair, YRB, and zumiez – and that’s just to name a few.
Cost: $100, all-inclusive

For more info checkout Netta P's blog HERE

REDRESS INDIE TRUNK SHOW

Hey curvy girls all over the world,
Last Friday SC headed on down to the Redress Indie trunk show to checkout designs from LaDan's closet, Cupcakes and Cuddle Bunny's, Fennimas Jewelry, Jessica Pritchett shoes, and so much more. The event was held at the Invisible Dog in the Cobble Hill area of Brooklyn. The place was packed with well dressed curvy girls who were dying to see what was going to come down the runway.

Check out a few of the looks:

LaDan's Closet

Jessica Pritchett Shoes

Cupcakes & Cuddle Bunny

Redress Owner Deb Malkin rocking her Anna Scholz dress

Checkout who else was at the show:

Creator of FFFWeek, MS. Gwen Devoe

Model Alicia Fajardo

 Fennimas Jewelry designer

F3 designers


For more on where to purchase any of the pieces, make sure you checkout the Redress website HERE