Well, it has been a long time I have been to Africa, graduated with my masters, had several job transitions, a major move, and finally settling in enough to come back to what I love most. It is 8:05am on “Black Friday” and I have a treat for all of my favorite FATshionistas out there. The online company F3 (Full Figured Fashionista) is back with a vengeance and an all new Fall/Winter collection. If you are not familiar with F3 I encourage you to read about these two lovely lady’s and designers of all things plus. I am excited about the new collection of tops they have recently launched and even more excited that all of my followers can receive 50% off of their purchase beginning Today-Nov.3Oth. Check out my favorite items below by clicking on the photo and don’t forget to use the promo code below at check out for fabulous “Black Friday” savings.
Promo Code=50BF for questions contactinfo@shopf3.com
I have to preface this post by saying that I absolutley positivley love Michael Kors especially the watches, but I have to be realistic about my budget and come up with alternatives to recreate the now iconic runway watch paired with as many bracelets as one wrist will allow.
To combat my pain of not being able to afford the Michael Kors Oversized Runway Watch I have been on the hunt for some alternatives. To my surprise I was at target with my sister and we discovered several “boyfriend” styles that have the classy aesthetic of the MK without the hefty price tag. I ended up picking up one in white (Pictured in brown below) and plan on purchasing several more to join my summer long wrist party. For $14.99 you cannot go wrong. Below are my picks. Happy Shopping!
As many of you have probably noticed I have been M.I.A lately from blogging. I have been so busy finishing up grad school, getting my son’s summer schedule situated, and entertaining family, that I can barely keep up. I have been paying close attention (as much as possible) on everything that is going on in the Plus Size fashion community including designers to watch, events, and summer trends and I am happy to see all the activity and fabulous out fit posts from many of my favorite bloggers, it looks like everyone is going to be having a fun and fashionable summer.
As many of you know this week is Full Figured Fashion Week, and it is a dream of mine that I will get to attend someday however, while all the popular bloggers and who’s who in plus size fashion have been preparing for this weeks festivities in NYC, I have been preparing for a big trip to South Africa and Namibia in July. So as you can see things have been very busy for me and I hope to get back to blogging on a regular basis come mid July, so rest assured that I will have some fabulous new posts including pics from my trip to Africa and hopefully my favorite moments from FFF as reported through the blogosphere.
In the mean time I wanted to share some of my recent outfits that I have briefly captured. The weather here in MN is hot one day and cold the next as expected for the ever unpredictable MN weather. I have been very comfy lately living in my favorite american rag jeans, loose fitting blouses, and indulging in a full on wrist party highlighting the watches I recently purchased at Target (post to follow). I hope to catch up with everyone soon and I will try to do sporadic posts as I prepare for Graduation, Africa, and managing mommyhood.
A week or so ago I had the pleasure of meeting the lovely Nena McCalister the face behind Beauty Exxtreme. Beauty Exxtreme is a body positive company started by Ms. Nena to bridge her passion for size acceptance and plus size fashion. Ms. Nena (like myself) has recognized that the Twin Cities is seriously lacking a community for plus size fatshionistas and she is working hard on producing events that will not only build community but expose plus size men and women to designers that are outside of the mainstream norm that we have all grown accustomed to in plus size fashion. In my conversation with Ms. Nena she shared with me that her greatest inspiration was her mother who taught her to never be anything less than fierce, to own her body, and to make no apologies for who she is on the outside. Ms. Nena has done a great job putting her self out there and as a former model and participant on Mo’Nique’s Fat Chance she is taking her expertise to the next level by opening up the world of plus size fashion in Minnesota. As a native of Wisconsin, Ms. Nena has recognized that the every day midwestern woman does not often have fashion at the forefront, and she is on a quest to change that. In her first ever runway show “The Beautiful People Runway Show” Ms. Nena is translating her love of fashion and confidence to everday women and men who will be dawning the runway in styles from Robert E. Knight, Pin Up Girl Clothing, Harold Pinners, and the Twin Cities very own Biké and Tonnette. In addition to all things fashion Ms. Nena recognizes that no event should go without a true cause and all the proceeds will go to a fund that supports the recovery of Mr. Keith Barnes, who is a local hero who was struck by a car on the highway while assisting a woman who had been in a car accident. This runway show is a true example of a community coming together for a funfilled night of fashion and philanthropy. Ticket information is below, trust me you will not want to miss “The Beautiful People Runway Show”.
Tickets:
905 West Broadway Avenue Minneapolis, MN 55411 (612) 588-2000
$20 in advance, $25 at the door, $30 VIP includes a fabulous swag bag with exclusive goodies availble at the door.
Who is Jason Wu you ask? Well you may remember the buzz around what Michelle Obama was to wear at the 2009 Inaugural Gala? Much like the unveiling of Kate Middleton’s wedding dress we waited in suspense to see what the first lady would be wearing in one of her first appearances after her husband was elected into office as the president of the United States. The now iconic white one strap dress is what first introduced me to the young Taipei born designer. On a recent shopping trip to target with my sister I literally stumbled upon the Jason Wu collection for Target and was shocked to shit. How had I missed the memo on this when I followed the unveiling of Missoni like a hawk? To my dismay I had missed it, however on a lone peg on the large display dawning Jason’s face was this gorgeous lace overlay black clutch. I instantly snatched the clutch, glanced at the price and threw it in the cart without a second thought. My sister thought I was insane I’m sure because I put all my regular hygiene products aside just to give this clutch a good home (I am a sucker for clutches). After doing a bit of research I learned that the Jason Wu for Target collection launched on February 5th and sold out as fast as the Missoni items. I have to say I consider myself lucky to officially own this clutch and to have stumbled upon it in a routine target trip. Oh the things you can find at Target!
No one does it like Diana Ross! From music to fashion she is truly someone who inspires me. A woman that made having big ass curls cool and wearing virtually anything and making it look sexy. I love looking at how fashion recycles itself from neon colors, mod inspired dresses, lot’s of glitter, to menswear inspired looks. With everything we have been seeing on the runway and popping up in a store near you, it is not hard to recreate some of her iconic looks. I find myself inspired also by her beautiful daughter Tracee Ellis Ross who is STUNNING! Her mother’s keen eye for fashion and color has definitely rubbed off on her. There is nothing that these two women wear that doesn’t make my draw drop. So in honor of Ms. Diana Ross’s birthday I have compiled some of my favorite looks she has had throughout the years and items that are inspired by Ms. Diana Ross. I can see my spring wardrobe and accessories following in her footsteps.
Spring is coming and I am excited about the pastel’s that we have seen popping up on the runway, in the streets, and pretty much everywhere. I am in love with the light pink’s, lavender’s, and especially mint green. The pastel hues excite me because as I embark on my spring wardrobe on a budget, I am confident that I can find several clothing items and accessories that will pair nicely with my grey, nude, and black color pallet from the winter months. Mint green put’s a great big smile on my face and I just cannot get enough, I know that adding this color for spring will make me feel like my wardrobe is in mint condition, excuse the cheesiness.
I always find the time in my crazy busy week to snap pics of my outfits. As I have said before I love comfort so anything that is comfy and can be worn to the office, on campus, or out and about with my son I am sold. The photos above are a few from last weeks outfits that I threw together last minute because my entire condo is a dirty clothes pile. I kinda love when all my laundry is dirty because I am forced to create quick looks with what I have or never wear, like my black maxi skirt from H&M, grey poncho sweater from H&M, and my super new favorite bed coat originally from Target, but thrifted from the Salvation Army for I want to say like $6.
Part II:
I have stumbled upon so many new blogs that I love and cannot stay away from lately, so I am sharing my list of must reads, follows, etc. Today my featured blog crush is AfroTitty Owns Everything. She is a Fierce, Fat, Femme and I adore her more than words. Below is also a list of what I have been reading on the regular over the last week or so in between writing papers, working, and keeping my 6 year old in check. Several are my Skorch Magazine Sistah’s, so if you are not following closely Skorch Magazine or F.ATshionistas (you are here!), please do so and share with all your friends. Sorry for the brief post friends, grad school papers are calling.
Every year I dream about what it would be like sitting at just one show during NY Fashion Week and how I will take those looks from the runway to my closet. Luckily while I am day dreaming in Minnesota I can tune into QVC for all things MB Fashion Week and even see items from new designers and old favorites that are offered (typically) to a size 3X. Right now you can follow blogger picks, check out the look book, and shop some of the newest looks that will debut during the QVC Fashion Week coverage.Today while I was drooling over the Luxe by Rachel Zoe classic domed Curb link watch in rose gold (since Michael Kors is out of budget) I decided to take a look a what’s popping up in apparel on QVC. I fell madly in love with these pieces below and decided to put it all together in a look that is both winter appropriate (paired with a chunky sweater) and Spring ready just as is. I hope you like!
Boy oh boy, has it been one of those days, matter of fact more like one of those weeks. I admit to being human and having days where I want to change my body, get a whole new wardrobe, and just change my life overall. Knowing that this is not going to happen over night, I am always reassured by my friends that we all go through this and especially us ladies who are hormonal, emotional, and SINGLE (well some). I emphasize single because this seems to be the root of my sadness most days as I see all my friends coupled up, engaged, and getting married. On top of the normal level of feeling blue about my life I received a mild medical scare today that sent me into a desire to indulge in some retail therapy. I decided to forgo the retail therapy because my bank account will indeed hate me later. To make matters worse my son just called me in hysterics because grandmother washed his iPod in the washer. For a 6 year old who’s only motivation in life is to dance, sing songs from glee, and build Lego Star Wars this is officially the end of the world, so it looks like that $ I may have wasted on clothes will be used to replace my boy’s iPod (thank god for Craigslist). So, to combat the day/week from emotional hell, I was going through my trusty HTC EVO who always brings me through the storm and found some casual outfit photos that I never posted, I guess they were meant for a day like today. Seeing photos of myself when I actually throw together a comfy cute look to head off to the office, meet a client, or spend the day on campus reminded me that there are probably some gems hiding in my closet that are screaming to be worn, and I can get my retail therapy by rejuvenating what I already have. I am happy to say that after seeing these simple, yet functional outfits, I am inspired just that quickly without having to spend a dime. Now that’s what I call thrifty!
I have to preface this post by saying that I absolutley positivley love Michael Kors especially the watches, but I have to be realistic about my budget and come up with alternatives to recreate the now iconic runway watch paired with as many bracelets as one wrist will allow.
