My #frugally #fabulous find of the week. #MichaelKors #plussize colored denim regularly $79.50 my price $20 !  I picked up these cuties Tuesday on a random visit to TJ Maxx. I love being a Maxxtanista! You can always find quality designer brands at fair prices. Depending on the store the curvy girl section can be spectacular, filled with many fabulous pieces for the perfect fit.  I love T.J. Maxx because, it puts some of the finer things of life within grasps. (In my Eartha Kitt voice) LOVE IT!  If you haven’t been to the Maxx lately you are sleeping on a Jewel!

Where do you go to find your BEST frugal finds?  I want to hear from you and shop there too. LOL!

English: Logo of TJ Maxx (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

To Your Frugally Fabulous Excursions,

ZsiTi
Zakiya!

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This is a piece I’ve been meaning to write for awhile. I’ve noticed in the recent weeks there has been a trend surrounding ‘Full Figure Fashion.’ One of the pieces I came across was from Vice TV’s Series ‘Fashion Week Internationale,’ which documents various Fashion Weeks around the world. Last week they featured ‘Full Figure Fashion Week’ .

In the video they follows a few events at the fashion week including a work out class, walk-off contests, actual fashion shows and the closing party. I completely support full figure women having cute clothes to wear – why the hell shouldn’t they? My concern with an event like this is the fashion itself. Watching both parts of the Vice TV piece I have to say, I didn’t see much REAL fashion. The clothes were not forward thinking, they were not particularly well made and some of them weren’t even flattering.

What bothers me is that there ARE real designers who design for people of all sizes, including plus sizes! Were they even contacted to participate? Did they decide not too? If so, why? These are the questions I care about. Why did an empowering experience about art and design and passion turn into a spectacle? When and where was the taste level sacrificed? WHY was the taste level sacrificed!?

At one point in the video a girl shows a t-shirt that says ‘Don’t hate because I just ate.’ This shows me that the week was less focused on fashion and more on the fact of WHO was participating.

I am not debating whether or not there should be a Full Figure Fashion Week – I’m simply observing that such a week shouldn’t forget the FASHION, Fashion with a capital F.

1. Buy clothes that fit – Don’t worry about the size on the tag.  A good fit may require alterations, but it is well worth it.
2. Find your style – This is more challenging for curvacious women, but not impossible.  Finding your “Wardrobe Voice” is crucial and with the increase in stores dedicated to Full-Figure Fashion it is getting easier.
3. You get what you pay for – However, quality bargains do exist, but cheap will look cheap and not last at that! So spend a little more so that your clothes will look good longer.
4. Think classic – There are certain pieces of your wardrobe that you should have all the time no matter the trend.  It can get expensive keeping up with trends of every season, so having some classic pieces in your wardrobe is foundational.
5. Clothes for your figure – A very useful link to find out your body type is at MyShape!

I take great pride in organizing the Sweet Roll events. Like my card says, I work really hard to create a “fulfilling fashion experience for the contemporary curvy girl.”

At the seasonal Sweet Roll curvy girl fashion swaps (next one, Aug 2. Venue, to be announced. Click here to see the flier) not only do I get the chance to see women take so much delight in getting new fabulous clothing in a setting made just for them, but I get to  hear how overjoyed so many first timers are to fall into what may as well be called a fellowship of fabulous curvy women. 

Plugging into the plus size shopping world is something like a sisterhood, if you will. That’s why it is so interesting to know that there is an actual bona fide big girl sorority.  I came across them while stumbling through Twitter…

According to their website, Phi Nu Delta Psi Incorporated, is “a non-collegiate social sorority for plus size women aged 21 and up, was established to promote sisterhood and help BBWs take their lives to another level.”  They have chapters on both coasts, including one in NYC, with chapters sprinkled in between.  The group’s website says they assist in community projects for the disadvantaged.  They also have an organizational youth initiative to cultivate self-esteem, accountability, responsibility, integrity and self-respect in young women.

Interesting.

Do you belong or wanted to belong to a sorority? Were the sororities on your campus welcoming of women of all body types?

summer curvy girl fashion swap

is here!

Every Sweet Roll fashion swap includes food, entertainment, raffles, and unlimited swap.

August ain’t for tea parties: The featured item for the Hotter Than July swap is freak’em/party dresses!  For every freak ‘em/party/club dress you bring receive a entry for ticket for the Featured Item!

Admission: $16 + 5 gently-used fashionable clothing items in size 10+ only.

Purchase your tickets online now with PayPal to get your gift bag.

_______

Is this your first Sweet Roll Swap? We’re committed to fun events with quality items.  Here’s what to bring:

Gently-used items means “likes new”– Bring something in the condition that you would like to receive it. That means:

• No rips, tear, stains (grease, pit, bleach or otherwise).
• Nothing broken, stitched, or pinned together.
• Clean.
• No plain cotton tees or dollar store quality fashion.

Though only accessible through the Vogue Italy site [insert mixed feelings face here],  Vogue Curve or V Curve, is a publication for curvy women done exactly right. 

Congruent with the quality of mainstream/ “straight-sized” catalog, Vogue also goes the distance for us, breaking V Curve into several meaningful sections.  Lookbooks. Accessories. Written and video blog snippets (including from some from NY stylists). And of course delicious spreads. And all the sections feature legitimate curvy girls, in assorted sizes, not just 10′s and 12′s, or even the 8′s some companies try to get over with. (Like we don’t know.)

Screen shot of the Vogue Curvy website with the latest features

Vogue Curve was also launched 2010 along with other specialty publications Vogue Black and Vogue Talents, showcasing a trifecta of groups that are snubbed by the fashion industry — curvy women,  women of African descent, and emerging designers respectively. 

Some say she’s a genius for “just” picking up on marketing trends ahead of time, but you have got to love Sozanni’s sentiments in which ask Women’s Wear Daily. “Why should these women slim down? Many of the women who have a few extra kilos are especially beautiful and also more feminine, ” she says.  According to the Huffington Post, Sozzani has also been an activist again pro-anorexia websites.

Sounds like a curvy girl she-ro if I ever heard of one.

New and aspiring curvy girl bloggers learn pointers on blogging while lunching with Sweet Roll Ent in Brooklyn

Cards were exchanged! Ideas flew! Collaborations were born! — Veteran curvy fatshionistas informed others of events. Journalism majors shared writing and marketing ideas. And while curvy fashion line designer, Nikki B of Decadent Designs, was there to share her story and inspire the ladies with her success, Brooklyn locals opened up and shared their contacts with her to further her success!

!

It was nothing short of a beautiful day in the neighborhood, after gift bags were given with goodies including Sassafras & Sage Soap, pin-up girl novelties by Noir-A-Go-Go, and new exclusive samples of Decadent Industries‘ new Be Decadent almond scented shea butter body creme! Participants raved quality of workshop and depth of information to transform their blogs. Within the next few months you can fully expect the ratings of all these bloggers as they rise to the top.

Check them out!:

• Sweet Leigh’s http://saucybit.tumblr.com
• Lingua Nigra Jewelry’s www.liguanigra.com
• CT DIVA’s betterthanaverage.onsugar.com
• Knickie D’s http://knickied.tumblr.com/

Take note of Sweet Roll Entertainment! This was a great event.

A participant poses between gift bags containing samples of Decadent Industries' new Be Decadent body care products.

More pictures on Sweet Roll Entertainment’s Facebook page.

Everyone is born with a certain type of body shape that no amount of dieting and exercise is ever going to change. Use the following links below to determine your body shape. This knowledge can help you determine which clothes are the most flattering to wear, and it will save you time and frustration when you go shopping.

Here are some websites to help you identify your body shape:

1. Style Makeover HQ
2. Match Your Shape
3. Shape Your Style

As always, a few of my favs:

Missphit

Forever 21+

Happy Shopping!

xo

V

I encourage and challenge all of you to go out there and pull something off the rack that you would normally pass by.  You never really know what you are missing out on!  Worst thing that could happen is you put it back on the hanger and you move onto the next one.  We all know we are generally our own worst critic.  You need to stand up straight, put those shoulders back and rock that outfit with confidence!

Take a little tippy toe step out of the box and you just may surprise yourself at the leaps and bounds you are making in your own personal style. 

And as for what I purchased, well, you will have to stay tuned!!

xo

V

My favorite “bit/line” from my much loved television show, Gilmore Girls, goes as follows: 

[Paris and Rory run into the Hall soaking wet from the storm outside] 

Female Student: [Walking out of dorm] “Is it raining?” 

Paris: “No, it’s National Baptism Day. Tie your tubes, idiot.” 

Yes, it’s that witty sarcasm that I absolutely love and those obvious questions which can drive you nuts.  In a somewhat similar situation, someone had once asked me “Why do you wear dresses so much?” Now I’m not as quick and witty as Paris, so I didn’t have a smart comment ready, but my first thought was “Hello don’t you live in the same City as me? Miami? A City where the heat is in the 90’s on a day to day basis, and we get one week of a wannabe winter.  Where it’s so hot you could fry bacon on the side walk (I don’t like eggs.) Where you could build a pyramid, throw in some camels, add a little more sand and call it the Sahara Desert. 

When I was in my “Unhappy Phase” I used to wear jeans all the time!  Remember, I did not want to make any efforts for anyone or anything, so God forbid I shave my legs. This meant sweat pants or jeans for me.  Yes, I was Chewbaccaing it all the way!  I could have donated the hair on my legs for Lock of Love or to clog the oil leak in the Gulf.  After I had passed my rock bottom stage and began dressing for my body, I discovered that I loved dresses!  I learned that dresses with extra material and ruching around my waist line made me look thinner.  I learned that jersey dresses are great and flow right off your body.  I finally learned that dresses in this scorching heat are amazing, and I could wear dreses for almost any occasion (from casual hanging out all the way to formal.) 

One reason I used to love wearing jeans 24/7 is because it would give me a barrier between my thighs while walked.  I would get terrible rashes or actual pain on my cottage cheese inner thighs from the constant friction if I attempted to wear anything other than pants. So what do you do when you have to, or want to, wear a dress? Well one of my friends used to put Bath and Body Works cream in her thighs and walk around.  Now this of course failed because eventually the cream will dry out and we would have to stop to reapply.  It was just as bad as being with a pregnant woman who has to pee every two hours.  I also can’t imagine walking around with so much moisture down there anyways.  A different friend of mine used to put baby powder between her thighs and while the scent is wonderful, I still have a couple of issues with this.  One, you’re going to need a good amount of baby powder and it’ll probably get all over the dress (unless you have a Master’s Degree in Powder Application Engineering.) Two, if you sweat and that mixes with the baby powder you’ve just made an unpleasant deodorant between your legs. Finally three, I would be extremely self conscience that White Puff Balls of Powder would be coming out from my lady goody parts and that people will misunderstand it as me being a dried up old hag. 

So here is my solution and it works great every time.  I used to play softball, so I owned a number of shorts called sliders.  Sliders were meant to protect your butt and thighs when you slid into home plate.  They are very similar to bicycle shorts or Body Shapers.  Well at this point I still didn’t own any Body Shapers, so I tried the shorts and they worked.  They were not too long and they were just short enough to cover my thighs and allow them to glide back and forth like a cross country skier.  Well I couldn’t continue to wear my sliders because they weren’t meant for a person who’s a size 16, so I went to the store and found exactly what I needed.  No more rashes or pain for this girl!  Also wearing dresses more often made me feel more feminine and boosted my self confidence.  Now if you’re concerned that the Body Shapers /shorts are going to show from under your dress because the legs are too long (get them tailored), guess what the problem isn’t the body shapers, it’s the dress!  It’s too short!  If your body shapers are hanging out the bottom your dress, you shouldn’t be wearing that dress in the first place! 

With the summers getting warmer and warmer, full figured woman cannot continue to hide behind jeans and sweat pants.  I’m not a shorts fan, so I am advocating for dresses!   Here are some links to what I have found to be solutions to my dress/friction thigh problem: 

• Higher Power Spanx

• Target Assets Senational Shaper

• Macy’s Bali Thigh Smoother

If you’re going to get them to cover your thighs, get ones which shape your booty and fall high on your waist to control your belly all at the same time.

This all changed one-day when I received a text message from Facebook informing me that a friend of mine had posted some pictures and tagged me in them.  Upon further investigation on my Blackberry, I realized they were from a party that past Saturday and she had tagged me in 12 pictures without my consent.  I Freaked! I had been in a conference all day and God knows how many people had access to those photos before I got to them on the computer (because of course we all think everyone looks at our profile and only our profile.)  I logged on as quickly as I could and I was mortified.  I could not believe how I looked that weekend.   I was so conflicted, because when I had gone out I had gotten all dolled up, put on what I thought was my best outfit, and had the time of my life thinking I was some hott stuff.  Boy was I wrong! I made about 20 fashion faux pas from panty lines, to DDD cleavage, and my rear end almost falling out the end of my dress, not to mention the ripple after ripple of flab from the improper undergarments.  It was terrible.  After untagging myself and praying that not one of my friends had seen them, I vowed I was going to make a change.   This had been my rock bottom.

I went to the department store that next Sunday by myself (I didn’t want to face this humiliation and torture with an audience.)  I proceed to pull pants, shorts, dresses and shirts off the shelves of all different cuts, shapes, fabrics, and from sizes 10 – 20.   I grabbed clothing that in the past I would have run from or said “that looks too old, too bold, or that wont look good on me,” don’t assume, try it anyways. Yes, get ready for a work out! People don’t believe me, but I’m not kidding, I really did do this. I tried on so many clothes that day, but learned so much it was priceless.  I’m sure the dressing room attendants were cursing my name for days, but it was the best education lesson I could have ever given myself.  I finally learned that I am a 16, and although it hurt to admit it I then came to the realization that when I put on the 16 it fit so well it made me look thinner.  When I wore the 12 all of my goodies were hanging out the sides it added about 10 lbs.  So just because the size is larger doesn’t mean you will look larger!  I learned that layers helped hide my ripples (not baggy clothing, but thin layers.)  I learned that shirts, which cut right under my breast line, accentuate my smaller waist (I carry most of my weight in my belly and thighs.)  I learned that jersey dresses are a God sent and most importantly I Love Belts and Shoes!  I love this new fashion trend of belts around the upper waist.  Belts on a dress or a shirt make you look skinny (as long as you don’t squeeze too tight.)  All of my friends actually refer to me now as the Belt Girl.  If they see someone else wearing one or see it on TV they always think of me.  I believe belts help add a finishing touch on a lot of outfits and help break the body up into different sections.  Also, shoes are an amazing accessory.  If your outfit is bland, you can spice it up with a crazy color shoe or vice versa.

When I was unhappy with my weight, I believe it was mostly because I didn’t understand it and didn’t want to accept it.  Now when I go shopping I plan ahead.  I make sure to separate my entire afternoon for it because it’s going to take time.  I’m not a size 8 and I can’t just walk into any store and pick anything up off the shelf.  Also, just because a shirt looks one way on a hanger doesn’t mean it’ll look that way on you.  Try it on! What do you have to lose?  My other word of advice is Color! I used to be known as the black and brown girl when I was in my unhappy weight phase.  Don’t get me wrong I still wear black and brown now, especially for my events, because they are slimming.  But color is an amazing tool.  It boosts confidence and says hello world here I am, look at me.  I absolutely love pinks, purples and blues. It’s a great way to give some life to your facade.

All I can say is who cares about the number! The only person who will know what size you are is you.  So go out and experiment trying on a wide range of sizes, even if you know they might be too big for you, until you find that happy medium.  Muffin tops, Jelly rolls, Butt Cracks, and Cottage Cheese is out! The right fitting pair of jeans or dress is in! You’ll feel like a million bucks guaranteed…

Here are some places I love to get my clothes from:

• Macy’s (especially INC, Micheal Kors, and Alfani)
• Bloomindale’s (Great Bathing Suit finds especially for larger chested women, a necessity living in Miami!)
• New York and Jones
• Micheal Kors Outlet Stores (He is my best friend when it comes to clothing and knowing how to dress all sizes, also the outlets have great deals)
• Black and White Store (Love the dresses here, Especially for my events)
• Banana Republic (I usually find tops and cardigans here)
• Van Heusen Factory Outlet (I get tons of dresses here at a great deal)
• Torrid.com (Just started this site from a blog I read and I looked amazing in the dresses.  And I big on quality and they were up to my standards)

“I’ll say there are more options now than there used to be, but that’s sort of like saying ‘he doesn’t hit me nearly as often as he used to.’” says Gammill. “I’m fat, I have money. I’m more than willing to give it in quantity to the store who will supply me with beautifully made clothes that don’t make me look like a hooker, a tranny, or someone’s bingo-playing grandma from Duluth. I would love to see Kate Mulleavy of Rodarte, a big girl herself, do a ready-to-wear line that extends to the plus-sizes.”

Despite the heightening visibility of fatshionistas and their fashion desires, the industry is hardly embracing the fuller figure. Full-Figured Fashion Week took five years to organize. Beth Ditto is probably the only full-figured fashion icon embraced by the industry at the moment (and even so, after Hamish Bowles witnessed one of her stage dives at a Fendi party, he described the crowd’s reaction as “deeply panicked”). And who could forget what Anna Wintour — the most powerful person in the fashion industry — thought about the residents of Minnesota? But Gammill has a point. If fatshionistas are willing to pay for luxury goods, why won’t the industry make them for them? It’s not like those companies are rolling in it right now. And these women aren’t getting any thinner. (Source)