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Skirting the Issue

Happy Monday all!

Someone asked me recently if I ever wear pants. I replied “of course I do”. She responded “oh, because all I’ve seen you wear is skirts!”. Now I could look at that exchange in two ways: 1) she  REALLY must be paying attention to what I’m wearing or 2) I do wear skirts all the time. I have to admit, the latter is the truth.  Why? Wearing skirts allows me to get in touch with my long dormant girly side.  For the majority of my adult life, I didn’t care how I looked and being in direct care social work gave me the perfect excuse to justify my bland uniform (jeans or cords and a sweater). I would convince myself that it wasn’t practical to wear skirts especially if I had to chase or restrain a client.  I really believed  if I wore one I would be inviting unwanted attention and comments. So to avoid any possible negativity, I rarely wore a skirt. Back in those days, the only thing I wanted to do was hide and not be noticed.

When I finally decided to accept my body,  I went out and bought my first  pencil skirt. I was no longer going to be in “hiding” and vowed to wear skirts whenever I felt like it. I learned quickly that I preferred skirts over pants, something the old me would’ve run from.  Now don’t get me wrong,  pants have their place (you wont see me shoveling snow in a skirt!)  but skirts have my heart!

Have a wonderful day!

Casual Friday: Creating Options

TGIF all!

A few weeks a go, I was feeling really frustrated by the lack of stylish clothing for plus size women.  As an avid Pinterest follower, I’m constantly wishing the clothes I see on other women were available in my size.  Now don’t get me wrong, plus size fashion has improved dramatically BUT more change is needed.  I would love to see Tibi like full skirts and Peter Pilitto inspired printed dresses for us. Big girls like nice clothes too!

In the middle of my mini tantrum, I decided to take matters in my own hands and contact my blogger buddy Taja of Curvy Urbane (who is a seamstress) to make the clothes that I want.  Since I’m crushing on full skirts, I wanted her to make me a printed one. I met with Taja and we went over the contract and she told me how many yards of fabric I would need.  Armed with that info, I went to Mood Fabrics (yes I watch Project Runway!) with my nephew who helped me pick out this lovely cotton voile fabric.  Taja’s prices for labor are affordable and within reason (she charged me $25 for labor, which included taking my measurements, fittings, ironing and alterations).  Combined with the price of the fabric, the custom skirt cost less than most skirts I own.  I was so pleased with how it turned out, I dropped off new fabric today for another custom skirt! So if you’re in the Philadelphia area and are looking for a good seamstress, definitely give Taja a call.  I promise you wont be disappointed!

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I HATE SNOW!!! LOL

Shirt: Old Navy
Skirt: Custom by Curvy Urbane
Booties: Ivanka Trump
Necklace: Bauble Bar

Casual Friday: Pretty Woman

Happy Hump Day all!

I’m  usually not influenced by celebrities (this doesn’t include my BFF in my head Michelle Obama!) but after seeing Julila Roberts’ outfit at the Golden Globes earlier this month, I wanted to see if I could pull something similar off.  Lately I’ve been trying to have some fun with my work wardrobe to keep things fresh.  I think this strapless top/shirt combo definitely accomplishes my mission.

How do you liven up your work wardrobe?

Have a wonderful weekend!

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Strapless top: Forever 21+
Shirt: Old Navy
Skirt: Target
Necklace: H&M
Shoes: Bandalino

Style Inspiration: The Werk Place

Happy Hump Day all!

Since I’m home due to yet another snow day (grrrr!), I decided to do another Style Inspiration post to stop me from binging on the Investigation Discovery channel (there’s only so many disappearances, murders and deceit one can watch!).

My look today is inspired by the uber chic Tiffany from The Werk Place.  I’ve been admiring Tiffany’s unique style ever since I saw her outfit posts on Pose.   When it comes to fashion, some people just have “it” and Tiffany is definitely one of those people.  So when I saw her gorgeous print on print outfit, I knew I had to put my spin on it.

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I  haven’t mastered the art of print mixing like Tiffany but the mix of  polka dots and stripes were right up my alley.

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So check out Tiffany’s blog and show her some love!

Have a great day!

Shirt: Old Navy (bought 2yrs ago)
Vest: Forever 21+
Skirt: Old Navy
Shoes: Nine West
Necklace: Shoplately
Clutch: The Perfect Clutch

Style Inspiration: In My Joi/Foxcroft Review

TGIF all!

A few weeks ago Foxcroft contacted to me to review some shirts from their plus collection. I picked a tartan plaid & green polka dot shirt to review. The shirts are described as “wrinkle free” which intrigued me. I’m not a fan of  ironing so anything claiming to be “wrinkle free” is a huge plus in my book.  When I got the shirts I was happy to see that they looked exactly like their pictures online. I immediately  started to think about what to wear with them.  No sooner than I thought that, I came across this post from  In My Joi (one of my favorite bloggers!) where she sported this fab outfit:

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I instantly fell in love with her look and decided to put my own spin on her outfit by wearing the plaid shirt with my red pants suit today. The shirt, so far it has remained  somewhat “wrinkle free” as I write this.  I say “somewhat” because there is some creasing where I fold my arms and where I tucked my shirt into my pants. Honestly I don’t think creasing around the elbow and waist areas can be adverted. When I wear the shirt again, I will  run a warm iron over the creased parts  to smooth them out but that’s about it. Another plus for me was when I buttoned up the shirt it didn’t pull or gape open around my bust. This is a huge deal for me because I tend to shy away from button up shirts because of this issue. It feels good to know I finally have some shirts that fit properly in that area.  The sleeves weren’t tight around my thick arms and I was able to move freely without feeling constricted.   Foxcroft shirts are not inexpensive (they range between $88-92) BUT if you want quality you sometimes gotta spend a little dough.  If you think about it,  spending $20 each time to replace a poor quality shirt will add up over time. For me, I rather pay money for one quality shirt that I wont have to keep replacing over and over again. Bottom line, Foxcroft makes quality shirts and I would recommend you give them a try!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post by Foxcroft. Opinions expressed are 100% my own.  In My Joi gave me permission to use her photo. Her picutre is property of In My Joi

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Suit: Calvin Klein
Shirt: c/o Foxcroft
Shoes: Ivanka Trump
Tie: DKNY