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"Create your own style… let it be unique for yourself and yet identifiable for others." ~ Anna Wintour
Happy February! This is the month of love and I plan to love on myself extra all month long. I'm in the midst of this wonderful love affair with myself and it has been life-changing.
Two weeks into the month and already it has been incredible with New York Fashion Week, being featured twice in articles about loving yourself, being seen on the Society Plus website and having a curated "closet' on Avenue.com!
Avenue is such an amazing company. They have provided fashion options for me since I was a teenager and I even worked at an Avenue store for two years. I will always be a loyal customer because they genuinely want to offer their customer what she wants and are so open to working with bloggers above a size 22.
You can view my closet here and shop the blue cold shoulder dress I am wearing above.
Another great body positive company is Society Plus! Man, Jessica Kane, who is the queen boss over there, is amazing! And she's a size 26/28 herself so she knows our plight in shopping as a plus size woman. I am so honored to be featured on her site, wearing her gorgeous Midington skirt in red. You can view my feature on Society+ here.
I was also featured in La Voz Hispana Newspaper in a feature about wearing red and loving your curves on Valentine's Day. Special thanks to the author Marta Rivera for including me.
Lastly, I was honored to be included in a feature by Alysse Dalessandro of Ready to Stare all about being single and happy on Valentine's Day. You can check that out here.
Stay tuned to the blog tomorrow to hear about a project I launched this week, which is near and dear to my heart. Hope you are enjoying this month of love and showering yourself with extra love and self-care now and all year round. I know I am! :-) #beinspired #befearless
"Why change? Everyone has his own style. When you have found it, you should stick to it." ~ Audrey Hepburn
When you're told as a young child what to wear and what NOT to wear, it's hard to shake those fashion rules from your mind and not let it affect your style and what you wear.
Looking back now, I see how suppressed I was fashion-wise and sometimes, I will admit, I feel like I wasted so much time listening to what others thought. But then I think of the overall journey and realize that I had to go through those moments to get to the place I am now.
I'm 46 and I have mermaid hair, love wearing graphic tees, anything leopard print and sneakers. I love wearing pearl necklaces, bangle bracelets and hoop earrings. I love shiny things and all things sparkle. I own so many moto jackets in different colors and just love to mix lace and leather. I don't feel my age AT ALL.
And most importantly, I have learned that age, size and gender should never dictate your style and who you are.
I was reminded of that this weekend while my nieces visited. My middle niece is 14 and she's wonderfully different. She reminds me of myself. She loves wearing black and purple, loves skulls, leather, studded pieces, flannel shirts and Doc Martens.
She is a brilliantly gifted artist who aspires to work for Disney Pixar one day. And she is currently having a hard time with being true to herself in this judgmental world.
Seems to me it's harder now than it was when I was coming up. I grew up in the 70's and 80's when there was no social media and we actually met up at 3pm after school to fight it out with our fists but even that was rare. Most times, situations were mediated and squashed quickly. You had that one bully in school but it wasn't to the extreme it is now.
Kids nowadays are ruthless with cyber bullying and memes. Cameras and video via their phones and now those fists have been replaced with guns. There isn't just one bully anymore to fear but a group of bullies -- sometimes it can feel like the whole school is against you. This is how my niece feels and I have to admit, I feel helpless and just want to take her out of school and protect her from the world.
This weekend, she was crying about Valentine's Day, saying that she refuses to wear a dress because that's not her. She said she'd rather wear jeans and a tee instead. And I was trying to console her and tell her that she can wear anything she wants, when my youngest niece Angel, who's 10, blurted out:
"Just dress how you want to be!"
Man, out the mouth of babes! We all just looked at her and I asked her to say that again. Who knew a 10-year old would change that moment into a positive one?
It made me think how hard I fought against society and got to this place where I dress how I want to be. And my wish for all three of my nieces is for them to not wait until the age of 46 to dress how they want to be. This reminded me how important it is for me to share my journey with them and inspire them to be true to themselves. Everything I do, every step I take, is for them.
I know some people get annoyed with me or think I am some Pollyanna who is all about unicorns and rainbows. But I have to be that way for them. They have already lost their dad and no child should suffer a great loss like that. But it happens. So my life is now devoted to them.
Being different is amazing and wonderful. Why would you want to be like everyone else anyway? So I tell all my nieces this daily and I especially remind my middle niece of this, as I pull her into a tight hug. I tell her that she is brilliant, beautiful, smart and incredible. And that I am proud to be her aunt.
And when she left to go home with her sisters, she said to me:
"I love you, Auntie. Even all your over-the-top stuff! You inspire me."
And that made my heart swell. Even though sometimes we don't realize it, style and fashion are not just for you but for everyone. You can inspire someone and give them life by just dressing how you want to be.
The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud. ~ Coco Chanel
As many of you know, I have been working as a First Fit Reviewer for Gwynnie Bee for a year. I basically act as a fit model for new styles and provide honest reviews on the styles I try, in order to help other women find styles at GB that will work for them.
Me with fellow First Fit Reviewer/Model Ada of Gypsy in the City |
Every month, I will be giving all of you a sneak peek as to what's to come the following month that are my favorite styles. I'm a little behind on January's picks (sorry!). It has been a crazy time in my life.
As always, check out my reviews on the GB site for a more detailed description of my fit experience and if you have any questions, you can always reach out to me on Facebook and Instagram.
I have to kick this off with these amazing Melissa McCarthy Seven7 Splatter Pencil Jeans. I loved them so much that I forgot to take a pic of myself while I was shooting! But I also wore them with this Johnny Was Sammy Blouse in Navy when shooting images for the site and that top launched this week so here's that image:
These magical jeans will launch on February 5th.
Melissa McCarthy must be unknowingly trying to win my fashion heart over because this Broken Stripe Ponte Dress is also from her Seven7 collection and I LOVE it!
I have been very vocal about the MMS7 brand because the fit has been a hit or miss for me. But it has gotten so much better with each collection so I am not giving up on it. More hits than misses. Yessss!
This fantastical dress is ponte knit heaven. And it has pockets! I love the hints of forest green and silver in the print and the length is wonderful. I gave this one 5 hearts and it's available now on the GB site.
I'm such a major fan of indie brand Universal Standard. Quality clothing that's modern, chic and fits so well. So I was excited to try this Rhine Color Block Split Top in Red and Pink. I love the fitted silhouette and it gave me an excuse to wear my red flats. Very stretchy and so comfortable while maintaining its casual chic vibe. This top is available now on the GB site.
This Perfect Wrap Dress in Fringe Wine from Leota is perfect indeed! I have become obsessed with wrap dresses since working for Gwynnie Bee. I always stayed away from them because I didn't like the idea of a dress being held together by tying it on the side and wrapping it around you. I know it sounds ridiculous, LOL. And I laugh at myself now because wrap dresses look so great on my shape. It accentuates my bust and waist and leaves me room in the hips area to be comfortable.
The color of this dress is gorgeous and I love the print. A must-have! And it's available now on the GB site.
My two closet picks of the month are:
I'm wearing a 4X and I just love everything about this top. The print is pretty, the fit is perfect and it's just comfy and easy to move around in.
I love City Chic so much! I like to show a little skin but still keep it conservative (as my goddaughter keeps reminding me, I am a grandmother now, lol). This top is perfect for that. I'm showing my tummy but I still feel covered. I'm wearing an XXL (24).
As always you can read my full reviews on the GB site. If you aren't a member of Gwynnie Bee and want to try the service out, you can try it for 30 days FREE of charge. Just click here to sign up. You won't be disappointed and you'll never know until you try.
Stay tuned! I will be sharing my faves for February 2017 at the end of this month.
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