OOTD: Rainy Day Alternative

It’s a full week of rain in Toronto … and although I’ll happily take it over snow, I’m always looking for alternatives so I can avoid carrying around a giant umbrella to get from A to B in the city.

I have the best pair of galoshes!!! These pink paisley rubber boots basically screamed “Irene” when I scored them a million years ago from Wal-Mart.

20140402-230400.jpgBut sometimes, a girl doesn’t want to be in humid rubber boots all day.  Plus, these boots don’t exactly go with ever look and outfit.  😉

So here’s what I put together as a Rainy Day Alternative recently … in an effort to rid myself of an umbrella and galoshes.

The solution: A giant hat + booties!

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Now naturally, this alternative is only good if the temperature is warmish (15+) and rain not too heavy so your footwear doesn’t get ruined.  Since my jacket was 3/4 sleeved (and extremely light), pairing it with this fun scarf helped give me that extra bit of warmth.  If you wanna see the many other ways to tie a scarf, I’ve got you covered in that link 🙂

Since the overall colour scheme was pretty simple and muted, I thought I’d add a pop of colour by wearing this HOT Pink gold studded belt to give my outfit some pizzazz!

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I’ve been all over this circle scarf I picked up back in November from Aldo (I even mentioned it in my Interview upon being nominated for a 2014 LIEBSTER BLOG AWARD).   It’s a light-weight simple beige toned bird patterned scarf, that I find myself adding to any and all outfits I whip up, especially on the weekends for running errands or impromptu meet-ups for brunch, drinks and the like.

Like the look?  What are your solutions to looking cute in the rain?

 

How I Got The Look:

Bird circle scarf, Aldo Accessories (click here for related other posts)

Pink paisley galoshes, Wal-Mart (click here for related other posts)

3/4 sleeved brown jacket, AdditionElle

Black n’ white striped long-sleeved dress, Old Navy

Hot pink studded belt, Your Big Sister’s Closet

Large cream brimmed hat, Toronto Vintage Clothing Show(click here for related other posts)

Faux cowboy booties, Payless( click here for related other posts)

 

Jumpsuits & Rompers

I’ve come along way with accepting my body as it is.  I don’t follow a set of  ‘large lady clothing rules”, per say.   One should wear what they want, because they want to.  Because THEY like it and feel good in it.

But, I’m  still  mindful of what cuts, fabrics and styles are the most flattering for my body’s shape and how comfortable I’ll be when actually wearing a particular piece.

Being petite, often cuts are “off” on me….meaning, if I find something that fits right in the hips, it’s wayyy too big in the arms and shoulders.  So perhaps halters and strapless necklines are the way to go for summer dresses and tops, oh-so flirty, sexy-cute casual look of them …. buuuuuuut have you met my boobs?  There’s no way I’m gonna be able to manage a strapless bra for more than a few hours before it becomes unbearably uncomfortable and my entire posture turns into a real life question mark.  So finding clothes that make me feel good and actually look good on me that require little to zero alteration can be a tricky – trying to find clothes that are also on trend can be an exceptionally challenging.

You must have notice all the hype around Jumpsuits and Rompers in plus sized fashion these days.  Wondering what your thoughts are on them?

Let’s take a look at a few rompers and jumpsuits from the plus-sized fashion retailer sites…to make a better assessment:

 

Strapless Polka Dot Jumpsuit (AsosCurve, $51)

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Ruby Rocks Printed Romper (Simply Be, $54)

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Wide-Legged Sleeveless Jumpsuits (eBay, $42 US)

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 Taupe Drawstring Jumpsuit (Venus, $39) 

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Floral Open-back Romper (Forever21+, $21) – this model is wearing the 1x size

 

 

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 Abstract Muse Jumpsuit (Forever21+, $27.50) – again, this model is wearing the 1x size – Thoughts?

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MY Immediate Thoughts on both Rompers & Jumpsuits:

  • Cute! Cute! Cute!
  • Buuuuuut….all the images display women whom are barely plus sized.  Perhaps most of the above images are 1x models.
  • Wonder what it would look like on a 2x and 3x model…would it look just as cute?  Things that make you go hummm…
  • IF you’ve got a tummy and serious hips and a larger bust … is this trend not meant for you?
  • For the Romper…Deep, low v-back……. ummm, how do I keep the ‘girls’ up & happy when wearing this thing?
  • What about the dreaded ‘camel toe’ situation – it’s just bound to happen in a onezie …and that just ain’t cute in plus or straight sizes!
  • Once all my T&A fills up this one-piece….how short/long will this thing really be on me?
  • How does one pee whilst wearing this? … Seems like I’ll have to be completely naked on the pot in order to get business done, seeing as apparently one must be bra-less in order to wear these low-back numbers.

I’m usually a ‘fashion, before function’ kinda girl.  Buuuuuut….when it comes to rompers & jumpsuits, they seems like wayyy more trouble than their worth.

As convenient as online shopping options are, when it comes to trendy pieces like rompers and jumpsuits,  before I can commit or judge whether it’s a look that I like, look and feel good in…… ultimately, I need to try it on first before I can really say if this trend is for me!  And if I do decide to get on this  style bandwagon, I definitely don’t wanna be dropping a ton of cash on a piece like this.  Again, that’ll all depend on whether I “like” vs. “love” this jumpsuit/romper look on moi!

I’m personally always looking for a flattering fit — regardless of what the trends may be.  Not sure if this is one I’ll be following.  But, as Marie Denee aka The Curvy Fashionista says: “Don’t Knock it Until You Rock it” – so we shall see if this trend is gonna be a PPMeow! fav this spring/summer! 🙂

Who’s already jumped on this bandwagon?  Rompers? Jumpsuits? Where from?

 Share friends…use the Comments section … tell us everything! 🙂

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SexyPlus Clothing Grand Reopening!

I was fortunate to have met Stefanie Augusteijn a few years ago B.B.B. (Before Becoming a Blogger).  When I moved to midtown Toronto, her boutique SexyPlusClothing was walking distance for me when it was located just south of Rosedale subway station on Yonge St. 

I’ve picked up a few coveted pieces from her shop in the past, including my beloved high-waisted leopard pencil skirt,  my black lace wrap top and the highly complimented Cherry Bomb dress.

 

Plus Size Clothing Canada USA, Plus Size Dresses - Sexy Plus ClothingShe’s recently relocated this fab shop.  This past weekend a friend of mine and I took a Saturday morning road trip out to Mississauga to be a part of Stefanie’s Grand Reopening & 5-Year Store Anniversary Party!

There were promises of Fresh New Spring Arrivals + Buy One Get One 50% offers along with Fashion and Beauty Prizes…and best of all Gourmet Cake and Refreshments! 

Don’t let the outside fool you – the store is beautiful!  And Stefanie designed it all herself!!!  The fresh, bright off-white of the entire space and hardwood floors with pops of that SexyPlus signature pinks all over the place, along with the familiar alphabet artwork of Lime Green Squid just make you feel all smiley. 🙂

Lime Green Squid's plus size art
Lime Green Squid’s artwork
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Closer Look of Lime Green Squid’s artwork. A few of these framed pieces were given away to a few lucky customers of SexyPlus Clothing.

“Dress for the weather you want, not the weather you have!”

Decided on wearing this green & black maxi dress w/skinny black belt  ($17 Forever21+) with a cropped cardi ($10 Old Navy) combo with my grey moto leather jacket (Winners) and Rocker-girl boots (Aldo) … regardless of the snow flurries that followed us from Toronto to Mississauga that morning.  My hair was uncooperative this morning as you can see.  Sigh…

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Here’s a few snaps of all the shopping fun that was had at this beautifully renovated boutique for plus sized babes:

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Me with Stefanie, owner of SexyPlus Clothing

 

Special shoutouts to go the lovely shop-girls, Dream Taylor and Sabrina who were uber attentive and helpful, providing honest opinions and encouragement once you’re ready to emerge from the change rooms.  I tried on several pieces, including this lovely ‘Hello Yellow’ dress, this Black n’ White stripped number and this Tiki inspired beach-ready dress:

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I even became the SexyPlus “Guinea pig” for trying on the new Convertible Maxi dress, as Stefanie transformed this lovely navy chevron patterned fabulousness whilst on my body for all to see the many different looks this one piece was capable of.   Please ignore the giant bra straps that are taking away from the loveliness of this dress – clearly I was not prepared to be apart of this impromptu fashion show 🙂

Check out the pics below to see what this Marie Convertible dress in navy chevron can do:20140405-152501.jpg 20140405-152510.jpg 20140405-152518.jpg

It was a delightful afternoon….but as you can see from my face in the above pic, I was clearly torn as to which pieces I wanted to take home with me.   I limited myself to only ONE new purchase of all the items above – I’ve got myself on a strict budget as my closet is bursting at the seams these days with all my recent mini-hauls.

Finally, I decided to buy the Captain’s Bodycon dress – it’s made in Canada!

Waddya think?  Did I make the right decision? (Oh…ignore the moustache socks also…lol!)

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SexyPlus Clothing’s new location: 5100 Maingate Drive, Unit 14  Mississauga, ON  —- with lots of FREE parking friends.  If you get a chance, you should def make the trip out to see what pretty fashions need to be yours!

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From SexyPlus Clothing: The Captain’s Bodycon dress – it’s made in Canada!

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Spring Photo Shoot with Rebecca Northcott

What do you immediately do when a camera is pointed at you and you hear, “Say cheese!”?  Do you know which side is your “good side”? Do you know what angle and what light really makes you look your best in photos?

I’ve generally got one standard photo stance: look straight ahead at the camera, smiling ear-to-ear with an involuntary head tilt.  Not at all model-esk.

Rebecca Northcott is a photography who has recently moved from Leeds, England to put down roots in Toronto, Canada with her hubs.  Yup …she’s a newly wed! 🙂  She’s already done a few outfit photoshoots on my blog here, here , here and here.  (More to come in the future too I’m hoping, xo Bexx). Since I began blogging a mere four months ago…I’ve realized how difficult it is to pose for that perfect shot!  I’ve been fortunate to have Rebecca’s professional eye – a much welcomed change from those photos taken with my shaky hand and iPhone.

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Rebecca has been developing her craft since she was 17, she’s had her work published in magazines and has worked for a range of clientelle over the years. Her recent move to Canada has been a blessing and also a challenge going from a huge client base in UK to rebuilding from scratch here.  Rebecca’s photography style is classy natural lighting with up close portraits. They are her favourite.   Her self-proclaimed OCD about having perfect sharp images is a standard she has set for herself, one which gives her a buzz and excitement as nothing else does.

She shared with me that she still get nervous before every shoot,  because she knows how important it is to the client she’s working with.  Having worked with her several times, I can confidently say that she will produce something wonderful each time – it has always been a pleasure and a fantastic experience working with her!

In an effort to continue to keep her portfolio current, she asked me and a few others bloggers to model some of the lovely Spring Arrivals of Your Big Sister’s Closet so she could snap some editorial type pictures .  How do you say no to a request like that? 😉

So last weekend we, Alex of Not Afraid to Wear Heels, Hanna of Classically Curvy, Karen of Curvy Canadian and moi, PetitePlus, Meow! arrived at the store to get styled in fresh spring fashions with light pastel-makeup faces and headed to High Park for the photoshoot.  Weather forecasted a +7 degree day … but I was still armed with nude hosiery and a shawl…mama didn’t raise no foo!

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The above summary shot links to Rebecca’s Photography page on Facebook, where you’re able to read all about the collaboration and a bit more about each of the outfits worn in each shot.  Between the multiple bloggers who were involved in this shoot,  I thought I would dedicate this post to the artist, Rebecca Northcott, and the art of photography.

I recently stumped upon this article called “The Truth About Photography and Brown Skin”. Writer and photographer Syreeta McFadden eloquently breaks down the problem: Photography has an “inherited bias” against dark skin. McFadden explains that when it came to the invention of color film — developed to be used by the public and taken to a lab — “the technician worked off a reference card [aka Shirley Cards] with a perfectly balanced portrait of a pale-skinned woman.”   This is how modern photography was calibrated: Using a white woman. Which means, as McFadden points out, “film stock’s failures to capture dark skin aren’t a technical issue, they’re a choice.”

Looking at my fellow models from the above “Is It Spring Yet?” photoshoot – I can only imagine that editing MY photos must have taken a lot more time and careful adjusting before they were ready to be shared with the masses.  Take a look at the end results of my photos with the talented photographic eye of Rebecca Northcott below:

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Rebecca Northcott Photography‘s future goal is to get her own studio space and possibly photograph a celebrity or two (here’s hoping!), while continuing to provide her services and create collaborations on personal projects to those in the community who cannot afford professional portraits.

If you want to get in touch with Rebecca, lifestyle photographer specializing in Weddings and Portraits for families in Toronto, Ontario (GTA), use the various links baked into the above post ….as her website is getting a facelift at the moment 🙂

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#OOTD: April Showers

I just realized that I haven’t actually blogged about this particular outfit that I posted to Instagram a few weeks ago.  Figured I’d do a ‘rainy-day’ outfit post seeing as we’re in April….and you know what they say, “April showers, bring May flowers”…

Toronto sure could use some springtime flowers already!  Sigh…

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I have the best pair of galoshes!!!  These pink paisley rubber boots basically screamed “Irene” when I scored them a million years ago from Wal-Mart.  They are still in great shape and continue to keep their waterproofy-ness…although I have noticed that I can’t wear them for too long, as they make my feet extremely warm.  These boots have been my go-to for those early morning and last evening Dog-Walks, but I’ve worn them as part of an all-day outfit occasionally.

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These pics were taken as I was getting ready to see a Saturday Mirvish matinée performance – fashionable & functional seeing as it was raining cats & dogs that afternoon.  So I went for light, bright colours like this Robin’s egg blue card with this ‘hello yellow’ tank with solid navy w/Tuxedo stripe pants.  The look was very plain, so I added this amazing springtime scarf I picked up at Winner’s to really tie everything together…in a bow 🙂

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Did you like my rainy day look?

Subscribe to my WordPress site friends …. let me know what you’d like me to blog about next.

What looks to you find challenging to put together?  What would you to read about on PetitePlus, Meow?

Use the comments section and let me know 🙂

How I Got The Look:

Springtime colourful scarf from Winners; Yellow tank from Reitmans

Robin’s egg blue cardi + Navy Diva pants from Old Navy

Paisley galoshes from Wal-Mart and vintage yellow swirl earrings from a #tvs friend

Herringbone jacket from Forever21+, seen here

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Herringbone Jacket

OMG!!!  How terrific is this Herringbone Jacket …and I got it for $41! I know! I know! I said I’d be focused on refreshing my CURRENT closet and not buy too many new pieces.  But how could I leave this fab piece behind!?   Look at it!! How great it is!   I’m only human people! 🙂herringbone2

Typically being busty, I shy away from double-breasted coats …but the angled collar, length, faux pockets and pleat in the back (sorry I didn’t get a shot of that friends) just made me fall in love with how this jacket fit me.

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This lovely jacket has already helped produce a bunch of fab looks both over dresses and skirts and especially with pants.  I’ve only photographed one of the many Looks I’ve already incorporated this jacket into only having had it a short while.  Really helps boost the quality of a dress-downed weekend look, say over jeans and a sweater.  And totally helps rock a trip to the office or a Saturday night out in pink pumps!

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Photo credits: Tami Falus

 

How I got The Look:

Herringbone double-breasted jacket from Forever21+, Eaton Center

Faux leather pants from EDIT Jeanne Beker, AdditionElle Yonge/Queen Sts

Pink pointy toed pumps from NineWest

Large black n’ ostrich wristlet-purse from Aldo

Sunglassess, NineWest

Bunmaker hair accessory from ConAir, Target

 Have you LIKE’d the Petite Plus, Meow’s Facebook Page yet?

LIKE. Comment. Share.   🙂

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Peplum, Pencil Skirt and Pink Pumps

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A peplum top and a pencil skirt are two pieces, when paired together, can never go wrong! Especially helpful for plus sized divas, as it cinches in at the waist and helps create an hourglass shape.

Photo credits: Tami Falus

 

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The classic black and white combo with a loud splash of colour with the pink pumps gives me a bit of edge, to an otherwise lady-like outfit.

P1000356How I got The Look:
Black peplum collar tank from Forever21+, Toronto Eaton Center
Stripped pencil skirt from Thyme and Honey, Marshalls Richmond/John Sts
Pink pointy toed pumps from NineWest

Welcome to Petite Plus, Meow!

Hiya friends!

For the last few years now I’ve learned and managed to embrace my plus sized-busty-vertically challenged bod with zeal by making sure I “dress with style” for everyday, regardless of having an occasion!

Many people have suggested, even urged, for me to start blogging about my fashion finds and looks that I put together for myself.  Not having ever felt like I was an authority on anything fashion related…I simply accepted the comments as compliments and never took them too seriously.

I’ve been finding recently however, with all the fashion blogging sites I personally follow, none of them really speak from a petite (short) plus sized large busted woman of color’s perspective. So, here I am hoping to fill that void/niche with this Fashion & Lifestyle blog. 🙂

My name is Irene….and I welcome you to Petite Plus, Meow!

Contact email: petiteplusmeow@gmail.com

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Photo credit: Michael Hope

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