mixing patterns in plus size outfits

Spring Forward

Photo credit: Rebecca Northcott Photography

Spring has officially sprung! Which means the fun of transitioning your winter pieces into springtime ones begins!

I picked up this amazing green Fanny Midi Skirt from Tatyana Boutique way back when.

I went bold and tried mixing 3 different patterns in this outfit: Checkered Shirt. Floral Purse. Fanny Skirt.

This gorgeous vintage purse was an amazing find at the Toronto Vintage Clothing Show …click here to see more on that

But, I also had a more tamer option….

**Outfit Deets:** Purse, *Aldo Accessories;* Glossy Pumps, *Payless Shoes;* Skirt, *Tatyana Boutique*

This high waist circle skirt featuring a fan design on green fabric with pockets and pleating detail around the waist is what continues to make this skirt one of my beloved pieces of my closet ❤ ❤ ❤

It was a pricey piece…so I’m thrilled to be able to make it work for springtime too!

Wanna see this Fanny Skirt styled in different ways? Click here and here and here 🙂

*How I Got The Look:* Checkered shirt, *H&M+*; Fanny skirt, *Tatyana Boutique;* Purse, *Aldo Accessories;* Glossy pumps, *Payless Shoes*; Bracelets and necklaces are super old

No matter what the season, it seems you can’t really got wrong with a checkered shirt. I found this one at H&M+ … anything black n’ white makes it really easy to pattern mix with.

Want more on mixing patterns, click here, here and here. 😉

Ha! I think I was trying to Lindyhop on carpet for this shot. Leave it to the artsy eye of Rebecca Northcott to capture the silly moment perfectly. xo

What do you think of this look? How do you transition pieces from your winter wardrobe to spring?

Tell me your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Plaid, Pleats and… Pigeons?

Ok friends, if you’re following me on Instagram (if you’re not, they you should …start already geez) 🙂

I recently did an unexpected shopping haul from good ol’ Old Navy …and picked up these pieces of Fall goodness…

Booties, *Reitmans*; Hat, *Winners;* Plaid shirt and Bird skirt, *Old Navy*

Late September/early October…we were still having gorgeous, warm, sunny temps.

I was lucky enough to wear this ensemble …. stockingless with all my open-toed shoe and peek-a-poo mid-drift exposed glory!

It was kinda of perfect, just warm-enough-wear to get away with for an entire afternoon out and about.

Think I was off to have lunch with a few friends, before catching the Mirvish production of Kinky Boots. (Such a good show – Cindy Laupur is totally present without actually being present) ❤

Plaid shirt and Bird skirt, *Old Navy*; Jellyshoes from Malaysia; Fringe purse, *Aldo*

This bold pattern mixing of plaid on top, with birds on the bottom got me a ton of compliments!!!

But the most reoccurring of comments was: How did you know these patterns would work together?

Here’s my ‘trick’ when it comes to mixing patterns: match colors, not prints.

If the colors look good together, more often than not the patterns or prints will look good together too.

Notice that the birds of the skirt pickup the reds, blacks, and mustard colours of the plaid shirt. 😉

For some, this might be too bold, but it’s really a matter of personal preference. Matching colours seem to be the safest bet. That said, you’ll never go wrong with black and white — they go with everything.

Adding dark hosiery just changed the vibe of this outfit.

Not only did it help warm up the look (literally), it added a hint of night-time sophistication to an otherwise casual look, don’t you think?

Wore this outfit this way for an evening of outdoor gazebo swing dancing in the Beaches…a lovely way to end a busy work week.

Want more Mad for Plaid looks? Click here and here.

Want more Pattern Mixing? Click here, here and here.

Want more Lindy Hop Swing Dancing? Click here, here, here and here. 🙂

Is plaid something you’re doing more off in your Fall outfits?

How have you been mixing patterns in your Fall looks? Tell me about them in the Comments below.

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Stripes & Leopard

The week began with a post I called Edgy Officewear — there was quite a few comments on the PPMeow Facebook Page encouraging me to do more office appropriate looks on the blog. (Thank you for the feedback and interaction … it really does help me create content that YOU want to see & read…so keep those comments coming!)

It just so happens that I’ve got to head into the office 3 days in a row this week. HAZZA!!! If you’ve been following the blog for a while, you know that I’m one of those fortunate/unfortunate people who get to work from home most days…so planning work wear this week was a real treat for me. Nerdy-Nerdsony thing to say – yes, yes, I know. 🙂

I’ve been more daring these days with mixing patterns in my looks. When I first picked up this fabulous stripped cropped blazer from one of the many blogger racks at this year’s BigDeal Toronto event, my first thoughts were…

BEETLEJUICE! BEETLEJUICE! BEETLEJUICE!

But the cropped style of this blazer and the classic black n’ white combo really hooked me …..and the price: $10!!! Yup! It needed to come home with moi! (Stay tuned for a complete event recap blogpost for BigDeal Toronto soon friends).

Being both petite (short) AND plus sized, finding perfectly fitting dress pants are the biggest nightmare ever. Buuuuuut I have fallen in love with Old Navy’s Pixie Pants … they fit perfectly even after several washes. (Click here to read my post on discovering this line of fabulous pants.)

Let me apologize for the gloomy photoshoot – it was a rainy day in Toronto and I only remembered to take pictures of this outfit AFTER a full day at the office…hence the wear down of makeup and disastrous hair. I was pooped! I dunno how you normies do it – going into the office everyday! Ew! 😉

How I Got The Look:

Striped cropped blazer, Forever21+; Black jewelled tank, Reitmans; Red pants, Old Navy; Leopard fur heels, Calvin Klein; Michael Kors bracelet watch and simple gold earrings.

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9-to-5 & 5-to-9

I wrote this a while a go — and seeing the remaining ‘summer day’ left in Toronto are ones that require sweaters and closed-toed shoes, this post needed to be shared sooner than later.

Enjoy. xo

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The trickiest part to summer (I think) is figuring out what to wear to the office that’s professional, while keeping you cool and comfortable in the heat of summer days. Here’s a quick outfit of the day that got lost on my iPhone – pardon the sleepy expression – early morning sun and posing on my balcony clearly don’t mix:

9a-5p

I’ve owned these pieces for many moons…but have never paired them together, nor have I ever thought of creating an ‘office outfit’ with them.

How I Got The Look:

black peep-toed flats (Payless) these have become a fabulous ‘commuter’ shoe to get from home to office via TTC (usually with heels in my purse)
The white jacket (DressBarn) is super light and meant for summer wear, I think it was meant to be 3/4 length-sleeves…buuuut being petite it basically looks full-length on moi
Baby blue blouse (Forever21+) super light and airy fabric … I especially like the single pocket detail of this tank
Tribal drawstring pant (Reitmans) possibly the most comfortable pants I own. For the most part, these days, especially in summer (I’m a dresses & skirts kinda gal), but these pants are so light that I often find myself double-checking to make sure I’m wear bottoms at all when in these pants. 🙂

5p to 9p…..remove jacket head to nearest patio pub with co-workers & friends!

What do you think of this look? How do you keep comfortable and cool in the summer with your office looks? Tell me in the Comments Section

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Hello, Yellow!

It was a gloomy partly cloudy day in Toronto … and surprisingly chilly for a July day.

With an afternoon full of meetings in the downtown core (yuck), my mood needed some lifting. So I decided that my outfit needed to be bright, loud and fresh.

Here’s what I came up with:

I’ve been searching for “the perfect yellow” – very difficult to find. Found this lovely light-weight sweater in the clearance rack ($14) at Reitmans in The Duffrin Mall the other day, figured I’d be saving it for the Fall, but today was just cool enough to unveil it.

My favourite parts of this outfit are the shoes and purse!!! Picked up both pieces LAST summer…..when I was totally obsessing over this amazing turquoise colour. Even my earrings match in this outfit. Aren’t these shoes just fantastic!!!! Gawd! I love them! 🙂

So….Waddya think?

Multiple patterns! Loud colours! Too much for an afternoon in the office? Maybe…..buuuut I don’t care.

I like it! It totally lifted my mood – and I’m ready to face these meetings with a “passionately neutral” approach 🙂

How I Got The Look:

Yellow & white stripped summer sweater from Reitmans; Grey checkered pencil skirt (click here to see skirt in other posts), Dorothy Perkins from The Hudson Bay Co.; Fabulous patterned peep-toed pumps from Nine West; Turquoise purse from Aldo Accessories; Earrings gifted.

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