office wear for plus size

Last week, Today

Hey, hey, hey….it’s Monday! And you know what that means – NEW BLOGPOST!

I’ve been battling my iPhone4s photo taking space… yes, it’s an old eff’ing phone…but it doesn’t have a cracked screen and I can’t bring myself to buy a new one just yet 😛

But I’m committed to recapping my outfits of the week (when I remember to take a snap) into a weekly blogpost for you in a fun series called: Last Week, Today.

Gatsby Glam

I got to be a California Girl last week – check out all the fun things I did on Instagram!!!

And that’s when I got to go shopping at Unique Vintage in LA….who carry lovely reproduction pieces with sizes going all the way up to 4x!

Gatsby Glam is something I struggle with – so when I found this lovely on the sale rack, I had to try it on and hope for the best. It was a bit too small for me, but still lovely none the less. Pardon my lack of slip.

Drappy Jumpsuit

**How I Got The Look:** Shoes, *Payless;* Blazer, *INC Hudson Bay Co*.; Belt, *Reitmans;* Jumpsuit, Venice Beach shop (forget the name :/)

Whist in LA last week, I found this drappy black jumpsuit from a shop on Venice Beach. I really wasn’t sure it would work for me, but it was such a different shape than anything I’ve styled before, that I decided to bring it home with me 🙂

I made it “office appropriate” by pairing it with a hot pink blazer, wide belt and lace-up flats. You likee?

Bicycle Swirls

My last look from last week is this great Tatyana bicycle print dress with the greatest capped sleeves ever!

I wore it with the same wide belt I wore earlier that week with the drappy jumpsuit to tame the fun print for corporate life. 🙂

There you have it friends – what I wore last week – hope it provided some fashion inspiration for you to try yourself.

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Let me know which you liked best by leaving a comment below.

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Layers and Leopard

I’m sick of winter! I’m sick of wearing boots! I’m sick of wearing my winter coat!

I’m sick of winter! And it’s making me moody!

I’ve found that wearing colors … even just a pop of color … often helps boost your mood 🙂

This is why I went with a aqua-teal blue collared shirt to pair with my leopard pencil skirt for spending a day in the office last week.

FullSizeRender-7 — Yikes! Dunno what happened with my iPhone camera …ignore the white lines on the shirt, camera malfunction 🙂

Layer your shirts, blouses, tops, etc! An outfit can go from blah to amazing by just adding a simple cardigan, jacket, or even a plaid shirt! (Maybe not with leopard. Or then again..hummmmm)

I especially love this open 3/4 sleeved black cardi I picked up from Reitmans a few years ago …cuz there’s a bit of lace along the shoulders and down the front that just adds an extra oomph to anything worn underneath it. Don’t you agree?

How I Got The Look:

Leopard pencil skirt, SexyPlus Clothing (click here and here to see in other looks); Collared shirt, Lane Bryant; Black lace cardi, Reitmans; Jewellery set, Necessities; Black laced cardi , Reitmans; Booties, Nine West Outlet

Never underestimate the power of good accessories. Many a plain outfit has been saved by the addition of a scarf, belt, or piece of jewelry. But try sticking to one focal point accessory. For example, if you’re wearing a big statement necklace, like me in this outfit, keep your earrings small or skip them altogether.

I picked up these baubles last week – you may have already seen them on my Instagram. Are you following me yet? you should 😉

What tricks have you been using to keep warm, cozy and cute during the winter months that help you make the most of your current closet offerings? Tell me about them in the Comments Section below.

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Keepin’ it Cozy!

I shop A LOT, I know. But before I make a purchase, I always try to make sure I can wear something multiple ways.

If you can’t think of at least two places to wear it, don’t buy it …. is a good rule to follow, I find.

Do you remember this fabulous acid pink dress I bought when AdditionElle opened their new Stockyards location?

Now, that we’re in the depths of January – a pop of hot pink colour is a sure-fire way to lift my mood and spring in my step.

Wore this dress to the office the other day. I simply threw on a warm, extra furry, black and white cowl-neck sweater (a gift I got for Xmas) over top of the dress … belted it … and voila! Winterized and office ready! Boom!

Belts can make everything better. Either a skinny belt over a top, sweater or a sash on a wool coat; having something there to define where your waist is makes you look shapelier. I really am pleased with how it transformed this furry sweater overtop of this dress.

I often pick out my outfits the night before – especially for those days I’m headed into the office. I cannot tell you how many times I used to not bother, then be in a rush in the morning and just put on the first thing I could find in a hurry. With a bit of pre-planning you’ll pick something practical, stylish and feel great, rather than rushing and feeling like a hot mess all day!

Plus it gives you time to pick out your accessories — which I had a habit of running out without when I would pick it out in the morning! I feel naked without earrings and hate looking for the time only to stare at my bare wrist. **grumble grumble**

A little planning the night before is totally worth the effort friends. 😉

How I Got The Look: Acid pink swing dress, AdditionElle; Black n’ white furry sweater, LauraPetites; Sliver buckle belt, Reitmans; Booties, Nine West Outlet

What tricks have you been using to keep warm, cozy and cute during the winter months that help you make the most of your current closet offerings? Tell me about them in the Comments Section below.

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Office Jumpsuit

Since I’m usually a work-from-home kinda gal …. these last few days of having to get up, dressed and out the door to go into the office has created a lot of alarm clock anxiety in my life. I find myself waking up multiple times in the wee hours of the morning (4am, 5am, 6am..) freaked out thinking I’ve overslept.

Well, this fear became my reality the other day, when I opened my eyes to see that it was 8:14am and I was still cozy under my comforter with my first meeting downtown beginning at 9am!

What’s a girl to do outfit wise when time is NOT on her side?

It’s Office Jumpsuit time!

How perfectly did this selection work out. No need to worry about coordinating tops to bottoms. No need for hosiery. Just cover it up with a cardi or a blazer and BOOM – office ready!

As I was running late, I chose to go with my light leather jacket (Danier) and simply wore it all day as a chic blazer to help bring this Summer jumpsuit Fall wearability. [SIDE NOTE: This lamb skinned jacket hasn’t fit me in years – and now it zips up and everything! Woot! Woot!]

Now, I wasn’t always so keen on this onsie-look. Click here for my initial reactions to this plus-size fashion trend. Click here to see how I wore this jumpsuit in the Summer months.

Some general rules I think need to be followed to take a jumpsuit into office wear:

Choose a jumpsuit that is simple and basic. No sparkles. Nothing with a deep-v – keep ‘the girls’ workplace appropriate.
Cover up with a jacket, blazer or cardi to create a more conservative look and neckline.
Keep your jewellery and accessories simple.

I would have loved to rock some pointy toed heels with this look to give me some height and make my legs look longer, buuuuuut as you know I was running late. So flats that matched my purse was all I could swing I’m afraid. Plus, they facilitated in my mad dash into the downtown core as fast as my little legs would carry me!

Who’s already jumped on bringing a Jumpsuit to the office? Would love to know what you did to make it work for you. Use the Comments section … tell me everything! 🙂

How I Got The Look: Jumpsuit from Reitmans; Purse from Kate Spade New York; Jacket from Danier Leather; Swarovski PAWS Jewellery by MyBeaded Designs; Shoes thrifted

Edgy Officewear

Finding office-appropriate outfits, that you actually like, for your plus-size bod can be a challenge.

If you’re like me, you want your clothing to feel and look fabulous, but also to stay within your office’s set dress code.

This sleeveless moto dress is new for Fall from Pennington’s. I picked it up with one of my birthday coupons on a customer appreciation night, and saved BIG!!!

Loving the edgy-chic style of this dress!

Faux-leather inserts, a full front zipper and front pockets. Pairing it with pumps and minimal jewellery helped me take it to the office.

But wearing it with studded booties and a statement necklace, I could totally take this dress elsewhere in the evening.And by wearing something long-sleeved underneath, I could take this dress into Winter while giving it a totally different look. Right?

I see this piece as making many appearances over the next few months my friends. 😉

What do you think of this look? Where would you wear it? As office wear….night-out wear….both…and how? Tell me your thoughts in the Comments section!

How I Got The Look:

Sleeveless Moto Dress from Penningtons (click here it’s currently on sale!); Jade earrings from Stelal & Dot; Kate Spade purse; Pink pumps from Nine West

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Belt It!

I was on the verge of uttering “I have nothing to wear” one morning last week, as I tried to plan my outfit for the day.

All I knew was that I wanted to wear these gold open-toed sling backs (Nine West) no matter what!

I bought them last summer for a wedding I was to attend, but last-minute decided another pair worked better with my outfit instead. So these babies were yet to be worn! AND today was the day! 🙂

Also, I was determined NOT to brush & do my hair…so whatever outfit I was gonna wear needed to go with one of these floral claw clips …

I picked up this cotton polka dot open-backed tank from Old Navy ($10) from their colossal summer sale a few weeks ago.

The aqua/turquoise pencil skirt from Forever21+ ($6) …. both perfect separately, but something was missing when I put them together…

And then I belted it! And Tah-Dah! It became awesome!!! 🙂

Sadly, try as I might there is no escaping the ‘bra-strap-peek-out’ situation. Sigh…

All I hear in my head is that Bubba Sparxx song……..“Booty booty booty rocking everywhere” as I write this post. 😉 LOL!!!

Sparkly gold flats work well with this outfit too (and is what I switched to for my Lindy Hop lesson at LHR that evening)

How I Got The Look:

Aqua Pencil Skirt, Forever21+; Open-back Tank, Old Navy; Sparkly flats and Gold drop earrings, Payless; Open-toed sling-backs, Nine West; Wide Brown Belt, Lane Bryant; Hair Flower Claw-clips, Ardene; and a Suede vintage purse gifted