petite plus fashion – Page 2

2014: PPMeow in Review

Here we are….the last day of 2014! And thus concludes my first year of blogging! Yay!!! 🙂

Thank you for reading, following and commenting. If you’ve got feedback or ideas you’d like me to explore/review in the new year … let me know in the comment section and I’ll do my very best to tackle them as blogposts in the New Year!

There have been 170 blogposts, not bad for the first year! I only really got the hang of publishing and alerting various social media channels towards the later part of the year, so I thought I’d pick out a few of my favourite posts that were maybe missed, or hidden by Facebook at the time.

Go Canada Go! The biggest news worthy thing I remember happening in 2014 is Team Canada winning gold, beating Sweden 3-0 in men’s Olympic hockey! Canada dominated moving into the finals! And at 6am on this Sunday in February bars everywhere opened their doors to die-hard Canadians who support our athletes by drinking beers and cheering at big screen TVs with complete strangers in unison. And to join the hoopla I dedicated an Outfit Of the Day to the win 🙂

Although I often write about fashion – What I Wore – I try to also focus on lifestyle too – What I Did while wearing it. Just as seeing someone who more resembles your body shape wearing an outfit you never thought to try yourself, I write about my adventures at trying something new in hopes that YOU might try it for yourself as well. There have been several specific LIFESTYLE posts around activities I’ve tried such as:

BollyFuze – Now What? a Bollywood dance based workout designed to get you up and moving! Each class runs an hour-long, blending together elements of Indian Classical, Modern Bollywood & Folk dance with main stream fitness techniques that gives you a full body workout. Best part – BollyFuze is designed for all levels, ages & abilities …and with the energetic beats of Bollywood you totally trick your body into getting fit with hip-shaking-fun!

Yoga I personally hadn’t practiced yoga in nearly two years before I found Studio Blue. I was super nervous to go back into the classroom with a bunch of wafer thin bun-headed girls, wearing nothing but LuLuLemon pants and sport bras that matched with zero sweat on their perfectly manicured eyebrows and likely full make-up faces (Why are People Afraid to Try Yoga?) But once I got over the initial ‘scare’ it yield a ton of benefits …. AND I even arranged for a PPMeow! $30 Pass EXCLUSIVE to YOU – my blog’s readers & followers 🙂

Swing Dancing I officially got bit by the swing fever bug at my first Rockabillie Concert… I signed up for classes the very next day. I’ve blogged about my very first swing lesson – describing myself as a hot mess. It was tricky at first, but week after week I felt more and more confident of the steps, felt myself improving and I couldn’t for class to learn the next big move. And now, honestly I dunno what I did without this fun dancing outlet in my life!!! There have been a number of different blogpost related to swing dancing … I love it so… simply type the words “swing dancing” into the search bar within the blog and you’ll find them all friends 😉

There was also Country Line Dancing, singing loudly weekly with Choir, Choir, Choir, my adventures in Speed Dating and fun in the sun with my Vacation Recap post to Grenada. Looking back, this year has been pretty awesome.

The saddest part of 2014 was the passing of my pup, The Berto 😦 But, in his memory Maryanne and My Beaded Designs will be donating $5 to the Pomeranian and Small Breed Rescue (PSBR) from every Swarovski PAW you buy. Have you gotten yours yet? Click here!

WordPress tells me that the busiest day of the year on the blog was April 10th — the post that day was THE Valentina Illusion Dress.

There have been a ton of outfit posts so I’ve created my first Flipagram to capture my faves ….it’s even set to my personal theme song: Golden by Jill Scott 🙂

Thank you again for reading, commenting, following and supporting Petite Plus, Meow! There are some exciting things in store for me and the blog in the upcoming months – as I’m declaring 2015 to be THE YEAR OF TRAVEL in my life. Stay tuned friends.

Wishing you a fantastic New Year’s Eve tonight, and may 2015 be our best year yet! xo

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

LIKE. Comment. Share. 🙂

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.

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

LIKE. Share. Tell A Friend, friend 🙂

Fall Double Feature: Mad for Plaid

Friday! FriDAY! FRIDAY!

We’ve made it through yet another workweek friends…and have gotten to nearly a week’s worth of Fall Fashion trends in my special Double Feature collaboration series with Cassie from Style Cassentials.

We’re discussing fall trends this week – if you missed any of my previous posts I’ve list them at the end of this one…so you can get yourself caught up 🙂

Today we are Mad for Plaid!

I just love the extra large collar of this black sweater. The details like the single collar button and the cable knitting down the front of the sweater, being different than the arms and back of this piece, add a bit more flare to this office-all-business look.

If you’ve been following this Fall Double Feature series….you’ll notice how many of these trends are overlapping. Like this one..combining Sweater Glamour and with Plaid.

This sangria deep red colour is popping up all over in Fall trends this season. Which is lucky for me…as these adorable red booties have not gotten enough showtime in my office, nor has this glossy alligator purse. 🙂

How I Got The Look:

Long pencil skirt from LauraPetite; Black waffled collared sweater from Sears; Sangria red booties from NineWest; Sangria red alligator purse from Elmwood Spa (yes…they occasionally have purses, accessories and footwear for sale near the exit)

Cassie chose to showcase a black and white thin glen plaid pattern in both a blazer option and sheer shirt. See how many of these Fall trends we’ve been talking about all week can easily overlap each other and totally work!!! Love how she’s incorporating Blooms on Black with the Mad for Plaid trend in her blazer look. Head over to Style Cassentials for all the details on how Cassie has styled the trends. Or visit her Facebook page here.

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

LIKE. Share. Tell A Friend, friend 🙂

Photo credit: Lawrence Kerr of LawrenceKerrPhotography.com

Have you missed a few from the special Fall Double Feature? Not to fear…

Loving Leather click here

Sweater Glamour click here

Modern Monochrome click here

Blooms on Black click here

Blue Hues click here

Fall Double Feature: Blue Hues

Hi Friends!! Today is actually MY BIRTHDAY!!!

🙂

Yep, I’m a September baby – woot! woot!

I’ve gotta admit …. this year I’m feeling a bit of the birthday blues … and NOT in a sad, depressing kinda way 😉

Have you noticed many shades of blue have been incorporated into Fall Runway Shows and magazines lately? Blues are often a very flattering colour on every skin tone and silhouette. With almost every shade of blue out there this season …Today we are talking about: Blue Hues!

I hope you’ve been following my series in collaboration with Cassie from Style Cassentials. We’re discussing fall trends this week – if you missed any of my previous posts I’ll list them at the end of this one…so you can get yourself caught up 🙂

This gorgeous royal blue & white Nouveau bodycon dress was sent to me by a delightful online boutique called VoluptousGirlz … and as you can see, it fit me like a golve!

The length of this dress is perfect …giving me a professional look from the front, with the helpful pattern distracting from my tummy. And then when I turn around – BAM!

….Super sexy deep-v in the back!

I have to admit …when I received this dress I was a bit nervous of how low the deep-v really was. There was no way I was going braless!

I found by wearing a thin white cami underneath not only did it solve the hide-the-bra issue, but also created more smoothness for the rest of the dress to lay flater against my body overall.

How I Got The Look:

The Nouveau dress from VoluptuousGirlz Boutique; white & gold bib + gold drop earrings from Aldo Accessories; glossy grey pumps from Hudson Bay Co.; vintage bracelets from spring’s Toronto Vintage Clothing Show; and finally the purse – I cannot remember friends, sorry.

From all of the birthday promotions from my favourite stores filling up my inbox all month long, it is clear that blues are a definite haute colour this Fall. How are you going to rock the blue hues from your closets this Fall? Tell me all about your plans in the comment section below…

While my look is a bit more Va-va-va-voom, Cassie combines fall neutrals like ivory and caramel with a long flowy navy maxi skirt for a laid-back look. Head over to Style Cassentials for all the details on how Cassie has styled the trends. Or visit her on Facebook here. Me likee!

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

LIKE. Share. Tell A Friend, friend 🙂

Photo credit: Lawrence Kerr of LawrenceKerrPhotography.com

Outfit sponsored by Voluptuous Girlz

Voluptuous Girlz is an online boutique that appeals to the Diva whose assets are voluptuous, and she will wear her piece with such style and grace. Each piece is selected by a voluptuous Diva who knows what is takes to appeal to a girl who exemplifies that person.

Have you missed a few from the special Fall Double Feature? Not to fear…

Loving Leather click here

Sweater Glamour click here

Modern Monochrome click here

Blooms on Black click here

Fall Double Feature: Modern Monochrome

I hope you’ve been enjoying and following my Fall Double Feature series in collaboration with Cassie from Style Cassentials. We’re discussing fall trends all week long. If you missed any of my previous posts, you can check them out here and here.

Today we are talking about Black n’ White aka Modern Monochrome: The Classic Combo!
When you’re done reading my post, head on over to Style Cassentials or catch up with her on Facebook for all the details on how Cassie is styling the trends. 🙂

You really can’t go wrong when you rock a classic like black n’ white together. This is the first crop top I’ve ever been brave enough to wear. Waddya think?

I actually wore this exact look for New Year’s Eve this past year…minus the open-toed booties. Swapped them for black stockings and my rocker boots instead, to better suit winter weather.

How I Got The Look:

Skirt and crop top from Forever21+; open-toed booties and burgundy glossy clutch from Aldo; Odetta Cuff and Medina bib from Stella & Dot

For the monochrome skirt in other looks click here. For the crop top in other looks click here. For the open-toed booties in other looks click here.

What do you think about this look? How are you going to be rocking the classic black n’ white trend this Fall? Tell me in the comments section…

Looks like Cassie and I are pulling a twinsy-tuesday with the open-toed booties in both of our Modern Monochrome outfits 🙂 I adore all of Cassie’s jewellery and accessory choices in her look below, don’t you?

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

LIKE. Share. Tell A Friend, friend 🙂

Photo credit: Lawrence Kerr of LawrenceKerrPhotography.com

Size Sexy

How many times have you tried on a piece of clothing a size up from your ‘usual’ … and didn’t want to buy it simply because you didn’t like that the tag wasn’t what you wanted it to say?

On the flip side, have you ever cheered for joy in a change room upon finding your body being able to fit into an article of clothing that’s smaller than your ‘usual’ size?

I know I’m personally guilty of both of these reactions.

Society has us so obsessed with our SIZE. Why are we allowing a number on the back of a tag affect us so much? After all, YOU are so much more than just a number.

Sexy is a state of mind. Confidence is sexy. Body confidence does not come from trying to achieve the ‘perfect body, it comes from embracing the one you already got. It has taken me a long time to learn this lesson. I struggle with it from time to time – me and my body confidence are works-in-progress. And I have to say that blogging has been the major contributing factor to lifting my sexy, confident spirit. 🙂

10712765_261897830685969_7370770697336109030_n

Two years ago, I got an opportunity to reassess and really focus on me again. I began investing in higher quality fashionable pieces of clothing, shoes and accessories – decorating my outside in an effort to uplift my inside. The more ‘grey’ I felt, the more dressed up I would get, sticking to that old adage of ‘fake it ‘til I make it’ – if I LOOKED happy and put-together then I’d eventually FEEL that way too. And it totally worked!

Over the last few months of blogging, taking photos of myself all dolled up, researching new designers, writing about trends and ‘how-to’s’, reading and sharing body positive messages and surrounding myself with positive people who actively strive to challenge the status quo — to re-imagine diverse bodies challenging dominant beauty and body ideas…..has shifted and lifted my self image. And for the first time in my life I can confidently say: I’m hella sexy! 🙂

I had the delight of meeting the lovely Miss Tierra Sedgemore, creator of Size Sexy earlier this month. And am thrilled to be one of the Bloggers she connected with to help spread this message of self-love, acceptance and body confidence.

Me and the lovely Tierra Sedgemore, creator of Size Sexy

For the leopard pencil skirt in other looks click here. For the open-toed booties in other looks click here.

Show the world that you embrace and love every curve of your body because you are #sizesexy in one of these fabulous cotton/Lycra blend v-neck tees.

These shirts come in several colours: Black, Cobalt Blue, Soft Baby Pink and Red. At the moment they go up to XXL, but Tierra is working on expanding the sizing and colour options in 2015 🙂

Want your own Size Sexy tee? Click here or buy them from SexyPlus Clothing in Mississauga and become part of the movement!

“Don’t be defined by your size. Be size sexy.” – Tierra Sedgemore

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

LIKE. Share. Tell A Friend, friend 🙂

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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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

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

LIKE. Share. Tell A Friend, friend 🙂

Do You Know Your Measurements?

I’ve recently been shopping with a couple of slender, vintage loving ladies in my life – both of whom have mad sewing abilities, who come armed with tape measure whenever they are hunting for fabulous vintage finds. Both of these lovelies are avid online clothing shoppers as well. The key thing I noticed with both of them is that they knew exactly what their measurements were. Plus, they had a keen eye for what materials and fabrics … knowing what could be taken in/let out easily for possible adjustments to make these new-to-them-pieces work perfectly for their bods (mad skills I tell you).

So let me ask you……Do you know your measurements?

The majority of women don’t. I certainly didn’t. Perhaps I was too scared to know what they are. Aside from us all getting over the bad habit of comparing ourselves to other women, society has taught us that only thin can be beautiful. With most ads showcasing perfectly airbrushed tall and skinny women to promote impossible standards of beauty, it’s no wonder we struggle with self-acceptance. Sigh… But we – people – come in a variety of shapes and sizes.

You can be the healthiest version of yourself and never come close to a size 4. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. The#MeasureMeBeautiful campaign encourages women to know their bodies and their measurements, because KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!

And your measurements are just that – facts, information. In order to be an informed shopper – you have to know your size. Become educated and empowered. Show the world that your measurements are just that: numbers, facts, statistics. And that they do not measure your worth, greatness, or beauty.

Knowing your measurements will help you look at size charts and know what size you should be trying on in that store, rather than taking what you think is your “usual size” into the dressing room, having it not fit, getting discouraged, depressed and then telling yourself that you must lose weight immediately.

That’s just ridiculous. Fashion should empower women with confidence rather than riddle them with guilt and sadness in retailer’s change rooms. Every woman has the ability to be a fashionista, regardless of their size (or income level, for that matter).

Sizes vary from store to store, and every brand uses a different “fit” model for their line. So let’s throw away sizes all together and simply know yourself! When you know your measurements, you are in control – not the clothing or their designer.

Right? Right!

Here’s mine (and with this knowledge I’ve been in online shopping frenzy mode folks! It’s nuts!!! Stay tuned for blogposts on my haul soon) 😉 ….

The #MeasureMeBeautiful campaign also seeks to reinforce that YOUR SIZE DOES NOT DEFINE WHO YOU ARE as a person! These measurements, my size, the number on the scale do not determine my worth as a person. And I will not let them determine my happiness.

I am many things besides a Size 14, 16, or 18 (at any given store). I am also striving to be a body positivity activist. I am a writer & blogger. I’m a fashionista. I’m a friend, a sister, a daughter. A Learning Designer. An off-key karaoke singer. A lindy-hopper. A homeowner. A grieving mother to a recently departed fur baby (R.I.P. Berto). Why should we continue letting the fashion industry tell us we all must fit into their ‘sample size’ in order to be beautiful or fashionable?

Mallorie Carrington of SmartGlamour came up with this fantastic campaign. She’s challenged me. Now I’m challenging you PPMeow readers, to get involved!

Measure yourself!

Not sure how? SmartGlamour has tutorial videos up here. And for those Petite divas out there who’s not quite sure if they fall under this “Petite” term…here’s a vid just for you:

Visit the #MeasureMeBeautiful website to see what the movement is all about. Take a photo of you measuring yourself and share it along with your measurements on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #MeasureMeBeautiful. Let’s show the world that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes.

Help us spread the word that your size does not define you. Measure yourself beautiful! 🙂

Screen Shot 2014-08-10 at 7.15.04 PM — Curious about my outfit in this pic? Click here for outfit deets 🙂

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

LIKE. Share. Tell A Friend, friend 🙂

Summerlicious Nights

Toronto kick’s off their Summerlicious season!!! Which means this petite plus diva gets to get dolled up to discover and experience the diverse cuisine this city has to offer at exceptional value!!! For two mouth-watering weeks in July, foodies savour delicious three-course prix fixe lunch and dinner menus at more than 200 of the city’s top restaurants.

Last Night a gf and I tried out CHURCH APERITIVO BAR. Located in an old church at Queen and Dovercourt….this spot’s speciality is Italian cuisine. The food was delish with very generous portions. The meatballs were just like my ex’s Nona used to make (once you added some of their chili-flake sauce). There’s a built-in 18% gratuity, and the paired wine with the menu turned out to be $15 PER GLASS. A little outrageous, I think, but waddya gonna do once your belly is full and the bill comes. Sadly, I failed to take any photos of my food … which is very unusual for me… guess we were more hungry than we thought. 🙂

Here’s what I wore:

Does this dress look familiar? That’s cuz … it was one of the dresses I wore for the collaboration photo shoot entitled “IS IT SPRING YET?” with Rebecca Northcott Photography and Your Big Sister’s Closet this past Spring.

I fell in love with this dress immediately! So much so that I had to buy it BEFORE we even got to the location for the photoshoot 🙂

If you look closely at the photo shoot pictures you’ll see my bra strap is showing … sigh. At the time I didn’t have one that was suitable of the way the back of this dress is cut. Buuuuuuut in the newer pictures from this post – this has been corrected with Cacique’s Lace Racerback Bra!!

Black suede platform sandals (Nine West) give me the height needed to wear this lovely maxi dress without any alterations!

Short Diva Trick – I tied a wee knot in the bottom of my dress so that I don’t trip over the length whist indoors without those sky-high platform sandals.

It was a bit on the cooler side that night – with temperatures threatening to dip into high teens tonight (+18) … so keeping that in mind, I paired this gorgeous maxi with an open black 3/4 sleeved cardi (Reitmans). In an effort to keep it ‘summertime fun’, I tied it in front rather than keeping it open so that the lovely paisley pattern doesn’t get hidden. 🙂

How I Got The Look:

Black & paisley maxi dress from Your Big Sister’s Closet (click here to see the photoshoot I did for them that prompted me to buy this dress)

Sandals from Nine West Outlet (click here to see my cross-boarder shopping haul post)

Black open cardi, Reitmans; Silver teardrop earrings, Payless; Black clutch wallet, Ardene

Have you LIKE’d the Petite Plus Meow Facebook Page yet —- LIKE. Share. Tell A Friend, friend 🙂

Rainy Day Office OOTD

Rainy Hump Day in Toronto … which led me to put together this multi-patterned fresh office look of navy and white + a combination of polka dots, stripes and paisley. Yup – three patterns, one outfit. AND White Pants!!! Crazytown, I know! 🙂

At first glance, the outfit looks pretty monochromatic and simple. Navy button-up sleeveless blouse with fabulous white bib, and white pants with wedge platform sandals.

But, if you look real close, these crisp white pants have a delightful paisley pattern on them. I introduced a third pattern by unveiling my new paten-leather Kate Spade purse today (isn’t she a beauty — another spectacular find on my recent cross-border shopping trip – click here for a blogpost on my haul from that extravaganza folks!)

Like most offices, it’s either freezing cold or ridiculously hot – so keeping a blazer handy always works well, and gives you that polished look in case you’re pulled into a meeting last-minute. Today, I went with my navy polka dot ¾ sleeved blazer which is perfect for summer time wear, as the lining is cotton. #winning 😉

Overall, this was a pretty functional and fashionable office outfit – minus the pain of breaking in new shoes. Picked up these fantastic beige-tan-black platforms in that same shopping trip (click here for blogpost)….but as you can see, they’ve massacred my left-foot’s baby toe. #fashionbeforefunction.

My hair started out looking relatively lovely….buuuut throughout the workday it got rained-on repeatedly while running in between buildings from meeting to meeting. The hair situation continued to diminish, finally it ending up getting tied back and outta-da-way. Sigh…