Never Say Never

Am I the only one who straight up eye rolled when belt bag/bum bags became a thing recently? I scoffed at it and said it was so not up my alley, and I thought I would never cave in to this trend. But blame it on Pinterest, because I saw some very fashionable ladies styling bum bags and looking cute. Especially when I saw the LV monogram bum bag, I lost my frigging mind and I just had to have it. Call me crazy, but I stalked websites and sent DMs until I found mine. I love the practicality of the bum bag more than I thought I would, and I decided to get another one. But I am on a road to fashionable, not a road to bankruptcy, so one luxury bum bag is more than enough. I found this affordable one that has a street but fashionable look.

You know another trend I rolled my eyes at? bike shorts…I for sure thought I would never wear them and honestly, I was wrong. They are practical, easy to wear and fashion forward. As much as I enjoy them though, I do draw the line at the colorful ones. Not that they aren’t cute, but they just won’t work on my body type. Now, there are a few tricks that I use to make bike shorts work for my body type.

Being a size 18/20, I find that most bike shorts are a bit too thin for my liking. So I dug out an old bermuda short from a few years ago and that did the trick, they look like bike shorts but have the control of jeans…perfect.

Styling tip: I have thick legs and a tummy, so one way I make bike shorts work for me is to wear them with extremely oversized blazers, or oversized tees. This look is trendy, comfy, and sexy, so I have worn it in multiple variety this Summer (since quarantine lifted of course).

Chunky sneakers are another trend that I have fallen for, they feel like walking on clouds and are so heavenly! Another tip: They look great with little dresses and satin slip skirts.

What trends have surprised you lately? And where do you draw the line when it comes to trends?

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Green Coat

Believe or not, this picture was from last year, around October. It really reinforced in me the importance of only investing in trends that will carry over for years to come. For example, a classic oversized coat will always be a great piece to own, compared to some trendy ones like some particular types of prints. 

I love oversized big, bold coats and give me a little bit of color on that coat, and I am a goner. I wear a lot of blacks during the colder months so adding a pop of color with my coats is a tip I use to switch up my look. 

This jacket was a vintage find at my local thrift store and I just love how it looks just like some of the coats on the market these days, because fashion is constantly being recycled. For a little bit of a modern twist I added this striped belt and I must say a whole year later, I really like this look.

Shades of Fall

Fall is at its peak right now, all the leaves are turning colors and falling into piles. While I love fall colors, every year I tend to gravitate a bit more towards one in particular and as you can probably tell, rust is my fave fall color this year. 

I also love an oversized fit and according to “fashion rules” that is not flattering for a plus size figure as it makes one appear bigger. But who cares? These days, I am all about being comfortable and fashionable at the same time so I care not if I’m looking “bigger”. So these days, my closet is full of oversized sweaters and jackets that are two sizes bigger than my true size. 

I love pairing my oversized sweaters with skirts and booties for fall, what a way to keep it simple and chic. This open duster is probably the only medium-sized clothing that I own, but I loved the color and the sleeves and thankfully, it is cut a little big so it works. Finally, my skirt is thrifted and I really liked the paisley print and of course, the color.

Thrifted Finds: Blue Velvet Crush

Sweater & Skirt (Thrifted) ◇ Heels (Old) ◇ Bag (DVF) 

Believe it or not, there are still people under the misconception that people who go to thrift stores cannot afford to shop at “regular” retail stores. Well, let me resolve that misconception for you. It is an absolute lie. I have been to thrift stores or for a better word “consignment” stores that housed items worth thousands of dollars. I am talking high-end brands like LV, Chanel and even rarely, Hermes. Plus, the clientele of some of the thrift stores I visit are ladies strolling in with Gucci backpacks and Balenciaga sneakers…I am not exaggerating. Let’s just say that I do not “dress down” when I go thrifting.

So ladies, do not fall for that cliche mindset that only broke folks go to thrift stores…I get that it is not for everybody for a variety of reasons. For example, it takes a whole lotta patience and it is a game of hit or miss. But I have been thrifting since I was a broke college student and I will probably thrift while I get around with rolling walkers, living off my retirement and investment checks. 

That being said, there are certain items that I prefer thrifted and one of said items is a good ole dad sweater. I picked this one up from the men’s section and i just love the muted blue. The suede skirt was the only item I picked up during the Memorial day sale event because bruh, the store was packed you hear.

By the way, who else wears their minibags as bumbags?

NOT YOUR GRANDMA’S RUANA

Ruana (not available online, but check out all their other ruanas here) ◇ Jeans (here) ◇ Booties (sold out but love this here) ◇ Bag (YSL College)

*sigh* Ruanas…what more can I say about them? I have a love-hate relationship with them. You see, I love the concept of them…a fashionable blanket that you can take out of the house. Come on, that’s a genius idea but for the longest time for me they all just looked shapeless and ugly quite honestly. And reminded me of my grandma for some odd reason, until recently that is. I started to see some high-end brands (most commonly Fendi) with these ruanas that really caught my eye. And honestly, I think it might be their beautiful use of their logo that makes it such a stand out piece. 

But since I might choose to spend my hard-earned money on high fashion bags but not clothing, I couldn’t bring myself to cough up $1500 on a ruana, no matter how gorgeous…at least not yet, but never say never you know?

So, I forgot all about my love for that ruana until I came across this one on a casual shopping trip to the mall.

Now, first of all, this particular design came with a belt attached. Since I primarily only wear it wrapped around my body like so, I cut off the belt the minute I bought it. Why do I love this ruana? Number one, it is actually cut to wrap around a plus size figure, not like those one size fits all jokes that look like you’re wearing your little sister’s handouts. Second, it is structured for a ruana, as they’re typically made to drape. And this one does drape, just in a structured manner which I love. Last, the pattern and colors. I love how it is designed with basic colors like black, grey, tan and brown. I wear this ruana everywhere…the movies, to lunch dates, you name it. It is just so perfect for this weather, and it is so very warm and cozy. It is not available online but if you can take a trip to your local store you might get lucky, that’s where I got mine. And I do recommend cutting off the attached belt, that’s my preference.

Striped sweater and denim

Outfit: Sweater (sold out, similar here, here) ◇ Skirt (here) ◇ Shoes (here) ◇ Bag (here)

First of all, can we all just agree that sweaters are in? I mean, they’ve always been in, but these days they are off the charts okay? Remember those oversized, cropped, colorful sweaters that used to be featured in shows like the Cosby show, a Different World, Living Single and them all? Those sweaters are back in honey! So go hunt your mama and grandma’s closet and basement gals, or in my case hunt your local thrift store.

Fall Trends I am Thankful For

Outfit: Skirt (Thrifted, love these here, here, here) ◇ Blazer (Thrifted, love these here, here, here) ◇ Belt (here) ◇ Shoes (similar here) 

This look has a few “trends” that I am thankful for this year, can you guess what they are?

The first being the oversized blazer. I have been spotting oversized blazers everywhere, paired with short shorts, pants, dresses, everything. I talked a little bit about my love for thrifting in my last post and one of my favorite items to thrift are blazers. Oversized, vintage, padded shoulders blazers. I love the heck out of them and if I could wear them everyday, I would. Which is why I am so glad that they are back. I love them so much that I even look through the men’s section for them and that is where I found this particular one.

 

 Another trend in this look are definitely the animal prints. I have always loved animal prints and it puts a smile on my face when I see all sorts of prints styled on mannequins at department stores or fashion spreads these days.

I think the color brown is one of the colors for Fall 2019, at least according to looks that I spotted on runway pictures. Although it has never been one of my go to colors, I definitely like the maturity of this color. I also love the versatility as it comes in so many different shades and for that reason can fit so many different complexions. I especially how it looks paired with black.

Finally, the last trend is the column skirt, but think the Claire Huxtable kind of column skirt. Bias cut skirts are very popular right now especially a particular leopard print, silk one that every influencer and their mama have right now (you know the one I am referring to :). But this denim skirt is another one of my thrifted finds, picked it up at my local Goodwill for about $5 and I also love pairing it for my library study sessions with flat mules, a tank and of course, an oversized blazer.