My Version of the September Issue

In honor of The September Issue of Vogue, I decided to put together a list of my top places to find fashion and fashion news.

Gabifresh: I love me some Gabi Gregg. I've been a loyal follower of hers for about three years now. She's a plus size fashion blogger. She advocates for body acceptance and I love her style. She is a brand adviser for Eloquii, which in my mind is the only plus size line that does it right. You can see my earlier post about them here.

Marie Claire: My favorite magazine of all time. Nina Garcia, their fashion editor, is a genius. She along with Tim Gunn and Nicolette Mason compile some of the best advice around. Garcia is also the author of several fashion books that I plan on reading eventually. Amazon sells a subscription for $10, if you, like me, prefer the paper version.

My favorite places to shop:

Charming Charlie: I LOVE Charming Charlie. They specialize in accessories: Scarves, jewelry, shoes, and handbags. It's heaven. They're also reasonably priced.

Eloquii: I can count on Eloquii by The Limited to provide those pieces that are hard to find. A cocktail dress, classic black slacks, a high-low skirt I searched for all summer, I can be certain i  can find them there.

Torrid: This store, owned by Hot Topic, is edgy. Here is where I find my fun pieces like knee-high boots. Those boots were the perfect compliment to my skinny jeans in the winter. I am planning to buy another pair this year.

Later I'll include some pictures of my fall favorites.

UPDATE 9.23.2012!

As promised, some of my favorites for fall 2012

Shirt dress by Eloquii

I have been looking for a pair of colored jeans all summer. I may purchase these from Old Navy.

 

 

Animal print from Torrid

The fall is not complete without a cowl neck  top, also from Torrid.

UPDATE 9.25.2012!

Some when I did my first update I wanted to include this great jacket I saw but I couldn't remember where I saw it. I realized today it was Target. So I'm adding it now. I want this coat so badly. I love the collar. I like it best in navy but it comesin black and olive too. I'm determined to have it eventually.

 *All photos are from store's web sites. I own no rights to them.

Evans USA

One of my favorite magazines, Marie Claire, has a column called "Big Girl in a Skinny World." The new writer Nicolette Mason, offered some advice about where to find boots with wide calves. One of said recommendations was Evans USA; they are a British company but now sell in the USA, like H&M and ASOS.

When I read the article I thought Nicolette was speaking directly to me because I have the worst luck with boots and I had just worn out my favorite pair, gray over-the-knee boots from Torrid, and it broke my heart. I bought and returned four pair in an effort to replace them. I was at my wits end; so, I decided to check Evans out. What Nicolette failed to mention was that Evans specializes in all types of plus size clothing, beautiful plus size clothing and accessories.

I took Nicolette's recommendations and bought a pair of boots and... what else but a new scarf! By now everyone knows about my borderline unhealthy scarf addiction. I'm so excited about them. I'll post a review after they arrive.

That is all.

Click here for more of Big Girl in a Skinny World.

Charming Charlie

For the last few weeks I was home in Chicago for my Christmas break, the last one I will have -- by the way. While there, my good friend took my shopping and recommended a store she thought I'd like.

Turns out she was right, the place is called Charming Charlie and my life has not been the same since. The cool thing about the store is they specialize in accessories, jewelry, hats, and my favorite... scarves. Did I mention that I'm addicted to scarves? They're my favorite accessory.

The store is organized by color, yes, color. So if I need a pari of orange earrings to go with a new floral skirt I know exactly where to go. It is a dream to someone who is borderline OCD, like me. Anyway, I wanted to buy everything in the store, literally. I finally settled on a functional blue wallet and gorgeous floral scarf. To further my addiction, I ordered their Yala Boot in brown online the following week. 

My new scarf = happiness. Charming Charlie is enabling my addiction to them. 

I'm officially in love. Charming Charlie can expect to receive lots of my money in the future.

Eloquii Part 2

After the launch of Eloquii last month, it took me a while to decide what to order. My coupon was going to expire; so, I decided on some business casual necessities, a pair of black slacks and a gray a-line tulip skirt.

One word: fabulous. The slacks are almost perfect. They fit well but they have a side zipper which... let's just say poses difficulty at times. The skirt is the perfect length for me and that's saying a lot because I'm that weird height were petite length is too short but average length is too long, go figure. The ruffle is so girly, a very nice accent.

In my first Eloquii post, I talked about some things I was really hoping to see in Eloquii. Based on my experience the following is the result:

• Thankfully, all their clothes are not black. They have a very popular party dress that comes in a beautiful bright gold. All their blouses come in a variety of beautiful blues, greens, and reds. I'm actually having a very hard time choosing one.
• Every dress and top does not have an empire waist! That's a big deal. I get so tired wearing variations of the same shirt over and over. It's tedious.
• It's pretty modern. There are several pieces that I really like and I think are perfect for the average working young woman.

My only critique is that Eloquii is only available online. I hope that its popularity will cause The Limited to make it available in stores. All in all, I think its a very well thought out line. I plan to patronize in the future and would encourage any plus size woman I know to do the same. Pictures coming soon.

Eloquii by The Limited

I do not consider myself a fashionista of any sense. I am however, a plus sized college student who is constantly searching for clothes that fit well and feel good. I need jeans, suits, and cocktail dresses just like the next girl; so, when I heard that The Limited was creating a plus size line I got really excited, like really really excited.

I felt this way for two reasons:
1. The administrators of Eloquii are working alongside some of our community's most trusted representatives, one of which is Gabi Gregg from Gabifresh. I trust her and I know she knows what this particular corner of the fashion world is missing.


2. I like The Limited as a brand. Many days I have walked past The Limited stores and wished that the clothes came in my size. Starting Wednesday, they will.


My hope is that Eloquii's teams understands this curvy world as much as they claim. I wear colors other than black. I do not want every dress and top I own to have an empire waist. And most of all, I do not want to dress like my grandmother at 21! I need structure and support without sacrificing style, elegance and grace.



Judging by the photos and videos on  Eloquii's Facebook, they understand these things thoroughly. I am really looking forward to seeing all they have in store for us come the 26th!