Show Me Your Closet

The sweater I am wearing in this photo helps me to keep my goal of #simplicityinstyling .  I absolutely love it and have fallen back in fashion-love with The Limited , whose brand of sweater it is.  The Asymmetrical styling is a great fit and look for women with curvier figure, but will fit anyone.

By now you have heard that Torrid is in a fashion collaboration with Australian Actress and Comedienne, Rebel Wilson.  If you love comedy and movies you will know she is from the very popular Pitch Perfect , Bride's Maid , and Night at the Museum movies.  I like that whatever anyone says about her and her body type, she does not let it bother her.  I have seen her in full body tights, pleather and even in her underwear. Her confidence is totally curvilicious! Rebel's Scuba Style Flare Dress - Skirt in background Whenever she makes appearances I am always interested to see what she wears.  Over the years her style has evolved, as does anyone's, who discovers and develops their own style sense.   So learning about her collaboration with one of my favorite fashion haunts, Torrid...what a match made in curvy-land!

I have a question for you.   Are you letting the way your body looks, or the shape you are in , stop you from being who you are?   Do you wear whatever you want to in spite of what everyone else may think?   Do you wear leggings, skinny jeans, and any figure hugging style?  Or do you avoid them because you feel your thighs are too large and you can't bear to see them in fitted clothing styles?  

What are some of the items that you would find in most women's closet?  A long sleeved denim shirt  A Button-downed shirt - (two - one color, one white) A sheath dress (aka a straight or shift style dress) A great fitting pair of jeans A tailored jacket A pair of khakis A flirty skirt A stripe t-shirt and a plain one A pair of Converse A pair Sneakers A pair of flats Tanks tops High heels A scarf A sweater A pair of dress trousers A pair of leggings Now, what other pieces could you add to those basic pieces that you already own?  Here is what I would add: Your skirt should be a flirty A-line skirt in a print or plain - or both.

We have discovered that something as easy and simple as a blowout to our hair is a great way to give ourselves a mental boost that not only makes us feel good, but also boost our self esteem.  What other simple things can we do to continue these waves of good feelings?  I often like to wear eye colors, whether it is using eye makeup powder, or eye liner pencils.  I am particular fond of blues and pinks.  Are you?  I find that using makeup to enhance your looks is definitely a way to give yourself a self-esteem boost. I love mixing hues of eye liner pencils, this is Turquoise and Dark Blue However, not everyone likes to wear makeup, or even eye makeup.  Although for some, usually just lip gloss or lip balm will do.  Why not go bold and dare to wear a hint of lip color too?

It has been a while since I wrote about foundation garments .  One such garment is what almost every woman needs in her closet, the Bra.   Much like a swimsuit, or a great fitting jeans, finding a good bra can be quite challenging .  When we find one, either the cup is OK, but the back is not.  Or the straps sucks because it chafes and is too tight across your shoulders.   Sometimes just getting "the girls" into the right fitted cup can be challenging.  Who wants to be wearing a bra where the under-wire is cutting in your skin?  No one!   Bali's Satin Tracings Minimizer Bra - Photo courtesy of Freshpair.com I have these and they are one of the best I've worn so far! This is where my dear curvy divas, having a good fitting bra is so important.  When you know the right size to buy, this helps a lot.  You do know that you can get yourself fitted for a bra right?  Hey, if you watch those gorgeous ladies on Lifetime's the D...

I saw this really gorgeous dress online via keep.com (pictured below) and fell in love with it immediately. The color, the style, the look is really nice. In my head I am saying I can wear that dress. But on the other hand I am thinking about my arm and my shoulders and my back!  I've had this conversation with you before curvy divas, this thing that we do that eats at our self confidence and robs our spirit keeping us from being who we truly are.  Fun, loving, spontaneous, thoughtful...the list could go on because we are all such diverse divas.  Curated by Keep.com via shopnoticemag.com Yet it takes one thing to bring us to our knees, we always think to ourselves, "How would I look in ....?"   just put whatever you want in that space.  I reminded myself to stop doing that. I am the first to encourage and motivate someone, but here I am feeling quite inadequate because I was concerned about how my arms and my body would look in that d...

The last pair you saw me in, rompers that is, were the Milly DesigNation ones.  I loved them.  I was window shopping, didn't get them.  My loss!  I admittedly said I wouldn't wear them out but at home, because for me, they were cute but too short. I do LOVE them! I found another pair that were just as cute. They buttoned down the front, had cap sleeves, and were two inches longer.  The black and white pattern were so stylish!  The cap sleeves had epaulets!  

  Are you ready for it?   Have you heard about Domino Dollhouse's Summer 2015 collection ! In her email to me, Designer, Tracy Broxterman, said "(This collection) is our love letter to our high school selves, embracing grunge 90s styles."  Style looks from the Doll Parts Summer 2015 Collection

According to Rachel Zoe, who also loves that Leggings are a pants alternative , she wrote "Wearing Leggings doesn't mean you've given up on fashion".  I love that statement and I dived in whole heartedly to read her featured article on the Zoe Report .   "You Can Wear Leggings, and Still Look Polished" . Rachel's article was written when the weather was a  lot cooler. Though her ideas to use layers and loads of accessories, "Cozy layers and bold accessories", is so on pointe!   Great minds! :)  

Some people believe that we should never use leggings to replace pants.   I agree.  However, I think that a lot of women confuses tights with leggings. Tights should always be worn under your clothing. Leggings is outer wear.  Take a look at the outfit below. Although I am wearing leggings, I have layered it.  Have you ever had one of those moments when you just don't want to look fat in what you plan on wearing?  I chose this combination outfit for that reason, and for the comfort and style.  I chose  the T-Shirt dress from H&M . I also layered a blue stretchy tank underneath for modesty's sake. The leggings are S.O. brand from Kohl's .

Leggings, the bane of fashion to some, the joy to others.   You know how I feel about them already curvy divas, I LOVE them!  Simply because they are so comfortable, and are the easiest go-to items in anyone's closet.   You must own at least one pair.  You can wear them for work outs:

This is the debut of a new feature on the blog that is called "Window Shopping" .  You may have remembered me mentioning that phrase before curvy divas?   Window shopping is when you go to the mall, or to your favorite store and try on clothes, just to see what they look like, but you don't buy them on that particular trip. Most times this is usually when you are feeling bored and you want to do an activity that will not just relieve boredom, you do it to lift your mood and what a great way to cheer yourself up! You might say, well, what is the point if you're not going to buy anything?  My hubs always ask this question when I say I'm going Window Shopping!lol! My usual response is "It's a woman thing and you wouldn't understand" .  However, for us and this new feature , Window Shopping will be a recognizance of sorts. It is our mission to test out these new store/designer collabs out there. Consider us your R&D! (Research & Develop...

It is the unofficial start of summer and so many of us have been experiencing warmer days.   The one thing that many of us will be doing because of these sunnier days, nope, not sitting in front of the AC, wait, you mean you don’t have central air at your job yet? That’s just not cool. But you know the one thing you will be able to do this summer?   You will finally have sunglasses that will be a perfect fit for your face.   So many of us walk around with sunglasses that slips and slides, or falls off our face the minute we look down or bend over.   There is a way to tell which sunglasses is the best type for you.   If you have a: Square shaped face , you will need an Aviator style glasses.   Ray Ban Aviator Small - this particular one is a petite but there is the regular sized too

I love thrifting, do you? I have not stopped by our local Goodwill in a while and decided to go browse , just to see what I could find. You know what I love about thrifting at Goodwill? Their color theme discount.   If you happen to purchase clothing items and the tag is the color of the day, you get it at half price! A J.Jill Striped dress, a score on special discount! Now normally, I rarely ever get in on that discount . But it's thrifting, and they give student discount, whose complaining?   Not me!  I am really looking for certain items which I will share at another write up, however, I went in with an open mind and a promise not to walk out with too much stuff . I'm infamous for going in for "one item" and walking out with let's just say more than one!

I have seen so many bloggers write about kimonos lately, it's fast becoming one of the favorite fashion trends.   I have Seen so many types of kimonos and so far I am loving this trend. I do love a great cover up and find having those types of clothing in my closet a good thing. Much like a jacket  or cardigan, I doubt you can go wrong.                                                  

Tis the season for brides, in fact, it really is ANY season that a bride to be chooses to get married.  However many weddings take place from Spring to Summer.  It must be something about the warm weather coming back, and flowers blooming with that scent in the air...could it be romance?! I took a  virtual walk over to glamour.com and found some really beautiful photos of bridal gowns in an article written by Glamour contributor Kim Fusaro , in her article featuring Barcelona's annual fashionable event, Bridal Week.

I am sure you have seen those temporary fake tattoos (tatts) that kids and even some grown ups love to wear.  I've also seen some cutesy fashion tatts that my daughter Mandi and  grandson JJ likes to use and I let them have fun with them.  I've even put on a few cute ones on my own wrists in the past. What I didn't know however, was that fashion tattoo jewelry existed. Over at Refinery 29 Gina Marinelli revealed that Moda Operandi has a new fashion collaboration with a few jewelry brands who have created these fashion jewelry tattoos. Take a look at the photo below.  Doesn't the model look so attractively dressed in her arm candy of accessories?  I absolutely love it!  As seen on Refinery 29  Lulu DK   X Daniela Villegas Gold Tattoo jewelry

I've got a new obsession. Yes, a new one, rainbow colored hair.  I am fascinated by the women who are bold enough to do this look. I did my own bold look two summers ago when I went a very daring red.   I am actually antsy and really want to try pink and blue and green...need I say more? LOL!  Because I have to keep my looks under wraps (at least for the next couple of months) so that I don't scare the very conservative people I work with.  I cannot be really "loud" with my hair.  In my heart I am a child of adventure and do not let others bother me but I must admit there are times when "they" will suppress my spirit. These days though I'm happy to say that I'm learning to live in the moments and I am again learning to let me be me. So yes, I will find a way to try new colors and I do like rainbow colors! How exciting. What I do like about rainbow colors are that there are some that are really LOUD , and others that make a statement without be...

So remember when I restyled and refashioned my sheer 80's shirt into a new look with my Old Navy boyfriend jeans and the JLO tank top ? Little did I know that I was unto something old, being new again! Yes curvy divas, the really sheer look is here to stay with  a totally new vision of sheer inspiration.  I'm on Issuu are you?  I was doing what I love to do, peruse what I affectionately call Magrags and came across BlkonBlk a really awesome magazine published by Black Magazine with some really great images of which I was impressed and loving their style. Then I saw this look: I could visualize myself in this style and wondered if I could recreate it.  I had a high neck cowl sweater that  was similar and I could wear my bondage shoes.   Unfortunately, I didn't have any sheer skirts or dress.  Well, there goes that idea.  But perhaps I could still see what I could create using the shirts I have! I grabbed two of the three sh...