19 December 2012

Chambray for Spring


Friends...it's confession time.

As much as I love the coziness of winter - I'm already thinking about new spring styles. I love that first trickle of pieces that start to appear on websites and in-stores in January. I find it really refreshing to have the warm weather to look forward to.

Have you seen E-Shakti's Resort/Pre-Spring Collection? They've released a number of new items this week and the spring palette is great; a nice mix of muted corals, soft mustards and vivid cobalts and emeralds. But the one thing that really stood out to me is the abundance of chambray - as a denim lover this makes me SO HAPPY! You really can mix and match this wonder fabric with any colour or accessories of your choosing. Plus I love the extra structure that it offers.  E-Shakti has so many adorable chambray dresses to choose from in this collection  - all available in regular and custom sizing from 0-36W. Awesome.















Are you ready to get excited for spring styles or are you staying focused on what's happening now?

PS: In case you're wondering, I haven't actually ordered from E-Shakti before, but they are in the process of sending me a dress to try out...so I promise to share my experiences with them and a fit review when it arrives!




12 December 2012

Curvy Fit Review: American Eagle Knit Jeggings


When I find something I love...I have an instinct to want to share it. Especially when it comes to clothing items for my hard-to-fit body. If I'm struggling - odds are someone else is too, right? Well I decided to go a little more in depth on some of my purchases and share more details with you - so you can get a better of sense if this is an item that might work for you. Sound cool? 

Well I'm starting with the American Eagle Knit Jeggings. You've seen me in these before, but here's some more info on what I like about them (and why I own them in 3 colours - ha!). In the actual AE store, the jeans and pants only go to size 14, but online you can order most styles in 16, 18 and XXL. They are by far my favourite denim for quality to cost ratio. Plus their styles are super modern and I don't get that excess bulk in the thighs, hips or butt that sometimes come with plus sizes, these are more of a juniors cut larger.


These are the burgundy (or oxblood if you're feeling trendy) colour. I also have the navy and charcoal. They are a true jegging, thicker than a cotton legging but much thinner than denim and softer. They have side seams, back pockets and a front zip placket, just like denim. I wouldn't feel comfortable in a shorter top with them but they're perfect with tunics, long shirts and slouchy cardigans. I invested in a few pairs because my office is not very denim-friendly except on Fridays. So I wanted some subtle colour on the bottom but I can't stand dress pants. Just not for me.


I have a few pairs of AE's skinny jeans in size 16 but for these knit jeggings, I sized up to an 18. I have a small hip/waist ratio, so I needed the bigger size for the bigger waist. If you're more of an hourglass, a 16 would be just fine. The material is very stretchy and comfortable and maintains it's shape fairly well throughout the day (no huge butt or knee bagging). These are 'long' length and as you can see they just hit my ankle, granted I'm 5'11" but be wary of length. I've washed AND dried my knit jeggings and they really don't shrink much at all so super easy maintenance.



knit jeggings - AE (buy here)
denim t-shirt - Old Navy (buy here)
camel cardigan - Gap (buy similar here)
brown suede loafers - JCrew (buy here)
necklace - Target


A few final notes on shipping - you can order from the AE website and I always watch for free shipping weekends and discounts (sign up for emails or check the site often) to keep my costs down. They're currently offering free shipping + 40% off everything! You pay a small amount of duty on your order and I've never had to pay customs fees, but my orders are usually less than $50 or $60. The downside is if you have to return something, it can't go back to the store. You have to mail it back, which usually costs under $10 and is returned to a Canadian address. I've returned items and it takes about a month to get a refund to your credit card.

Hope this helps friends! Let me know if you like the more detailed reviews and I'll keep them up. Or if you have any other questions, don't be shy and drop me a line. Have a lovely week!




10 December 2012

Style Peek: striped tunic + chunky cardigan + charcoal leggings


 


  
oatmeal cardigan - Gap (buy similar here)
grey leggings - Hue (buy here)
necklace - local boutique Silver Lotus


It is absolutely, ridiculously, bone-chilling frigid outside. That is why I wore this grown-up version of pajamas all weekend long. The striped tunic was a $13 score off the sale rack at Old Navy and it's perfect for layering over tights, with a chunky cardigan to pull it together and make it extra cozy. This is probably one of those shapes 'they' would recommend against for my body type....but at the end of the day, I'd rather be comfy - wouldn't you?



06 December 2012

Coral Daydreams




coral maxi dress - ASOS Curve (buy here)


I know, I know...Christmas is fast approaching, the snow is on the ground for many more months, I should be getting excited about the deeply chic new Pantone Color of the Year and not last year's Tangerine Tango.  But all I can think about is the Florida Keys. And wearing this fun and vivid maxi dress IN the Florida Keys. While I drink coconut margaritas.  Mmmmmm...relaxing on the beach....

I promise my next post will be more grounded in reality (and the holidays)! :) Everyone needs a mid-day daydream, don't you think? What's yours?
 



05 December 2012

Style Peek: oversized citrus sweater + skinny jeans + tall boots

  
 
 
citrus sweater - Eileen Fisher (purchased on Ebay)
dark denim skinnies - American Eagle (buy here)
tall black boots - Long Tall Sally (buy here)
chunky wood necklace - old
scarf - gift from my mom from Italy

Two things I'm loving right now are the slouchy/oversized look and asymmetrical hemlines. Please, please, pretty please oversized trend don't you ever go out of style! It's so relaxed and comfy and allows me to hide my not-so-favourite parts and show off my favourites.  I wasn't a fan of asymmetrical at first, but I find it breaks up the shape nicely on this sweater so it's not just one big square.

How about you friends? Are you a fan of either trend?




23 November 2012

Technical Difficulties


 Hey everyone! If you've made it this far you have incredible patience - because my blog is being a real pain lately. It's taking a VERY long time to load and I've not super tech savvy so I'm working with my brother-in-law - IT guru - to see if I can clean up the links in my code that are dragging me down. So thanks again for hanging in there and hopefully we'll get this all fixed up soon!

For all my US blog friends - hope you are enjoying the aftermath of a wonderful Thanksgiving!




15 November 2012

Style Peek: cobalt blazer + high low dress



Ahhh, this indoor lighting is really killing me.  Doesn't the sun know I have optimum times I need her for my blog photos? Life's big problems right?? :) How are you guys doing? Winter has settled in here in Winnipeg which means everything just takes a little longer...has just another layer... I love the coziness of getting home, cooking a hot comfort food meal and snuggling in the for the night. The cooler weather makes me feel less guilty about indulging my home-body-ness...you know?

Speaking of layers, I'm full on here! This nubby grey dress has a high-low hem (which I swore I hated) that I've come to accept as good eye trickery for the figure flattering. Tights, tall boots and a very bright cobalt blazer top it off. Blazers are my clothing nemesis - I find it really hard to find ones that fit right. My key ingredients? A fabric with a bit of stretch, single button closure and going up a size then getting the sleeves tailored in. How about you friends? What's your clothing nemesis?





Hope you're all having a great week!





05 November 2012

Do you Stella & Dot?



Do you know Stella & Dot friends? I'm sure by now you've either heard of it, attended an event or own one of their fantastic pieces of jewellery! They're a gorgeous line of jewellery sold via 'trunk shows', which are essentially the modern, updated Tupperware party with lovely baubles and pretty trinkets. If you're interested in either hosting a show or doing some holiday shopping at Stella & Dot, I'd like to introduce you to my great friend Shannon Pontes! She's an S&D stylist here in Winnipeg and you can visit her web page here. Because sometimes it's just nice to have a referral, don't you think? 

I've been to Shannon's trunk shows and she's that perfect mix of stylish, knowledgeable and super friendly!

You know I'm a fan, here's a shot of me wearing the Graceful Nomad necklace...



The Adina necklace is on the top of my Christmas wish list (which I gave to both my husband AND my Stella & Dot stylist Shannon!)...


And I LOVE the Gifts for under $60 feature....it's going to be easy to cross everyone off my list. There's so many affordable jewellery options, plus the little girls section is so cute...when I was 12 I would have loved to get a piece of jewellery that was just for me!






You can visit Shannon's Stella & Dot page here to book a party or shop online any time of the day or night! Your order is shipped right to your door. And don't forget to tell her Lenore sent you....

Have a lovely week friends!





28 October 2012

Shop My Closet! Sizes 14-20

Happy Sunday! I hope you're all having a nice weekend? Mine has been pretty quiet so I decided to finally get to the pile of clothing I had put aside for resale. It's always quite the job to sort, photograph, measure and list the items...but it feels good to get to it. Here's a selection of some of the items I put up for sale on Ebay today (only new or mint condition items), ranging in sizes from 14-20 and from some of my fave curvy retailers like ASOS Curve, Dorothy Perkins, Forever 21+, Anthropologie, Gap, Red Velvet, H&M and Kenneth Cole NY! If you're interested, you can check out my items for sale here.

Anthropologie Sweatercoat Size XL

ASOS Curve Birdcage Print Dress Size 20UK/16US

Forever 21+ Dressy Tank Size 1X

Forever 21+ Hangar Print Blazer Size 3X

Dorothy Perkins Emerald Dolman Sleeve Blouse Size 22UK/18US

Red Velvet Sewing Print Dress Size 3X

Dorothy Perkins Heart Print Bubble Hem Top Size 20UK/16US

H&M Floral Print Blouse Size 14


Enjoy the rest of your weekend and your week friends!



25 October 2012

Summer + Fall



Now that the days are getting shorter, I'm really lacking in daylight time for outfit photos. This has led to extending my shutter release and somehow capturing this natural light haze on the photos...not sure if I like it? Speaking of shorter days, I'm trying very hard to 'shop my closet' as much as possible and cut back on the purchases. Fall was tough on the wallet as I always find it to be the most exciting shopping season. I picked up some great additions (which I'm excited to share with you in upcoming posts) but now it's time to sit back and have fun mixing and matching with what I have.

Like summer dresses...this is definitely a summer dress with it's sleeveless style, t-back and pale colour palette. But I latched on to the rich violet and pumpkin jewel tones in it and played around with added accessories in similar tones - a deep teal cardigan, textured grey tights and tall black boots. I've pretty much decided that unless a summer dress is thin cotton...I'm going to try to rock it for winter!


 




summer dress - Jessica Simpson (old)
teal cardigan - Joe Fresh
earrings - local boutique Moule

Are you mixing your summer dresses into your fall/winter wardrobe? What's your favourite way of doing it?