Aussie Curves – Black and White

November 23, 2013 / Lisa / 10 Comments

Black is my signature colour. I love black. White on the other hand is not a colour I have a lot of in my wardrobe.

It’s not that I despise white, but when I wear white, things tend to be spilt on my clothes. White is a stain magnet for me, which is why I tend to avoid it.

So for black and white week, for me, it tends to also mean stripes. So as an added bonus, this is also my stripes catch-up post. Yay!

This outfit is a fairly typical work outfit for me. Usually I will pair a top with jeans and add my blazer or cardigan. The top itself is a bubble-hem singlet. I actually have three of these now in different colours because they can easily be dressed up or down in summer, so I can wear them to work or with shorts over the weekend. Bonus is that they hide the lumpy bits and give me a smooth line. This might be in part to the fact it is double-layered material.

I paired the singlet with my new All Zipped Up skinnys. They fit really well and I love the zips. Unfortunately, the day I wore this outfit one of the zips got caught in the entry barriers at the train station and ended up ripping one of the zippers off. I’m yet to figure out how to re-attach it as I need something strong to force the metal back around the zip teeth. Pliers are most likely needed. Sometimes I wish I had my Dad’s toolbox handy.

I already featured this blazer in my Pink post and I actually can’t praise it enough. When I first bought it, it was a time when I really shouldn’t have been buying anything (in the few weeks before moving to Australia. Tsk tsk.) But I got it on sale, so all is justified, right? Anyway, it has become a staple in my wardrobe and I wear it multiple times a week. It has really been one of the best buys I have ever made. Also, I will reiterate, I think City Chic needs to make it a staple in their line, because black blazers are always a closet must-have. Plus the stripped lining is awesome.

I am wearing one of my new favourite lipsticks as well. It’s almost not a lipstick, it’s a lipgloss/lipstick mix. It’s L’Oreal Paris Shine Caresse in ‘Princess’, which I got from the October Bellabox. I love it so much that I went down to the Priceline make-up sale and bought it in ‘Milady’ as well, which is a purple-y colour compared to this coral-ish one.

This week has been so busy and hectic, I am so glad it is the weekend. I had good intentions of getting this post up earlier than today, but alas, apparently my social life decided to kick in. I actually can’t describe how exhausting it is when you go out three nights in a row and don’t get home until after 11 on all three nights. Anyway, that’s me for black and white week (and stripes). A bit of a shorter post than usual, but my brain is not functioning at 100% right now.

Make sure to click on the link below to see what the other Aussie Curves ladies put together for their black and white outfits.

Blazer, Singlet, Jeans: City Chic
Shoes: Target (gifted)
Lipstick: L’Oreal Paris Shine Caresse (from Bellabox)

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OTW: Clarity, ModCloth and Saturn

November 19, 2013 / Lisa

Favourite Buzz

Have you seen how cute this kid is as Batman yet? You should. It is such an awesome thing to do for the wee dude. If you didn’t see the Make A Wish Foundation’s exploits around San Francisco/Twitter/Gotham, then you should check out this article. It is so awesome how so many people got involved. Basically the kid has gone into remission after having treatment for leukemia. The Make A Wish Foundation made an entire day for him as Batman to go around a rescue people.

Favourite Image

Is this one of Saturn, its rings and moons:

Yes, this image is actually real. You can read more about it here on Slate as well as see some other images of Saturn.

Image credit.

Interesting Article

Tom Ford offers nine tips on how to make it in fashion. It’s a pretty interesting, quick read, but some of the things he said can be applied to more than just fashion.

In the end it’s you, and you alone, who must decide what path to forge.

Ultimately, you make your decisions in life and no one else should tell you otherwise.

Remember that we all have it in our power to simply say, ‘Fuck it, I’m going to bed.’ And somehow, the next morning, everything seems a lot better.

Everything always looks better when you are no longer in the heat of the moment. Basically, don’t make rash decisions. I feel I need to apply this to shopping – stop impulse buying everything you like and sleep on, see if I still want it in the morning. On the other hand, I have been known to be quite indecisive on some things. Double edged sword.

Fashion Love

The Starlight Sparkles Dress from ModCloth. Oh my gosh, I wish this was in my size and cheaper. Look at its prettiness.

Grabby Hands

Following on from the above, I have been perusing ModCloth. I am loving a lot of the dresses on there to the point that I might have to make my first order at some point. Here is something I put together to show of some of the dresses that I like and might even buy.

1. Skeleton Of Fun Dress.
2. Effortlessly Enchanting Dress.
3. Just Dazzle Me Dress.
4. All Abord Game Dress.

5. Nevermore Lovely Dress.
6. As Days Go Binary Dress.
7. Start Spreading The Mews Dress.
8. Fancy Dancer Dress.
9. My Moon, My Plan Dress.

Video

I have had this song stuck in my head for weeks and I finally figured out what it is. Needless to say it is now on repeat – Clarity by Zedd.

City Chic Pitt St store opens, my closet gets bigger

November 17, 2013 / Lisa / 3 Comments

I have been waiting in anticipation for the City Chic Pitt St store to open and yesterday I ventured down there to have a look.

When Man Piece and I first moved to Sydney we decided an apartment in the central city would be the best position for both of us. He already had a job based in Pyrmont and I was yet to find a job, so being central meant that when I did, I could either walk or was close to the central transport hub that it would be relatively easy to get anywhere.

But the most glaring absence in the central city, for me, was a City Chic store. I’ve been quite lucky since discovering City Chic back in 2011 to the point that I have always had one fairly close to where I lived. In Wellington it is on Lambton Quay and when I was living in Auckland there was one at the Shore City mall. Unfortunately I believe this one has since closed.

So when I found myself living in an area that didn’t have one close by, I didn’t really know what to do. The easiest one for me to get to from where I live is Macquarie Park shopping centre and I have been there fairly regularly in the last year. It probably averaged about every three months that I would head there and do a massive binge shop. I also bought stuff online, but there is still that aspect of being able to try clothes on and see how they look before you fork out the money for them, which is important.

I am extremely happy that there is now a store only a five minute walk away from me. I will probably be heading down there regularly for a look and to try things on.

The store itself is awesome. It is now City Chic’s flagship store in Sydney and one of the sales assistants mentioned that it will get every size in every style. It has specialised areas for the TDF jeans and lingerie, and the Styling Lounge is just so comfortable to try on clothes. It is so much more than a changing room. And, naturally, the staff are lovely.

It isn’t actually located on Pitt St or in the main Westfield part of the mall, which originally took me ages to find it. But if you head down the escalators under Myer (so you see the Cupcake Bakery) and then start heading up to the street and away from the QVB, it is located just there on the right, near Stylz hairdressers.

It is very different to any other CC store I have been in. See the horse head on the wall above? Yeah. And the use of brick throughout. It is just so cool.

The Styling Lounge has awesome steel gates on the changing rooms with a decent thick curtain that pulls across as well, so you are assured privacy while changing. The above picture shows these gates and the few lampshades throughout the store. The quote on the mirror entering the lounge says, “Always dress like you’re going to see your worst enemy.”

After looking around the store and finding a few pieces to try on, I headed to the Styling Lounge.

Time for some photos, yeah?

This is the Mirrored Unicorn Top. It is very similar to the Leopard and Tiger tops that I already have, so I knew it was going to fit well and be worn with a lot of my current wardrobe already. When it came to buy it, this was the question that I asked – is it too similar? But then I was like, it’s unicorns, of course I’m bloody buying it. So this is the first addition from my shopping trip. It is a bit longer than my other ones, so aside from pairing it with jeans, I’m also keen to try it with my wet-look leggings.

The next top, I was so surprised with. It is the Wet Look Peplum Corset, which I had seen on the website and Facebook and thought it would be an awesome top to have, but with the weird sizing lately, I thought it might not fit, but I decided to try it anyway. When putting it on I found it is actually super stretchy and comfortable. Man Piece immediately agreed that it looked fab and that it should be added to my wardrobe.

I should add here that Man Piece came with me on this epic shopping session, taking all the photos for me and standing there for an hour while I tried everything on.

This is the Pop! Print Tank and while I loved it as soon as I saw it online, once I tried it on, it wasn’t what I thought it was. It fit really well and so did the attached boob-tube, but the singlet itself is more of a cream colour than white and I (and Man Piece agreed) that it would possibly look old and stretched quite quickly. I would still be keen to find something similar to this, but in a slightly different material, or even a t-shirt.

The colour of this dress is what drew me to it originally. It is the Zip Front Pleat Tunic in the hibiscus colour, which is actually more a bright pink than the orange showing here. I thought the dress might not fit properly, but as soon as I put it on, I was in love. It looked amazing and fits like a glove, accentuating my boobs but hiding my tummy. It looked great without the belt, but then one of the ladies said I should try it with the belt and it looked even better. Both of these items came home with me. I had been wanting some good belts for awhile, but I haven’t been able to find any that fit. This one did though, so, sold! I have a wedding to go to in the Hunter Valley at the end of the month – a more casual event, as it will likely be warm. I’m thinking this dress with the belt, a pair of heels and a statement necklace should be a goer.

This is the Sexy Stripe Dress which is really stretchy and comfortable, but I wasn’t really feeling it. The reason is because the chest is actually lace-up, which is ideal for ladies with bigger busts that need a bit more lee-way, but I am still rather conservative about showing off my bra. So this one stayed in the store.

Lastly, is the Disco Sister Dress. I love this style of dress since the gold sequined one came out a few months ago. It sits nicely around my bust and hides my tummy. It can be dressed up or down. I even bought the Aztec patterned one a wee while ago, but then returned it when Man Piece said he hated it. He does not like this one either, but I love it! So I’m in two minds about actually buying this one. Yesterday it was left in store, but I don’t think I can let it go that easily. The skirt is made of a nice soft leather-esque material, which I think is better than the sequins as I’m always scared they are just going to catch and all fall off. There is not a chance of that happening with this one.

So readers, should I buy the Disco Sister Dress? What are your thoughts on it?

I also tried on a few bras and bought those because I was in desperate need of some new ones. Added bonus was that as a Glam member of the CC Nation, when I bought one, I got one free. I got the Kiki Contour Bra and the Poppy Contour Bra as well as a new black and skin-coloured strapless bras.

I even tried on the First Dance Dress, which I really really wanted, to only be bitterly disappointed that it didn’t fit. I thought this might happen as the tighter fitting dresses often don’t fit me. (I didn’t actually bawl my eyes out in the changing rooms, but I did make some really awful faces in the photos Man Piece was taking of me.)

In conclusion, I love everything about this store – the location, the fitout, the music playing, the layout, the styling lounge and the staff. I even found that the sizing of the clothes has gotten better again. I have found for a few months now that the sizing and fit of things had been slightly off, but it seems to have gone back to what it was. I look forward to making this my regular City Chic store and I expect I will get to know the ladies in there.

I apologise for the epic post and the dubious photos, which were taken on my phone of which the camera is rather shit, to say the least.

The wait for the new store to open was definitely worth it. If you are around the city, it is definitely worth going to check it out.

Aussie Curves – Swimwear

November 16, 2013 / Lisa / 14 Comments

So, swimwear, aye, Aussie Curves? Trying to throw the tough ones at me. Well played, sir, well played.

As a kid I was always in the water. I loved it. I would just chuck on my togs and jump in the pool. I was lucky enough to have a pool in our backyard from the age of eight – Dad dug the hole and put it in himself. With the help of a few other people, like my Granddad. But as soon as we had it, every year come October when it would start to warm up a bit, right through till about March, we would be in the pool regularly.

In fact, here is a photo of me as a kid (probably around the age of four or five?) at the local pool where we would go to swim before we had our own.

For the most part I didn’t worry about what I wore. I was a kid – what did I care? I was having fun. But at some point I became aware my body was different to everyone else’s. Perhaps I was bullied at some point about my swim suit, I can’t really remember. Mostly because there was always general bullying of me. Maybe it was just that. I was bullied about my size from a very young age and because of that, I didn’t want to show my body when swimming. I began wearing board shorts over my togs – even when swimming in my own back yard with no one else around! There was even a phase of wearing board shorts and a t-shirt when my confidence was so low about what I wore in the water that I didn’t even own a proper swimsuit. I then stopped even venturing into the water.

But a few years ago I had finally had enough. I wanted to go swimming because I loved it. I managed to find a swim suit that fit me and I ignored the size, because what did that matter anyway, as along as I was comfortable again doing something that I loved. That swimsuit was from Ezibuy’s Sara range. I still have it, it still fits and it is still in good condition.

But it is a few years old now and I wanted something new. Man Piece and I are heading to the Gold Coast for a few days between Christmas and New Year’s where I plan to do nothing but sit by the pool or on the beach and read. Every once in a while taking a dip to cool off again.

So I went looking for a new one and Autograph provided.

As soon as I saw these pieces hanging in the store, I knew they were for me. I kind of guessed the size I would need and headed to the changing rooms. I guessed right and everything fit perfectly. I was done. I headed straight to the register. I also had a lovely conversation with the store person and another lady in there. I love how supportive plus size clothing stores can be. Bonus: Autograph had 30% off its swimwear when I headed in there. Even better!

Unfortunately these photos aren’t what I wanted them to be. I originally wanted to head to the beach to get some great shots, but Sydney has been having some unusually bad weather. So that wasn’t going to happen. My back-up was to head to my usual place in the alley behind our apartment building. It would provide good light. Yet when I headed downstairs a whole bunch of cyclists were in the alley (we live above a cycle shop). To avoid the weird looks and the awkward conversation of trying to get them to move away from my wall, it was back to the apartment.

This cover-up also comes in the same turquoise colour, but I thought that would be a bit too much turquoise for one outfit. I think the black looks really good over top as the turquoise can pop through underneath. Alternatively, you could get the black top and turquoise cover-up, doing the reverse.

And finally without the cover-up. Please excuse my whiteness. Fake tan was going to happen, but then it didn’t. Long story.

I love this top for the colour. Currently I am drawn to all things that are within the teal/turquoise colour palettes and I buy them. This swimsuit was inevitable, really. It also makes the girls look amazing, while keeping them secure, plus the ruffles on the front help hide my tummy. Even though the ruffles and laser cut pattern on them are not really my thing, it works. This is a two-piece with both the tankini and pants having a secret mesh panel for a flattering shape. The pants are also high waisted, giving a smother line – they honestly are sitting just under my boobs. Added bonus is that they won’t be falling down anytime soon!

The best thing about the togs and the cover-up is that they make me feel awesome. So if I do manage to get to the beach or pool this summer in Sydney, I’m not going to give two F’s what people think. And I’m going to have so much fun on the Gold Coast this Christmas.

Lisa: 1, Haters: 0

Tankini, bottoms and cover-up: Autograph. Shop here, here and here, all are still available.
Shoes: Diana Ferrari

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Jennifer Lawrence is the most amazing person ever.

November 11, 2013 / Lisa

Favourite Buzz

My favourite buzz this week goes to 37 Things to DIY Instead Of Buy For Your Wedding. It will be two years in January since Man Piece proposed and although we haven’t set a date or even really started thinking about it*, I’m always on the look out for interesting ideas to make the wedding a bit more ‘us’. I have the idea to DIY a few things in order to personalise things, but other than that I want a fairly simple ~~plain~~ non-extravagant wedding.

I really love the idea of ribbons on the back of the chairs.

Image credit.

Favourite Image

This article from Mashable has 17 Photographs That Display Perfect Symmetry, which was compiled from a Mashable challenge set for people to take photos with symmetry.

I think my favourite is this one of escalators:

Image credit.

Interesting Article

Reason 818** why I love Jennifer Lawrence:

You look like you look, and be comfortable. What are you going to do be hungry every single day to make other people happy? That’s just dumb.

A-to-the-men, sista. This interview with her as she promotes Hunger Games: Catching Fire is one of the best things ever. She basically tells the haters to go screw themselves. She is fast becoming my new favourite celebrity.

This photo might also play a part:

Image credit.

Fashion Love

This week’s fashion love has to go to the Swim+ Lookbook put together by Danimezza. I have flicked through it a couple of times now and am loving several of the swimsuits featured. Although I have already purchased new togs this year from Autograph (post to come later this week), I’m contemplating one or two more from this. Especially one of the Robyn Lawley pieces. I hear David Jones stocks them.

Grabby Hands

I’m really wanting a pair of crop black pants which I can wear with a nice heel for work. I’ve been looking around but can’t find too many. I’ve found one pair from Target in the new Bellecurve range and one pair from Autograph. Neither of these really look like what I am after. I think I might have to go try both pairs on because I might change my mind after that. Do you know of anywhere else stocking black crop pants in plus sizes?

Video

I was actually wondering what I would even put in here for the video this week and then I saw in my Facebook timeline the new video for ‘Let It Go’ by Demi Lovato for the new Disney movie Frozen. Done. You get Demi again. Sorry, not sorry.

She is truly amazing and I totally have a girl crush.