The Look for Less... Revisiting People Stylewatch July Edition

For a while now I have been wanting to start a "Look for Less" on my blog. I want to take the magazine trends, and find bargains for us stylish big girls. As I was browsing the "People Stylewatch" July edition, I fell in love with the dress in the Plus Size Blogger picks by Ashley Falcon. The dress, priced at $119, really is not that bad of a deal for an investment piece. It is shaped in such a manner that many body types can wear it well. The thing that stuck out to me about Ashley's picks were the accessories- the prices were all through the roof. If you are on a budget, like me, then paying $295 for a pair of shoes really is not going to work for you. You don't have to sacrifice style for price though. I found some nice alternatives for the accessories. I even changed found several similar style shoes in different heel types (wedge etc). Not all of us can wear those high high heels that we love so much.



Here's what ashley picked!


And here are the options I chose:



My favorite of the shoes above are the ones from ASOS. I love those, but I would have style the accessories a little differently.

Here is how I would have style it:

I like adding in the black with the nude. To me it is a little more edgy. So what would you do? How would you style this gorgeous dress?

Thrift Stores or Consignment Shoppes around Atlanta?

The trouble with losing a lot of weight is that your clothes just don't sit you right anymore. You don't want to spend a lot of money until you finish losing weight, so you walk around looking like a bum in baggy clothes until you can find some cute cheap ones that fit. This is where I am having trouble. All the thrift stores around where I live, well, they suck.

My friends and I are going thrift and IKEA shopping in and around Atlanta in a few weeks, and I was wondering if any of my find followers might know some good thrift stores or consignment shoppes that have cute but cheap duds for the plus size gal. Any ideas, ladies? Help me out! :)

My Journey to Weight Loss with Weight Watchers..

About two months ago, I started Weight Watchers. I was to the point where I wanted to do several things: feel better, get pressure off my joints, and have my clothing fit better. I was almost a size 30/32, and a size 28 on bottom. I had topped out at my highest weight ever- 338 pounds. The first week on Weight Watchers, I lost 7 pounds. I quit drinking regular sodas and started drinking water and one diet soda a day. I have just finished my second month in Weight Watchers and I have lost 28 pounds! I have just done this by eiting my food, and eating snacks during the day with healthier meal options. Given all my health problems, I don't exercise a lot. I am going to try to change that. I found out last week that if my doctor writes me a "prescription" that I can use my flex card at the gym for the payments. As soon as I get all my gear together, I intend to start at Bradley Wellness Center here in Dalton. They have a pool, steam room, workout area, classes, and indoor walking area. I get a discount from work. My first goal was 25 pounds, which I met, and my next goal is 40 (total) pounds. My long-term goal is to be either a size 18 or 16, depending on how I feel once I make it to an 18, which I fully intend to do. I have not been a size 18 since Junior High! Anyway, I just want to say that if I can do this, then anyone can! I don't mind being plus sized. The only thing that really bothered me a lot was my chin(s). I don't dislike myself, but I really want to feel better. I already do. And admittedly, I want to look like a curvy goddess. :) Wish me luck!!!

This was before I started the diet. Look at that chin! lol

No One My Size to Trade Clothes With...

You know, I see so many of you exchanging clothes, and I find it such a shame that I have no one to exchange clothing with. I am on the larger side of BBW. I'm a 26/28.

The other women that I know who live near me, the ones who are my size, well, let's just say they don't take care of themselves. A lot of women around here think a tshirt and some stretch pants is a dressy outfit round these here parts lol.

Oh, to have someone to be able to exchange clothing with......

An Actual Outfit Post!!!!!

Well Im FINALLY getting to my outfit post. THis is from a few weekends ago. My college roomies visited me. We had a great time. My friend Elizabeth curled my hair for me :) It's not a great post but it's a start. Im hoping that once I get a place closer to work I will have daily posts, or at least 3 or 4 a week.

So without further tishtosh. Here I am!



And here's the breakdown: dress: $9 Target 2010
Ruffle Belt: Torrid $24 2010
Cardigan: TJMaxx $15 Jan 2011 (Bday Money)
Booties: Evans UK: Jan 2011 (gift)
Vintage Watch bracelet and necklace: Self made from vintage watches and a vintage necklace. (sorry there isnt a better pic of the necklace but here's the bracelet)

Getting my Butt Kicked!

Well ladies, I am getting my butt kicked! No I am not being abused physically.. I started my new job last Monday and it is kicking me around pretty good! It's not the job itself that it doing me in, but the fact that I get up at 5am then have an hour commute there and an hour commute home.

Also, for 11 years I work 7pm til 7am, now I am working 8am til 5pm.. I am allllll out of whack.. The only good thing is that I get to dress up! The job itself is not that bad, other than it's being A LOT of knowledge to process. I kind of like it, and everyone is soooo nice!

But the sleep thing is not the only thing getting me down. I am now SICK, for the first time in 2 years. The lady who sits beside me in training has the flu and she has infected me and the girl who sits on the other side of me. I dont have insurance yet, not for 60 days, so I cant really go to the doctor. Also, my college roommates are visiting me this weekend for the first time since 1997!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I will be SICK!!!!!!! I bought some TheraFLu to take tonight. Let's hope that kicks it out before the weekend.

I havent been able to catch up on reading my blogs either, much less posting, so once I get used to everything and my life slows down a bit I will post some outfits. :) I have bit taking a few pics, just ones with my cell phone, but still it's a start.

Shapestylist at igigi.com (and I got a deal today!)

I have been over to http://www.igigi.com MANY MANY times. I've longed and pined over their beautiful clothing but never really been able to buy anything. I'm a bargain shopper and, even though I'm told they have great quality, I havent been able to make myself pay a bit more for their items. Wellll, I was over at Fatshion Chic Blog tonight and I found that igigi has a ShapeStylist calculator on their site! You answer questions about your body and it determines your shape and what kind of fashions your shape should wear.

For years I have always thought that I was an inverted triangle shape because I am so much bigger up top than on the bottom. I was wrong! Because I have no defined waistline combined with my top-heaviness, I am a Diamond shape!! Isn't this just the coolest thing? You can go on over to igigi.com and check out the ShapeStylist for yourself here: ShapeStyler Calculator at igigi by Yuliya Raquel

Here's what it had to say about the DIAMOND shape!

What to Wear:
•Cowl, scoop, v-neck, and styles exposing the neck
•Sleeves 3/4, 5/8 and bracelet-length
•Details designed to draw the attention to your shoulders and face – earrings, necklaces etc
•Monochromatic looks. Un-tucked tops. Flat-front pants
•Princess seams, dropped waist, blouson styled tops
•'Peak' empire waist. High slits. Straight, tiered, tulip and trumpet skirts

What not to Wear:
•Turtlenecks or styles that cover-up neckline
•Designs with horizontal stripes, heavy pleating, ruffles, or extra details at the midsection
•Super-clingy and very fitted styles. Full-length sleeves
•Pants with front pleats. Wide leg and baggy styles


About the Diamond shape:
You have a fabulous frame! Your face, neck, and bust are proportionate to each other and your balanced thighs, shapely legs, and amazing arms accent your voluptuous assets. The greatest concern you have is your midsection and the challenges you face are extra weight around the mid-section area, which sometimes include the "love handles". Often, this means you don't have a defined waistline. Another challenge is finding a balance between your broad hips and generous thighs while enhancing the flatness of your bottom and elongating your slender lower legs.
And with all the amazing styles available to complement your figure, you'll be happy to be called the diamond of all shapes!


Go on over to igigi and check out their stuff and their calculator!


Anyhoo, today I went to the Lane Bryant Outlet here in town. I was just looking for a bargain, hoping to find some tops to go with my brown pants. They had an extra 50% off their clearance. I didnt find any brown tops but I DID find something curious.. I found a Turquoise Loop 18 (Junior Plus) cropped cardigan for $9.99. With the 50% off it was only $5.00! It was really nice. Looking at the Loop 18 things online they look, well, a bit cheap In My Opinion. But this cardi in person didnt look cheap and was very roomy for a Junior item. The sales lady said that they got it in from another store, they didnt have anymore in stock. It was a size 25/27 and, as I said, is very roomy indeed. I think $5.00 for a bit of color in my wardrobe is well worth it!