My Favorite Things (Tips & Tricks)

I have to warn you, shopping on the cheap isn't for the faint of heart, its time intensive, and a lot of work (and thats *before* trying to put an outfit together). But, I do what I can to help out, so here are some tips, tricks, and a few of my favorite resources (not all are "cheap/discount" but have good sales).

General clothing tips:
-The general rule for dressing is that you want to mimic an hourglass figure, so that your top and bottom half are in proportion.
-Dark wash jeans are flattering to curvaceous girls, especially pear and hourglass shaped ladies.
-Wear light/bright colors on what you want to emphasize, and dark colors on what you want to de-emphasize.
-If it doesnt have darts/seaming, dont buy it. 9/10 it will end up looking like a muumuu on you because the clothing won't fit your shape.

Tips for buying/acquiring clothing:
-Does your friend own a item of clothing you absolutely love? Try bartering for it. Offer a trade they may like from your own closet, or buy it at a discount (especially if they've worn it a few times, or its now out of season).
-Always check sales racks. If they don't have your size, try the size above, and a size below. Because of vanity sizing, the store's clothing sizes may not be the same as your true size.
-Most stores offer (FREE) discount cards, or if you sign up for their newsletters, they give you advance notice of sales, or sometimes members only sales (not too mention the discount you'll already be getting from the member's oard!).
-Thrift stores and bag sales are excellent places to shop for classic or vintage items. Dont spend a fortune on dress pants, when you may be able to find some in thrift (dress pants rarely come in colors other than a classic black, brown, grey, or navy).
-For buying new clothing, if it isn't a store brand, take down the product info, and search for it online. You can often find it much cheaper, but be wary of shipping, and factor it in to the price, otherwise you'll be in for a surprise!!
-Online, if a normal price seems too good to be true, it usually is. If you get stuck in a situation where the company isn't compliant after you've ordered, contact your local, and the company's local Better Business Bureau. They will often begin to comply just so the BBB doesn't get involved.



My favorite overall clothing store:
Fashion Bug / Lane Bryant

Other clothing stores:
Additionelle / Penningtons
Torrid
Forever 21+
ASOS Curve
City Chic
eShakti Clothing

My favorite corset/lingerie store:
Wedding Checklist
(highly recommended, I have bought from them a few times, excellent service)

Other corset/lingerie shops:
Bravissimo
Hips and Curves
Corset Wholesale
Big Gals Lingerie

Other clothing:
We Love Color
Plus Sized Qipao/Chengosam (check ALL, not just plus sized category)

Fa(t)shion Friday: Ricki's Asymmetrical Dress

The Clothes: Ricki's Asymmetrical Azure Dress, XL
The Store: Ricki's (Canada)
The Price: $15 CAD (Originally $90)

Pros: 80's throwback style, Cute included belt, Sturdy construction.
This dress immediately caught my attention because it was so different from everything else I have seen recently - although there is an 80's style revival going on, its mainly been things such as leggings, flats, and certain colors - so seeing a retro styled dress was a pretty big treat for me. The fabric is a middle-weight knit, and is also lined, which is a nice touch as I dont think many women own nice slips anymore. The dress also comes with a nice stretch belt to accent the waist (I used this belt for many, many different outfits).


Cons: Not a "fat-friendly" line, Cut feels lopsided.
I love Ricki's, it is by far my favorite clothing store, but they aren't really all that fat friendly. They carry sizes 0-18 (plus size being an XL/Size 16), so plus sizes are very underrepresented here. If they were to expand their line, I am sure they'd have plus sized ladies lining up around the block, because they have good looking, well made clothes. More often than not, they have very well cut clothing, that they subtly tailor for each size up - however, this is not the case with this dress. It has no darts, or tucks around the bust, and the only stitching was at the shoulder, which made for some...strange pleating that makes the dress feel lopsided.

The Verdict:
The more I've worn this dress, the less I like it, but inversely, I love the belt that came with it, which I would have paid $15 for on its own. I switch it up with most of my outfits - so it was a good buy for me. I guess I just consider the dress a bonus, and I may keep it around for a retro night.

Fa(t)shion Friday: Going Out

*Puts on blindfold and waits for gunfire* I've only had this blog two weeks, and I've already managed to have a late post - so go ahead and shoot me. I got so caught up being busy the last two days (I've literally not been home at all) that I completely forgot to set up my Friday post ahead of time. The good news is I'll post about what I wore last night, since I think I was going to post about it soon anyway - and since its late I'll do two articles of clothing (and they go together anyway....).



Jon and me being dorks at a Royksopp concert last night (AMAZING, btw).



The Clothes: Canyon Blues Cowl-neck Sweater Dress, B.L.E.U. Leggings
The Store: Sears
The Price: $12 USD (or $8 and $4, respectively)

Pro's: Stretchy leggings, *Very* cheap, Easy to mix and match, Dress was true to size.
Although the leggings only go to size XL, I'd say you could easily fit up to a petite 2X (seriously, the waist touches the band on my bra...built in tummy tucker...yay?). At full price the leggings were only $10, and they go with pretty much everything, so thats a purchase I can get behind! The dress was a true XL (careful, the arms might be a bit tight), but being so short, I can sometimes get away with wearing that size.

Cons: Small size range, wears out quickly.
XL was the the largest size I found for both brands. The dress didn't have a ton of stretch to it, whereas the leggings were the complete opposite. Both articles were cheap quality, and are starting to pill after 3 wearings now.

The Verdict:
Sometimes when you buy cheap, you get cheap, which is what both of these pieces are, but for the price and the soon to be changing clothing season, thats something I'm willing to sacrifice $12 to. Neither are still available online, but may be found in store still at Sears (in the discount racks).