Velvet Crush

hat: vintage, Antique Mall| dress: c/o HERE& HERE 
purse: ZARA| shoes: HERE+ another option HERE
Photography by A. Robinson

Welcome to Fall 2018 Loves! What fall colors are you looking forward to playing with/in this season? I shared on Instagram that I plan to dabble in reds, multiple shades of brown, emerald green, dusty pinks (pictured HERE), burnt orange, and mustard yellow 😍. In fact, the odds are very high that shades of yellow like the one pictured today (and HERE) will be a top contender in my wardrobe this fall 😉. I'm also looking forward to playing with a variety of textures...say velvet, corduroy, knit, and silk - for starters.
For today's look, I took a step back in time to my very first style love: V I N T A G E. This dress reminds me of another style era, I decided to follow through with that theme and pair it with a vintage pillbox hat complete with netting, a vintage style handbag, and classic shoes. I love the end result!
I can also see this dress styled with a modern twist, incorporating layers (think cotton button-ups or a classic turtleneck), boots or booties, and an updo 😉
Until next time,
Xx

Farewell Summer 2017

Earrings: HERE| Dress: c/o HERE, sign up for a free trial offer| Belt: Old| Purse: HERE| Mules: Zara, sold out

This post is sponsored by Gwynnie Bee. All opinions are my own.

We are just a few days away from the official start of Autumn! I can hardly believe that Summer 2017 has reached its grand finale. Fortunately for me (b/c I strongly dislike feeling/being cold😩) I live in a mild climate, without a doubt we will soon be basking again in 90+ degree temperatures - the 1st week of October to be exact 😻😸😺 

My Summer 2017 fashion choices featured more cold shoulders than ever before, bold hues, floral prints, colorful stripes, classic stripes, slip dresses, ruffles, frills, embellished denim, destroyed denim, capes, cutouts,  knotted tops,  kimonos, floor length vests, maxi skirts, maxi dresses, jumpsuits, citrus themes, shorts, black & white duos, denim days and so much more! 
A memorable supplier of a number of my favorite styles this summer is GWYNNIE BEE. In case you're not familiar with them, Gwynnie Bee is an online women’s clothing subscription service for sizes 10-32. Shipping is 100% free + dry cleaning  + unlimited exchanges. 
In short: You add items to your online closet (from a seemingly endless inventory) that you'd ❤ to wear, they ship them to you in the order of your preference (the "My priorities" feature is LIFE), if you ❤ an item you can purchase it for a discounted price, OR you can mail it back for something that you ❤ even better! Truly it is a win/win, always having brand new clothing at my fingertips without the pressure of a long-term commitment feels wonderful!
⭐You can sample Gwynnie Bee's services w/o commitment or cost ABSOLUTELY FREE for four weeks, sign up HERE to get started on your new wardrobe today⭐As always, if you have any questions, feel free to ask away below!
Until next times Loves,
Xx

Floral Frenzy

Dress: c/o HERE  + sign up for ONE MONTH FREE| Earrings: Bauble Bar, sold out

Sandals: Vince Camuto, identical twin HERE + another option HERE

Happy 1^st day of spring!!! Depending on where you live, it may not quite feel and or look very much like spring yet- but it never hurts to prepare in advance 😊 I’ve said before that in my mind, floral prints are synonymous with warmer weather. This mixed media shift dress is a part of Gwynnie Bee’s (online women’s clothing subscription service) new spring wear haul. I was curious about how the fit would be, as shift dresses can be tricky on my pear shaped frame. I was pleasantly surprised with how well it fit (I sized up), even my hubby was a fan, LOL! This dress is versatile; it can be dressed up or down, all depending on your style needs and preferences. In true spring-like fashion I opted to style it with pink, but I can also picture it styled seamlessly with pale grey, periwinkle, or olive. The fantastic thing about Gwynnie Bee is that a membership with them affords you the opportunity to try out name brand, trendy and classic pieces at your own pace, plus you have the option to purchase items or to send them back for something even better❣ 
I just might have to purchase this dress ❤❤❤

On another note: I think that this dress caused a car accident!!! While hubby and I were shooting this look, a car accident occurred, literally RIGHT IN FRONT OF US! So, we were just getting started, and less than 10 minutes in, I hear the loudest bang EVER and then see a luxury car spin/side out directly across the street from us-hitting the light pole! All four airbags deployed, but the driver and passengers made it out of the car in one piece.  The driver ran off on foot in true Los Angeles style, while two of the passengers stayed behind to chat with the police (including one that did suffer head/facial injuries). How the accident occurred was that the driver was not paying attention/appeared to be distracted (was he looking at this dress?) and he ran the red light, causing another car who had the right away to hit him at a significant speed. WHEW! After all that and during the investigation and other activities that unfolded, we continued on with our shoot. Distractions are a dime a dozen here! There are so many interesting things that happen while we are shooting, and just in general- I may start sharing them from time to time… 
Do tell: Do you think that this dress caused the crash?!

Until next time,

XO

Graphically Joi

Hey there Style Lovers! How are you? I'm doing ok, or shall I say: 'hanging in there'.

Today I’m sharing a fab straight-cut, graphic print dress with you.

I tend not to gravitate to straight-cut dresses because oftentimes it can be challenging for me to find a fit that I am personally comfortable with.

A common problem: 

The top portion is overwhelmingly too big, while the bottom portion cuts off my circulation in the hip/thigh area.

Suggested solution:

I purchased this dress in a larger size, and found myself surprisingly quite satisfied with the fit! It could be taken in a bit in a spot or two, but I simply decided not to bother with it.

I’ve styled it in numerous ways, for this go round I kept it very simple.

When I wear navy & white it’s so hard for me to resist wearing a red lip! Do you feel the same way?

Well, with a red lip, one must carry a red handbag- right?! LOL! I thought so, after all, I like to follow all the 'rules' =)

This look is very practical and easily transitions from business to pleasure =)

Now in my opinion, my natural colored leather peep-toe booties go with everything. I look forward to any excuse to take them out on the town. Imagine this: They’re comfortable, I can walk for several hours in them with no issues = winning!

Have a great day Beauties, I appreciate you for stopping by and commenting below ;)

Xx

Sunnies: Tod’s

Earrings & bracelet: Kenneth Cole

Dress: Adrianna Papell

Tote: Dooney & Bourke

Booties: Steve Madden

30PlusStyle: Celebrity Inspired, Plus Edition

Hello Style Lovers! Can you believe that today marks the first day of August?! Where, oh where, has the time gone? Summer is just about up, as if, in the blink of an eye! Never fear, #30PlusStyle has returned, and we are taking full advantage of the fleeting days of the season! We welcome you to the "Celebrity Inspired, Plus Edition":

DID YOU KNOW? #30PlusStyle was featured THIS WEEK on Ebony.com (click here)?!!! Follow us on Facebook, and join us on our exciting journey to inspire women everyone: Style is never limited by age or size!
www.facebook.com/30plusstyle

On to today's post: This was one of the most difficult #30PlusStyle challenges for me to work with thus far! 

I sat down and thought about why. There were a number of reasons, but basically they all can be summed up as follows:

• I don't really follow celebrity fashion and or trends so it was hard to pick a person and a style. (I do watch the runways, select designers, and style icons - they are in another ballgame in my opinion!)
• It's been a rough week, I struggled with multiple deadlines and an indecisive attitude. For every one idea I came up with, there seemed to be multiple reasons as to why it didn't truly resonate with me.
• I simply did not feel like taking pictures, i.e, posing, passerbys staring at me, etc.,.(Being photographed is usually a personal struggle for me.)

Nonetheless, as the saying goes: 'The show must go on'. Yes, because of my personal belief in the immense value that the plus-size blogging community has on women (young and old alike), I pulled myself together and got to work. My loyal supporter, my husband was completely on board as Motivational Speaker and Creative Director, thank you Honey!!!

Whenever I feel doubtful and or indecisive with choosing a look, I go with classic and timeless pieces.

Every woman needs a classic dress, that can be dressed up, or dressed down.

This classic tube style dress was purchased in 1999 for my one year anniversary. Does that make it a vintage number? LOL!

Which celebrity exactly, inspired this look?

The answer is here: www.pinterest.com/inmyjoi/im-inspired/

See how the #30PlusStyle Dolls were Celebrity Inspired today:
www.prettypluspep.blogspot.com
www.pumpsandstudz.blogspot.com
www.mode-plus.com
www.thejenesaisquoi.blogspot.com
www.grownandcurvywoman.com

FYI: We are looking for guest bloggers to join us for a future #30plusstyle post. If you're interested, contact us at 30plusstylecollab@gmail.com. Please be sure to include your blog's URL!

Dress: Express
Gloves: Vintage
Scarf: Liz Claiborne
Handbag: Vintage
Shoes: Nine West & Sam Edelman (worn here too)

Until next time! Thank you very much for stopping by and commenting below =)