black and white

[ :: Gap moto jacket (similar) :: Asos Curve blouse (similar) :: Forever 21+ faux leather pants (here) ::]
[ :: leather backpack c/o Grafea (here) :: Calvin Klein heels (similar; similar) :: Forever 21 necklace (similar) :: ]
[ :: rings from Macy's and Modcloth :: ]






[ :: Gap moto jacket (similar) :: Asos Curve blouse (similar) :: Forever 21+ faux leather pants (here) ::]
[ :: leather backpack c/o Grafea (here) :: Calvin Klein heels (similar; similar) :: Forever 21 necklace (similar) :: ]
[ :: rings from Macy's and Modcloth :: ]

SoCal has really been playing with my emotions with this hot-one-day-cold-the-next weather, and my style has been pretty spastic because of it. Skirt and a tee one day, jeans and a (faux) fur coat the next. I kind of love it though. I get to wear my spring clothes already but I don't have to put away all my winter coats just yet. Totally best of both worlds.

Side note, how perfect is this leather backpack from Grafea? Unfussy and the brightest white, I'm having a hard time understanding how I lived without it for so long. I've been obsessed with black and white looks for a while now, so I paired the backpack with my faux leather pants and wool moto jacket! And because I have a super girly streak that'll never go away, I finished the look with a lacy, scalloped top from Asos.

Hope you guys enjoyed! Thank you so much for reading! :) xx

spring fling

[ :: Forever 21+ blazer (similar) and skirt (similar) :: Old Navy tee (similar) :: Forever 21 crossbody bag (similar) :: ]
[ :: H&M/vintage/Nordstrom bracelets (similar/similar/similar) :: H&M headband (similar) :: Forever 21 heels :: ]





[ :: Forever 21+ blazer (similar) and skirt (similar) :: Old Navy tee (similar) :: Forever 21 crossbody bag (similar) :: ]
[ :: H&M/vintage/Nordstrom bracelets (similar/similar/similar) :: H&M headband (similar) :: Forever 21 heels :: ]

I'm probably getting ahead of myself here, but SPRING IS HERE! Kind of! ...and by kind of, I mean we had three days of 80 degree weather and now it's cold again. but still. SPRING IS HERE! lol.

Anyway, have any of you been swept up in the Prabal Gurung for Target craziness? I got a bit carried away with the shoe selection, which I showcased on Vine here. (Ignore the sound in the background...Fast & the Furious was on TV. hehe. Are you guys using the Vine iPhone app at all? The app still leaves a bit to be desired (currently no filters, or option to remove sound), but I love it! If you use it, leave your account below so I can find you! :D I'm there under CurvyGirlChic (obvs!). See you there! :)

Shoes for a Living Dead Doll

The Living Dead Dolls have flat feet, so quite a lot of faking is necessary to make something with even a small heel. Here are soles consisting of two layers of cardboard, leather insole, toe part made of air-drying clay (with a little piece of leather preventing the foot from touching the colored clay), and a thick layer of cork.

The toe part of the upper is the first to be glued in place. The clay part helps stretching the leather tightly to prevent creases.

Here you can see the idea. The thick part made of cork makes it possible to make heels for the shoes, and this sort of faking also helps in making shoes that are more in scale with the doll (the doll's feet are much too short compared to the doll's height).

The rest of the upper goes in place next.

This part isn't necessary as you could just glue the outer soles in place and make stacked heels, but I wanted to try something different. So, I took pieces of the leather I used for the uppers, cut outer soles that were slightly larger than what I would have used normally, and glued them in place.

Then I sewed stitches all around, giving the impression that the soles were stitched in place.

Here's a closer look of the stitches.

After stitching, I trimmed the edges, glued the outer soles in place, trimmed those as well, and made stacked heels using the same leather as for the outer soles. Finally, I made the holes for laces and made laces using the same thread I used for stitching.

The shoes go on and off without opening the laces, so I put a little glue to the knots to prevent them from opening.

change of pace

[ :: sweater c/o Talbots :: Lane Bryant ankle zip jeans (similar) :: Monika Chiang bag (similar) :: ]
[ :: Mossimo heels (here) :: Topshop snakeskin cuff (here) :: Nordstrom pyramid stud bracelet (similar) :: ]






[ :: sweater c/o Talbots :: Lane Bryant zip jeans (similar) :: Monika Chiang bag (similar) :: ]
[ :: Mossimo heels (here) :: Topshop snakeskin cuff (here) :: Nordstrom pyramid stud bracelet (similar) :: ]

Super speedy post today! Things have been hectic around here lately (the couple weeks around Lunar New Year always are!), so comfort has been key to survival. Dug up these ankle zip jeans from Lane Bryant (circa 2010) that suddenly feel relevant again, and paired them with an insanely soft sweater perfect for getting things done in. Added snakeskin accents, my go-to, hold-everything bag, and just a couple bracelets for good measure.

Until next time! Thanks for reading! xx

last minute shopping: Curvy Couture

With Valentine's Day coming up this week (eek!), I thought I'd share one more plus size lingerie line that caught my eye. Curvy Couture is a plus size line from Dora Lau, a seasoned lingerie designer who has been creating beautiful pieces for over 20 years. She draws inspiration from Old Hollywood glamour and silver screen stars like Ava Gardner and Marlene Dietrich to create timeless, beautiful pieces.

I was lucky enough to try the Cabaret Lace Plunge and I have to say, it. is. impeccable. It is easily one of the most glamourous pieces I own.

The color is rich, the detailing ornate without being excessive, and it absolutely looks and feels more expensive than it is. I can't emphasize enough how beautiful it is in person! I found the fit true to size, and surprisingly comfortable. I'm not particularly chesty so I appreciated the extra "push," but the padding is removable in case you don't want it.

I'm very much a believer in spoiling yourself (at least a little!), so even if you don't have romantic plans with someone this Valentine's Day, it never hurts to indulge in something as beautiful as this lingerie.

In case you needed another reason to pick up a new gorgeous set, the Curvy Couture team was kind enough to offer readers a 20% discount on almost everything using code SPC20, valid until March 15, 2013. Happy Shopping! ♥

upsides

[ :: velvet blazer c/o Susan Graver for QVC (here) :: Asos Curve body (similar) :: H&M skirt (similar) :: ]
[ :: oak point crossbody c/o Alexandra Satine (here) :: Jeffrey Campbell heels (here) :: ]
[ :: Nordstrom & Forever 21 bracelets (similar; here) :: Topshop ear cuff (similar) :: ]






[ :: velvet blazer c/o Susan Graver for QVC (here) :: Asos Curve body (similar) :: H&M skirt (similar) :: ]
[ :: oak point crossbody c/o Alexandra Satine (here) :: Jeffrey Campbell heels (here) :: ]
[ :: Nordstrom & Forever 21 bracelets (similar; here) :: Topshop ear cuff (similar) :: ]

Last week I was lamenting my pale, pale skin, but I've kind of come to embrace it. I'm not usually a fan of red lips or red tops on myself since I feel like it brings out my reddish (see: sundamaged) complexion, but the recent lack of sun-worshipping has given me new lease on the color. Perfect time to whip out a vampy look with this amazing velvet blazer and studded top (bodysuit, actually).

Finished off my outfit with this bag by Alexandra Satine, an amazing designer who specializes in totally stylin' bags that do double (or triple or quadruple or quintuple) duty. The white calf hair flap on this sexy number is actually ANOTHER bag that slips out and has its own gold chain for dressier occasions. Mind. Blown.

Shopping Spotlight: Plus Size Lingerie Picks

It's February! ♥ And as much as you may try to convince me that Valentine's Day is a commercial holiday crafted by card companies to boost sales, I really don't care. *flips hair* Not like we should need a holiday to celebrate love, but it never hurts to give our significant others a little push in the right direction. ;)

I don't usually cover lingerie on my blog, but with Valentine's Day rolling around, my email has been absolutely bombarded with some of the cutest lingerie sets EVER(!!!), so I figured I'd share my favorites in case you guys are looking for some new underpinnings! ;) I tend to use this holiday as an excuse to invest in some cute new sets, so I figured I couldn't be alone. :P I mean really, how amazing is that mint babydoll from Cacique?!

Shop the looks here!

1. Cacique exclusively at Lane Bryant 2. Cacique exclusively at Lane Bryant 3. Cacique exclusively at Lane Bryant

4. Torrid 5. Torrid 6. Torrid

7. Hips & Curves 8. Hips & Curves

♥ Which ones are your faves? Are you picking up something new for Valentine's Day? :) ♥