Spring/Summer Must Haves

I honestly have so many Spring must haves for this season and it was extremely hard to just narrow down a few to post. I will be doing more posts on my Spring/Summer must haves. Pictured are a couple of items I plan on getting for the Spring and Summer. All of the clothing are plus size clothing, one place in particular LAVINTAGE. If you haven't heard of LAVINTAGE please check out the website. They go up to a size 3x and they have vintage inspired clothing dating all the way back to the 40s. Simply amazing is the term I can use to describe this website. I love it and I plan on doing some serious Spring shopping there! Be on the lookout for more of my Spring/Summer must haves.


1. Sunglasses: Bleu Dame
2 & 3. Harem Trousers & Pot a Dot Sun Dress: Evans
4 & 5. Blazer & Dress: LA Vintage
6. Green Wedges: Torrid

...A Splash Of Color

I can't help the fact that I am still stuck on the all Black routine, but I decided to add some color to this outfit. I paired this outfit with a beautiful necklace (which is now my favorite necklace in my jewelry box). Also, I wore a fuchsia color blazer which was really pretty. This outfit was really simple chic; however it worked. I will continue to add more fall colors such as pinks, blues, yellow etc. to my closet. I only own one yellow blouse, so I hope to experiment with colors like yellow and orange which would be a great spring essential.

(Blazer--Thifted; Blouse & Jeans--Old Navy; Necklace--Forever 21; Earrings--Vintage; Ring--H&M; Shoes-- Wild Rose)

Graffiti Madness

This photo shoot was one of my favorites because of the graffiti murals and the artistic vibe. I have been to this location before to take some pictures, but every time I go back there it is always some new art added to the walls. It is so cool to look at the paintings and slogans on the murals. It kind of reminds me of the artist Banksy and his work. I hope to be going to back to this location near Duke University to take more pictures soon! My outfit was very simple, just jeans and a blouse because it was so hot on this day, but beautiful.




(Blouse--H&M; Jeans--Faith 21; Shoes--Torrid; Purse & Sunglasses--Old Navy).

The Butterfly Effect...

This outfit brought out a one-of-a-kind side of me (LOL). This night I was in a rare form of myself, which is a inside joke btw! I just really had fun with this outfit and was really comfortable in it. I have never worn my hair this big and at first I was a little bit hesitant, but I went for the look anyway. I tend to wear a lot of black when I go out, and I am going to have to stay away from that all of the time. When I go out now I just like to add a splash of detail or color to my outfit. This heels I am wearing are the highest pair I own, but they were actually pretty comfortable.

(Blouse, Skirt& Jewelry--Faith 21; Shoes--Zigi Soho)

Green & Cheetah Print

My favorite combination for the spring/summer 2011 season is colors and prints. I have learned to experiment with the two and I am loving it. This outfit is very simple and fun. It was a beautiful day outside so I decided to go with this green blazer, which I haven't worn much. I love the fit and the jeans were really comfortable.

(Blazer--Thifted; Blouse--Wet Seal; Jeans--Faith 21; Shoes--Steve Madden; Purse--Chanel).

H&M BIB Collection: "Big Is Beautiful"

Source: H&M Website:
I was excited to find out that H&M has launch a plus size collection called BIB: Big Is Beautiful. "This season a more trend conscious collection has been designed to offer customers a wider range of fashion in sizes 16-30. We have gone for a higher fashion content with this collection, which will appeal to younger customers too,' says BiB designer Lisa Hajian."
"This Spring focuses on both masculine and feminine themes. Typical masculine pieces are shirts and well cut suit trousers, while frills and patterns provide a feminine look to garments. Denim continues to be big this season and comes in all shades from light stonewashed to dark navy.
As Summer draws nearer tight fitting tops are combined with Capri pants - a must in trouser lengths this season. Wide linen trousers are worn with narrow tops, often in stripes, and with stripes being one of the most important patterns they come in all forms including multistripe and two-tone."
The site is only apart of the UK site and not the US; however I still think it is great for H&M to head in this direction with plus size clothing.

Addi: The Curve & The Lines

I love seeing fresh new style in the world of fashion or "fatshion". I love Addi style because she is not afraid to take risk with playing off her curves. Addi describes her style as, "eclectic". "Sometimes it's kicks and jeans, sometimes on-of-a-kind vintage pieces and sometimes it's tailored suits and stand-out shoes and accessories". I would describes Addi's style as fearless and bold. I love her mixture of colors and fabrics. Here is a brief interview I did to find out more about Addi's style. Enjoy!

Age: 29

Location: Brooklyn

Favorite Places to Shop: ASOS, Forever21, Monif C., Gap Inc, Butter by Nadia, Anthropologie, Any vintage/thrift shop anywhere, Searle, Mom’s Closet (not a store, literally, my mom’s closet), Ebay. Etsy, Topshop, Zara

Current Obsession: "Long sheer skirts, high-waist wide-leg jeans, wedges and statement jewelry—particularly in abalone--for the summer."


Who are your style heroes/fashion icons? "I love watching the evolution of Solange Knowles’ style, Karla Deras from Karla’s Closet, Kelly from The Glamourai, Also, my mom. (She is actually one of the boldest and experimental dressers I know) and June Ambrose."

Do you have anything in your closet that you could never throw away? "My graduation gowns—I worked hard for every one of those polyester frocks! But honestly, I would never throw out my classic black Jimmy Choo pumps (they’ll never will go out of style), my classic black suit, or any of the vintage items my mother has given me. (Her collection of vintage clutches and scarves spans decades and continents; it’s insanity)."

How Would You Describe Your Personal Style? "I find it confining and disingenuous to define my style as just one thing. Let’s keep it 100: we are all ‘The Girl in Sweats’ on one day and ‘Ms. Pulled-Together’ the next. So, I’d describe my style as varied. Sometimes it’s vintage, sometimes it’s super-trendy, sometimes it’s tailored and classic. It shifts constantly and it should; as young women, we’re still trying to define ourselves."

What Inspires Your Personal Style?
"My personal style is defined by the world around me; it’s hard to pinpoint, But no matter what look I wear, I’m always thinking:
‘Is it interesting? Does it make me happy? Is it pulled-together but in some ways, unexpected?’ If I can answer these questions affirmatively (particularly that 2nd one) I’m doing well."


Any Fashion Advice/Tips?

1. Magazines and billboards can give you ideas, but they shouldn’t mandate your style. Just because they say it’s trendy, doesn’t mean you have to wear it.
2. Have a sense of what silhouettes work best for you and wear them from time to time. But, if you fall in love with something and it doesn’t fall onto that list; Wear it anyway; YOU define what works best on your body.
3. If you’re looking for inspiration, sometimes you’ll find all you need by people-watching; designers and stylists are not the only people doing awesome things with clothing!
4. Invest in quality pieces. When I was a younger (broke-r) fashionista, I used to buy lots of inexpensive pieces. Now, I buy less pieces but what I do take home is better quality.
5. Be bold in some of your fashion choices. If you encounter a truly interesting piece, Get it! If you truly love it, you’ll find away to make it work with what you have.
6. Invest in a few great foundation pieces. A good bra and shaper should be a key part of your wardrobe.
For More With Addi's Style Check Out her Blog: The Curve & The Line

Curvy and Chic Inspiration: "Amber Riley" Award Season Fashion

SAG Awards special: Amber wearing a special detailed Anne Barge gown. This gown was originally a wedding gown but it was made specially for Amber and looked stunning on her.

Amber Riley in Ema Savahl Gown: Grammy Awards; Many people had mixed feelings about this dress but I absolutely loved it. I do believe if the necklace would have covered both shoulders it would have been better, but I still believe the tailoring and fit was perfect.

Golden Globe Awards: Amber wearing a Oliver Tolentino shimmery one shoulder fitted gown.

Amber Riley, Nicey Nash and Julia Pace Mitchell definitely stepped out at the NAACP Image Awards wearing some fabulous gowns. I am a huge fan of Amber Riley's fashion because recently her awards gowns have been simply amazing. I love what she wears every time she steps out on the red carpet. Nicey Nash surprised me with her outfit because I wasn't expecting such a bold choice for her, but I have to say that I did love the dress. Julia Pace Mitchell looked fabulous in her gown, but I would have liked to her to accessorize a little bit better but other then that I loved the fit and the flow.

Rain Rain Go Away

Today I was expecting it to be sunny and nice but the weather took an expected turn when all of a sudden it started raining. Its been raining on and off, but I managed to sneak in a couple of pictures of the outfit I was wearing because afterwards it was really pretty outside.

(Blouse & Sunglasses--Old Navy; Skirt--Faith 21; Shoes--Torrid; Purse--Vintage)

Rips and Sequence

My favorite part of this outfit are those rip jeans that I brought last year and I still love so dearly! This outfit is so much fun combined with the sequence blouse and the black blazer. Combined together this outfit makes for a perfect Friday. Happy Friday Everyone! xoxo Cierra

(Sunglasses--Forever 21; Blazer--Lane Bryant; Blouse--H&M; Jeans--Dots; Shoes--Torrid; Jewelry--H&M)

"Please Feed The Models"

I know these images maybe somewhat old but I still love the fact the model Crystal Renn had the courage to do this shoot. I know in the past years she has suffered from an eating disorder, and many see these photos as a controversial statement. In these images the food looks disgusting; however Crystal looks flawless in them. As a fat girl myself, I know sometimes society judges when fat people make bold statements, as seen in these pictures. As many girls, it took me a long time to be comfortable with myself (especially being bigger than most of my friends and the girls in my class). I still struggle with self image and the way I look. I know Crystal Renn is getting a lot of flack nowadays because she has lost a lot of her weight; however I still look to Crystal Renn as inspiration because she is a beautiful person. When she was a plus size model she was not afraid to show her assets and she always worked with what she had. That's the main goal that I have learned, and that is "Work with what you have". In the past, I was always afraid to do that, but now I love my curves and I love my assets. I love the fact that the stores are embracing plus size fashion. I was ecstatic when my favorite stores ASOS and Forever21 launched plus size lines. It gives us as bigger women more confidence. So my message to plus size women and girls is "Work with what you have, and if you don't like it change it as you see-fit, not for someone else or society, but for yourself."

XOXO CIERRA

"Please Feed The Models"

Velvet d'Amour is also a MAJOR Inspiration.

City Chic Plus Size Fashion

Daisy Ripped Short
$44.00

Roxanne Dress

$68.00

Harem Print Pant

$46.00

One Shoulder Beaded Disco Top

$41.60

City Chic is one of my favorite plus size online stores to shop at. They have a range of styles that vary from city nights to city days. City Chic goes from a size 14+ with very affordable prices. Above I just posted some great items, check out the website (on the right side of my blog) for more City Chic Fashion.