In a Plaid Mood

I hate acrylic. So in the winter I look for wool. There isn't much of it (new, anyway) in plus sizes. What there is, is often . . . plaid. Which I like. In theory. Sort of.


1. "Not Too Plaid"

OSP, Jessica London wool-blend plaid skirt $30 (up to sz 28) and cotton rib-knit turtleneck $40; Etsy, vintage high heel wing tips, WORNandWENT, $33 and vintage black tooled leather purse, MPRailroadCo, $25; ASOS reclaimed vintage glasses, $29 ($157 total).

2. "Raving Plaid"

OSP, Jessica London wool plaid jacket, $50; any old jeans (pictured: ASOS curve flare $43); ASOS rainbow/unicorn tee $31; Etsy vintage bangle AngiezillasBoutique $8, vintage keds, wolfmamavintage, $24 and handmade floral tote, tavatotes, $23; ASOS sunglasses, $22 ($158 total)

An uncharacteristically restrained combo:

3) "In Plaid Faith"

 

OSP, Jessica London Cotton Cashmere boatneck tunic, $30; ASOS plaid shoes $63; yoursclothing black twill jeans $36; Etsy handmade tote, BuildMakeDo, $28. ($158ish)


4) "The Good, The Plaid, and the Snuggly"

Autograph Australia dress, viscose knit in graphite (goes up to their size 26/xl, which equals a 34w/4x on the one stop plus ‘easy fit’ chart—struth! Yet in most cases AUS sizes are pretty much the same as UK. I know I'm not the first to say this--or the 918273645,000,000th, even, but why is this stuff so complicated?) $70; OSP Jessica London wool jacket already in my fantasy wardrobe (!); Etsy, vintage boots (cheating a little with these as I think they'd be a bit small on me, but don't they look great?), NuMoonVintage, $26 and vintage so fugly-it’s-totally-adorable leather-ish slouch bag, alicksandraflin, $8, upcycled wool infinity scarf, DentOnVintage, $15, handmade clay bead necklace, HaniaMarysia, $10. ($129 total) And BTW this is really how I tend to dress, because I dislike fiddling with things like buttons, zips, belts, ties, etc.

5) "When A Good Girl Goes Plaid"

(See previous for Jessica London wool skirt and Yoursclothing UK blouse)Chunky mary jane heels from Etsy vintage shop, RevengeOfTheDress, $42, and also from Etsy, handmade custom-length black leather belt, AngelGrace, $20, NOS attitudinous pewter bulldog belt buckle (with red enamel eyes and a shiny black nose!), MilkaCervenka, $25; OSP woman within cropped denim jacket, $35 ($122).

6) "Sometimes I have Plaid Dreams" 

 

(Already in wardrobe: Jessica London fit and flare ponte dress, yours clothing black leggings and denim jacket) From etsy, aaaaa-maaaazing! vintage plaid boots, ironorchidvintage, $48, 1970s kimono clutch, StyledinJapan, $28, navy red gold origami earrings, HelloCamellia, $16. ($92 total)

 And here's a bit of summer for those on the other side of the world.

7) "Taking the Good With the Plaid"

 

OSP, plaid muk luks sneakers, $34, Jessica London cotton godet dress (comes in petite plus up to 28, too!) $40, and Woman Within cropped denim jacket in spot print $35; Etsy vintage lucite bangle, TracysVintageJewelry, $12 and vintage tote SweetShopVintage, $11; ASOS Rio Necklace $29 ($161-- but couldn't resist the necklace!)

Cold Down Under

Here in Oz we are finally heading into autumn/winter. 

Cool weather makes me yearn for brown suede and wooly wools. So I'm starting off with a 1970s-inspired ensemble built around a FAB! wool plaid suede trimmed vintage bag from Etsy (if you like the look, check it out--the inside has polka dots in the same colours!).

1. "Hot Chocolate" (AKA "I Believe in Miracles, You Sexy Thang")

 

ASOS aviator sunglasses, $15 ; Jessica London ribbed henley jumper OSP, $20; yoursclothing brown ponte skirt with black thong belt $29; Etsy, vintage vera bradley suede-trimmed purse, EpochandEra $14.00 and vintage suede shoes, HighwayChildren $30, vintage gold plate necklace bracelet set, edinburghvintage, $20. ($128 total: all clothing available up to 30/32)

 Winter solstice is 21 June down under, so. . .

2. "Wiccan Curl Up By the Fire"

 

Jessica London boatneck tee OSP, $15; Etsy creepy-cute little cat brooch, SunAndRainbowVintage, $10 and vintage microfiber zodiac messenger bag (yes, it has straps) HeyTokyoVintage $12, handmade velvet scarf, xyuezw, $13; yoursclothing embroidered skirt $45 and black button boots $45--add a pair of rust or plum or purple tights from We Love Colour, $9  ($149 total, clothing to sz 28/30)

 

Love all this upcycled wool and cashmere:

3. "Pink, Black, and Cozy All Over"

Yours black skinny jeans $36; Jessica London boatneck tunic OSP $15; Etsy upcycled felted cashmere infinity scarf, LadyBaabaa1, $26, handmade pink owl messenger bag, miasunique, $28, and upcycled wool wrist warmers, mcleodhandcraftgifts, $12; ASOS boots $39 ($156 total; clothes up to sz 28)

Another outfit that started with a vintage purse.

4. "Black is the New Black, Except When It's Blue"

 

Etsy vintage blue wool clutch, KittyCatShop, $13 and cocktail ring upcycled from 1950s earring, mariearnoux, $14; ASOS shoe boots $39 and longer length v-neck swing dress $49 ($115 total)

Cuddle up in a sweater that looks like it was knitted by the world's nicest, most talented--and stylish--nanna (who then let you plunder her collection of earrings and scarves to accessorise it!)

5. "Love from Nanna"

 

Etsy, GORGEOUS custom hand knit sweater  in plus sizes, afra, $104, earrings RumiCollections (they are supposed to be peach, but they look pink, so I went with that) $15, vintage pink silk scarf, laZycatdesignZ, $7; yours clothing boot cut jeans (various lengths, up to US26) $27;  (vintage bag and zappos boots see previous for details)($153)

Always kind of wanted a suede skirt; not really worth it in a place where it is spring/summer lasts 10 months of the the year. Still, it could be fun fulfilling those urban cowgirl dreams every now and then . . . 

6. "Ranch Dressing"

(see "In a Plaid Mood" for details re. osp ww crop denim jacket, vintage western booties) OSP, Jessica London tan suede skirt, $75; ASOS boyfriend tee, $20; Etsy, custom distressed tan leather belt, AngelGrace, $20, western style buckle with turquoise and red beads, StrayJane, $7, vintage bandana, MagicSnakeVintage, $3, handmade earrings, DorysBoutique, $18. ($143)

7.  "Purr Suede Me"

(see above for details re skirt, belt) Yours clothing black denim jacket $54; Jessica London v-neck ribbed sweater, $50; Etsy, black beige cat infinity scarfdailyaccessoriez, $15 and cat sugarskull belt buckleDogCentralDesignsm $17 (would make it actually worth the hassle of wearing a belt); ASOS flats, $30. ($112)

Another love note to brown suede and another leather jacket (I'd never, ever, ever purchase an ivory leather jacket, but it's got a retro vibe that I appreciate and, like other JL stuff comes in sizes up to US28). And, yes, this would be something that you could only wear in winter here.

8) "Rolled, Bowled, and Suede"

Etsy, vintage suede shoes, CuratedCloset, $20; OSP jessica london ivory leather jacket, $90 and stripe top, $15; (Yours bootcut jeans, see previous for details); blue q bicycle messenger bag, $20.

Lemons and Lemonade

. . . that's what plus size style is about about, 90% of the time.

A simple A-line dress, in silky/crinkle rayon (eg. GOOD fabric, relatively speaking, with nice drape, no ironing, plus I personally appreciate its retro vibe), under $50 in sizes up to 6X, in multiple colours is an item so potentially useful to fat women in hot climates that it is practically a public service. AND it comes in petite sizes, so those princess seams hit in the right place if like me you are 5'4" or under. (Woman Within, One Stop Plus, $49.99)

Unfortunately it is also pretty much presented in the mode of public service by WW (as if to point out how pathetic you are for needing it in the first place.) 

(Without getting into the territory better--more thoroughly and amusingly--covered by WTF, Plus Size Clothing Manufacturers?, can I just say that perhaps WW shouldn't have hired grads from the Walker Evans School of Fashion to style their shoot?)

Anyhow, my first thought was "blech," but my second thought was, what could I do with this?

I’d start with a snip. Maxi’s are great for standing by the pool sipping cocktails, but for the rest of the week when there is work to be done and busses to be caught, I prefer knee or just below knee length, esp. in a-line frocks. Hemming adds about $15-20 to the cost of the dress if you don’t sew.

 Then style. Some plus sized glasses of lemonade coming up.

1. "Orange You Glad You Like Purple?"

Shown with Sun-brella from Hinky Imports (no,really), $15, Amazon.com; Ashley Stewart Signature Cropped Shrug $25(available up to US26, rayon/cotton--good for when you've got to go from steam heat to a/c and waist length adds nice shape);Blue Q "Encyclopaedia" Messenger Bag, $20; Ollio faux suede flats, $17, Amazon.com. total= $127 (sans shipping or alterations).

2. "Black is the Warmest Colour"

Black and purple floral is shown with black crop leggings, yoursclothing and ASOS black flats (both a staple of my imaginary wardrobe--likewise my real life one) plus yet another pair of ASOS sunnies, $12; Etsy vintage midcentury "town and country" straw purse, OverHomePA, $26, sun parasol, RajasthanRoyals,$40 (sunblock makes my eyes sting and sun  parasols are groovy) total with dress $128.


It's cold down under, so here's a fall/winter version:

3. "Olive in the Past"

Etsy vintage western ankle boots, tinyvictoriesvintage, $33, vintage leather bag, crazygoodbananas, $28, and handmade corrugated wool hat from selectknits, $32 (maureen o'hara's face not included), vintage ukrainian wool scarf,bestluba, $19; yoursclothing black brushed jersey biker style jacket, $17.50 and black tights, $11. With WW dress is well over budget at $190 (nostalgia--and keeping warm in style--ain't cheap).

So, whaddyaknow? Turns out the woman within is a funky, stylish fat girl!

One Dress 10 Ways: Part II

Behind this blog is a childhood spent poring--lusting!--over those hot pink plastic shell encased packs of Barbie clothes. (Which one would I choose for my birthday?! Which one for Christmas?!) So it only seems right that Part II starts with Pinkity-Pink (And how cool would it be if all these shiny bits were available in miniature, for your very own plus size Barbie?!?)

(Eh, don't worry, it gets funkier as I go along. Lust though I did for the pristine goodies of pak fashion, my Barbies all ended up with tats [free-form ones, mostly as a consequence of my poor management of art supplies], pierced ears, and weird haircuts. They lived in all-female inter-generational communes created from upcycled shoeboxes decorated by yours truly, where the older, harder gals always looked sidelong at bronze beauties with popping knees. There were wild flings with GI-Joe.)

6. "Pinkety-Pink-Pink-Pink."

ASOS jackson espadrilles, $20 and Warehouse sunglasses $24; Etsy vintage straw bag, weezys, $10, flower power earrings,fruitdebois, $15, and lucitebangle, prairierosejewels, $20. 

7. "Perfect Day"

Etsy, vintage 1960s JC Penney “Sanitised” sneakers, krispyfringe, $25; Blue Q origami red shoulder tote, $7.99; Yoursclothing denim jacket, $55; ASOS sunnies $17.

8. "Renaissance Mime Time"

Etsy, handmade plus size jacket/coat,dare2Bstylish, $79 and earrings,instylecollections, $10.50; Yoursclothing tights, $11. 

9. "Vested Interest"

 

Lands End sweater vest $43; Etsy vintage two tone heels, generation collective, $26 and vintage handbag, frenchvintagedream, $30 ; ASOS Pelerine Ankle Socks $6.

 

10. "Factory Settings"

Yoursclothing biker jacket $90; ASOS clear frame sunnies $17; Andy Warhol Banana badge, Etsy, $1.