Music Magpie Resale Site

When Chicago weather stops being crazy and summer arrives with plans to stay for good I like to clean out my closet. I usually separate my winter clothes for storage and make a separate pile to donate to the church where my grandmother works. There are no resale shops in my area and setting up my own store to sell clothes is time consuming so donation is the best option. However, I was contacted recently about a Uk website called Music Magpie wear you can send in CD's, DVD's, Video Games, Electronics, and Clothes for cash. They make clothes recycling really easy and you get paid in the process. You type in the brand and garment then they give you a value. If the price is right you can drop your clothes off at one of their many UK locations for free. If you have over 25 items they will even send someone to pick them up for you. Have any of you UK ladies used this service? There US site doesn't support clothing options yet, but I'm hoping it will soon. I'd like to try it.



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Reiss Handbags from John Lewis

John Lewis is a department store that offers great designer items when you want to invest a little more in your wardrobe. In this post I'm going to fous on some Reiss accessories and what I would pair them with. 

As Reigning queen of the barney bag I think this Reiss Luggage Tote Bag would be a great everyday bag. It would work really well with most casual outfits and I could carry around my whole life which is a must for me with any everyday bag. 

Once again vintage style items are my jam and this clutch is super 80/90's. Although I tend to go for brighter colors, for an evening out paired with a simple black dress and a pop of color shoe this clutch would work really well. 

This cream leather shoulder bag would look great with either casual or dressy looks when you dont have a lot to carry around. I think this color would work really with pastels which are popular again this spring/summer season. 

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New Look Inspire Dresses

The New Look Inspire Rang has become quite popular over the last couple of years because it offers great plus size clothing items at an affordable price. As it is now officially summer I thought in this post  I would tell you about a few of my favorite plus size dresses from the line and how I would style them.

First up is the Navy Embellished Playsuit which isn't technically a dress, but just go with it. You guys know I love old lady clothes so the gold embellishments are working over time for me. I think this playsuit would make a great day time look with simply earrings and black flats or a great night time look with a chunky necklace, pink clutch, and black high heel shoes.

Next we have the floral chiffon dress and the pink printed sleeveless shirt dress. In the summer I love dresses like these to that are super easy to throw on on hot days with just flat shoes, simple makeup and a tote. I love going all out, but that can't happen everyday.

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Resources: Wide Fitting Shoes

A lot of plus size girls have wide and/or large feet and I am one of them. However, for some reason it's hard to find cute shoes & wide fitting shoes. It really sucks having search through tons of websites to only fine one or two cute things or none at all, but the website Wide Fitting has you covered. On Wide Fitting you can search for shoes at different online retailers by brand, size, and type. There are also tons of advice guides and voucher codes to help you with your search. This website is a great find for fall for all of us searching for wide calf shoes as well. Check it out and let me know what you find.

Resources: Plus Size Lingerie

It's such a surprise that this is only my second or third time talking about bras and under garments on this blog. Some of us learn the hard way that having the right foundations can make or break a outfit(thinks back to a old tumblr post). It can be hard searching for the right foundations when you are lot bustier and have a larger band size like me. It also seems that all plus size brands think every fat girl has big boobs, but I know plenty of girls with big bands sizes and smaller cup sizes that have a hard time finding good bras. We seem to always run into the issue of finding bras in our size sometime that aren't sexy or fun enough. Searching for bras with all of these issues can be difficult, but Plus Size Lingerie has you covered. On their website you can search for bras, panties, and large lingerie using different search filters like brands, bra type, underwear type, and lingerie type. There are also advice guides there to help you find the right fit and bra type for any fashion choice you make along with voucher codes to help you catch the sales. So, check out the site and let me know what you find.

Fashion World

I seems like all of my favorite plus size clothing brands are from the UK. I'm not sure what the difference in perspective is, but a lot of the items from many plus size retailers in the UK seem to  be more simple and on par with current trends. Fashion World appears to be no different. They offer a full catalogue of items featuring everything from apparel to lingerie and shape wear. It doesn't look like Fashion World offers U.S. delivery yet, but their items range from sizes 12 to 32, so UK ladies can take full advantage. Below you'll find a few of my favorite pieces.

Floral prints haven’t been a heavy feature on the blog lately, but I still wear them often and love them which is why I love this dress. It goes up to a size 32 and has a great skater fit. It seems comfortable enough for school or casual days. As summer comes to a close and ushers in fall this floral print is dark enough that paired with a dark cardigan and ankle boots you’re good to go. 

Parkas are great light weight jackets for fall or climates that don’t get too cold. I fell like throwing one over a more dressy skirt of blouse instantly dresses down a look while adding one to a simple pair of jeans and a t-shirt  can help pull that look together. 

I am not a heavy jean wearer, but as I experience more and more winters in Chicago I’m coming to the conclusion I need to start wearing pants more often. Unless they are cuffed boyfriend jeans I generally like my jeans skinny and fitted. I love that colored pants are showing up everywhere for both spring and fall. I would wear these jeans with a sleeveless turtle neck sweater and chunky gold jewelry.

Tops at Bonmarche

It's so amazing that every time you turn around there are new plus size clothing stores popping up. Bonmarche is the latest discovery for me. Lately I have been on the hunt for graphic tees to pair with midi skirts & trousers for quick, easy school looks. Bonmarche has great tops for curvy women that fit the bill. They even have great tops for going out after school work is over. Here are a few of my favorites.

 

Stripe/Floral Print Tee

Sail Print Tee

Tribal Tee

Simply Be's Fall Collection

I don't do a lot of shopping at traditional stores (thrift store queen for life), but Simply Be is by far my favorite plus size store at the moment. Simply Be has great on trend plus size items and always has sales that make the items affordable. Below you'll find 3 of my favorite items from their new fall collection and some of the only items I'm coveting from traditional stores right now. If you're not in the UK Simply Be also has a US store here.

New Jersey Full Figured Fashion Week!

There seem to plus size events happening all over the place and New Jersey Full Figured Fashion Week is no exception.  NJFFF Week is taking place in Atlantic City on March 30 to April 1st. Madison Plus is sponsoring the event and has a lot of things in store for you if you attend. Be prepared to experience runway shows styled by celebrity stylist Susan Moses, panel discussions with industry insiders, and musical performances by Melani Fiona, Eric Benet, and Miguel. There will also be celebrity guest appearances from Lamman Rucker, Toccara Jones, Chelsea Settles, and model Kaela Humphries.

If you love shopping there will also be a number of venders, expos, and boutiques set up to offer you the best in plus size fashion. While you're shopping enjoy complimentary drinks, snacks, massages, and make up sessions with vendors. 

Whether you are a vedor, potential sponsor, or attendee NJFFF Week has numerous packages to fit your needs. You can check out a full list of events here, a list of sponsors here, and ticket prices here. 

Don't forget to stay up to date with breaking news on New Jersey Full Figured Fashion Week on their Facebook page here. 

This looks like a wonderful event and I can't wait to hear reports from those who attend. 

This is a sponsored post. However all opinions are honest and not influenced by the company. 

Plus Size Formal Dresses

Spring and Summer are definitely the seasons for formal dresses. There is prom, weddings, and fancy garden partys if you're lucky. Looking through different websites and stores for the right dress can be difficult, but Plussizedresses.com has a great system that allows you sort through plus size formal dresses from different websites by size, designer, occasion, and style.

My favorite of the dresses offered is this Anna Scholz formal maxi dress. 

Womens Jeans ar Bonmarche

I'll be the first to admit I'm not a jeans girl, but lately I have been coming around to jeans and pants in general. One of my issues with denim is the fit and affordability; it feels like it's hard to find a great pair of jeans that incorporates a great fit at a decent price. Luckily there are lots of great women's jeans at Bonmarche to choose from. The cuts of denim I like the most and have been experimenting with are the wide leg and trousers styles, so this trouser style pair is perfect and a steal at £15 or under $30 U.S.

Trench Coats From JD Williams

 One of the pains of living in the midwest is the in-between weather we get in April and May. It's hard to know what kind of jacket to wear when it's hot at the start of the day, but cool by sun down. I think trench coats are perfect for that. They look great with skirts or pants and have a easy lightweight feel for those windy days or cool nights. Women's plus size clothing store JD Williams has some great classic trench coat options and some more colorful ones as well. I have included pictures of my favorites below. Are you wearing trench coats this spring?

Womens Trousers at Marisota

Color blocking is a big trend this Spring/Summer season and one of my favorites. A great way to start your color blocked look is with a pair of bright trousers. Marisota is a great place to find all kinds of women's trousers, but their bright wide legs and slim fit trousers are my favorite.

How are you color blocking this season? 

Plus Size Formal Dresses

Spring and Summer are definitely the seasons for formal dresses. There is prom, weddings, and fancy garden partys if you're lucky. Looking through different websites and stores for the right dress can be difficult, but Plussizedresses.com has a great system that allows you sort through plus size formal dresses from different websites by size, designer, occasion, and style.

My favorite of the dresses offered is this Anna Scholz formal maxi dress. 

Simply Yours Foundation Garments

Shape wear can be a tricky subject. I don't usually wear any, but I'm definitely not against it. One of my issues with shape wear is that it can be uncomfortable and not very attractive. It's under your clothing so it's not open for public view, but beautiful foundations can make you feel a little extra confident and sexy. Simply Yours makes beautiful foundations in general, but some of their women's shape wear, particularly the Gon Wan pieces, have me wanting make their underwear outerwear.  Below are a few of my favorites.

This is marked a body shaper, but I can totally see it being worn with trousers and a blazer as a body suit. The sheer panels have me in love. 

These briefs have some tummy control features, but come in a beautiful color and have a great retro high waisted look. 

This white bodysuit would look great underneath a sheer button up blouse. 

One Stop Plus UK

I rarely ever speak about lingerie and bras on the blog, but foundations are very important to any outfit. I know a lot of ladies shop at Lane Bryant for their under garment needs, but OneStopPlus.co.uk (as well as the U.S. store) has a huge selection of plus size lingerie to choose from up to a 50G. The bras are very cute and their is something for ever age. I don't know about you, but I like to wear fun, colorful bras and One Stop Plus definitely has you covered there as well. One Stop Plus always has great coupons going so always check for coupon codes or sign up for their email list because there are some great deals to be had.  Below I'll include a few of my favorite pieces.

I love this bustier; it reminds me a lot of the bustiers or long line bras that are popular right now. If you don't mind showing a little skin I would wear this with trousers and a blazer this spring/summer season.

I love lace and rose, so this bra is definitely a win to me.

I love this set because the higher waisted panties paired with the bra gives it a great vintage look.

This post was sponsored by One Stop Plus UK