Dress of Roses

So, this new Forever21 opened up in my local mall. It was many months in the making, and I was waiting with baited breath. I wanted to see if it would have a plus-section, and a mens section. Seriously, the plus-sized sections of ALL the Forever 21s that I have been in have, to be frank, sucked. They were SERIOUSLY lacking in selection, and pretty much hidden away.
But what did I see to my GREAT surprise! The plus section at my local mall (Limeridge, in Hamilton, ON) is HUGE! I think that almost everything that I had seen online was in the store. From crazy leggings, to dresses, to jackets, the whole 9. It was so nice to see. So I took a ton of stuff into the changing room to try on. I posted the whole gnarly experience (I say gnarly, because my hair was not looking fab, no makeup, etc) on the tumblr site that I post on. Added reviews, in terms of fit and sizing. Go check it out over there. Of all the stuff I tried, the only thing that said "BUY ME" was this dress, and mostly because it ended up being $10 after the discount. I've been itching to try a "Kaleah Bee" look too, and this fit the bill. Her specialité is a fit & flare dress under a cardigan. She has that shit down to a fine art, and this is my attempt.

On me: Dress Forever21+. Cardigan Costco, Belt Aldo, Shoes Alfred Sung via Value Village, Necklace Claires,

Mental High Fives All Day

Typically, in the moments before I fall asleep at night, I consider my wardrobe in context of the upcoming weather, and I decide what I will wear the next day.
Nine times out of ten, I go with something completely different.
Today was sorta one of those days.
I saw, on Tumblr, a wicked outfit of a fitted denim shirt under a long white maxi skirt with a thick brown belt. Loved it. Borrowed a white skirt from a friend hoping to recreate the look, and that was what I pretty much had planned. Sadly, the white skirt was too snug, and you could see the tails of the denim shirt through the fabric. Double-plus ungood.
So, I pulled this skirt out of the closet on a whim. Got it from Winners for $8 months ago. I was looking for a black and white striped skirt, but for $8, this was close enough.
My original plan for this skirt was with a denim jacket over it, but that didn't work, so long story long... this outfit was born.
If I hadn't been in such a rush this morning, I probably wouldn't have worn this outfit at all. I didn't really dig it. But, I had to jet, so I threw on shoes, and necklace and a belt, and voila... *cue singing of angels*
I was giving myself mental high fives all day on this outfit.

I really like this ensemble after all. Its quite gathered at the waist, so it gives my "narrow" hips a little oophm, and presto, instant hourglass! Yeah, I'll take it.
Can't really see the necklace much under the shirt, but I just can't do the "necklace over shirt,  under collar" thing. Something about it just feels wrong to me. Don't ask me why...

On Me: Houndstooth skirt Chaus via Winners; Denim shirt Forever 21+; Belt Rickis; Shoes Chinese Laundry via Value Village; Necklace Ebay

Denim and B&W by awholelottafbs featuring a long denim shirt

Merona long denim shirt
26 CAD - target.com

Michael kor
95 CAD - macys.com

Zara ankle tie shoes
53 CAD - zara.com

Yellow statement necklace
7.39 CAD - etsy.com

ASOS slimming belt
11 CAD - asos.com

Frilly, lacey, girly

This was originally intended to be a Pin to Post sort of outfit, but it got really hot, so I had to ditch my denim jacket, and it just ended up being this. That being said, if I hadn't lost the coat, you wouldn't be able to see the lovely frilly sleeve thing happening. I've decided to go for the arms this summer. I don't know if I will be ever seen out in just a tank top and jeans, but if there is something really pretty that requires my arms to show, then I must make it so.

I also have a question for our readers, and you must be out there, so please do weigh in. I figure there are two basic kinds of fashionistas: those who are "label-whores" (as I affectionately call them), who are willing to pay top $ for a designer name; those who are frugal and prefer to pay less for things, and get a thrill from finding something great for a small $ rather than a big $. Of course there are those that more likely fit into the shades of grey between those two poles, but we can't cover ALL our bases...

So, which one are you?

On me: Dress/belt Forever 21+; (not very old, but I couldn't find online; 2 alternatives below) Shoes Value Village; Earrings H&M (about eons ago); Necklace & bracelet Target

Pretty Lacey by awholelottafbs featuring adrianna papell