When the first trailer for the all-female spin-off of the Ocean’s Eleven film series, Ocean’s 8 dropped, my friend Jonquel and I couldn’t stop talking about it. Both of us are big film and anime nerds so we spent a lot of time geeking over the ensemble cast of diverse women that made up the heist team. However, while the film is within the tradition of the comedy-heist genre, the alluded street style and gala looks made it clear that this movie was also very much a fashion film that will definitely influence future trends.

Soon after that the conversation shifted from being excited to see the film to using it as a platform to demonstrate that size doesn’t limit style by recreating outfits based on each heist-member’s looks from the film. Very much like the concept of the film, Jonquel and I took extra care to recruit some of our Influencer friends, who we felt shared a love of film and fashion as great as ours, casting them in roles that matched their individual style and personalities.

Disclaimer:  This sponsored project  was not conducted in association with the Ocean’s 8 film.

Although what we we set out to do with this project is essentially a unique twist on the practice of cosplay, we went about partnering with some plus size fashion brands to gain access to items that we needed for each character’s outfit. We also made a point to recreate specific images from both the trailer and the film posters, however with our own spin on it. From flipping seating arrangements to changing background colors, we did our best to keep ourselves and the project distinct though clearly influenced by the film.

Even though I was the “co-director, executive producer and stylist” for this project, I did not cast myself as Debbie Ocean’s/Jonquel’s right hand, mostly because I was avoiding having to wear a pants suit. (Sorry Shalee!) But after finding a set photo of Mindy Kaling in character dressed in a gorgeous Alexander McQueen jaquard knit fit&flare dress that I would love to have in my closet, I chose to take on the role of the jeweler – Amita.

At first glance Amita’s style seems to be very understated and traditional. By  “traditional” I mean in the sense that with the button downs, above-the-knee pencil skirts, delicate jewelry and use of basic black, it is a prep-professional style that you’d would expect someone to wear for an interview. However, it is also pretty bold as well with her accent color of choice being a bright red.

As of writing this blog post I have not yet seen the film, though I will admit that the vibe I got from Amita, as I conducted my style-breakdown research for this project, was that she is a bit of wallflower that blossoms after spending time with the other more outspoken women in the group. This is something that I definitely relate to as I’m still on my own body positive style journey and I have only gotten this far with the support of great friends and mentors.

With my style capture, I decided to bring out more of her (potential) edge, boldness and sass by swapping the pencil skirt for a faux leather skater.  I paired it with this Tommy Hilfiger cotton white button down blouse with black polka dot detail. It is a slight departure from that black and red top she has in the film but I felt it helped to bring out her prep-professional style. I also went for some media mixing with this long-line velour blazer jacket that matched the cherry red skinny belt I found on Poshmark. While I don’t really wear much jewelry, if any, in my daily style, I made sure to  include a bangle and a delicate tear drop necklace since I figured Amita, jeweler should actually wear some jewelry.

Having spent the day as Amita on set in this look, I must admit that I totally get why she goes for this distinctive color. If anything this look demonstrates that that even the most reserved and conservative person can slay with the best of them; on their own terms of course.

~Get the look~

Red Solange jacket | Rue 107 (similar here and here)
Tommy Hilfiger White Sky Captain Plus Size Cotton Utility Shirt (1X) | Macy’s
Faux leather skater skirt | Fashion to Figure (old, similar here)
Apostrophe Chunky Heel Mary Janes | Macy’s (old, similar here and here)
Dwesien Necklace in Champagne | ALDO

Be sure to check out how the other ladies captured the style of the Ocean’s 8 team over on their blogs!

Jonquel as the mastermind, Debbie Ocean
Shalee as the right hand, Lou
Faith as the celebrity, Daphne
Brooke as the hacker, Nine-ball
Tan as the designer, Rose
Ashby as the fence, Tammy
Stephanie as the thief, Constance

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Have you gotten a chance to see the film? Which character’s style was your favorite?

Also let me know in the comments what film or television series you’d like to see in a future body positive style capture.  Jonquel and I had so much fun with this first project so we’re already in the development stages for the next one.