Tag: Avenue

PCA/ACA National Conference 2015

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In addition to this blog, I am actually a design and art history historian as well as a cultural anthropologist. It’s a quite a mouthful I know.  Though much of my academic writing and research has taken a back seat since receiving my masters last spring, I have made some efforts in the final months of last year to expand on some projects I had started in graduate school, including my paper on Target, its designer collaboration collections and plus size blogging– a paper I submitted last October  to be considered as a possible presentation for the Fashion, Style, Appearance, Consumption and Design area of the 2015 Popular Culture Association and American Culture Association’s National Conference.

I was told that once you send in your abstract for consideration it takes approximately  a minimum of two weeks to hear back from the area chair, I heard back in two days. From that day I was in crowd-funding and paper editing mode. It was an intensely stressful time given the the other responsibilities I had to deal with such as work, looking for another job, apartment hunting, eventually moving, and starting this blog. It should come to no surprise then that I did my final edits to the paper and accompanying PowerPoint the week before I was set to present. Yet even with all the anxiety fueled by the craziness that is my life, I was very excited to spend Easter weekend in New Orleans for my first (national) conference.

I think my abstract is the longest in history; there was so much to cover in such a little space.

I arrived the day before I was scheduled to present which gave me a chance to sit in other panels for different academic areas, such as Film Adaption, Fat Studies, Tolkien Studies, Material Culture, as well as Libraries, Archives and Museums, to name a few. Admittedly the experience did shake my confidence as I started to question the significance of my paper as the work by my fellow scholars was not only impressive, but presented in such a way that kept the audience engaged for the entire panel. I was in awe of these scholars who clearly have had much more practice than I. Continue reading →

I Am Not THAT Big!

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For most of my life my family influenced my negative view of my body and my fashion choices. Though I have begun to love my body, I suffered with insecurities linked to my size and body type which stemmed from microaggression. Through no longer direct, they are now akin to passive-aggressive implications than are directed at me via gifts, both store bought and hand made.  Allow me to elaborate with some recent examples.

Back in 2013 I lent my voice for the third time for my church’s rendition of G.F. Handel’s Messiah. The then director decided (at the last minute mind you) in a white top and black ankle length bottoms as the dress code for the night of the performance. As a rule I really didn’t own much white and due to the fact that I am a petite woman I (still) don’t own many things that are too long. I complained to my mother and my aunt, both who were also part of the choir, and said that I would be sitting out this year since I had nothing to wear. They both then took it upon themselves to go shopping for me. Being that I was in my third semester of graduate school and had a crazy finals schedule, I let them. Needless to say I was surprised when one weekend my aunt came over with a measuring tape declaring that she would be making my skirt. The only reason I agreed to this was because the concert was a week away and the fabric was gorgeous.

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This picture does nothing for this skirt but take my word for it, the fabric is beautiful!

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V-day Neutral

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vday bct

Dolman cold sleeve blouse : Avenue | Plaid belted pencil skirt: Dressbarn  | Taupe wedges: Avenue

Valentine’s day is all about love in general, not just romantic love. Though I’ll admit that sometimes I get a bit down at the fact that another Valentine’s day had come and I don’t have a Valentine to call my own but I always remember that I have a great family and awesome friends that I love and cherish. So I spent yesterday at church for the most part with said loved ones. It was the most relaxing way to spend the day, which considering the absolute craziness of the week I had, was a major payoff.  I didn’t have a date and I actually didn’t miss it. (I did miss the chocolate though but I will be getting some on sale today. Yay!)  More than anything I think  its more important to love yourself. You don’t have to dress up for someone, dress up for yourself! Pull out that awesome dress and heels. Be it on Valentine’s day or everyday, celebrate you!

Outfit notes: Though many people I know put down major dollars towards an actual Valentine’s Day outfit, I consider that unnecessary (unless you have plans for an evening out at some ritzy place, then by all means go for it). For my V-day outfit this year I used pieces I already owned in a new way. The cream dolman sleeve blouse was something I got by chance a little more than two years ago at the Avenue liquidation sale at their former  Queens Place store. It it one of the most comfortable and flattering formal-wear pieces I own. As for the plum and taupe plaid belted skirt, it was the only “new” piece I used, by which I mean it was a recent purchase but by no means “new” as it was part of Dressbarn’s fall collection. It is so far my favorite purchase of the year being that it flatters my figure and accents the smallest part of my waist. The plum and taupe plaid pattern criss-crosses  in such a way that a gave it a warm burgundy feel. This month makes people think of red, and pink so my neutral colored outfit may not scream Valentine’s day but I felt great in it. Self love and confidence trumps everything!  

Rose Red

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red as rose

Roll Sleeve Blouse and Quilted Skater Skirt: Fashion to Figure | Bowler bag: ALDO Accessories (similar here) | Heels: Avenue Cloudwalkers (similar here)

Even with my crazy Friday work schedule I managed to sneak in a quick trip to the Fashion to Figure office in the city for their sample sale. This was my first sample sale so I wasn’t sure what to expect but I was not disappointed as I got some awesome pieces for a steal. (Fortunately I was hard pressed for time otherwise I probably would have bought everything. $10 for a Boyfriend Blazer Vest?! Mine!)

This black quilted skater skirt is the first one I’ve ever tried on and liked. It is knee length which makes it appropriate enough for work and the pockets make it both functional and practical for more casual wear. The roll sleeve blouse fits as though it was designed specifically for me. The sleeves accommodate my thick arms without any problems and the gold accents just add a level of muted sophistication that make accessorizing unnecessary.

This outfit actually came together at the sale as fellow shoppers suggested that I pair these two pieces together. If there is one thing I can say about plus size fashion events is that you meet some very nice people who genuinely love fashion as much as you do and are quick to give you tips.  I recommend attending one if you can, like the Big Fat Flea or NY Curvy Closet  to see for yourself. You won’t regret it.

This post was not sponsored by Fashion to Figure.