Tag: Dia&Co

Dressed to Chill

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When it comes to spending the holidays at home, with just my immediate family, I tend to go for something simple. Not because the occasion isn’t special, but since most of my relatives actually live in Panama we really don’t go all out like most other (Latinx) families do. We keep things pretty low key, unless we invite some friends over, and this year was no different.

Just sitting around reading a book and drinking tea until it was time to cook.

This is why I went with complete comfort over style with this year’s Thanksgiving outfit – just a cute knit sweater and leggings.  I am currently obsessed with this plum/grape shade of purple and Torrid seems to be the one place that actually has anything in this color in my size so this drop shoulder cable knit tunic-length sweater was at the top of my “must buy” list as soon as I saw it online. Other than the color,  I really love the strappy lace up front detail that brings some sass to what would otherwise be considered a fumpy top. Unfortunately this sweater is sold out in this color but the style is still available in black in limited sizes.

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Sacred Heart Moto

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One of the most popular kinds of tops in plus size fashion has got to be dolman sleeve top. I’m not exactly sure when or how that trend got started,  but it is so common that I stay away from it as it tends to be a boxy cut and usually made of a chiffon fabric.

That is until this one caught my eye while I was scrolling through the Torrid site. Admittedly the print is one that  you have to try on to really see the appeal and that is just what I had to do for me to fall in love with it. You may be wondering, what is it about this sacred heart print that got me interested to begin with. Well, for those of you that may be new to my blog, I’m actually an Art and Design historian who specializes in 17th and 18th century Baroque Art. Moreover, the sacred heart is a traditional Catholic symbol created in sometime during the Middle Ages/Gothic period but was prominently used during the Baroque period to encourage devotion and mediation upon the graces of Christ among the illiterate members of  their congregations.

Typically this symbol is depicted in art as a heart with flames pouring from the top, like a symbol of intense burning love.  It is a Baroque theological referent that was part of the blending the form of light and performance that defines the artistic style of that time used in order to inspire people to accept the Catholic faith, and by extension, Western culture during their conquests.  As you can tell I literally can go on about this for hours, hahaha. I mean I even have a PowerPoint presentation in my external hard-drive on the use of such symbols and the role they played in the Spanish conquest of Latin America. Continue reading →

theCURVYcon 2018 Swagbags: Glitter vs. Platinum

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Does this year’s CURVYcon Glitter (formerly Teal) swagbag deserve all the hate it got on social? After following the heated discussion on Facebook, I simply had to find out for myself. Thanks to a friend of mine I got the chance to compare the two swagbags from this year and record my findings. Check out the video below and let me know your thoughts!

Disclaimer: This video was recorded on Thursday, September 20th but I didn’t get a chance to edit it until this weekend due to a hectic work schedule.

You can check out my CURVYcon 2017 Platinum Swagbag Haul here and my CURVYcon 2016 Teal Swagbag Haul here.

Five Petite-Plus Tips for Shopping Maxi Dresses

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According to my doctor I’m 5ft 2in and a half which I typically round up to 5ft 3in since I know I tend to slouch…a lot. Either way its very clear that I’m a “fun-sized package,” a petite plus babe. (I have a younger brother that is just  an inch shy of 6 ft so at least one of us lucked out genetically.) The reason why I mention this is because while some brands like ELOQUII, Torrid and most recently Universal Standard,  have finally made steps towards including petite plus options for their customers, the truth is shopping while being petite-plus is still a major challenge.And then we have the spring/summer staple – the maxi dress. I admit that I once used to eye these pieces in the store with such disdain. For one thing many of these dresses are longer than some of the tall women I even know,  so I figured that those kinds of dresses would do nothing for me other than drown and/or trip me in fabric. This changed once  I requested a maxi to be included in one of my Dia style boxes.  I’ve since become a fan of maxi dresses mostly because I don’t have to worry about the dress flying up à la Marilyn Monroe especially when commuting on the subway. There is such an elegant ease to this piece that I feel many petite plus babes, including myself, sometimes miss out on because of our height, yet not all is lost!

Here are my tips for shopping maxi dresses and skirts, beyond the typical “wear heels/wedges” advice. Continue reading →