Academia Autumn Romance

Be it Dark or Light, the Academia Aesthetic is one with features that stem from others such as goth, prep and even J-style including Lolita from Japan. It is one that I’ve found fascinating for years to the point that I’ve created whole Pinterest boards dedicated to it. And every year around this time those boards just get revisited more often than usual. Part of this is due to the fact that here is just something about autumn that screams academia style to me.  Just like this printed skirt from A.Gato Designs that I purchased over the summer.

The main reason that I look forward to shopping the A.Gato Designs booth whenever I’m at BlerDCon is because the items are designed to fit a wide range of body types and sizes (XS-6XL). Over the last few years I was always too late to get something in my own size but luckily that wasn’t the case this year as I made a point to make this booth my first stop once the show floor opened on the first day of BlerDCon. The print and the color combination was the inspiration I needed for what I consider my first official Light Academia/Lolita outfit.

As you can expect, this skirt has become my favorite piece for the fall an this overall look may end up being what I wear this year for Thanksgiving, which may make me overdressed for the occasion. But I mean with an outfit like this you get a chance to lose yourself in a fantasy through style, and sometimes you need that when you gather with family in one place.

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Sea Witch Summer

Considering how hot it has been in New York these last couple of weeks, I wonder why people find it weird whenever I mention that I find summer to be miserable.  Even so I’ve taken it as a personal challenge over the last 4 years to embrace the season as much as I can. Well, at least beyond the one thing I do enjoy which is time at the beach or pool.

For me this has translated to building out a warm weather wardrobe with pieces that are comfortable to wear that also fit into my personal style as much as possible. Seldom do those  ever meet  and if they do it is rarely in my size or my budget, so you already know that this has been a process. Thankfully I am now in a position financially that allows me to (sometimes) shop outside the usual plus size retailers, in favor of other small businesses like Cosmic Drifters.

Cosmic Drifters is a UK-based brand that I have been low-key stalking on Instagram for a while now. They are one of the few witchy-aesthetic brands that I’ve found to be fairly inclusive across all of their products.  I don’t believe that I ever mentioned this here but I did decide to treat myself a bit this year for my birthday, with this skirt being one of the bigger purchases. I ordered it back in May and I spared no time in styling it as soon as I received it this month.

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Hopeless Romantic/HeartKiller (Part 2)

So we made it to the final installment of this Valentine’s Day mini-series – the Galentine’s Day Fun Edition! Just like last time I styled two looks with different aesthetics that fit the holiday theme, one sweet and one not so much.

To quote the beloved Parks and Rec character, Leslie Knope, Galentine’s Day (February 13th) is all about “ladies celebrating ladies.” Though its popularity has grown in part by the power of the internet, I truly appreciate having a day set aside for me to shower love on my friends and other women who mean the world to me, like my mother.

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Plaid Taste

Lately I’ve been looking into more business casual styling as I’ve been considering making a return to traditional corporate after spending the last 4-plus years in startup realm. For context I got rid of a great deal of my former “professional wear” such as my pencil skirts, blouses and pant suits that made up most of my closet from grad school on, as my job allowed for more casual styling . That is not to say that I don’t have any left in my closet, I still own a decent amount of blazers and blouses though they are far from “traditional” in color and print like this red longline blazer. As much as I love black, I mean I am a native New Yorker after all,  I like adding bold color accent pieces particularly for spaces that tend to discourage that kind of thing. I guess its my way of both expressing myself and rebelling  against norms I don’t embrace. For the last couple of years that has meant reaching for red for reasons I can’t explain other than I got complimented once by a good friend when I wore the color and I’ve embraced it ever since. (Prior to this I would go for pops of pink, my second favorite color.) 

That being said, after  styling this blazer last year, I got it stuck in my head that I really wanted to incorporate some kind of print the next time I wore it out. I’ve been on the hunt ever since for something – a dress or a skirt with a print including this specific shade of red.  Then  one day while doing some shopping recon I stumbled upon some  plaid denim. Continue reading

Big Sweater Energy

Last year I spotted an oversized black and white stripe cardigan on my Instagram feed and fell in love with it. It was just too perfect for those crisp, cool fall days leading into the chill of winter. Unfortunately by the time I learned about this cardigan’s existence it was sold on the Hot Topic website. That is until this summer when it reappeared in two different color palettes along with a plaid knit option; I immediately added one to my cart.

Was it weird to order this in the middle of July? Definitely. But I regret nothing because this is sooo cozy.

I actually debated as to whether or not I should size down because I knew it was oversized,  yet I found myself selecting my size (HT Plus Size 1) instead to ensure that the fit would be oversized on me not thinking about how huge it would end up being. They seriously weren’t kidding when they said “oversized,” but my brother convinced me to keep it because of all the “fall sweater weather cozy” vibes which is all I really want.

The best thing about this kind of piece is that it can be styled to be casual, sporty, dressy and even professional. The oversize fit it, the stripe design and the classic cardigan silhouette offers many different options when it comes to styling this piece and I’ve had a lot of fun coming up with a few. Here are three outfits that I styled with this one cardigan for some fall (into winter) style inspiration. Let me know in the comments which one is your favorite.

Disclaimer: While this specific cardigan seems to no longer be in stock I have included some similar options for you below to consider just in case you’re looking to trying this trend for yourself.

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