.#SimplyBeYourself Campaign.

As a little girl who aspired to be a model one day, I lived, breathed, & ate America's Next Top Model. I dreamt of doing those high fashion photoshoots, walking a high wire above a shark tank while "smizing" of course & being a top model in my industry.

However, never in a million years did I actually think that I would be a model, or have the opportunity to work with so many amazing companies, like SimplyBe. 

When SimplyBe reached out to me to partner with them for their new campaign #SimplyBeYourself I jumped at the chance. Why? Because I heard they were an official sponsor of America's Next Top Model Cycle 22 (& I love them, Duh)! It's all about empowerment, & embracing who you are! Myself & 4 other women joined in & picked one of the 5 themes that best represents them, I chose:

         #SimplyBeFearless 

 The other themes are: #SimplyBeSassy, #SimplyBeUnique, #SimplyBeSeductive, & #SimplyBeHeard. 

For more information about how to join the movement, & for your chance to win $500 or $100 click here! Good luck!

xx,  

.Smart Glamour.. is genius!.

It's tough enough to find clothing as a plus size woman, as I'm CERTAIN you all know. I recently discovered Smart Glamour and decided to give them a try. The initial appeal was that they offer clothing for ALL sizes and it's customizable.. Plus I just really wanted a 'Feminist' Jacket TBH. 

So, I sent off my measurements, and was pleasantly surprised with the clothing. It fit well, and was fun..and affordable.

I'm wearing the Joan Sheath Dress and Amelia Bomber Jacket. The Bomber comes in 3 color options, with 4 verbiage choices - Feminist, Babe, Lady, or Boss...All pretty amazing! The clothes are hand-made to order in NYC and as an added bonus, they use vegan fabrics.

You can visit the website to see more, or if you are in NYC, Smart Glamour currently has a pop up shop in the East Village - which ends on May 30th. They have every size XXS-6X available on the same rack, for the same price as one another. It is the first and only NYC body positive boutique where women of every size, shape, height, and weight can shop together in this way!! It blows my mind in the best way!

(photos by Nick Holliday)

So go check them out, or visit www.smartglamour.com! Which piece is your favorite?

xx,

Tess

Charlotte Russe Introduces Plus Sizes!

If you haven't already heard, Charlotte Russe has finally launched their plus size range and it doesn't dissapoint. There are loads of great pieces for Spring and Summer and I am loving everything that I have tried so far.

The colours are fun and bright and the cuts are fearless too. There is everything from adorable tops and Summer dresses to printed rompers and really cute denim. 

The range runs up to size US24/ 3X and is available in select stores and of course, online. 

Check out this gorgeous acid wash chambray skirt that I have paired with the pom-pom trim flutter crop top. 

I was worried that the sizing would be junior plus instead of true plus size but here I am wearing a 3X on both top and bottom and I have a bit of wiggle room, so the sizing is comfortable and true.

Have you all checked out the range yet? What pieces do you love?

.Brands I love: Yours Clothing.

I recently discovered the amazing UK based company Yours Clothing  (I know..I live under a rock!) and fell in love! They have such a huge selection of clothing in sizes ranging from 14-36, and I think it's awesome that they cater to the larger sizes often forgotten about by other brands.

Here I'm wearing the Pink and black rose balconette bra in 44DD.. which fit amazingly! & the the matching undies in a 22/24

 I'm also wearing their Black Georgette Longline Waterfall Kimono in a size 22 which made me feel instantly sexier. It's sheer, so lightweight enough to wear it on warmer days, and good for ladies that maybe are comfortable showing their arms.

I tied the whole outfit together with a corset from Orchard Corset.

My second outfit was a little bit more appropriate for going out in public haha

I chose the Black and White Polka Dot Sleeveless Crepe Dress in a 22 and paired it with shoes from Simpy Be.

This dress fit true to size and was very lightweight and comfortable. Plus anyone that knows me, understands my love for black and polka dots!

All in all, I was very happy with my selections and customer service from Yours Clothing, and if you haven't checked them out yet, I highly recommend them!

xx,

.It's okay to be fat. No, really.

I'm often asked, "Since you are a role model, why not promote healthy living?" I will only say this once: Your size is not an indicator of health. It's a fact. Besides, it's not my place to tell women they need to lose weight or what to do with their bodies. We have enough people in our society and media that push the message down our throats that we aren't good enough if we are overweight, or "curvy".

We are constantly told that the true key to happiness is limited to the size you wear. Frankly, that's the real problem here.  What we need is more people saying it's okay to be your size, to love your body, regardless. There also needs to be more diversity of sizes, and honestly races, showing what the majority of women look like. If I sound like a broken record, it's because I am.

Summertime tropical trends!

Since most of my fans are plus size babes, I felt it important to write about some fashion trends that we could incorporate into our lives, there is no reason to feel like we can't be fashion forward and bold just because of our size!

Some great trends for summer are bold, colorful and sometimes tropical patterns! Don't be afraid of colors and patterns and showing some skin this summer!

Thank you all for coming to my 'Love Conquers All Sale' !

 As most of you know I did a yard sale to raise money to go see my boyfriend in Australia a couple weeks ago & it was a huge success thanks to a lot of you!  I raised about half the money needed to go over there & yes... I am planning an online sale soon to (hopefully) help me reach my goal.  My sale was not just a success because of the money raised- I got to meet SO many of you and hear your stories . It reminded me how blessed I am to have such awesome ladies as fans

Here are a few photos from my amazing day: