.Sugar & Spice.

SimplyBe's new Holiday Lingerie collection "Sugar & Spice" is all things sexy..and not so "nice."

Wearing the Splendour Underwire Padded Plunge bra in a 44G & the Splendour shorts in a 22. I paired it with a satin underbust from Orchard Corset 

Wearing Shapely Figures Underwire bra in Teal & Charcoal size 44G & Shapely Figures Full Fitting Panties in Teal & Charcoal size 22 

SimplyBe has one the biggest ranges of lingerie and sizes- Love it all! 

xx,

Credits:

Photos shot by Heidi Calvert 

Makeup Natasha Marcelina 

Hair Jonathon Van Ness 

.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,

.EveryBODY is Flawless.

When Gabi & Nadia first approached me with the idea of recreating Beyoncé’s “flawless” video, I was filled with a mix of emotions. The song and the video is amazing of course (almost everything Bey does is!) so of course part of me was excited to be included in the project. Three very different plus size women recreating and reinterpreting such a positive, empowering piece.

But I was also hesitant. How would it be received? How would other people view it? I know even the original was slated by some for being too self congratulatory. Those people had missed the feminist undertones that made it such an anthem. She was putting a metaphoric middle finger up to the haters, the internet trolls, the bullies. Something I definitely identify with. But could I do any justice to the original? Did I have anything to add to it? I can’t even dance!

So I drew on the strength and fearless spirit of not just Bey herself, but the two other fabulous women involved. We spent 12 hours shooting this video, unrehearsed, and I think it's obvious how much fun we had! So here we are. Three diverse plus size bloggers/models/feminists coming together with one common goal: To show that we are not competitors, and we are all doing on own thing in the SAME community and that everyone should be celebrated. This is OUR way of giving an 'eff you' to the critics that say we promote obesity, that we have no place in the fashion industry or that just because we are a certain size means we are fundamentally flawed. 

No, FUCK THAT. We all have flaws, it’s part of being human but we are so much more. And so we decided to come together and spread that message to you - and to everyone else. As women, we spend so much time ripping each other apart, when the reality is we are stronger together than we are divided. We all want the same thing: to be valued, appreciated, respected.  

Stop the hate- come together and hold your heads high ladies- 

             Watch the video here:

#everyBODYisflawless from gabifresh on Vimeo.

Wardrobe provided by: Rent The Runway, Bauble Bar, Hips and Curves,

OVC, SimplyBe, Carmakoma, ASOS, & Eclectic Eccentricity.

xx,

.OOTD- I'm no saint.

                                  

Being fashionable and plus size is often a challenge, and you have to get creative with clothing, and most importantly, not to read the size on the labels. Not for self preservation, but because it doesn't matter what brand something is or size, if it looks like it will fit- try it! 

With that said, I recently fell in love with All Saints, and after years of wishing I could wear their clothing (that isn't plus size AT ALL), I finally had a chance to when my friend gifted me some of their tops. To my surprise not only did it fit, it was was comfortable and in my opinion..I looked good! Plus I love a good a-symmetrical top. 

Again, going with what I said about not reading labels previously, the vest is a large from the straight size of Forever 21 that I patched, studded and made it into my own rocker vest. I paired it with some leggings from Torrid and, last but not least, what rocker outfit is complete without leather boots?! My boots are from Simply Be and I'm in love! Casual rocker look for a gloomy and perfect LA day.

(Hair and color by Jonathon at Stile Salon in Beverly Hills )

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.

.Stripped: Learning to love a fat body...naked.

While packing for my shoot tomorrow I started playing dress up in my new lingerie from Hips & Curves. I couldn't help but realize how much I love adorning my body with garments I used to fear. Frankly, I have always loved to be naked & lacked modesty at home, but never with a partner until my current one that is. The bigger I became, whether through having a son, trauma, etc- the thought of someone seeing my body, at what I used to consider "my worst" nearly brought me to tears.

Now I cannot imagine a life without cage bras (like the photos below taken tonight) corsets, negligee's, or dare I say... bare. How did I get there, to a place of lingerie and self awareness heaven?

(Bra: Lane Bryant, Lace Robe from Hips & Curves, 

Underwear from Downtown LA)

.Giveaway with Benefit Cosmetics!.

For me being a makeup artist was a lifelong dream, and at every step along the way Benefit Cosmetics has been in my kit. So it was a no brainier that when I wanted to team up and do a giveaway, Benefit was top of my list! I've put together a couple of my essentials into a package, and to say thank you for your support, a few of you lucky ladies will get one!

 

Photos by Revecka Natalia Photography

.I like bathing suits & I cannot lie.

I know it's been quite a while since I blogged-but I'm back! Thanks to my son spilling water on my mac book, I've been out of commission for a bit, but wanted to do a quick post about my new favorite time of year- BATHING SUIT SEASON.

I never thought those words would come out of my mouth, because believe it or not I haven't always embraced my size. 7 years and 100lbs ago before I had my son, I wouldn't have been caught dead in a bathing suit, much less a bikini. Yes, I've put on a good deal of weight, but weight isn't the only thing I have gained... confidence came with it. It's been such a journey, and a very eye opening one at that. I went from finding anything and DOING anything to conceal my curves when I was a 16..heck, I even put duct tape on my stomach one evening when I lived in Seattle to try and pull my "fat stomach" in! Let me tell you, it was a..well..you know what to get off. Now, I don't even wear shapewear unless I'm shooting and I really need to for the garment. It's so refreshing to be able to feel the breeze on my skin, to be comfortable in not only my clothing, but my skin. I was taught my whole life to cover up my body, that the bigger I was, the more I should wear. I can't even count the hours wasted flipping through fashion magazines about how to "dress for my shape" or certain clothing to "avoid" to "flatter" my figure. Now, I wear whatever I want, and the bigger I've gotten, the less I've worn. Not because I don't care about how I look, but because I don't care what others think. I don't dress based on society thinks I should as plus woman, or a fat woman..I wear what I want because I feel good! That's why I created my #effyourbeautystandards hashtag- to help other women embrace their bodies through fashion and hopefully find the confidence I have regardless of their size.

That's why today, when I opened my mailbox and saw this beautiful custom bikini from Black Cat Bikinis staring back at me, I couldn't wait to put it on & even *gasp* take photos.

 Life can be as beautiful, or as miserable as we want it to be- so why not choose to be happy and lift each other up?

xx,

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:

 

.The Curvy Fashionista Turns 4!.

Last year I had the pleasure of attending the lovely Marie Denee's aka The Curvy Fashionista's Blogiversary, & looked forward to it this year!

When I thought of the perfect dress for the evening, Igigi popped in my head. Don't get me wrong, I love a lot of other plus designers, but I needed the perfect cocktail dress, & in my opinion, that's what Yuliya Raquel does best! The graciously dressed me for the evening in the 'Ambrosia', & I can honestly say I have never felt like more of a modern 40's siren in my life! I was hesitant at first with my dress choice because it was modeled by Denise Bidot, & our proportions are very different, however to my surprise it hugged me in all the right places & showed off the "girls" nicely :)

 

On the red carpet wearing Igigi 

.Domino Dollhouse Pop Up Shop Fun!.

On Saturday, Sept 29th Domino Dollhouse had their first ever Pop Up Shop, and as you can see, it was FUUUUUUUUUN! 

photobooth fun with: Mama DD aka Tracy Broxterman! 

photobooth fun with: Chenese Lewis!

.Chubby Cartwheels review.

As a Plus Size legging lovin' lady, I find it nearly impossible to get cute COMFY leggings that don't break the bank. Torrid has limited selections, and the fit is usually too big, or too small. We all know that major retailers such as Target, Wal Mart, etc., don't carry leggings that fit anyone past a 16. One day while wasting time on Tumblr, I stumbled across Shawna, owner of Chubby Cartwheels. I instantly thought she was fierce, bold, & a total doll. Like myself, she doesn't let her larger frame hold her back from making daring fashion choices. I found it refreshing to see an independent designer making cute clothing/accessories for larger plus women (up to size 32) that are normally snubbed by even plus retailers. Instantly, I wanted to get my paws on a pair of her leggings or signature velvet skirts, and I finally did! 

They carry four different styles of leggings: Classic, Lace, Two Toned, & Velvet... The possibilities!

After staring at patterns/fabric for over an hour, I settled on the Classic Abstract Leopard Leggings. I sent her my measurements, & to my surprise they fit like a glove, and were out of this world comfortable. Not to mention, show stoppers!

.

.Jessica Louise Clothing = LOVE.

When I was 19, and MySpace was popular, I would waste hours on that site..as we all did!
It was a great way to connect you to people, designers, and bands that you otherwise wouldn't have heard of. That's how I discovered the amaaazingly talented Jessica Louise.
Now, here I am 7 years later writing a clothing review,
and modeling for one of my all time favorite designer's.

I have always loved Jessica Louise's designs for a number of reason's;
Mainly because of her use of color, ruffles, patterns, & all things girly, which naturally, I adore!
 The only sad part was that I could never wear her delish clothing until she expanded her collection to Plus Sizes recently. She is the first of my favorite alternative designers that have caught on to the fact that us curvy ladies want to wear cute, playful, sexy clothes too! I applaud her for that, and now... On to the good stuff!

The first top I'm wearing is the Lulabelle Top in Blue, Size 3x & the Keyhole Heart Bow!

  It hugged my curves perfectly, and even has a Lycra sleeve to
actually fit over my arms, which I definitely appreciated.
 I feel like sometimes designers forget about the bigger girls when cutting their designs
 because not all of us have perfectly toned arms *raises hand*. Can I get an amen?
 I also adore the cute bow detail & the flattering neckline for my body type especially, because I feel like it elongates my neck & shows off the girls ;)