Sequins Aren't Just for Saturday

I'm trying not to reserve sparkly clothes just for special occasions so yesterday I wore both sequins and feathers to the office and (at least in my mind) felt like I was still understated, restrained and office appropriate. I think it's because the vast majority of my outfit was black and though the urge to add more color was huge, I managed to resist. What do you think?

A lot of what I'm wearing was brand new. I love when I'm getting dressed and I cut off a clothing tag. Yesterday I got to do that twice.

Top - Evans

Skirt - Forever 21

Tights - Old Navy

Booties - Marks and Spencer

Earrings - Primark

Necklace - Spittlefields Market

Even though I hadn't thought I had a reason to dress up, turns out that I did. Illinois' state Senate voted to repeal the death penalty! It was a big day of celebration in my office and it turns out we had a reason for sparkles after all!

Photo credit goes to the delightful Miss A.

Goodbye 2010, Don Draper is Here to Kick You Out the Door

I hate New Year's. Actually I think despise is a more accurate term. A fact I find fairly ironic since I'm always happy to dress up, and yet New Years Eve - a night made for sequins and dancing and drunken kissing (three of my favorite things) has never been my cup of tea.

But 2010 was a terrible year for me. I mean it was really, really not good, perhaps the worst year of my adult life and I was ready to say goodbye, slam the door on 2010 and start 2011 surrounded by people I love. So I sucked it up, put on an outfit and headed to Manhattan for a party. And in the end I'm really glad I did.

My friends threw a Mad Men party and we were instructed to dress the part. I have never seen a single episode, but I live in the United States so I'm well aware of the characters and the fashion and the clothes. I had a million things to choose from, but in the end I decided to channel Peggy (in full disclosure I kept forgetting her name and calling her the dowdy one). This was a wise move since everyone else used Joan or Betty as inspiration. I was the lone Peggy inspired lady.

I think I did a pretty good job channeling Peggy.

I'm wearing a polka dot dress that I got at Fat Fancy on my recent trip to Portland, with a red DKNY pencil skirt over it. The skirt was a hand-me-down from JLR and I think when I don't have a dress underneath it fits better. The scarf around my neck and my fur shrug are courtesy of my Grandmother. My tights are from Old Navy, my shoes are Sam Edelman and my glasses are an old pair from college which are of course way hipper now than they were when I wore them a decade ago. Candy cigarettes are courtesy of Economy Candy, a store definitely worth checking out the next time you are on the Lower East Side.

Our hosts for the evening went all out with amazing details and almost everyone in attendance was dressed in some amazing outfit. Here is A working the bar. Funnily enough his normal hair worked out just fine for a Mad Men themed party.

Others worked very hard to get their Mad Men hair just right.

I hope 2011 is a wonderful, magical, happy year for all of us. Also I hope all of you had as lovely a night as I did and that you also didn't suffer a 2 day hangover as a result. This is the last shot of the night as I stumbled my way home.

All the amazing, higher quality photos are courtesy of Dr. B and Miss. A. Thank you!

Sundresses and Snowstorms

This is what it looks like outside of my apartment today. We've had 20 inches of snow fall and it's insanity outside.

But I want to take you to a different place, where you don't have to wear ugly shoes and trudge through waist high snow. After London I headed over to Israel for a few days to visit my sister. The temperature rose by 50 degrees and I spent my days either playing with my niece and nephews or lying in the sun, reading trashy magazines. Good times.

It also meant that I got to wear a new dress that I had picked up on the Evans sales rack the week before in London.

Can we have a moment of silence where we appreciate how little clothing I am wearing and how sunny it is. Ok, thank you.

The best part of the dress is the crocheted back. I love details like this and yes, next time I'll wear a black bra.

I have little on, but as for details my dress is from Evans, my flip-flops are Havianna's, my bag is Botkier and I picked up these sunglasses at a market in Turkey.

My hair piece was purchased at the Bust craftacular a few years ago and I think I got these earrings at a NYC street fair. My wonderful sister was both my tour guide and photographer for the day.

And just because I am a woman obsessed, here's a photo of my sister's "baby." It's official, my nephew is cuter than yours.

Layering at London Markets

My first full day in London I headed to East London to hit up some markets and do a bit of shopping. I attempted to dress like an East London hipster but I'm afraid that my smile and hair bow gave me away as a fake.

Because I was packing for an over 50 degree temperature variance on my trip my theory was to layer, layer, layer. I've got on a tank top dress from Brooklyn Industries which you've seen before here, a button down from Debs that I got in Fatshionista sales swap, a cashmere cardigan from Bloomingdales, tights from Target, my new Duo boots that I am beyond obsessed with and a Botkier bag.

I'm also sporting a hair bow from H&M, gloves from Uniqlo and a necklace from the Bust Craftacular.

A hallmark of London is its markets. London is absolutely filled with them and they all have a different feel to them. Some sell antiques, some food, some handmade crafts and while I was visiting last month I tried to hit up as many markets as I could in my limited time.

The first market I visited was Spitalfields on a Sunday (vendors and size of markets vary by the day) where it was in full swing for the holiday season. Spitalfields has a ton of handmade clothes, jewelry and accessories so I was in heaven. Also unlike many markets it is covered, which in the weather we were having is a blessing.

I quickly got sucked into a table which had beautiful, fluffy and feathery winter accessories. I think I tried on every single hat they had on their table.

But it was worth it because in the end I walked away with this beauty. I'm kind of obsessed with it even if I do look creepily like my mother.

Some of the other things that caught my eye at the market were these gorgeous necklaces. I ended up getting a headphone necklace from them. I also purchased a necklace that had a mini set of utensils on it that I've already worn about a dozen times. I'll be sure and show off the both of them to you sometime soon.

I was also taken with this vintage suitcase filled with bits and baubles for only 2 pounds a piece. Sometimes I get a bit taken away with things like that.

I also picked up some scarves for a pound a pop and some of the tastiest tea I've had in ages. While there was a ton of adorable clothes at the market none of it came in my size which was a bit aggravating but also good for my wallet.

Photo credit goes to my friend Elsa.

Happy Holidays

Yesterday was my office's annual holiday party. Mind you this was the 4th work holiday party I had attended over the previous seven days, but it was also the "official one." I hadn't really planned on wearing anything special until a friend gchatted me the night before to ask what I was planning on wearing. Oh my, I needed an outfit. I scoured my closet and was so excited when I realized I'd finally have an opportunity to wear this dress that had been sitting in my closet for the past year.

I picked this black, velvet, sparkle dress up in a charity shop in Charleston last year for less than $10. In a completely un-shocking twist of fate I was drawn to it by the sparkles. I picked it up, held it up and thought to myself, this looks like it'll fit. And then I looked at the size tag and though uhh...maybe it won't. Why? Well take a guess what size this dress is. Have you guessed yet? It's marked a size 6 and as my colleague said last night I may be many things, but a size 6 I am not.

But I grabbed the dress, took it into the fitting room and lo and behold it fit! It's a stretchy dress to begin with and I'm sure it has stretched considerably over the years. I'm guessing this dress dates to the Working Girl fashion era. It just shows that you should always, always, always try stuff on so you don't suffer from fashion remorse.

I paired the dress with my new hair fascinator from Primark that I picked up last month and my necklace is also Primark, albeit several years old.

I'm wearing my beloved and fairly banged up first ever pair of Duo boots.

And here's a close-up of the dress so you can appreciate the pattern. I like it so much that it's worth the trail of glitter that follows me everywhere I go when I wear it.

My friend kept saying I was wearing a diamond dress. I was a bit confused until she sent me this clip. NPH give me a call and we can be matching diamond twins.

London is Calling

Blargh, I've been a failure of a blogger as of late. I could give you all sorts of reasons, but suffice it to say I have sucked at blogging and keep abandoning my readers. I'm so sorry about that. I know I hate it when bloggers I like appear, disappear, appear, disappear and now I'm stuck in that cycle myself.

But tonight I leave for two weeks of much needed vacation so I'm hoping there will be lots of time to blog. My first stop is a week in my beloved London. A city that I adore for many reasons, but of most interest to you is the shopping that I plan to do there. It's been a year and a half since I've visited (my longest time away in years) and I cannot wait to hit up the high street. Dorothy Perkins, Evans, Monsoon...oh my!

I'm pretty good with London inbetweenie/fatty shopping but if any of you have must not miss suggestions please send them my way. If there's a new vendor at a market or a small boutique I can't miss or some shoe store that you think I'll love, I want to hear about it. Also I always skip the department stores but is that a mistake?

And I know some of you have asked to meet up the next time I came to town. I don't know if there's still any interest in that but if there is email me or let me know in the comments.

See you on Oxford Street!

Fuck You Maura Kelly, Stare at this Fat

By now I'm sure you have all heard that "writer" Maura Kelly has written an incredibly hateful article about fat people on MarieClaire.com. Apparently the fat actors on Mike & Molly are so fat that the idea of watching them kiss one another makes her ill. To quote Maura Kelly, because lord knows I won't do justice to her words

"I think I'd be grossed out if I had to watch two characters with rolls and rolls of fat kissing each other ... because I'd be grossed out if I had to watch them doing anything. To be brutally honest, even in real life, I find it aesthetically displeasing to watch a very, very fat person simply walk across a room."

It astounds me that Marie Claire or Maura Kelly didn't anticipate the shit storm that the post engendered. Seriously, this shit is bananas and everyone is talking about it. Eventually Maura felt the need to offer up what has to be amongst the worst apology I've ever heard where she basically says I'm sorry, except that these people are really fat so I'm not actually that sorry. Don't believe me? Here are her words

"In my post, I was talking about a TV show that features people who are not simply a little overweight, but appear to be morbidly obese."

Oh ok, so you're sorry for hating on people who are fat, but folks who are really, really Fat don't actually deserve an apology. On a personal level I find it amusing that what she hates the most about the show (the uber fatties) is to me the only redeeming thing about the show. I watch the insipid show just to watch death fatties getting it on.

Reading her words I felt as though someone had slapped me in my face. But in a way I have to thank Maura for being so bold about her hate in a way few people are. She didn't pretend to hate fat people because of concern for our health or attempt to couch it some paternalistic, I know better than you belief. She simply hates us because we're "gross" which I imagine is something that a lot of people feel, but most wouldn't say out loud. On the upside, Maura's hatred is so extreme that it has really brought attention to the issue of fat acceptance and folks all across the county are calling her out for her bullshit.

One of t

he saddest things for me about this is that it appeared on Marie Claire's website. I've been a subscriber for years, it seemed to me to be the only fashion magazine with good, progressive politics. Their editor-in-chief Joanna Coles isn't apologizing so I'll be putting my money where my mouth is and cancelling my subscription.

Yesterday I posted on Facebook that I wish that I knew where Maura Kelly vacationed so a group of me and my fatty friends could put on the smallest, string bikinis we could find and make out in front of her. Since I can't imagine she'll be getting many writing jobs anytime soon and money will be tight, perhaps I'll stage a kiss-in outside her Brooklyn apartment. Until then Maura here are some shots of me and my rolls. In a bikini. In public. Smiling. I hope I make you violently ill.

Until we meet at beach, all I have to say to you is

Day 16, Dress 106: Sisterhood of the Travelling Dress

I have dubbed this dress the sisterhood of the traveling dress, after the movie Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants. I named it that after this straight sized medium dress magically fit me and two other friends with two very different bodies and still managed to look good on all of us.

I doubt you could tell it from these photos, but I was not having the best day. I had just signed my lease the day before and was having a nervous breakdown about the enormity of all of it. In typical bloomie fashion I broke down in tears in front of my friend/work wife/colleague/regular photographer Nicole and she was so worried about my well-being that she insisted that I hop on a train to Westchester for a pre-Yom Kippur fast meal. (Is it completely terrible that ate a big meal and proceeded to not fast?)

So here we are at the train station in Westchester doing our photo shoot. It wasn't however my first shoot of the day. Early in the day I headed over to Governor's Island where I was lucky enough to model for one of my very favoritest websites Adipositivity (warning, it's NSFW). All of my photos haven't been posted yet, but you'll be able to spot at least one of them very, very easily. I was hoping to get more naked than I was able to, but even just wearing my Mermaid Parade costume we got questioned by the staff and so we scurried off the island before we really ruffled any feathers. It was a wonderful experience and I hope I get to pose for the lovely Substantia Jones again sometime soon. I'm envisioning a winter photo shoot where I wear boots, hat, an open coat and nothing else. Wouldn't that be cute?

As I mentioned the dress is a medium dress from Macy's in-house brand INC that I got via my friend Mirka. My red peek-a-boo bra is from Lane Bryant (which if nothing else has cute bras), my necklace is from Peacock's, earrings are from a street fair and sunnies are from Primark. Big smile is due to the insane conversation I had with my girlfriends on the train up to Irvington. I really do believe that you're never fully dressed without a smile.

And I'm wearing my summer staple Dansko sandals, replete with my pedicure that would be more in place on an 8 year old than a 31 year old.

Photo credit goes to my friend Caitlin.

Portland Here I Come

This Thursday night I am off for a 4 day get-away to Portland, Oregon. And even though my apartment is still in total disarray and I should be unpacking, I am in desperate need for a little vacation so off to Portland I go. I went to Portland once years ago for Fat Girl Speaks and because I was considering moving there, but it has been almost 7 years since my visit, so my memories are hazy.

I know there's a lot to do and see and that there are a lot of rad fatties there and I was hoping some of you might have some suggestions for me. Obviously I plan to hit up Fat Fancy, but other than that I'm a bit of an open book.

So if you have any suggestions for me of the food, eating, drinking, shopping, sightseeing, coffee drinking, rad fatties, cute heterosexual bear watching variety please let me know what they are so I can put them on my list.

Also I'm having a bit of a packing conundrum. It's going to be a high of 59 while I'm there. It hasn't been that cold yet in NY, so I'm not sure what that means clothing wise. Would a jean jacket suffice? Is it a cashmere cardi weather? I've forgotten what 59 feels like. If it's that cold where you are please let me know how you've been dressing.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Day 15, Dress 105: Fall Colors Professionalized

As you are most likely well aware of, I have a very relaxed office and for the most part am able to wear whatever I like. But when I interact with folks who aren't my work family I take pains to present myself professionally. It's the still the world of non-profit so it's not as if I have to wear a suit, but when I go out to the rest of the world it's important to me to show-up on time, cover up a bit more than I do normally and slightly restrain myself pattern wise. Sometimes when I do that I end up feeling a bit fake and un-bloomie, but not this iteration. I think part of that is because I really liked the color palette, which was inspired by the first hint of fall we were having that day.

The base of my outfit is a purple dress that I picked up at Loehmann's last year. It's exactly the sort of thing I did not need to add to my wardrobe - a fairly simple, straightforward dress that I have several of. But it was purple and I had a birthday discount, so I found it a bit hard to resist. Here's a taste of the dress sans jacket. There's some interesting ruffles below the scarf.

To professionalize the outfit a bit I put on a cropped jacket that comes from Target that I got in a Friday fats sale. I was just at another conference the last few days and noticed how almost every woman had on a blazer or jacket of some sort. Is that the secret to professionalizing an outfit - a jacket. What say you?

I wore my new Minnetonka moccasins that I can't seem to get enough of, and as you can see in the photo above my black Luvees are peeking out a bit.

For the accessories I grabbed a scarf that my friend Mirka got for me on a trip to India and I've paired it with some earrings that I picked up in the old city in Jerusalem on a trip to visit my sister. Is it completely narcissistic to tell you that I really like this photo below?

Photo credit goes to my co-worker Selene. And after we took pictures we went and got cookies at my second favorite cookie bakery in New York City. I have to work hard to maintain my girlish figure.