Plus Fashion Week Chicago Officially Launched

It’s official, y’all!!! Chicago will have its very own fashion week dedicated exclusively to plus-size designers! Plus Fashion Week Chicago (or PFW for short) will take place October 17-21. We officially kicked things off last week at an Accessories Soiree held at Charming Charlie, which I’m so thrilled to discover is on Michigan Ave!

I wore my fantastic Sasha dress from Shavonne Dorsey designs, and dressed it up with tons of fun, sparkly, colorful accessories!

We had a great crowd show up and all left with some fabulous jewelry to liven up their wardrobes.

Two fabulous Chicago fashionistas: Tamika from Dangerous Curves Ahead and Lindsey from Lindsey M Adams.

We had a short fashion show during the event too! 3 gorgeous models from ThYck Troupe Chicago wore some beautiful designs from Crescendo Apparel, and accessorized with pieces from our host, Charming Charlie.

Myisha Hill, the founder of PFWChicago took a moment to introduce the leadership team: Carrie Novakowski, David Sanchez, Nicole Guerrero, and me! Here, Myisha acknowledges Niehla from Chocolate Sushi Couture as Carrie and David look on.  

 

 The models did a quick change and came out in another look with accessories from Charming Charlie.

  

I couldn’t stop changing my accessories!! So many fun options!!

Perry from Alluring Chicago and I had too much fun running around the store…and we definitely spent too much money!! 🙂

I’m excited to be a part of the leadership team that will be getting the first Plus Fashion Week Chicago off the ground! Follow @plusfashwkchi on Twitter and Like the PFWChicago Facebook page. More info will roll out in the next few months, so stay tuned!

2 Ways to Tame a Leopard Dress, part 2: Purrrrfect for the Office

How do you take this va-va-voom leopard print ruched dress from Kiyonna and tame it for the office?? It was actually easier than I thought! I added a wide black belt, a black blazer, black pumps, a refined updo, and gold jewelry.

The solid dark colors almost magically tone down the MEOW to more of a proper PURR, suitable for the office. lol.

With this look, I get to extend the life of the dress and pull it out twice as much! I actually don’t know if I like the professional look or the glam look better… lol. Anyway, this post has inspired me to pull out some more of my too-hot-for-daytime dresses to give them a new life in the sun!

2 Ways to Tame a Leopard Dress, part 1: Meow!

When Kiyonna mentioned that they were coming out with the Betsey Ruched dress in Leopard Print, I was like….OMG, I must have it immediately!!!! But then…the doubts crept in…I started wondering if I really could pull off a full-body v-neck leopard print ruched dress. Was it too over-the-top even for me???

Then, I opened the package and tried it on and the only thing I could think was…MEOW. lol. This was a dress that makes a statement! It says…Yes, I’ve got curves, and I know how to flaunt them! 
It’s impossible to wear this dress and fade into the crowd. You are not made to blend in…you are confident and sexy, and this dress projects that to the world. And even if you are feeling a little self-conscious, this dress will help you “fake it til you make it.”
I debuted it at my first Chic Swaps event in mid-February and paired it with some shiny red heels, gold jewelry, a retro hairstyle and set it off with a red flower in my hair. I was going for the old-school vixen look. 

The event was a success, and so was the dress!!!

This dress was so awesome, that I didn’t just want to wear it to special events, I wanted to rotate it into my everyday wardrobe. So I challenged myself: Can I make this Kiyonna Leopard-Print Betsey Ruched dress work-appropriate????

Tune in on Monday to see how I styled it for the office. 🙂

Swap Shopping: The Chic Swaps Sweater Swap

How much fun (and green) is it to trade in your under-used clothes for another local fashionista’s?? Since my closets are moaning under the weight of my unused clothes and I’m kind of cheap…and environmentally-conscious, of course….swapping is one of my favorite activities! This was the basis for launching a series of swapping events for curvy ladies here in Chicago called Chic Swaps.

These Chic Swaps are not the crowded free-for-alls that some people expect from these events…I wanted it to feel more like a girl’s night shopping event. So we limited the number of tickets, had all attendees drop their clothes off at the store during the weeks before the event, hung all the items on hangers…added some cupcakes and wine…and voila! We had a chic, fun event. Here’s a little taste of the event…

As you can see, our first Chic Swaps event was The Sweater Swap and it was a great success! Everyone who came left with some awesome items that they were excited to incorporate into their wardrobes! All of the clothes that didn’t find a new home were donated to Dress for Success – an awesome organization that provides clothes to under-privileged women entering the workforce.

Jaye from Curvatude was an excellent co-host, and major thanks and kudos to Stephanie and Amanda from vive la femme and violette. This event would not have been possible without them.

Also, our thanks to our sponsors who each contributed items to our gift bags. Lush Cosmetics donated amazing bath products, Continuum Studio donated giftcards to all attendees with a bonus certificate for one lucky winner, and 2 lucky attendees won VIP tickets to a Plus Fashion Week Chicago event.

Be sure to Like ChicSwaps on Facebook, follow our tweets, and check www.chicswaps.com to find out about our next event!

Fashion for a Cause: Celebrating gorgeous dresses, jewelry and art for the greater good

It can be easy to get caught up in all the glitz and glamour associated with the fashion world and lose sight of the true meaning of community…which is helping each other and supporting those less fortunate than ourselves when we are able. That’s why I was thrilled when Cha’rron of CChicChicago invited me to the Fashion for A Cause event last week to honor the Maryville Crisis Nursery.

The Maryville Crisis Nursery provides short term care for children who are experiencing a severe disruptive crisis in their family and/or are challenged with an urgent family matter.

It is so important to give back to organizations like this one that do so much good! The Fashion for a Cause event brought together artists, designers, jewelry designers, and leaders in the fashion community to raise money for the Maryville Crisis Nursery. It was a fantastic event and celebrated fashion and the true meaning of the word “community.”

Here’s a few pictures from this fantastic event.

 

This â€śEmpress Gown” by Oscar’s Design Challenge 2011 Winner Borris Powell was auctioned off during the event and the proceeds (or a portion of them) goes to Maryville Crisis Nursery.

Our amazing hostess, Cha’rron of CChicChicago took a moment to pose with me. 🙂
 Latin Soul Singer & Songwriter Natalie Oliveri performing an encore song with Paul Allodi & the A Team.

Artist Alexander Espinosa created limited edition prints and the 3 Hearts Boutique Jewelry created some beautiful pieces to be sold during the event, and the proceeds were also donated to Maryville Crisis Nursery.

This stunning dress was my favorite!! LOVE.
Tanesha Prunty of gidi, the super talented designer of these amazing dresses!

James Otis “Big Cat” Williams did the honors of drawing numbers for the raffle. His energy was contagious! 


The Foundation Room at the House of Blues was an unbelievably luxe and detailed Indian-themed palace. It was a sumptuous backdrop for the night’s festivities.

What an amazing night…for such a worthy cause! I’ll definitely attend more of these events in the future.