UNDER CONSTRUCTION.......

Hey Y'all!!!!

I'm working on a few updates and upgrades on the blog so you won't be seeing any new posts for a while.... Don't panic because I will be back!!!!

Enjoy your holidays!!!!!

Stay succulent!

New plus size store: Eddy and Bri

Eddy and Bri is a new plus size fashion store than launched officially this week. It is founded by Eddwina Gregg and her fiancée. Seeing as Eddwina is a fellow succulent sister and plus size model, I can safely say that I would trust her with my clothes.... she knows what she's doing. Their motto is "fashion for your curves," and that is exactly what they provide with their gorgeous pieces that practically anyone can wear to go basically everywhere.... and you want to know what the best thing is???? NOTHING IS ABOVE $100! In their own words....

"We want you to look good in what you purchase, but more importantly, we want you to feel good about the amount you spend - no item is priced over $100.00. You can look great without having to break the bank!"


Can I get an amen from all you struggling student??? lol..... They have gorgeous tops, skirts, dresses and even outerwear. They also have cute accessories too. Check out some of my favorites below....

To check out more of the gorgeousness, visit www.eddyandbri.com. I know I'm going to buy up their whole store when I get the chance!!!!

Stay succulent!

UNABASHED: Amber Riley

How many people watch Glee??? I'm assuming most of you, because if you're not watching it then you are seriously missing out on some good entertainment..... Anyways, my favorite characters is Mercedes Jones, the feisty, no-nonsense diva with one of the most amazing voices I've ever heard.... and the cherry on top is that she just happens to be plus size. Mercedes character is played by the fabulous Miss Amber Riley. Miss Riley, aged 25, was born and raised in California, and she is one of my plus size inspirations.....

Ever since she graced our screens and various red carpets, I've had my eye on her. Her style has intrigued and captivated me. She always looks amazing.... whether she is dressed down....

or dressed up....

Her style is impeccable!!!! And when i heard that she would be having a spread in Essence Magazines March Issue, I was super excited!!!! Just look how gorgeous she looks....

I think Amber Riley is well on her way to become a plus size fashion icon..... her clothes always look great on her, and her hair and make up is always flawless. Whoever her style team is sure know what their doing.... lol. Take a look at some of my fav Amber pics below.....

I think Amber Riley is just fabulous, she really shows us that plus size girls can look great too.... If i was ever to move to the US and become famous, I could definitely see myself being best friends with her...lol

Until next time,

Stay succulent!!!

Shoegasms with Ashley Stewart......

I love shoes..... no, seriously, I don't think you understand..... I LOVE SHOES!!!! Some people think my love for shoes is excessive, but anyways, whatever. I mean, we can't live without shoes.... how would we walk???? how would we complete our outfits???? lol

Anyways, I was pretty excited when Ashley Stewart released their shoe collection. Their clothes are awesome so I knew that their shoes would be great, but i must say, they went beyond what i expected.... they really impressed me. I had total shoegasms looking at their shoes, I couldn't tear myself away for the computer, lol.  Here are some of my favorites from the collection.....

Colorblock suede booties

Multicolor Suede Pumps

Python Print Maryjane Pumps

Patent Platform Midsole Pump

Animal Print Platform Bootie

Beautiful right???? If you want to buy their shoes or check out what other stuff they have, visit their website at www.ashleystewart.com

Stay succulent!!!

"Thou shall...." 10 fashion commandments for the Curvy girl

So, I've never been one to tally follow rules and stuff.... but when I came across these fashion commandments on Manik Magazine's Blog, I thought, "hmmm, here are a set of rules I might just follow." I thought it would be a good idea to share them with you all, so here they are.....

1. Thou shall always be classy and fabulous.
2. Thou shall be comfortable with one's self and if thou seeks security in an unforgiving dress, thou shall invest in SHAPEWEAR!
3. Thou shall remember everything is not for everyone. Curves must be flattered and not punctuated but always remember.... Thou shall be fashionably fearless and conservatively rational.
4. Thou shall not be afraid to experiment with different colors. Add a touch of pink or electric blue to your look and watch the sparks fly!
5. Thou shall always carry a pair of flats, when wearing heels.
6. Thou shall stray away from wearing clothes that look obviously cheap, and add timeless quality pieces to thy life.
7. Thou shall not wear clothes that expose bulge, crack and excessively happy girls (showing less is more, modesty is the new sexy)
8. Thou shall be the change thy desire to see in fashion.
9. Thou shall have basic pieces that will set they pro-fashionable days for better. (i.e. classic crisp white shirt, basic black dress, a cardigan, good denim jeans, a blazer... these items are transitional, they take you from day to night and season to season by occasion)
10. Thou shall always rock a smile, on thy on or off days..... a smile is the best accessory a girl can ever have!!!!

So, what do you think ladies???? Do you agree??? Is there one you don't agree with???? Leave your comments below....

Until next time,

Stay succulent!!!!

My Torrid Love Affair....

Anyone who really knows me, and knows my passion for clothes, knows just how much I love Torrid. It was the first plus size store I discovered when I first fell in love with my plus size self....

When it comes to fashion and things that look good, Torrid is always on point. They always have awesome stuff and it's pretty affordable, which is a plus if you're a struggling student like me. They have everything you can think of... and when I say everything, I really mean everything: shoes, cute dresses, belts, scarves, blazers, cardigans and even lingerie and halloween costumes. Their Denim Boutique???? TO DIE FOR!!!! They have all types of denim.... skinny, flared, bootleg, black, blue, and they even have special cuts for shorter people and taller people..... and you don't have to worry about them not having your size...lol!!!

So... a while ago, Torrid released its fall lookbook. Their fall collection is called "Your Fall, " and all i can say is, I definitely fell.....in love with Torrid again lol. I would definitely buy like every single piece. Take a look at the pictures from the lookbook below, and below each picture is a link that will take you directly to Torrids online store where you can shop that exact look.

Shop this look....

Shop this look....

Shop this look.....

Shop this look....

Shop this look....

Shop this look....

Shop this look.....

Shop this look....

Shop this look....

Shop this look....

Shop this look.....

Pretty great stuff, right???? Have any of you ever shopped Torrid??? What do you think???? If you've never and you want to see what all the fuss is about, visit their website www.torrid.com.

Until next time,

Stay succulent!!!!

How to color block....

As I said in my earlier post, bright colors are definitely in this fall. One of he best ways to rock bright colors this season is by color blocking. Color blocking simply means wearing two or more blocks of color at the same time. Of course, in order to avoid looking like a clown, you need to know how to color block correctly..... and that's what I'm here for.

Now, before I can explain the whole color blocking thing, we need to go back to the basics. Anyone who has ever taken an art class, be it in elementary school or in college knows what the diagram below is.... the color wheel.

The colors in the middle are primary colors. The colors in the inner circle are secondary colors and you get them by mixing the primary colors together. Tertiary colors, the outer circle, are made from mixing primary and secondary colors. To explain color blocking, I'm going to work with the outer circle.

There are two ways to do color blocking. The first is by dividing the colors into warm and cool colors. Warm colors are yellows, reds and oranges. They tend to inspire a feeling of warmth when we look at them. Cool colors are the blues, the greens and violets. They have a more cooling effect. So in order to color block successfully, you pick a warm color and a cool color and rock them together.

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Here Kim Kardashian shows us how to color block by mixing orange (a warm color) and purple (a cool color).

The other way to color block like a pro is to use "the rule of two-thirds." This method involves making a triangle on the color wheel. The three points where the triangle touches are the colors you are going to use.... for example, red, blue and yellow shown below.

To color block with two colors, you can pick two colors of the three colors from the corners of the triangle like Garcelle Beauvais did at the premiere of The Help.

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To color block with 3 colors is much less straight-forward. You use two of the colors that the corner of the triangle is pointing to. For the third color, for the best results, use a color in the same hue but in a different shade. For example, if we look at June Ambrose's outfit below, if we look at the color wheel, the colds that it would be pointing to are pink, yellow and blue. She stuck to the pink and blue, but instead of yellow, she went a few shades darker and used orange instead.

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Here are a few additional tips to take into consideration when color blocking:

• Accessories can also be used as a color blocking tool. Anything from shoes, bags, belts and even hair bands can be used to color block
• Use at least 2 colors, but not more than 4. However, I find that the best results are achieved with 2 or 3 colors.
• If you are color blocking with your clothes, leave your accessories and jewelry neutral. We don't want you looking like a walking rainbow!!
• Color blocking works best with solid colors. Avoid patterns and prints.
• Make sure you dress fro your body type or shape

For more inspiration, take a look at some of the color blocking below...

Perfect plus size color blocking.....

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Fall 2011 Trends

Fall is now officially here!!!! As the weather gets cooler, we are faced with a new dilemma, what to wear this season. Time to update our wardrobes again!! So here are some of the trends that seem to be all the rage at the moment, everyone from bloggers to celebrities to ordinary people on the streets seem to be rocking them.

1. Bold Colors


Just because it's fall and it's getting kinda dreary outside, doesn't mean that your wardrobe has to be the same.  The colors that really seem to be especially in are yellow, red, green and orange. Spice up your wardrobe with some of these bright pieces. Just add one colorful item to your outfit, whether it's a top, pants, a bag or just a small accessory, and you' re good to go!

2. Layering

As the weather gets warmer it's time to cover up. My favorite items for layering during fall are cardigans and coats. Sweater and capes are another alternative. Wear them over a cute blouse or a simple tee to look trendy this fall. Take a look below for some inspiration and get covered up!

3. Wide Leg Pants

Looks like the 70's are back!!!! Everyone has been spotted out wearing wide leg pants or bell bottoms this season. Wide leg puts are especially great for curvy girls. Pair them with a cute pair of wedges, a shirt and a clutch bag.

4. Animal Print

Show your wild side this fall with great animal print items. Be it snake skin, zebra print or leopard print, all of it is in!!! If you know personally, you will totally get why i'm so excited about this trend. I love leopard print so any excuse to wear it and look cool is very welcome. Check out some of my favorite pieces below.

5. Boots

Boots are officially back in!!!! As the degrees drop, our sandals get pushed to the back of our closets and all our boots take over. Ankle boots, knee-length boots, over the knee boots, combat boots, mid-calf boots.... so many options!!!!

Dare to take up space.....

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When I first saw this picture on tumblr, I was intrigued. I knew I just had to write something about it. Growing up, even though i was always bigger, I was taught that being fat was Bad, that it was wrong... but why exactly? I don't know. For me, it didn't really make sense, up to now, I still don't get why there is so much dislike towards fat people, and this picture sparked something in me...

People's main reason for not liking fat is because they claim it's unhealthy.... but so is smoking, and drinking, and having unprotected sex - but people who do the last 3 things i mentioned, are not as disliked as fat people are. In fact, if u ask me, they are more dangerous than fat people. How many diseases are spread through unprotected sex? How many people are killed from someone's drunken driving? How many people die from lung cancer and how many are affected by second-hand smoke? And yet, it's the fat people, walking around minding their own business and just being fat, that get all the hate....

Another thing that seriously bothers me is the way that everyone turns into a concerned nutritionist or doctor whenever a fat person is around. All of a sudden, everyone is worried about how my size is going to kill me early, and hinting that it would be a good idea for me to lose weight and asking me to imagine how much happier I would be if i was skinnier.... I just have one question for these people.. Where your PhD in Fat studies at????  And if you actually had a PhD, you would know that not every fat person became fat from sitting in front of the TV and eating every single thing in sight. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about, I've been fat ALL MY LIFE. In high school, i was at boarding school, and the school put me on a diet. they watched what I ate and I didn't really eat a lot. And I played a lot of sports, i was on the athletics team (vice captain), iI was on the volleyball team and on the basketball team. You wanna know how much weight i lost in 3 months???? 2kilos.....

Furthermore, there are plenty skinny people who live way more unhealthier lives that me, but they still remain small. As unfair as this is, it's the truth... So fat does not always equal unhealthy. I know plenty big people who work out and eat healthy but they still remain big.... So, in short, the argument used by people to justify their ill-treatment of fat people is INVALID.

Seeing as there are no other "valid" reasons, it brings me to the conclusion that our only crime is indeed taking up too much space on this earth. So, in short, the problem isn't really with us, but with people's opinion of us.... and we shouldn't be bothered with what people think of us. We live for ourselves, not for other people.... Ladies, don't ever let someone tell you that there is something wrong with you just because you are fat. Don't ever be made to feel that you have committed a sin against nature because you are bigger than the next girl.... Being fat isn't a crime!!!!!

I just want to add that if you do want to lose weight, there is nothing wrong with that either.... as long as you are doing it for the right reasons and in the right way. Using unhealthy, drastic measures to lose weight is no better than being unhealthy, so you are not helping yourself. And if you are trying to lose weight and it's not happening the way you want, don't be devastated.... as one as you are living healthy, you good...

So ladies, love yourselves, love your bodies and go out into the world and continue to take up space with confidence!!!!

Love,

Succulent 1

UNABASHED: Gabi Gregg

Hey ladies!!!!

Seeing as this is my first real blog post, I decided to dedicate it to someone who really inspires me. She is one of the first plus size bloggers that i ever followed and she is the one who made me want to start blogging. Ever since I discovered her blog, my life has not been the same....

Gabi Gregg is a 25 year old New Yorker who has been blogging for about 3 years, since October 2008. She runs the blog Gabifresh, formerly called Young, Fat and Fabulous and if you are a plus size woman who follows blogs and you haven't heard of her, please tell me what rock you have been living under, lol. She started out as a plus size fashion blogger but she has gained acclaim as a fashion blogger in general. She has been featured in several publications including Glamour, Teen Vogue, Cosmo Poland, The Guardian, The New York Times, and has even appeared on Good Morning America.

Last year, Gabi beat several people to win MTV's Twitter Jockey contest to become MTV's first twitter Jockey. Plus Model magazine has named her one of the most stylish New Yorkers, she is a blogger for Vogue Italia and she even styled Fashion to Figure's Early Summer 2011 Lookbook. To top this off, she has partnered with The Lmited to bring out Eloquii, their first ever Plus size fashion line. It is set to come out sometime this fall.

I think Gabi is one of the most stylish plus size women out there. She always looks amazing but one aspect of her style that I absolutely love is her gorgeous blazers and jackets. Take a look at some of my faves below.

I love how she doesn't let the fact that she is plus size limit her or prevent her from looking good. She doesn't let clothes dictate how she should look but rather, she takes the clothes and wears them in the way that she wants them to look. In an interview with Tiffany from Fatshopaholic, she said something powerful that has stuck with me ever since. She said, "it's not about copying the look and buying the exact items, it's more about translating styles you may admire onto your own body."

Gabi is an amazing woman and her blogger success story is one that anyone would die for. She truly is one of my big inspirations when it comes to style, as well as attitude and body positivity. Check out a few of her many looks that I love:

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Make sure you check out Gabi's blog at http://www.gabifresh.com!!!!!!