Aussie Curves - Polka dot

I quite like the classic polka dot combination of red, black and white. Polka dot just screams retro, and I love the retro look.

I did have a particular top in mind for this weeks challenge. It is a nice white with black spot top. However while I was out shopping I spied this scarf at a $2 shop! I just loved the colour and the pattern (and the $4 price tag).  One of the aims of this blog is to show that you can still look great as a plus size woman, while on a budget.

Scarf - Hot Dollar

Top - Dorothy Perkins

Dress/Skirt - Crossroads

Shoes - Rivers

Bracelet - Gifted from a boutique shop

Sunnies - Target

Buying a cheap scarf from a cheap shop may not be everyone's cup of tea. However I really believe in not spending a lot of money on things like accessories so you can spend more money on great statement pieces or good quality staple items. I felt this scarf was a great example of not spending a lot on something small.

Budget Tip: Spend less on accessories or fashion trend pieces so you can spend more on other items

I loved how the pop of orange looked with the navy blue peplum top I was wearing. I also loved the fun mix up of the spots with the stripey 'skirt'. In fact, it is not actually a skirt, but a dress with my top worn over it. I find putting a top over a dress often works really well, and it adds a bit of versatility to the piece when you are able to mix it up a bit.

Budget Tip: Make the most of your clothing. Consider turning a dress into a skirt by adding a top over it.

The peplum top is a recent buy from Dorothy Perkins in the UK. I recently sold a bunch of clothing on Ebay with the purpose of making money that I can spend trying some stores from the U.K. I often look at Dorothy Perkins and ASOS but never felt like I could risk spending my money on something that may not fit. By selling my pieces I no longer wear I made a bit of pocket money that I could spend guilt free.

I purchased this peplum top, as well as a stunning red peplum dress (which I am saving for a wedding). I was delighted with both items, and they turned out to only be $35 including postage. One tip I learnt was to go a google search for Dorothy Perkins coupons because you may find coupon codes that can give you a further discount. I put my already heavily reduced items in the shopping basket, then added in the coupon code and received an extra 15% off. Yay!

I was really unsure if peplum would work for my pear shape. However this top is great. It has a soft stretch material. It doesn't stick out too much, and the peplum part starts from the bottom of my rib cage, so it basically glides over my tummy, but stops just below my hips.

Pear Tip: Don't dismiss clothing without trying it on. It is often about the cut of the item, so something may look good, even if it shouldn't suit your shape.

The versatility of a scarf!

Accessories really do make or break an outfit. If you look at any 'wow' outfit that a woman wears, it will often feature an accessory, or a few of them. In our post about Polyvore we noted how often an outfit was pulled together by the accessories.

Recently I have been having a love affair with scarves. Not the thick wintry type (although I do rather love those) but colourful, patterned varieties. If I see a cheap scarf with a great pattern or colour I just have to snap it up.

I noticed a woman at work would often wear a scarf with her outfit. She has a polished but casual style that I envy. I commented on how great she always looks. She pointed out that she actually has quite a limited wardrobe of clothing, but she mixes it up with a scarf. I realised she was right, the basics were often the same, but she looked like she was wearing a new outfit because of the scarf she was wearing.

My scarf wearing obsession was further justified when I was searching for my celebrity copycat in the recent Aussie Curves challenge. When I googled 'Casual Celebrity style' I found many of the outfits featured jeans, a scarf and some sunnies. Celebrities seem to understand the instant glamour that a scarf can bring an otherwise plain outfit.

This particular outfit has recieved multiple compliments everytime I wear it. It's the scarf I tell you!

Here are a few tips I have learnt:

- Scarves come in a variety of textures, shapes and sizes. Each style can be used to create a different look.

- Don't be afraid to mix prints or colours. I will often wear a striped top with a scarf with a pattern on it. I find it will work if it is either the same shade, to break up the pattern, or a contrasting shade to add some interest

- A scarf can be used to disguise a 'flaw' in an outfit - Top seems to baggy and dull? Add a scarf. Cardigan doesn't quite do up? Open it up an add a scarf.

- It adds colour and texture to a plain outfit - A pair of jeans & a plain top. On its own it's a bit boring. I add a silky scarf and it looks 'wow'!

- Want to elongate your torso? Drape the scarf around your neck but don't tie it up. Want to draw attention to your face? Wrap the scarf around your neck and knot it.

- Experiment with different ways to tie your scarf. There are so many different ways to do it, and each one can change the way your outfit goes together

Here is a great example of the many different ways scarves can be used. The website http://www.scarves.net/ has tutorials on how to create each of the featured looks.

 

 

Do you have an obsession with scarves as well? Or do you have another 'go to' accessory to liven up an outfit?

- Sister Pear

Aussie Curves - Celebrity Copycat

When we saw that this week's theme was celebrity copycat it seemed easy enough. Until we tried to think of a celebrity whose style we wanted to recreate. Whose fashion inspires us enough that we wanted to copy it? Sadly, neither of us could really think of a celebrity that actually inspires us all that much.

We can honestly say that over the last few years our fashion inspiration has come from bloggers. It has been a delight to see REAL women wearing REAL clothing. Beautiful, curvy, fashionable bloggers have encouraged us to develop our own confidence and style. For us they are far more inspiring than any A- Lister who has stylists to guide them on what looks good and what to wear.

However, we did think of two T.V characters whose style inspires us.

The first is Jenny Gross from Winners and Losers, played by Melissa Bergland. For starters, how refreshing is it to see such a vivacious plus size actress on our T.V screens? As for her wardrobe - unreal! Jenny's style is an awesome blend of on trend fashion mixed with rockabilly retro. We tune in to look at the latest outfit being styled on Jenny as much as to watch the storyline unfold.

It seems we are not alone. On the website for the series they feature a gallery each week showing some of the outfits worn by the characters and where they were sourced from. Clearly many people are lusting over the stylish outfits that adorn the characters each week.

So what do we need to recreate her style?

- A rockabilly swing dress
- A cute, short cardi
- Accessories and lots of them - A brooch to pin on the cardi, a scarf or headband for the hair,  A belt to cinch in the waist


Our next inspiration is Nina from Offspring played by Asher Keddie. This may seem less obvious as she is not a 'curvy' actress. However this just shows that fashion inspiration does not have to just come from other plus sized women. There is no reason why you can't mimic the style of a 'thinner' person.

We love this look because it appears so effortless yet chic. Nina has a slightly hippie style, but still very fashionable

Again, it seems lusting over the style of this character is common. So common that there are several articles from Michael Chisholm the Offspring Costume Director where he explains how he puts together Nina's look http://www.mamamia.com.au/entertainment/behind-the-scenes-with-the-offspring-stylist/.

His tips are:
-You need a good pair of jeans
-Several colourful tank tops
-Scarves
-A great pair of boots
-Fitted denim jacket
- Antique jewellery

So, without further ado, here are our looks:

Sister Apple ;) inspired by Jenny Gross

 

Shrug - Rockmans

Dress- City Chic

Shoes - Spendless Shoes

Bracelets - Diva/ Lovisa

Brooch -  Vintage

 

Proving that in some ways my sister and I think alike, Sister Apple rocked up to my place with this dress accessorised in red. I started to laugh, as I wore the same dress in black to a high tea a few weeks ago (Posted here ).

 

This dress is the navy blue version, so we decided a quick switch to hot pink would work great.

We thought this outfit ticked all the boxes for Jenny Gross.

- Cute Cardi/ Shug

- Retro style dress

- Bright colours

- Cute accessories

 

This is definitely a look that both of us would happily wear. It so colourful and playful. What we both love about the retro styling is that it celebrates curvaceous figures. They are designed for women with a bit of flesh. Love it!

 

Next up is our take on Nina!

 

Sister Pear inspired by Nina Proudman 

 

Top - Big W

Skirt - A pop up stall at the shops brand unknown

Scarf - Big W

Belt - Taken off a dress from Crossroads

Necklace/ Bangles - Dive & Lovisa

Boots - Sara Ezibuy

 

 



I went through a stage where I had a bit of a love affair with these skirts. So much so that I own about 8....

 

These particular skirts are meant to be able to be turned into many different styles, although I confess I have only successfully managed about 3 looks with them. That perhaps deserves a post of it's own one day. The colourful, flowy style instantly reminded me of Nina, so that's where I started.

 

Again I think the outfit ticks all the boxes

- Flowy skirt

- Great boots

- 'Skinny' scarf (Could be skinnier but it was the best I could find)

- Antique (looking) jewellery

 

I definitely would have loved a denim jacket to throw over the top, but alas I don't own one. Also, originally I had the dress ankle length, but you couldn't see the boots. I decided having the skirt at more of a 'midi' length was more 'Nina', so I pulled the second layer up a bit



 

 

What we can both say is that these challenges are already proving to be a lot of fun. It is nice to have a reason to experiment with your look. One thing that we both concluded as a result of this challenge is that accessories definately maketh the celebrity! Both of our 'celebrities' use accessories to accentuate and compliment their look.

 

Leave us a comment and let us know what you think of our look. Do you have a T.V character who inspires your own fashion?

 

Be sure to check out the other Aussie Curves ladies. I think this challenge will be quite an adventure to see what 'celebrities' are going to be copied this week. You might also want to play along yourself.