Winter White

Wearing white after Labor Day has been up for debate over the years. For me, I stopped taking this as a mandatory rule. I love white, and it looks great against melanin, so any chance I can wear it, I will. I’ve been living with the wear what you want mantra for some time, but last year things changed a bit and wearing white was not an option.

Now I know your body changes as you get older, but I was experiencing longer, heavier periods. It happened over time. One month I would be fine, the next extremely tired, and then the next back to a lot of pain. I was out in Atlanta for TCF while I was on my period. No big deal right? Wrong, after 5 days my period would not go away. I had an appointment scheduled with my gyn so I was going to go in and ask a lot of questions. By the time I visited her, I was on day 10 of my period. It was heavy and I just felt like my whole body was out of wack. I told her my issues, and she set me up for an ultrasound. I asked her could it be fibroids, (cause I was googling my symptoms trying to figure out something), and she told me it’s possible or it could be cysts. Though nervous, I needed to know what was going on with me and scheduled the ultrasound.

I found out I have not 1, but 3 fibroids. I was told they vary in size from 1-3 cm’s which are small, but I was still concerned. I thought once I received confirmation they were fibroids that would be the end of it, but no. Limit my stress, and change up my diet, simple enough. The ultrasound also showed a thickened uterine lining, so then they required a MRI because that was not normal for someone that is not pregnant. Here it is day 21 and I’m still bleeding. I attended Curvy Con with cramping, and a full blown cycle, but I made sure I rested and took my vitamins to keep up my strength. It’s hard dealing with something that you don’t really understand. One minute I would be fine, the next painful cramps and heavy bleeding. I avoided wearing anything light colored. I was constantly running to the bathroom. I’m not going to lie. I was scared. If my fibroids were small how could they be causing all this havoc on my body. I got the MRI, and it didn’t show anything. Well isn’t that wonderful- I felt like I was back at square one. Yes I knew what was causing issues, but having a period for a month at that point was cruel. I was mentally and physically exhausted at that point. My gyn decided that it could be time to switch my birth control. She felt that trying a birth control with a lower hormone would be better . Also, the last test she wanted to me to get was a uterine scrape. Yes you heard that right, a scrape. They scrape a sample from your uterus and test it for irregularities and cancer. I was not looking forward to it, but you gotta do what you gotta do. By the time I went to take that test my period finally stopped, and I was starting to feel better. The biopsy came back negative, so for now its about keeping these fibroids small by taking care of myself. I have been working on limiting my stress, and walking more, and getting more rest.

It’s been a couple of months since my diagnosis and I feel confident again to wear light colored clothing. I was soo afraid of having an accident I was avoiding everything. When I saw this cute set on Target’s website, I was at first not going to get it, but I knew I had to stop living in fear and go back to wearing what I want. The set was soo cute that I could not pass it up, and I went ahead and ordered. Who What Wear has been cranking out hits. There is always something from their monthly drops that I love. I got the sweatshirt in a 1X and its a great comfy piece to wear any time. The matching sweatpants are equally comfy and have a stretchy waistband. I do wish they had a drawstring, just cause sometimes waistbands can start to give, but regardless I still like them. Both pieces will be in heavy rotation. I decided to go all out with white and pair it with my white moto from Eloquii. I can safely say that this moto addict has the full spectrum of the rainbow (and I am not in the least bit ashamed about it #shopaholic). I ended out my look with my flatform oxfords from the Atlantic Pacific x Halogen collaboration from Nordstrom and a cute pom pom hat (both are sold out unfortunately).

I figured for this look, I would shoot it in front of an ice cream shop. Ice cream and wearing white has been associated with the summer, but now no one cares. Wear white, enjoy some delectable ice cream in the middle of January. For all my fellow women dealing with fibroids, don’t let them stop you from wearing what you want. Go to your doctor and seek alternatives, because you deserve to live your life without fear. I know this post was longer than most, but I really wanted to share my story. I know that I was scared and it was with the support of my friends and boyfriend, and a doctor that listened to my concerns and not tell me that my weight was to blame for my issues that I am able to get back to same old Jami.

Easter

You can never go wrong with a great dress for Easter. I can give you several reasons for such. First, the ease. Dresses are an instant outfit maker, and when you are trying to get dressed quickly so that you can beat the church rush for your favorite seat, a good dress has your back. Another reason why dresses are great, there is a type for everyone. Depending on what you want to highlight or conceal- there is a dress out there. My all time favorite dress types is the fit & flare followed by bodycon. I know two ends on the spectrum, but I will explain why. The fit & flare is what I call my ladylike dress. It can cinch your waist to create a hourglass (regardless if you are or not), and you don’t feel constricted on your lower half (esp for those that have wide hips or a bit of a tummy). On the other end a good bodycon brings the sexy. It hugs in all places and believe it or not this can be slimming. 

When it comes to my fit & flares I look for materials that are no fuss. Now I don’t have an issue with ironing, but if I can throw on an outfit and walk out the door I’m happy. Fabrics such as ponte and scuba are great because they barely wrinkle. Everyone wants to look bomb in their Easter’s finest and wrinkles just take away from the whole look.  

I received this cutie from my latest Dia & Co box. It’s the quintessential Easter dress. It’s colorful, has florals and the best feature of all - pockets. Dresses loose cool points with me if they don’t have pockets. The love of pockets is real in these streets. To play with some print mixing, I added a striped belt. Also I wanted to snatch my waist a bit, and adding a belt is the easiest way to create a smaller waist. Dia & Co is a great resource when you are looking for something new to add to your wardrobe. These days sometime you are either too busy to shop, or just overwhelmed with what is on sites. Having a Dia stylist curate items based on your style/call outs really makes shopping a breeze. It comes to your doorstep, try it on, and keep what you like, return the rest. Quick & painless. 

When I am wearing cutesy dresses, I always like to toughen up the look with a moto. My collection of moto’s continues to grow and this metallic one from Who What Wear has been in heavy rotation. I believe everyone should have at least 2 moto’s in their collection. The classic black and a fun color. I have motos in all colors of the rainbow, but jackets are my thing so I will always check out what is out there. hat can I say, I just want to live my life in technicolor. This metallic version is sold out in plus, but there is a pink version available as well as a floral one. Target has been cranking out some hits, and with their wallet friendly prices it’s more than enough reason to add everything to your cart.

 

 

 

At first I was going to wear a necklace with this look, but changed my mind when I decided to add a belt. Since the belt was sitting up higher than my natural waist, I felt adding a necklace would make me look shorter than what I already am. My go to accessory for the last several months has been a fun colorful earring. I found these online at Baublebar during the holiday season for less than $15. These are sold out but I found two other similar styles - the Coretta and the Canary. Both come in this bold pink hue and they are on sale.

 

 

 

 

 

If you are loving this dress make sure to ask your Dia stylist for it. Not signed up for Dia, then you are in luck cause you can sign up by clicking the link below!

Do you have your Easter outfit ready? Let me know what you are wearing in the comments below!!

 

Hella Cute

I was chatting about how plus size fashion has changed over the years. How the industry is shifting and realizing that plus size women do not want a sea of black drab clothing. Brands are seeing us as the vivacious fun loving women that we are. One of the lines I love is Target's collaboration line with Who What Wear. They bring the latest in fashion at affordable prices. One day while I was scrolling on the gram, Who What Wear was hosting a giveaway for reaching 30k. Like they say you gotta be in it to win it, so I added my name and I ended up being one of the winners! The prize was an item of my choice, so I decided to go with this romper. Now rompers are no stranger to the blog, but I love how this one had ruffles on the sleeves and legs. 

I'm wearing a 2X in the romper, and it was perfect for a hot Saturday. The self tie belt defines my waist, and the leg openings are roomy. Since the romper was giving me 70's vibes I paired the romper with my favorite flatforms from Nine West. These are oldies, but goodies, but I have linked a similar style. Definitely check out the romper because it's now on sale and going fast!

I decided to wear this fun & flirty look for a girl's night out. Our favorite meetup is this pizza restaurant in Brooklyn called Zurilee. It's a great little spot right in my friend's backyard. The restaurant takes pizza, New York staple and incorporate the Caribbean vibes of Flatbush to create amazing brick oven pies. 

My bestie heading in for drinks, pizza, and laughs!!!

Our Happy Hour Drink of choice was the Casablanca. A nice refreshing drink with a rose for a bit of flair. I enjoyed the Lee which is for cheese lovers, Chi had the East Flatbush (not pictured), and Ro had the Bread. 

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Girl's night was so much fun. Catching up with the crew was definitely needed. All you need is a good cocktail and a great joke to make the night right. Later lovers!

Retro

Nothing ever really goes out of style. There is a season for any and everything. I learned this a long time ago when I was told wearing sneakers with dresses was not something one should do. I guess you can call me a rebel in the 90's because now in 2017, wearing dresses and sneakers are just the cool thing to do. 

Now 90's me would have never thought that in 2017, I would not only be in gingham, but ruffles too. I was all about jerseys and baggy jeans (well as baggy as I could wear them cause my mom was not letting me buy pants 3 sizes too big). My daily uniform consisted of 1. Plaid Shirt 2. Jeans 3. Nikes, now don't get me wrong, all three are still in my closet, but my style has crossed over the girly dark side.  

This season, all the trends of yesteryear have come back, but in a whole new twist that is fun and makes you want to be a bit more adventurous. Take for example, the gingham top. Once an adornment for tables, this staple is all over this season in unexpected silhouettes. For example, how about an off the shoulder top with bell sleeves. Yeah- this once tomboy is wearing an off the shoulder top with bell sleeves and I love it. 

 

This top is one of the latest from Target and their collaboration with Who What Wear. I love how it's roomy and slightly cropped. Best thing about this Gingham Off the Shoulder top is that it actually stays off my shoulder. I have many that just would creep back up on my shoulder any time I moved, but this one it stayed true. It's super lightweight and breathable so I will be getting some serious wear out of this top. I am wearing a 2x, since I have big arms, wanted to make sure I had room to move about. 

I figured if I am going to wear a fun top, why not push myself and wear some cropped ruffle pants. I have had these pants in my closet for over a month, but I just did not know what to wear it with. Anything I was pairing it with was just not giving me the effect I wanted. That all changed when I put on the gingham shirt. The Jaye Ruffle Pant (this may or may not be named after me...lol) is definitely one of those items that you love it, don't think you can wear it, put it on and you are like you know what, I can. When I first saw ruffle hemmed pants, I thought on my 5'5" frame they could just look all types of wrong. Actually, Eloquii proved me wrong, because they hit me right at my sweet spot. These pants come up high on my waist and the size 16 fit perfectly.  These pants come in petites as well, so everybody can enjoy these amazing pants. 

I wanted to add a pop of color, so I went with my ankle strap sandals from Nine West. These are great for walking around since the heel is only an inch. Grab you a great pair of sunnies and a bold lippie and you are ready to go!

Bomber

Fall is here, and it's officially jacket weather!!! One of the biggest trends of the season is the bomber. What I love about this season's bomber jackets are all the added details, like embroidery, sequins, and patches. The first bomber that caught my attention was this Floral Bomber from Who What Wear x Target Collection. 

A little print mixing- can't go wrong with stripes & florals. 

The versatility of this jacket is what drew me to buying it. I went casual chic by pairing the jacket with a stripe tee, denim trousers, creepers, and my rose gold clutch, but I would wear this to work with ankle pants and pumps, or over a nice dress for brunch. I love mixing stripes with florals. A black and white stripe tee pairs with everything, and it's a great piece to have in your closet. I wear a 20 in most jackets, and the 2X fit me perfectly. When it comes to my jackets, I need it to fit well, but still have some room for layering. If you are not big on florals, it is also is available in black as well as olive. If you are interested in trying a bomber, and don't want to break the bank, I say give this one a try. The bomber is only $40, and free shipping & returns (any purchase over $25 warrants free shipping). What do you have to lose?