CurvyPlusStyle

Category: General

  • Celebrating Three Months of Blogging

    Celebrating Three Months of Blogging

    Today I am celebrating three months of blogging and I am so thrilled.

    The first time I wanted to create a blog was in 2012. I wanted to create a career blog. I remember being so hung up on the name including the word savvy. Over the next twelve years, I have started so many blogs and never fully executed them for the same reasons. I don’t want to post everyday. I don’t like taking photos. I’m definitely not taking selfies in public. I don’t want to pick just one thing to write about. I bought books and read so many articles about blogging.

    This time, I finally stopped overthinking it or trying to keep up with what I see. That is the key to my consistency. I’m just doing it. I’m not looking followers. I’m not trying to make photos and videos look perfect. I’m just leaning into the realness which is what I’ve always wanted to do and I love it. This is my time and space to express myself.

    Most of those previous blogs were not fashion/style blogs. I struggle with photos and videos of me all over the internet. There’s something vain about it and I’ll always struggle with that part of it. But it’s also somewhat frivolous and that’s what I think I’m enjoying most. I’m a very earnest person and frivolity is not usually my thing. I am certainly not without personality, but this is a way to lighten up.

    The one thing that I’ve always promised is that I didn’t want to give people advice because you don’t need my advice. That continues to be true. I’m sharing my experiences with fashion and sharing my style.

    Thus far, the only challenge I’ve run into is only writing about fashion and style. I have already had days where I feel like I don’t have anything to write about and have thought about expanding my subject. I just don’t want to do too much too soon so I’m stick to my single subject and see how far I go.

    Frankly, I don’t have any expectations and I’m very pleased with what I’ve created so far. I’m looking forward to the next three, six months.

    I always say if you have found me, welcome. If you have been enriched, you are welcome. Thanks for stopping by.

    K

  • Civics

    Civics

    Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. I observe it as a day of rest rather than a day of service, but I couldn’t let the day go by without some words on engagement.

    Remember two things,

    #1: You choose your engagement style. Most people took a basic civics course in high school, but have no idea how to continue their education and engagement beyond voting. Maybe you’re not the protest type. Maybe you are short on experience in dealing with policymakers. There are so many ways to engage. Find the one that works best for you, like Toni Morrison and Cicely Tyson.

    “I’m not out on the street protesting. What can I do from where I am? I thought it was important for people to be in the streets but they couldn’t last. You needed a record. It would be my job to publish the voices, the ideas of African Americans. That would last.”

    Toni Morrison, The Pieces I Am

    “Never once, during the billowing smoke of the Civil Rights Movement would I be spotted at a Woolworth lunch counter, braving a sit-in while hate-mongers hurled spit and spite. Never would I parade up and down the boulevards of Selma or Montgomery, a picket sign thrust high alongside my shouts. I admire the valiant freedom fighters who took to the streets, but it wasn’t in my makeup to demonstrate in those ways. Nonetheless, I was set on speaking in the only place I felt courageous enough to do so – on the stage. I protested by using not my own words, but those of the characters I inhabited.”

    Cicely Tyson, Just As I Am

    #2: You don’t have to make a public statement about anything. You don’t owe anyone proof of your advocacy.

  • CurvyPlusStyle Blog Plan

    CurvyPlusStyle Blog Plan

    I’ve been blogging for two months now! It feels like it’s been longer. It’s taken me 12 years to get to this point, but I’m very happy about it. Over the holiday break, I took some time to get clear about my intentions for the blog and want to share them here.

    I fell in love with fashion blogs because of their personableness and realness. I loved that I got to read about what someone wore to work or an event. I loved the bits of their personal story sprinkled into mix. For the most part, we’ve lost that and I want to try and recapture some of that magic.

    Additionally, the plus size industry has changed a lot in the past 10 to 15 years. There are a ton of new brands that need to be vetted. In summer/fall, a retailer, whom shall remain nameless, was promoting a new brand on Instagram. The brand made a statement about targeting apple-shaped women, the most underrepresented shape in fashion and I immediately called bullshit. If you ask me, plus size fashion has always centered on the apple shape. It’s only been within the last 15 years or so that they even tried to create “curvy” options for women, like me, with broader hips. The entire time that I followed blogs, there may have been two pear-shaped bloggers, but no one with style of interest. All of that to say, this one is for the thigh and hip girls.

    My intentions for CurvyPlusStyle are three-fold: Brand Reviews, Rankings and Features; My Signature Style; and Commentary.

    Brand Review, Rankings and Features

    As I said before, there are so many brands that are new to the plus size arena, and I want to try them out for myself and share my experience. I specifically want to focus on whether or not these brands work for women with large thighs, broad hips, and big butts.

    Brand Reviews are an assessment of the collection based on my experience including the fit, price point, sizes available, sales/discounts, returns/exchange policy and overall shopping experience. I intend for brand reviews to be in-depth on brands that I’ve had multiple experiences with and continuously updated so that the latest information is available.

    Rankings are another assessment, but by category including best quality trousers, best denim jeans, best price point. I intend for rankings to be annual.

    Features are mentions of brands that I don’t have enough experience with to write a full review. For example, this piece on The Limited.

    My Signature Style

    This is where it gets personal as the name suggests.

    Porter Magazine used to do a regular column in print and it detailed a signature of a celebrity. I loved that feature and am creating my own version of it here. It will detail my signatures such as wide-leg pants, pointed toe shoes, embossing. It will also feature my seasonal hauls or what seasonal/personality pieces I add to my wardrobe.

    Commentary

    Here I simply want to ponder some of the challenges I experience with fashion and the happenings of the industry in general.

    From the beginning, 12 years ago, I said I didn’t want to provide advice and that’s still true. Today, I would add that I don’t want to influence and I don’t want to create content. For me, it’s about sharing my experience. If you’ve discovered this site and have been enriched by something that you’ve read, you’re welcome and thank you!