Sex and the City 2 Preview - Enjoy

I can't wait!!!!!!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

I, like all my fellow bloggers, will be short of posts this month. I will traveling for a week and a half. I hope everyone has a most wonderful holiday and even brighter New Year. I know I plan to! The New Year will bring changes for "The Curvy Girl's Guide to Style," so stay tuned for upcoming news...it will be soon to come;). The pic is old, but cute and what I will working towards as far as my weight goes for my New Year's resolution (how original...right?). See you next year, I am off to go running... I'm getting an early start.

Winner of the Jibri $75 gift certificate

I just wanted to announce 'Randilizm' as the winner of the Jibri $75 Gift Certificate. Congrats!!! Thanks to all who entered. Keep a lookout for more contests like these.

Jibri $75 Gift Certificate Giveaway

Because of the great response from the previous featured holiday dress, Jibri has decided to give "The Curvy Girl's Guide to Style" a gift certificate to giveaway to one of it's lucky readers.

You can check out the clothing line at www.jibrionline.com or the Etsy shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/jibrionline. The winner will receive a $75 Gift Certificate to be used towards any purchase. If you order by Tuesday 12.22, you'll get the piece in time to wear it on NYE!! JIBRI, is also offering all Garnerstyle readers free shipping until 12.31.09!

All entries must be received by 11.59pm Eastern time by Sunday, December 20th. This will allow Jibri to get you your piece right before NYE! I will announce the winner early on Monday, so please check back. Please comment to the post - 'Enter Me' with a valid email address. Remember to follow "The Curvy Girl's Guide to Style" so you can get updates on contests like this one. Good Luck & Dream Big!


This contest is only good for U.S. residents only, sorry my out of country followers.

Jibri - Another Black Friday Purchase Review

This is the 2nd review from the items I purchased on Black Friday. I got Jibri Lucy Cocktail for the extremely (as most theft) price of $60. This is probably the best deal I got all year. This dress is made of silk. I think retail a dress like this would cost me between $200 - $300.

It is a lovely silver, has a boatneck neckline (one of my favorite necklines, and has a drop back. ( I would have a taken a pic of the back, but because my derriere can be a little overwhelming...and I don't want to set my self up with pics of that floating around the internet...LOL).

Anywho, can I say the dress is absolutely flawless. Great for most body types, the silhouette is so flattering. This vintage inspired look is sure to catch a lot of attention wherever it goes. It is my pick for a holiday party or even a New Year's party. It makes me happy just seeing it in my closet. I can wait to debue it! I had to take a pic for you guys, for it may be a while til I actually get to wear it. I love a dress that I can have sweet dreams about. Ahhhhhhhhhh!

****Please note that the dress purchased was as a "sample" and I got it on Black Friday which is why the dress was only $60. *****

Ralph Lauren for the Curvy Girl

I know everyone is up in arms about Ralph Lauren and severly airbrushed photo of the size 4 model, but I have not decided to boycott, simply because I don't feel offended. I understand the fashion industry for what it is...and industry that potray images that are pleasurable to the eye in order to sell a product.

With that being said I would like to move on to this very lovely Lauren by Ralph Lauren "Thuraya" shirt dress that I bought from Bloomingdales for $130, originally $189. I love, more than anything, buying staples for my closet. I love buying a piece that I know I will have for the next 5 years, because I know that when I really get my money's worth! If I wore this dress for the next 5 years, once per year, I would have paid $26 bucks a year for its wear....now thats a deal! That to me makes more sense than paying for a dress thats $40 bucks that tears up in a year. I encourage people to invest in their clothes that can go from season to season, year to year and not look dated and when properly cared for they continue to look crisp and new.

The material of the is dress is really nice. Its a cotton sateen. If you wish to order this dress I would recommend ordering a size down. I got the 18W so I would be safe, but the waist on the dress was rather big. Other than that the dress looked, felt, and fit great! I plan to transition this dress from the fall (wearing tights and boots) to the spring pairing it with flats or a cute pair of sandals. I have always loved Ralph Lauren for his simple designs. I bought this dress a few weeks ago. Last time I saw it was offered at Macys, Nordstrom, & Bloomingdales.

My Haircut

I know this isn't fashion related, but my new haircut is the bomb!!!! I little while back I won a gift card to Macy's Salon at Lenox Mall for $150. This was right on time, because I knew I needed a list of thing done. 1. I had to dye some gray out of my hair (My mom said she saw her first gray hair at 24 at this time that is as old as I will claim to be...LOL). 2. I was dire need to getting my ends cut. I had grown my hair since my short haircut last year and had neglected to take care of business. 3. A nice style was in order.

The person who my session would be with was Moses Krell - an adorable little straight (yes...I said straight) guy that looked more like a rock star than a hair stylist. He was so cute I wish I could have put him and my pocket and take him home...LOL...I dont think my BF would have let me so I had to leave him there.

I hate that you guys cant see the awesomeness (yes I randomly make up words) of my haircut, but it is too cute...its a little edgy mixed with a dash of trendy, but not a young trendy, but more of a sophisticated trendy. I love If you are every in need of hair stylist Moses has my vote. He will def. be my new stylist from here on out!:)

Lane Bryant's Iconic Collection...not so Iconic

I wandered into Lane Bryant today after an eyebrow waxing.  I figured I would get up close and personal with the Iconic Collection, look for some jeans, and maybe to even find something to buy.  I generally hate LB's lack of style aesthetic, but I saw a couple of things online that I wanted to see in person.  

The Good:  Unfortunately, there was only piece from the Iconic Collection that I wanted to buy.  The boyfriend jacket.  I personally like the boyfriend looks, but this trend presents a lot of problems for the Curvy Girl.  1.  Baggy clothes/boy fit clothes dont work for women with curves.  We generally look better in things that fit.  I really wanted a BF jacket but I knew with my hips being as exaggerated as they are the a straight cut would not work.  Well what the Iconic did get right was BF jacket.  The jacket was made  of poly and rayon.  It had a cotton w/ stretch feel so even though it was cut straight, but had stretch, so it still fell on my curves nicely.  I got the jacket for $40 bucks...it was definitely not worth its $128 retail price. 

The Bad:  Everything I tried on was ill fitted.  The question raised in my head,  "did they cut these clothes for regular size women?"  Also the crotch on the pants was way low...none of the pants were flattering.  The only reason I did not take pics, and I'm keeping it real, I did not want any pictures floating around of me looking so TERRIBLE!  I did want to try Jodhpur legging, but they werent in stock.  

The Ugly:  These clothes are marked up considerably, but though the quality was decent, the clothes were nothing that I had to have.  The styles weren't innovative, stylish, and pretty much of all the pieces I tried on (and I tried on at least 10) I found one thing that was buyable.  The Iconic Collection was a bit of a snooze for me:( not at all the "high fashion" looks they advertised. 

Has anyone else had any better luck with the Collection?  I would love to hear your thought.

Spring Preview

Fashion mags are already previewing their spring looks, so shall I. I recently purchased this Amanda Uprichard dress from Saks for $61.00 originally $255.00. The dress was purchased on Black Friday, so I got a really good deal.

(Yes, I have already started purchasing for the Spring, because casualwear is always a hard category for me to find clothes in. I am just not a jeans and t-shirt girl...and really jeans and a t-shirt don't look good on me. So I make it a point to find cute casual clothes, so I can still look put together, but stay cool.)

Upon the arrival of this cute casual dress there are so many things I love about it. The material is a heavy, but airy, jersey. The dress is just actually made really well with stretch, but it has a flattering structure. I was not blessed with great legs and this dress is really short so I paired it with leggings. I always added a newsboy cap that I picked up from Banana Republic, my favorite boyfriend watch, and gold tone chain necklace from Liz Claiborne (Its like my new fav. necklace now). My shoes are a canvas paisley print wedge heel from Target. I got them last Spring. I can't wait til Spring comes!!!!!

Shoe Dazzle Review

So I have had a few people I know actually participate in Kim Kardashian's Shoe Dazzle Club. Basically you pay $40 bucks a month and they send you a pair of shoes based on your taste and style. The only reason I haven't able to participate is because they don't carry 11s:(. I did talk to friends though so I can get an idea on the quality, styles, and generally is this worth membership.

Pros

Most of the shoes are extremely cute, eyecatching, and compliment worthy.

The heels are extremely high - this be a pro for some, and a con for other...but I love high heels. I think they are ultra femimine and sexy.

The price is right? Supercute shoes for $40 a month and great way to increase your shoe collection. Every girl has a shoe collection right. Anywho, even if you dont like the shoe options you can skip that month or two or three. Please note: While I think the concept is cute I dont recommend anyone's entire shoe collection come from one designer. I also do believe that your collection should consist of shoes from the low end to the high end!

Cons

The shoes they send according to your taste can be a hit or miss. When signing up you give them an idea of what your style is, this can only be so accurate. Its not uncommon for people to have to send shoes back after receiving them.

A lot of the heels are extremely high!!! Leann, a follower and friend of mine, is already 6ft tall. The shoes seem to have 4 inch heels and 1 inch platforms, so you definitely have to know what you are doing when it comes to walking. These heels aren't for the faint at heart.

They are $40 shoes, so it is to be expected that the shoes won't be top quality, which I think that goes without saying. The great thing is even though the top quality leathers and what not may not be there, the style aesthetic is.

Sidenote:  Be sure to pick up The Curvy Girl's Guide to Style (book) for your curvy girl style needs or as a great gift.  The book can be purchased on the left side of this website.  We love our followers and commenters.

Ravishing Red!

On my way out the door to two parties tonight. I decided to upload a pic. The dress is from Express, the belt from Target, the necklace is from Liz Claiborne, paired with leggings and booties for a ravishing look. Proving my rule of thumb to always shop in all stores...you never know what you will find. Oh and please forgive me...I havent done my make up yet:). Happy Weekend all!

Kenley Collins from Bravo's Project Runway designs clothes for the Curvy Girl too!!!

While reading through this month's of Skorch Magazine I ran across a dress from Kenley Collins. Kenley Collins placed third in her season of Project Runway. Her designs and personal style (from viewing her on the show) are inspired by the 1920s & 1930s effortless style.

Sizes go up to size 24. I definitely plan to acquire the swimsuit. Prices for this line are between $175 and $800. I am definitely impressed with these lovely pieces, but you know I will have to buy something and review it. You can check out her website at www.kenleycollins.com.