Here comes Valentines....

The closer we get to February the more I feel the romance of Valentine's approaching. What could be more fun than finding that some little something to wear on that or any romantic evening? I adore this little ensemble of dusky reds and barely there pinks. The lingerie itself comes from Hips and Curves and will only set you back $45. Don't mind the shoes, they're just a fantasy of mine. A $669 fantasy. I absolutely suggest a swing by Hips and Curves, they have some amazingly steamy pieces at great prices and in all the right sizes.

Til next time ;) Noir

Here comes Valentines.... by thick-and-trendy featuring metal jewelry

Sweater Love

Its that time of year: the transition from sweaters to tanks is creeping up on us, so while we still have time to wrap up in some cozy comfort and sip our tea or coffee or chai, I'd like to share with you some of my favorite sweater looks.

Sweater Love by thick-and-trendy featuring a cable knit cardigan

Don't Dream It, Be It

I was in a dreamy kind of mood today so I decided to create something fun and flirty. With absolutely no regard to attainability. With this set its all about attitude. This dress caught my eye immediately but on closer inspection I realized there wasn't necessarily anything extraordinary about it, its the model's attitude that gives it an edge. Any garment can be fun, funky and trendy, if you make it yours with your personality and accessories. I'd throw on this jeweled, feathered belt and carry an orange brass knuckles clutch from Alexander McQueen. then for the kicker i'd add in these spiked pumps. So don't let a basic or plain garment bring you down, funk it up with some accessories and your attitude. Don't just dream it. Do it. Be it. Until next time ladies ~ Noir

Don't Dream It, Be It by thick-and-trendy featuring ankle strap shoes

If I had styled Adele

Hello all, welcome to my Monday midnight posting (don't worry, that's not going to be a routine thing.....hopefully)! Just for funsies I decided to create my version of Adele's red carpet look from the Golden Globes 2013. For those of you who did not see my previous post, I wasn't quite happy with her look that evening. It wasn't a disaster by any means but still I yearned for more fashion, more glamour! I'll go ahead and say again I love Adele and I love Burberry! This is my little spin on what I think she would have looked fabulous in. I stayed with a LBD because I know she loves her black dresses...evidence:

 



So I figured it was best to stick to black. I chose this dress for its details and overall look. I like that its short and that the sleeves are 3/4. It doesn't look too young but doesn't look old either. The tiger stripes help keep it young. I love how the black on black of the bodice with the sleeves showing a hint of skin through the material. The skirt has a bias drape that is very flattering. I thought it would have been nice to see her with a more laid back hair style, something a bit undone and romantic. not necessarily with a rose. I picked the booties with gold stones for a bit of edge as well as the gold and red Alexander McQueen Union Jack bag. The kicker is the earrings. I almost fell over when I saw them. Well, not them actually...the price! $20,000!

There you have it: If I styled Adele. Now I have to get some sleep. Early morning tomorrow. XO ~Noir

If I had styled Adele by thick-and-trendy featuring lace up heel boots

Stargazing: Golden Globes

The Golden Globes are over and now that the awards have been handed out we can focus on the truly important issue at hand: the dresses! I was very excited to see who was wearing what and look forward to hearing what the Fashion Police have to say soon! I have chosen my top picks and here they are in no particular order because I just can pick my fav! I really love them all sooo much!

I absolutely ADORED JLo in this Zuhair Murad gown. It is just divine and elegant. Lace is always done, sometimes overdone, and many times can turn old or too risque. Despite this gown showing so much "skin" it still felt tasteful and in no way vulgar. The white lace almost looked like white henna drawn on her skin and the white color brought a classiness and innocence that any other color would have lacked, making the dress too sexy and over the top. I cant say enough good stuff about this gown or JLo in it. She may not be plus size but girl's got curves!

Next on the top picks: 

Rachel Weisz in Louis Vuitton. I have always loved Rachel and she is beyond adorable in this LBD. The dotted swiss sheer is unexpected and cutely quirky while the bow at the waist is a sweet detail that brings the whole thing together. At least two other stars wore dresses similar but with lace at the neck and hem. I think this one outshone them by far. 

My other favorite lady in black was Nicole Kidman in Alexander McQueen. I really loved the bodice detail and the stones at the neck. The graphic quality of the black boning on the gold bodice really caught my eye.

Finally, Lucy Liu in Carolina Herrera.  This dress is everything every girl dreams of wearing one day. The sky blue is heavenly and the pink and yellow roses are perfectly purportioned as well as being perfectly placed. It is neither too busy nor too dull. I love a full skirt and die for dresses with surprise pockets in the skirt. Its such a cute detail. 

Well that's it for my evening of stargazing. I was looking forward to seeing Adele and as a plus size celebrity, I know many of us curvy girls look forward to seeing her and look up to her as an icon. However, I was sadly disappointed with her dress. She seemed to be trying to hide instead of celebrating her curves. I know she was revealing her post baby body and is most likely a bit self conscious (who isnt after a baby?) but I really wished she had gone with something with more design and less of a black cover up. Don't get me wrong, I love Burberry. I just very much wanted to see her in something with color and flair. 

With that, I'm off to bed. Be back soon! <3 ~Noir

Fab Five Friday accessories

Its fab five friday! (a tad late but hey, at least it's here!)

I put together this set of black and gold jewelry, shoes and a bag. All together this first set would cost around $3,500 and each piece comes from a different store or website.. The bag alone is $1,300! I know right? Insanity. Sooooo instead of blowing a couple months salary on some cute accessories swing over to Forever 21 where you can get the second set pictured (just as cute, if I do say so myself) for a grand total of...............$70!!! That's one sweet deal if you ask me and its all in one convenient location.

(Pictured below: $3,500 worth of absolutely adorable accessories)

Fab Five Friday accessories by thick-and-trendy featuring studded handbags

(Pictured below: Crazy cute accessories from Forever 21 all for $70 total)

fab five look alike - get the look at forever 21 by thick-and-trendy featuring rhinestone stud earrings

Lemon Zest

So I know I'm a little late to the game, but I've just discovered polyvore.com! This is so fun! I've created my first two "sets" and look forward to doing much more. For those of you, like me, who didn't know what polyvore was, it is a site that helps with the power of templates and thousands of archived photos to allow stylists, designers, fashion lovers all to create collages of their favorite garments and accessories. This is my second set I created this evening based on the Lemon Zest trend for spring 2013. Click here to follow me on polyvore. There are also links at the bottom that you can use to find the specific items in the image. Like i said: FUN!

<3 Noir

Lemon Zest by thick-and-trendy featuring lace up sandals

Charlotte Olympia lace up sandals
$1,490 - colette.fr

Diane von Furstenberg color block handbag
my-wardrobe.com

Lane Bryant: Item of the Week - Dallas Plus-Size Fashion |...
examiner.com

Tops Thursday

Its Tops Thursday! I'll be highlighting some of my fav spring trends for this year and sharing some great examples of these trends available in retail and in extended sizes! For anyone who does not know me, I suppose by now I should introduce myself. I am a plus size woman, a mother and wife, and a student in Fashion Design and Merchandising. I'm in my junior year and plan to go on to open a plus size boutique which will eventually sell my own label. It has frustrated and saddened me for years, the way the fashion industry largely ignores and stigmatizes the plus size community. Over half of women in America today wear a size 14 or higher and we deserve to be offered up the same choices given to anyone who wears a "normal" size. With that said, my aim with this blog is to bring more attention to the opportunities for a plus size market, as well as to aid any of my fellow fashionistas out there looking for cute on trend clothing and having a difficult time finding it. I want to use my knowledge and experience I have gained while attending school to open doors and broaden horizons. Its not ever just about the clothing, it is about how we feel, think, and view ourselves. How wearing something beautiful can externalize your own inner personality.

Now  - into the topic of the day: tops. I've shown a few of this spring's trends, the lace trend for example, I'm completely in love with and am bringing back today. One of my favorite things in fashion is combining tends. Today's tops combine trends and color, creating fashionable garments. Vests, fringe, peplums and roses, are all trends we've seen on the runways for Spring 2013. 

These are designs shown by (from left to right) Tibi, Catherine Malandrino, Nanette Lepore and Nicole Miller. Done in many different fabrics and silhouettes from denim to chiffon and from stiff structured looks to light and flowy they are all super cute and versatile. Vests can make any outfit look a little more put together and can be worn with anything. 

Roses were featured in collections from Naeem Khan, Preen, Ralph Lauren and Oscar de la Renta. It seems to be a free for all when it comes to the style of rose, here we see many different colors, pattern styles and different ways to incorporate them into the garment. 

Ralph Lauren, Marchesa, Catherine Malandrino and Custo Barcelona brought the fringe. It was seen at hemlines, down the sides of pants and edging ponchos.

I have found a couple vests that are perfect spring at simplybe.com. The vest on the left is the Joe Brown's Vest and not only follows the vest theme but also incorporates Monaco blue, one of pantone's colors for this season. It is light and airy with a handkerchief hem and loosely woven construction. My second pick combines three trends: vests, roses and fringe. The Joe Brown's Funky Fringe Vest is a dusky rose color which is actually a darkened version of the pinkish Linen from this spring's colors and it is combined with Dusk Blue roses. 

My final pick for tops combines lace and peplum. 

Lace was featured in many designs such as these from Lela Rose, Tadashi Shoji, Jill Stuart and Oscar de la Renta. 

Peplums could be seen in the designs of Rebecca Taylor, Jill Stuart, Christian Siriano and Badgley Mischka. Both trends are forever classic and will always repeat themselves, just indifferent incarnations. 

This top which is my absolute favorite thing I've found so far this spring is from fashiontofigure.com. It is a Poppy red (so on trend) and black lace sleeveless peplum top. What can I say? adore adore adore!!! It's fun, flirty, seductive and just plain looks sooo good! I hope you've enjoyed my Thursday Tops I'm off now to scope out some fabric and grab a quick lunch. 

Til next time ~ Noir