What I Wore - Wedges, Bright & Pattern

I'm knocking 3 things off the Perth Curvettes Summer Style challenge list today! Wedges, bright & pattern. I am so totally in love with this outfit. I think it's a new favourite. 

I honestly can not get enough of this dress. I stand at my wardrobe and just look at it. It's lightweight enough to be comfortable in the summer heat, but the skirt is fully lined and heavy enough so as to not be blown up in the wind. And, pockets. 

These shoes are also amazing. I picked them up on sale for around $7. Yep. $7. I love the colour, and they're really comfy. I only wish they came in other colours so I could own them all!

 Dress - ModCloth

Shoes - Big W

 So, that's my wedges, bright & pattern post! 

Want to participate? use #perthcurvettes on instagram, or add your blog to the linky below!

Things I Love Thursday

Via ASOS Curve

 I LOVE this playsuit. I love the colour, the pattern, everything. want, want, want!

Via City Chic

Pink tartan is awesome. Loving this City Chic dress

Via Brett Kern Art

This is ceramic!! How cool is it! I really want one for my new house

Via The PDF Files

Via The PDF Files

I had to restrain myself from spending $90 on these planters yesterday. They are so totally rad, and I want lots of them scattered round my house filled with succulents and cacti. That isn't too much to ask is it??

What I Wore - Swimwear & Poolside

This is my first Perth Curvettes post! I'm kicking it off with swimwear & poolside. I had the Curvettes over last weekend for a swim and a BBQ, so I figured it was the perfect opportunity to knock this one off the list. 

I picked up this kaftan (katfan) in the click frenzy sales a few months ago. It was a total impulse buy, but I love it. 

I love the pink and black striped bikini so much, that I when I got an ASOS code just before Christmas, I knew I had to pick this baby up too. 

Kaftan - Millers (similar)

Bikini - ASOS Curve

As you can see, I like to keep it simple when I'm by the pool, or at the beach. 

What to participate? use #perthcurvettes on instagram, or add your blog to the linky below!

Aussie Curves - New Years Eve

I'm not a big fan of New Years Eve. It's completely overrated, in my opinion. So, Jesse and I usually just head to my folks house, with a couple of friends, and talk the night away. 

This year, we were already staying at my folks, but they were away, so it was just us, and another couple. And it was wonderful. I kept my outfit casual. I even had to put a cardigan on, it was chilly!

They puppies also wanted in on my photos. The photos aren't fantastic, I'm still playing around/getting the hang of my new camera. 

Denim Vest - Forever21+ (similar)

T-shirt - Kmart

Skirt - ASOS Curve

Shoes - Wittner

Kransky opted to wear his green bow tie for the evening

I hope everyone had a lovely NYE. And be sure to check out the other Aussie Curves ladies!

Guest Post - Alex from The Black Chiffon

You've probably all met Alex by now (if not, go, go!!) she is an awesome, stylish, funny woman. Me, and the other Perth Curvettes were talking about writing some guest posts for each other, and I asked Alex to write one on body positivity. Her views really mirror my own, only far more articulated. 

I love the the message of body positivity-- that the true physical beauty of people comes from the natural diversity that exists in the world. But sometimes the body positive community itself bothers me. There are two phrases that get bandied about that I wish would just stop existing.

"Real Women" 

This whole "real women" rhetoric is really getting old. It's an artifice that sets up a false dichotomy between straight size women and plus size women. Identifying with either group doesn't automatically grant superiority status over another. 

And I think fundamentally, we all know that. We all know that having a little bit more or less of you doesn't make you more worthy than the women next to you. But it's so easy to indulge in this rivalry. Real women have xyz. Real women have curves. Real women have #thighgap. Real women are blondes. Real women read books. Real men like real women. But every time we do, it has an impact on us, and for anyone who is listening. It creates a social norm that it's okay to segregate and apply value to women based on arbitrary rules; that's it's okay to project insecurities on groups of other women; that it's okay to internalise the message that you're always going to be judged if you measure up. It's not okay. 

And frankly, it's a little bit patronising. Who decides  on what parameters to on which to judge my validity as a "real woman"? I can assure you that I am sitting here on this side of the screen being very real, just as I'm assured that you on the other side of the screen are very real. It's the core of why I'm so passionate about the body positivity movement. I believe that by virtue of being a woman, a human, that we have the right to feel worthy of our existence. 

"Flattering"

The word flattering when it comes to body-positivity is a bit of a double-edged sword. Wearing something "flattering" implies that you look "a little less fat", or "a little more hour-glassed shaped" than you usually do. Don't believe me? Think about all the times that flattering is used in marketing, or in style advice. Pear-shapes should wear A-Line skirts to flatter their hips. Apples should wear empire waists to flatter their mid-section. 

Wearing "flattering" clothes means highlighting the "good" parts, and hiding the "flaws", but I take offence to the idea of flaws. Sure, I understand that acceptance and love of your own body is a journey, and we can't love how we look all the time and that sometimes there are parts of our bodies that we are uncomfortable with -- I'd go so far to say that's a universal truth. But using the word "flaws" to arbitrarily describe a set of physical body parts and rank them as so defective that they must be hidden to the world, that the possession of these flaws must be denied and hated, is something that I fervently wish to eradicate from our mindset. 

Use flattering in a way that describes how truthful an outfit resonates with a person's personality or style aesthetic. Make flattering be a remark on how well the clothes fit their body -- is it too tight? Too loose? Too long? Make flattering mean how well the colours light up their complexion, or how happy they seem. Better yet, let's forget the word flattering. How about a simple "That is so you"?

Thanks so much Alex!

To see more of this beautiful woman, you can get to her blog Here

Perth Curvettes - The Introduction

By now, you've probably heard me talk about my fat group. The other awesome Perth Aussie Curves ladies. We have branched off somewhat, and created our own Perth Curvettes group. 

Along with this group we have decided to make some new challenges. A bit less structured than Aussie Curves. And so, I present

We all threw our choices in, and this is the list that we can up with. The Summer Style challenge runs from 1 Jan 2014 - 28 Feb 2014. We can post them whenever we like, in any order we like, and even combine 2 or more of the themes into one outfit. 

Playing along with me will be:

Alex from The Black Chiffon
Sarah from Fatshioning It Up
Kate from Sparkles & Lace 
Natalie, who doesn't have a blog but will be playing along on instagram (@natskay)

Please feel free to join in too, just use the hashtag #perthcurvettes or add your blog to the linky. 

I'm going to try and incorporate the themes into my 'What I Wore' posts, so instead of having stand alone posts, they will be part of this Perth Curvettes summer style challenge. 

Things I Love Thursday

So, I'm hoping that I'm now back to some sort of regular blogging schedule. I'm introducing some new outfit challenges this year, but more on that later. I haven't done a Things I Love Thursday post in forever! So here is some cool stuff I'm loving.

Via ASOS Curve

I love this shift dress. I want to dress it up with some sparkly heels.

Via Right Grain

I'm in the process of making a list of things I want for the new house. I really think this is awesome, and needs to be hanging on my wall.

Via Lark Store

Also, seeing as I'll be working out of my home as of next month, I really need this rad desk calendar. 

Lavita Furniture

Also this day bed. I want to lie outside on it and read. and nap. 

Short and sweet this week. Hope everyones 2014 is treating them well so far!