Shop it To Me & What I Wore in Chicago

the other evening i attended the What I Wore book signing that was hosted by Shop it To Me at Julia Watson Style.

i wore one of my latest animal print pieces, this fabulous skirt
(i am seriously obsessed with animal prints, did you see my python feature??)

it was a very laid back event, with delicious drinks and small bites and Jessica Quirk, 

the author of the book and the blog of the same name.

she sat down individually with everyone who wanted a book signed
and chatted in a very casual not rushed manner

she's a really sweet girl....very genuine and friendly... i love that...

(don't ask me what was going on with my glasses...i don't know)

but the book is pretty cool....it's full of great fashion advice and the most fantastic illustrations

i also got the chat up Laura, one of the ladies from Shop it To Me, who also blogs at On The Racks.

she's totally adorable!

with Sabrina of Defying My Closet, who's new attitude is right up my alley!

with Lindsey of Lindsey Soup

this was one of those nights where i had like three events to attend, 

all at the same time but i ended staying so long at this event, 

because i was enjoying myself, that i didn't attend the other two...

and that's a good thing in my book.

check out the recap from Shop it To Me for more pics!

monday morning motivation...

Source: etsy.com via Curvatude on Pinterest

Macy's Shop for a Cause. Give. Shop. Save. Win.

I love that Macy's is always using shopping for good throughout the year.

Tomorrow Saturday 8/27 is their 6th annual Shop for a Cause.

Shop for a Cause benefits charities nationwide. You can pick up a pass at your local Macy's or check this list for your favorite charity to see if they are selling them and buy it from them and they keep 100% of the pass purchase price.

Participating is easy.

Snag a pass for $5. Go to Macy's on 8/27. Save 25% all day on regular, sale and clearance goods, including home and a whole bunch of the designer brands that are usually excluded from coupons and specials.

You can also enter to win a $500 gift card!

So 5 bucks that goes to charity and saves me money AND enters me to win $500 is 5 bucks well spent in my book.

I picked my pass up the other day...

WOOT!

are you In-Fashion?

something fabulous is taking shape here in the windy city....

the magnificent mile is gearing up for 2 weeks of fashion, food, teach, art and family fun during the very first shopping festival of it's kind, In-Fashion: The Magnificent Mile Shopping Festival presented by MasterCard®.

the event kicks off tomorrow, 8/26 with a rise with the sun event featuring Carson Kressley and ends 9/8 when Chicago hits the streets for Fashion's Night Out! (did you see my FNO app post??)

events are taking place everywhere from 900 N Michigan to water tower place to the shops at northbridge and plenty of the most fabulous shops in between and i am feeling a bit giddy about it!

follow The Mag Mile on twitter for real time information and jump over to sync your calendar with theirs so you don't miss a thing.

and you know that i am always out and about tweeting a bunch of stuff that i come across and i am sure to be getting in-fashion, so if you aren't following me on twitter...*side eye* get into me!!! ;-)

rockin red and gold...

last week i posted this score on my facebook page.

i love it's rich color and nice thick buttery soft leather.

it's red but it has very orange undertones which made it look really cute with my latest DIY manicure 

(which i did freehand and jacked up a bit....le sigh).

it's not too big and not too small. it has a flap pocket and a zippered pouch.

perfect for carrying the essentials and a little more...

bag in brown  | ring (h&m) similar here | polish colors - orange, black

Queen Collection...

although the lady behind this collection, Queen Latifah is not officially debuting it until 8/27, there are pieces of the Queen Collection already available for purchase.

some of the items are at special event prices and the line runs from XS to 3X.

these caught my eye...

check out more here.

Re/Dress the web..

i interviewed Deb, the founder/owner of famed brooklyn plus size biz, Re/Dress a while back and asked her "do you have any plans to sell online?"

at the time, she was only selling certain items via her old ebay site but now she has taken the leap to an online store with the new Re/Dress beta shop.

while they are only listing some of the huge inventory that constantly rotates in and out of their physical store, there are some good pickings available.

my experience shopping at Re/Dress has always left me very happy with the quality of the pieces and the price points.

and i have always appreciated that Deb and her girls have worked hard to build a brand that serves us curvy girls in style, so i am excited for this latest venture.

Check the beta shop out.

here i am (with my girl J) rocking one of the pieces that i picked up while at the store last summer...i still love it

monday morning motivation...

Source: imgfave.com via Curvatude on Pinterest

what's in my bag...

the truth revealed...

the fine ladies at IFB have posted a new project, called what's in your bag that i thought i would get in on.

so here we go...

i own a lot of bags and i try to use most of them although most seasons i end up having one go to girl on the go bag, the bag that i reach for the most.

whatever bag it turns out to be, it has to be a work horse capable of surviving my daily running around, hauling a bunch of stuff, either because i am going shopping, or going to pick up my mail or whatever.

the bag...

b makowsky. similar here and here.

i purchased it because i loved the edginess of the studs and that it is so HUGE and 

has so many compartments and pockets!

the evidence...

i love taking pictures, so i always try to have my camera on me and of course i have to have my iphone mainly so that i can take quick pics because i am always seeing something that i want to share. (i love the new case that i got for it for under $10!!! woot!)

i ride public transit and i am constantly touching doors and handles, so a lil hand sanitizer is a must.

i am determined not to get sunburned like last summer, so i keep sunblock with me.

i have issues with my legs, so i keep drugs on me for those achy moments.

and yes that's oatmeal.

i keep instant oatmeal on me because i have a tendency to not eat until i am famished and i have it to motivate me to reach for something a bit more healthy and easy cuz you can get hot water almost anywhere. and this brand is so good.

i also must have sunnies (in a thrifted case because it's compact and fits in all my bags unlike the hard cases), makeup bag (got this black swan one at an oscars party, although i haven't worn a lick of makeup for weeks due to the weather).

and hand cream, business cards, lip gloss (no matter what new ones come and go, this one remains), moolah (i switch wallets just as much as i do bags), my keys and a spare bag for those days when i am really getting my shop on ;-)

what's in your bag?

oh madeline...

i love the texture of the links on this amrita singh madeline necklace...

and the price made it just too sweet to pass up... (normally $120 on sale at ideeli for $32 and just $17 with a credit)

SHOPPERS DELIGHT!!!

you might also be interested in 1/4 Carat Diamond Twist Pendant in .925 Sterling Silver - $38 + FREE Shipping TODAY ONLY PLUS use coupon 2030 to Take $20 Off Any Order of $30 or More (excludes daily deal) + Free Shipping thru 08-18-11

fashion's night out 2011

another great thing about fall besides the crisp breezes and the fabulous colors that nature takes on, is of course the fashion.

and one of the biggest fashion nights is fashion's night out in NYC and as of late, other cities like here in Chicago.



i was browsing their website and was totally geeked to see that it is jammed packed with info and a new iphone app (android available also)

i haven't decided yet if i am going to be in Chicago or NYC on this fab night but i downloaded the iphone app to give it a trial run.

the best part about the app is that you can see all of the events scheduled and create your own inteniary


you can search by event type



or even by neighborhood



you can of course purchase a bunch of FNO merchandise


and you can save your favorite retailers for easy access to what they have planned





pretty sweet!

download it here.

- real time updates from my iPhone while out and about!

goodies in a box...

so after months of saying i was going to, i finally subscribed to birchbox.

in case you are not familiar, birchbox is a monthly program where you get 4-5 samples of skincare, makeup and/or beauty tools. you fill out a profile and based on that you receive certain products.

in my box i received the following samples...

 blinc eyeliner | carol's daughter monoi repairing hair mask |
 pangea organics combo skin cleanser 

 wei tibetan chrysanthmum correcting eye treatment pads | twistband hair tie

i have been planning to try the carol's daughter monoi products so i am looking forward to using the mask and i am geeked that everything i received was totally new to me because i love dabbling in new beauty products.

for 10 bucks, so far, so good...

oh and check out what a couple of other people got in their august box, here and here.

fall into rich....

i got an email from coach about some of their fall bags and this one is a total, love. need. want!

it's suede and leather and i love the color, which they are calling curry.

and while i am just starting to enjoy summer, this makes me crazy excited for fall

and all of it's rich colors

isn't it gorgeous?

consumed...

i don't know why but lately i have been consumed by box clutch bags. i purchased this one earlier in the week and i picked this one up yesterday.

i love the metal and the crystal bling on the closure!

similar bags here, here and here.

oh and this is the nail polish i am wearing...it's so fun 

and the color in my instagram picture below is truer than the one above, as it is a teal 

Christian Siriano Fall Payless Gold Collection

UPDATED! - i wrote this post on my phone and couldn't see online that there are several other beauties already online for purchase from this collection that were not yet in the store.

check out the fab platform pump that's like the shoe gabrielle union wore below and the shootie.

and don't forget it's currently BOGO time at payless.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

a while back i wrote about the fabulous footwear that the models rocked during christian sirianos last runway show that are to be a part of his fall 2011 payless gold collection.

and today while out shopping, i saw a couple of them in the window at payless and went in to check them out.













this bootie is obviously the for the masses version of the bootie below that mena suvari rocked and i love it!









now this furry number was a total surprise to me because it is unlike any of the looks that i saw from the runway.





there were some flats in store as well but in my excitement about these booties, i didn't photograph them.

i am looking forward to seeing what else hits the stores.

are you a fan?

- real time updates from my iphone while out and about

Curvatude in the Stores: Ashley Stewart

not sure why, but Ashley Stewart is my favorite store to go to and try on a bunch of stuff...

i guess it's because they have really nice big fitting rooms and always a bunch of new stuff for me to choose from.

this time around, i was on a tight schedule, so i only tried on a few pieces.

it was a fuzzy iphone pic day and i tried hard not to moon ya'll cuz i was wearing this dress but took it off because it clashed with the colors of the ponchos...

anyway, fall and ponchos are the perfect pair for me. i love throwing one on and the way they drape around you....it's just so comforting.

i love this color and i would probably wear this one styled like they had it in the store, belted over a long sleeved shirt.

this one is longer and more of what i would wear as an outer garment. 

and striped ponchos are all over the place because i saw two similar styles
 {from JNY and INC (it's hooded)} the same day

this dress caught my eye in the khaki color (which they are calling most toast) but they didn't have the size that i needed, so i tried on the pink (which they are calling watermelon)

 and while the pictures on their website give off a kinda lite brite and somewhat too shiny feel, in person the dress has a very nice sateen look

it is very figure flattering and a pullover style with nice faux buttons

(i was lazy and didn't do the belt all the way)

i also love that although it looks like faux wrap dress,
the dress is fully sewn all around, so you are not in danger of
having any wardrobe malfunctions

this is the color i initially loved oh and they have it in navy as well.
i could seriously buy all three colors because i love them all
but for fall i am leaning towards the toast and navy.

speaking of navy, i love this shirt
(i am going back to get it today as a matter of fact)

it is very fitted so i went up a size for my girls,
but it's not tight because it has built in elastic insets

and one thing that i have found almost every time that i have 

gone into Ashley Stewart for one of these reviews, 

is that they are really good at the fine details like this.

it was perfectly applied