Burnt Orange, like a real Longhorn.

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My favorite dress

I have owned this dress for over 4 years and wear it far too often. I love its shape, color, and pockets. You guys! This dress has pockets! 

I realize that when I wear it I look as though I am on my way to star in a Cinco de Mayo parade, but that is mainly why I love it. I found it in a vintage store by complete accident and was so surprised to see that actually fit me! It was meant to be, so I bought it. It is festive, whimsical, and did I mention that it has pockets?

Dress: Cream Vintage // Belt: Thrifted // Necklace: f21 // 

Hair flower: Sam Moon (purchased for my wedding) // Sandals: Avenue 

My mom hates this dress. She thinks that it makes me look like an indigenous person, but I don't see why that would be a bad thing. Half of family comes from an indigenous background. Why should we be ashamed of that? Oh, I remember now. We're only supposed to be proud of the European half. Riiiiiiiight.

Growing up in a mostly all-white school district was not always easy for a dark, Mexican girl with frizzy hair and a funny accent. I didn't always fit in at school, and when I would come home, I would get mixed signals about what I was supposed to be. My parents would scold me for assimilating too much and not being proud enough of our Mexican culture. Yet, my mother would get upset if I spent too much time out in the sun. "Te ves como una india!" she would yell at me and remind me to cover my skin so that it wouldn't get too dark. I played soccer like a good Mexican daughter, but I would also slather myself in as much SPF as I could find. Tan lines were not something to be happy about in my family.

Even though I thought my mother's dark caramel skin was beautiful and flawless, we were taught that we would be better off lighter skinned like my father. My brother and I got my mother's black hair, dark brown eyes and brown skin. My sister was born the guera with honey eyes, peach skin, brown wavy hair and a metabolism to envy. The consensus among my family is that she got the "good" genes. 

As a teenager, I remember seeing my peers spend their allowances on dark tanning oils while I hid in the shade, greasy with sunscreen. As an adult, I eventually embraced the color of my skin and actually enjoy my melanin. I appreciate that I do not burn in the sunlight. I like seeing the drastic contrast of skin color when I hold my husband's hand. 

Pockets! ( I was going to take a jumping photo from this bench but chickened out)

Even though my family hopes that our future children will end up with light skin and light hair like my husband, I hope that our children will get my melanin to protect them from the sun. Either way, we will raise them in an atmosphere where all skin colors will be accepted and valued. And if they have a favorite outfit that I may not like, I'll let them wear it proudly anyway.

Do you have a favorite item of clothing?

Hipster or Homeless

Austin is known for many things, but having a reputation for being stylish is certainly not one of them.  One of the perks about being an Austinite is the casual atmosphere. Those in the booming tech industry are encouraged to wear shorts, t-shirts, and flip-flops to their offices. Hipsters outnumber the rest of the population here, and hipster style is somewhat extreme in these parts. Just ask anyone who has ever played the popular game "Hipster or Homeless." Hipsters take their "I don't care" attitude a bit too seriously sometimes, and it is literally impossible to distinguish them from someone who has been living in a cardboard box for a year.

Even still, I admire the casual and comfortable style of many in the local hipster scene. After this year's SXSW, I took note of what was popular and attempted to incorporate some aspects into an ensemble that wasn't too "homeless chic" but was still cute and comfortable.

What resulted is what I call my "Hipster Costume."  It incorporates the three things that Austin hipsters are loving these days:

1. Mustard
2. Vintage
3. Birds

I found this skirt during my latest Thrift Store Adventure for $3!  I love the pattern!

Top: Dots // Skirt: Thrifted // Belt: Asos // Shoes: Gifted // Satchel: From here // Necklace: F21

These super comfortable cork wedges passed the "can I trek across campus all day?" test.

I'll never tire of this satchel.

What do you think? Do I pass for Hipster or Homeless? ;-)

My first Thrifting experience as an adult

A couple of weeks ago I attended the Texas Style Council blogger conference, which turned out to be a wonderful learning opportunity. The weekend consisted of parties, mentoring, a field trip to a thrift store, and a full day of informative panels.

Trying to be Vanna White. (Photos by Rocio)

On the last day of the conference, during the creative consumerism panel, I tried to speak out about how it felt to be taken to a thrift store as a plus-sized woman who grew up as a fat child. I grew up on thrift store clothing not to be “green” or “cool” or “express” myself. I tried to share how it felt to be forced to wear clothes from thrift stores out of necessity. I wore tacky, used clothes because that was all we could afford. The clothes that fit my plus-sized body were never cute and trendy. They were matronly, itchy, and unattractive. 

I tried to express how maybe wearing used clothing was not something some of us wanted to do, nor was it something we should be forced to do or judged for not doing. I tried to express that it was frustrating to be told that our decision to spend our money on new clothing rather than used clothing was “destroying the planet.” 

Of course, I wasn’t very good about articulating most of these things because I ended up in tears before I could even form complete sentences. But at least I raised my hand and attempted to express myself. During my cry-fest, I was able to show off my newly thrifted skirt. It’s just too bad that I didn’t do a very good job saying what I wanted to say. But that's what my blog is for, right?

The famous Pretty, Pink, Pleated, Polka-dotted skirt that I thrifted the day before.

For some people, such as myself, walking into a thrift store brings back negative emotions that stem from being raised in poverty, being bullied about my size, and for being different. I spent far too many afternoons as a child desperately looking for clothes that fit me while trying to hide from anyone who might recognize me. As a result, I wasn't too happy about boarding a bus and revisiting a part of my past that I dreaded.

When we arrived to the thrift store, we were grouped together and a few bloggers shared their thrifting tips. I tried to be attentive and optimistic but it was hard to relate anyone speaking. Not everyone can relate to the super model who can literally wear any crazy ensemble from a thrift store and still look fabulous in it.

They shared ideas for finding clothing that no one else will have, for trying on all sizes, and for picking unique pieces. I overheard one blogger share how she had to squeeze into a *gasp* size 12 dress when she was more like a size 6. I tried my best not to roll my eyes.

I know that in the fashion world, what I am about to say might blow some people's minds, but it needs to be said: 

• Some of us do not WANT to be different all of the time. 
• Some of us actually want the option of being on trend.
• Some of us are bigger than a size 12. In fact, the average American woman wears a size 14.
• Some of us are wise consumers who do not want to spend our money on used clothing.

Please don't get me wrong. My thrifting experience was overwhelmingly positive. When I walked into those doors, I felt my heart race, my palms sweat and I had convinced myself that I would walk out of there completely empty handed. Instead, I left that store with a bag full of nearly-new shoes, 4 adorable skirts that actually fit my body, and new ideas to be a smarter consumer.

I can not even begin to say how theraputic it felt to browse through racks of clothing with no shame this time and then look up to see my favorite bloggers appreciating the same items. What I wouldn't give to go back in time and share thrifting role models and tips to the 13 year-old-me!

Will I be a forever thrifter now? I can't say for certain. However, I am forever grateful for the opportunity to overcome my fears. I love a good bargain and I sure did find some at the thrift store. I scored a bag full of adorable things that averaged less than $5 an item. The frugal fatshionista in me is extremely excited about those prices! 

How do you feel about shopping at thrift stores? Do you have any tips for a new thrifter, like me?

Turquoise Tights

I love tights, but because I am a plus-sized woman, my options for color, texture and style have always been limited to whatever I could find from Just My Size.

I always wanted to try the faux-thigh-highs and patterned stockings, but they are almost impossible to find in my size. If they do exist in "plus sizes" they are often too small and whatever the pattern, it ends up looking stretched out and unfamiliar once they are on a plus-sized body. As much as I want to participate in that trend, wonky, stretched-out hearts are not very cute.

I also love colored tights, but Hanes' color selection is limited to neutrals like black, gray, navy, and flesh tones. I really wanted some bright blue tights, so that's when my search for crazy colors brought me to We Love Colors.

We Love Colors is a company that offers plus-sized Nylon/Lycra tights in 51 colors! FIFETY ONE COLORS! I'm pretty sure you all have heard of them already, but this is new to me. Please let me be excited for 5 minutes.

These tights have opened a whole new world to me. Do you have any idea how many halloween costumes I can create now? I can finally live my dream of being Nacho Libre. Oh yes, it's happening, y'all.

I won't deny that I was a bit discouraged by their price ($15), but after wearing them a few times this weekend, I can honestly say that they are worth the investment. Plus, I get to be Nacho. This is huge. (Actually, this depends entirely on whether or not The Husband agrees to be my partner, Esqueleto. Personally, I think blue hot pants are a good look for him. He thinks otherwise.)

Dress & cami: F21 // Tights: c/o WeLoveColors size EE // Shoes: Thrifted // Belt: DIY made from a purse strap

As you can see, they are very opaque.
They are very high waisted, though. But I liked that about them.

Their colors are the brightest I've ever seen in hosiery for people of my size.

I was VERY excited about them! Can you tell?

If I didn't wear a cami with this dress, I would probably be arrested.

What color tights do you think I should order next? I need help deciding!
Let me know in a comment below. :-)

Swap swag

One of the big events at last weekend's TxSC was the clothing swap presented by Swap.com and Lulus.  I was originally very stressed out about the whole thing, but it ended up being a total blast. I even scored some adorable pieces.

I took home some sexy, red heels that I can barely walk in from Lisa Gets Dressed.
 I also scored a lovely red sweater with shoulder cut-outs from Metsy Shines.

I decided to pair them together with a pleated, polka-dot skirt I thrifted this weekend and a black belt.

I really did have to practice walking in these.

I felt very Carmen in this combination. 

Can you tell that I love free things? ;-)

What about you? Have you scored some awesome items at clothing swaps before? 

Let me know in a comment below!

Tiny hats were all the rage at the 2012 Texas Style Council

© Airstream Photobooth featuring: Becky, Rocio, and the husband.

The Texas Style Conference this weekend was phenomenal! It was equal parts fun, exhausting, glamorous, intimidating, and inspiring. One thing that I learned this weekend about me and my blog is that I owe it to myself and my readers to share all parts of my life as a Frugal Fatshionista.

As Kendi so wisely reminded us, we need to remember that what we see on blogs is often a person's best.  We must remember that their best is not their always.

This weekend I made the conscious choice to not be the kind of blogger who only shares the perfect parts of life. I want to share all of it; the good, the bad, and the ugly. So, let's start with the ugly.

The Ugly.
I'm generally a confident woman, but sometimes I have days where it is not so easy to be fearless. This weekend was full of difficult moments where I let my insecurities get the best of me.

     Friday:

• I panicked about the Swap and worried that nobody would care about the plus sized items that I carefully picked to part with. I kept checking to see if they were still there. I was very relieved when they found a new home. I even scored some really cute finds at the swap.
• I dreaded walking over to the LuLu's rack to pick out an item. I feared other bloggers would judge me as I tried to find something that fit both my sense of style and my plus sized body in a rack of straight sized clothing. My fears were pointless because I found a pretty poncho that fit like a dream.

     Saturday:

• The Speed Mentoring Breakfast was very intimidating at first. I needed a few minutes to have a mental dialog with my brain about why I needed to stop being shy and get out there to learn. At first I made a list of the people that I wanted to speak to and am proud to say that I eventually checked everyone off that list.
• I almost chickened out and skipped Saturday's field trip to Savers because I have had such negative emotions about thrift stores and buying used clothing. More on that in a future post.
• I had a mini panic attack on Saturday night after feelings of remorse for listing a beloved dress on Poshmark and worries about my out-of-control afro. This resulted in my husband comforting me with speeches like, "no, your hair doesn't look like a birds nest," while I cried into his chest about how a bird could call it home at any moment. It's not easy being married to me.

     Sunday:

• Sunday, after sleeping in and nursing a well deserved hangover, I decided to stop the foolishness, told the insecure voice in my head to SHUT UP, and enjoyed a full day of learning and laughter during the symposium. I should have shut that voice up sooner.

The Bad

• Austin is such a wonderful city, so it was a shame that the weather did not let many of our visitors enjoy all of its glory. South Congress would have been a wonderful place for our visitors to explore, but we desperately needed the rain, because we are still in a severe drought. However, I won't deny being annoyed at the rain for changing my clothing choices all weekend.
• The extreme humidity was also a pain in the ass when it came to my curly hair. I was forced to use styling products for the first time in over a 6 months! My poor tresses hair is not very happy with me right now, but some deep conditioner will undo any damage. (See what I did right there?)

The Good GREAT:

• I met some incredible people from all different parts of the blogging spectrum. I befriended new bloggers, veteran bloggers, and super-star bloggers. I really appreciated the approachability of (most) bloggers in attendance and tried my best to soak up as much wisdom as I could. (I will be sure to share more of my favorite blog discoveries in the near future!)
• We were introduced to so many wonderful merchants and brands that I had not heard of before. I was lucky in winning quite a few amazing prizes from many of these brands and I can't wait to learn more about them all.
• I got to spend the entire weekend with my BFF.
• My thrifting experience was truly therapeutic in a way that was totally unexpected. I'll elaborate on that and the amazing Creative Consumerism panel in my next post.
• The Posh Party was so much fun and I am so glad that my husband was able to experience a little snippet of the weekend. The photo-booths and open bar really lightened up the mood, and I had some of the best conversations that evening.
• The absolute greatest result of this beautiful weekend is the way it left us feeling. I woke up on Monday morning feeling inspired to share my voice, find my own purpose and dream big. That was the whole purpose of this conference, and they certainly accomplished their goals.

Maria and Rocio

Photo courtesy of © Peter Tung

I want to thank all of the organizers for doing such a wonderful job putting together such an incredible weekend. I must also admit that it's going to be hard not to stalk Indiana now. I want to be her when I grow up. ;-)

It was a phenomenal experience and I can not wait for next year!

"Your purpose is much bigger than your blog"

I am lying here in my bed resting my swollen, pudgy feet and trying my best not to fall asleep on my keyboard. What I should be doing is snoring like my adorable husband right beside me. Instead I feel like I must try and make sense of everything that happened this weekend at the Texas Style Council, but my brain is too tired for complete, coherent sentences.

For now, I will leave you all with this short list of thoughts:

• The conference was incredible, and I gained so much invaluable wisdom.
• I enjoyed meeting and connecting with so many lovely people. I look forward to exploring all of the blogs.
• Networking is exhausting, and I fear that I will forever be the awkward girl in a sea of confident women. I'm working on it.
• I am no longer terrified of "thrifting."
• I am, however, still terrified of breaking out into tears in front of a room full of amazing women over a silly story about a pretty, pink, polka-dotted skirt. (This happened. I.am.ridiculous.)
• My voice is unique, and this weekend's events helped me realize that I need to share it. I will share it.

However, that won't start tonight. Tonight will be spent snuggling up to my snoring husband who has been the most phenomenal support on this bumpy, blogging world.

Join me for a Posh Party!

The Texas Style Council begins today, and I am bursting with anticipation. I am really thrilled to meet some new people and see some of my favorite bloggers in person. It is going to be phenomenal!

I am very much looking forward to the fabulous Posh Party hosted by Poshmark. It will be a night of glamorous mingling and shopping.  The great news is that even YOU can participate, too! Read more to learn how!

In Love with my In Pink Gifts

The wonderful people behind In Pink sent me a surprise $50 gift card for attending the upcoming Texas Style Council. In Pink is a fashion shop that offeres the latest in trend-savvy jewelry. They also offer advice from their amazing team of stylists!

I immediately cracked open my laptop and perused their adorable site to place my order. They offer a large selection of necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings, bangles and other accessories. I was pleasantly surprised to find that they even offer a few bracelets and bangles in plus sizes.

Orders over $49 qualify for free shipping. Even with free shipping, I received my adorable package within 6 days.

See? Their packaging truly is adorable!

Smart Shopping

I very rarely purchase an item of clothing unless I can imagine wearing it in many different ways and for many occasions. I find that it saves me a lot of money, time and effort because it results in my full closet being at my disposal. 

Though it is true that I do own some items considered too casual or too formal for the work place, I try to keep that categorization to a minimum. If I buy something, it has to function for work and play. The best way to accomplish this is to buy items that I can dress up and dress down.

The blouse that I am wearing in the following OOTD is something that I purchased when I was looking for interview attire. The print is what attracted me initially, but I also liked the modest neckline and sleeves.  I have worn it to interviews by dressing it up with a grey crepe skirt from Eloquii, tights, black pumps, pearls and a fitted cardigan. It provided the perfect pop of color to my interview outfit. However, it also works well for a casual look, as you can see below. I wore with a high waisted skirt and comfy black flats to trek across campus and run some errands on a beautiful spring day.

Blouse  //  Similar Skirt  //  Satchel  //  Flats

Peppered Panther

I am taking a piano class this semester which is both fun and challenging. One of our recent assignments consisted of composing an art song for piano and solo voice based on the following poem:

The Panther

by Ogden Nash

The panther is like a leopard,

Except it hasn't been peppered.

Should you behold a panther crouch,

Prepare to say Ouch.

Better yet, if called by a panther,

Don't anther.

I think it's an adorable little poem, and I had a lot of fun with this assignment. It was a valuable experience composing a piece that was tailor made for my own voice range. I was so into it that I even wore my lonely leopard print dress for inspiration.

I say lonely because it literally is the only item of clothing that I own in animal print. I'm not usually a big fan of animal print, but when I found this dress on clearance in Honolulu's F21, I knew that I had to step out of my comfort zone and try it out. It is a big change for me, but I like it. Perhaps I'll be inspired to try other animal prints in the future.
  

It's the Color of Passion

Apparently I am in a Pink phase. I can't stop wearing it. I keep gravitating towards it, in all shades and textures. I need an intervention before I start looking like Jem's fat twin.

This OOTD features a pink shirt that I found while exploring the newest addition to our local Forever 21 store. I loved the details on the sleeves...and the color. ;-)

Pink and Pearls

I have not always been a big fan of Valentine's day. In fact, my sadness over being single used to manifest itself into a deep seeded hatred for the entire month of February. Even grocery shopping would make me grumpy as I was bombarded by displays of pink and red hearts stacked with cheesy gifts that I would not be receiving. If I happened to be in a relationship during February, I had a difficult time participating in what I used to consider such a shallow "holiday." I didn't understand the concept of waiting until mid-February to tell your loved ones how you felt. Why not do it year round?

My thoughts on the "holiday" did not change until I met the man who showed me how to embrace romance, how to spoil and how to be spoiled at all times of the year. This man is the type of person who makes his cards by hand rather than buy them at the store. One of my favorites was this card from our very first Valentine's Day together.  He wrote out every thing that he loved about me and included them in little strips inside of the card. There were hundreds of little strips of paper to read through. It was the sweetest thing anyone had ever made for me.

This lovely gentleman that I speak of is now my husband. As cliché as it sounds, meeting him was the best thing that could ever happen to me. Perhaps one day I will share our love story, but for now, I'll leave you with photos of what I wore during one of our many romantic nights this weekend where we spoiled ourselves silly.

Comfy and Casual

Austin weather has been very unpredictable lately. I have been wearing clothes that keep me warm as I trek across campus, but that will not leave me sweating inside the classrooms. This outfit is perfect in that it keeps me warm and comfortable without being too hot.

Please excuse the squint. It was such a pretty, sunny day! <3

Reporting back from the Austin Domain Forever 21

I visited the Forever 21 located in the Austin Domain that just yesterday started carrying the Forever 21 + Plus Size line.  I am reporting back as promised!

We couldn't find the plus size section initially. I asked a sales associate for assistance and she was very excited to show me the new addition to the store. With her help, I found my fat-girl-clothes heaven.  Can you tell that I am excited?

Forever 21+ Plus Sizes are now available in Austin!

You guys!!! I am so excited to report that the Forever 21 store in the Austin Domain now carries their plus size line IN STORE.

Before today, I would shop online or visit their stores in Houston. Now I can just drive down the street!

 I'm going to make a trip to the store today and check it out. I promise to report back. I am so excited!

T minus 1 month

Can you believe that the Texas Style Council is in one more month?! Time flies! My Bestie is coming in to town to hang out with Lisa and me. It's going to be so fun. Will you be there? If so, say hello!

Pretty in Pink

This is my first OOTD ever! I'm even a little bit nervous about it, so please excuse my awkwardness. I can't imagine that I'll ever be totally comfortable in front of a camera, but we all have to start somewhere, right?

Today's look features my favorite hot pink, jersey dress. It is so versatile in that it can be dressed up or dressed down very easily. It's also reversible, so it's basically two dresses in one!

• Reversible Jersey Dress:
  I found this hot pink dress in Maurice's clearance rack last year for $13. One side offers a cowl neck and the other side has surplice neckline (as shown). 
• Boyfriend Blazer:
  I found this in clearance at the back of Lane Bryant for a whopping $7. I wear this thing year round, but mostly because Austin doesn't really have a winter.
• Belt:
  I purchased this $7 belt while on my honeymoon in Hawaii. I was so excited to find a Forever 21 that actually carried plus sizes in store!
• Patent Flats:
  I got these wide width flats at Payless during one of their BOGO sales. They are super comfortable!
• Bangles:
  I found a bunch of amazing, plus sized bangles at Dots for 50% off, bringing these down to $3.50 for a batch of 15 (not pictured). Do you know how hard it is to find bangles that actually fit my giant wrist? It used to be impossible!

DIY Foam Hand Soap

I love foaming hand soap. We have been using Dial's Complete foam handsoap for a few years. Every time they would run out, we would replace them, bottles and all. I hated how wasteful this was, so we researched and found refill bottles. We felt a little better about re-using our plastic foam dispensers. However, we were disappointed to learn that the refill bottles were still very pricey.

Through some experimentation using materials that we already had here at home, we were able to come up with the perfect recipe for the perfect, cheap foaming handsoap.

We calculated that it cost us $0.80 to make forty ounces of foaming liquid handsoap, which is going to last us quite some time. (The liquid handsoap cost us $4.00 for 40 ounces. This means that each ounce of soap cost $0.10. To make 40 ounces of foaming hand soap, we needed only 8 ounces of soap!) 

ElleX provides affordable luxury for curvy fatshionistas

I am extremely excited about the upcoming ElleX clothing line that features affordable, fashion forward clothing for the plus-sized woman.

Their company principals include providing:
• Affordable clothing
• Trendy, fresh, and modern designs
• Quality fabrics
• Custom fitting/ sizing
• Convenient return policy
• Professionalism / excellent customer service

Doesn't that sound AMAZING?!

I am especially in love with the Rhonda Crop It Top. I imagine that it would be comfortable, casual and especially fabulous with the proper styling. Below you can see how I would wear it while trekking around campus.

Fabulously casual, comfortable and chic by frugalfatshionista


Have you seen the  ElleX clothing line? What pieces are you most excited about?

Get the look for Le$$

I have been lusting over infinity dresses since I first saw them in the wedding world. At first it was virtually impossible to find them in a plus size. Then, it was impossible to find plus-sized infinity dresses that were not crotch-revealing SHORT. Then, once the length issue was resolved, they remained ridiculously expensive. I refrained from buying one, because I could not justify spending $200 on a dress that would potentially result in a wardrobe malfunction of epic proportions. Let's just say that Mona and Lisa do not need to make any surprise appearances!

Well, fret no further, my frugal fatshionistas! I recently discovered that there are cheaper alternatives!  You, too, can now own your very own versatile, miracle Little Black Dress for le$$!

Instead of paying a steep $195 for Monif C's Marilyn Dress, you can save yourself $136 if you go with Ashley Stewart's 10 Way Dress. If $60 is still a bit much, Target recently revealed its Mossimo version for only $40. You could save $155! Not only is that an amazing price, but they carry it up a size 4x! 

by frugalfatshionista

What are your thoughts on infinity dresses? I'd love to know!

A plus-sized interview outfit and the celebration afterwards

Have you ever tried searching online for plus-sized interview outfits? I did this recently and was quite disappointed in the frumpy options. I saw many shapeless suits in drab colors and boring button front shirts that gape open in the most inappropriate places.

I recently had to put together a couple of interview outfits on the cheap. Thankfully, I was able to take advantage of Eloquii's amazing winter sale and scored this wonderful crepe skirt. It is beautifully made, fully lined and seems as though it will last a lifetime. It is also very versatile and can be worn in many settings. Below you can see how I wear this skirt in two different ways for two very different situations.

          

Plus size interview outfit by frugalfatshionista

The foundations for these two outfits can be seen in the center column. I wore these items to both the interview and to celebrate at the bar afterwards.

• The skirt:
  This crepe, A-line skirt can be found at Eloquii for $70. That's quite a bit more money than I am comfortable spending on a skirt, but I purchased it while it was on major sale. Still, I can honestly say that the investment is truly worth it. It is a very well made, beautiful garment.
• The satchel:
  This is my current obsession. The Leather Satchel Co makes beautiful, custom made satchels in virtually every size and color.  Mine fits me perfectly because of the extra 12 inches of strap. It serves well as a laptop + Portfolio bag as well!
• The earrings:
  You can not go wrong with some simple, classic posts. Plus, these three can be found at Forever21 for only $1.50. 

The pieces seen on the left are what I wore for the actual job interview.

• The blouse:  
  I found this blouse in Avenue's sales rack and paid $20, though is is currently on sale for $17. However, I must warn you about its sheerness. I wear it with a flesh-toned colored cami.
• The bangles:
  These pearlescent bangles are adorable, classy, versatile and cheap! You can find them at Forever21 for $6.80.
• The shoes:
  I have wide feet which means that I usually have a limited selection of cute pumps to choose from. I was excited to find these adorable and comfortable pumps at Avenue. They are currently on SUPER sale for $15! 

The pieces seen on the Right are what I wore for to celebrate with my girlfriends.

• The blouse:  
  This knotted blouse is the perfect addition to any wardrobe. It can be dressed up or down effortlessly. On colder days I pair it with a cardi since it is a bit thin. You can order it to fit your custom measurements at Eshakti.
• The bangles:
  I am in love with floral patterns right now. Perhaps this is because I am wishing for spring. Either way, this adorable plastic bangle is a steal for only $5.80 at F21.
• The shoes:
  Oh, how I love these mustard pumps. They are comfortable, affordable, and so very cute. You can find them at Zappos for $53. 

Comfort in the classroom does not = frumpy

I am currently putting together my professional wardrobe for my first official teaching gig this Fall. I am trying to put together items that I can incorporate into many outfits, because, as we all know, teachers do not make much money. I am looking for classic pieces now and slowly building a selection of outfits, taking advantage of winter sales. This is one ensemble that is classic, comfortable and affordable.

 By frugalfatshionista

All of these items are available in Plus Sizes below:

• The dress:
  I love the shape of this dress as much as I love the pattern. You can find it at Eshakti, which allows you to custom order your clothing up to size 26W. You can request special sleeves, lengths and also submit your own measurements for a perfectly tailored dress. It is currently $70.
• The satchel:
  I LOVE satchels but can not ever find any that fit me the way a satchel is supposed to fit. The staps are never long enough, which results in the satchel sitting in my armpit. This is not cute. This particular satchel is very similar to those from Leather Satchel Company, which can be ordered in any color (including green!) with as much strap as you need. My husband got one for me in Sherwood Green for Christmas with 12 extra inches of strap. It is perfect.
• The bangles:
  I have always had the most difficult time finding jewelry that fit my wrists. But then I recently visited Dots! You can find Plus Sized Faux-Gold Bangles just like these at Dots.com for $8. 
• The necklaces & earrings:
  Those extra-long, affordable necklaces and earrings can be found at Forever 21, which does not currently carry plus sized jewelry, but their long necklaces and earrings still fit me well.
• The Mustard Yellow pumps:
  Those beauties are only 2" high and fit my wide foot rather comfortably. They can be found at Nordstrom for $65.