Brand New Kinda Free

A fashion post! Finally!
It’s only been 2 weeks but it feels like it’s been forever.

Hello my loves,
I hope you are keeping well..we’re all in a lazy, festive mood aren’t we? The time of the year where we’d rather be snuggling under covers than be at work or school 🙂

I have come to enjoy my fashion posts and its probably because I have gotten the chance to step out of the proverbial box to try on styles that I would previously have been much too apprehensive to consider.

It’s time to up the ante and step out of the shadows.

I have always been rather shy with showing off my décolletage because people are very blatant with their stares if there is even the hint of cleavage here. In Australia, I could not care less but in Singapore I do find myself shying away from picking dresses or tops with a low neck. I don’t think the objectification is any less than in another country but the outwardly sexually repressive Asian society make people rather two-faced.
Where they’d have no problem perving on women in private, they scream in outrage or tut-tut at a woman who dares to embrace her sexuality by dressing her physique to her liking.

Such Bollocks.

So with today’s shoot, it is a start towards a braver direction of fashion choices. I am going to get myself used to dressing in a way that I like – that may not be accepted by some fools – and not caring for the onlookers.

I think I’ve spent enough years worrying about how others perceive my body.

I am finding that voice that has been muted over the years from shame and embarrassment over my voluptuous female form. I am standing a little taller, hands akimbo, head not facing the ground but at eye level to the world.

It’s a brand new kind of me.

The Look

teal bodycon midi dress with sheer panel, Forever 21 Plus sz 1X

faux leather moto jacket, Forever 21 Plus sz 1X

gold tone chain – Lovisa
black pump wedge heels – Rubi
faux leather bag with gold studs – thrifted

Apparently colours like Teal and chartreuse do not suit my skin tone, so I have read anyway. I have yet to find a colour that repulses me or that I think does nothing to complement my skin tone. I’m going to try every single colour, hue, shade there is out there and there is no stopping me, lol!

Since the festive season is coming close, I wore this decidedly sexy number for a Friday night out with friends. Also, I am so sick and tired of snapping blog shots at that darn carpark and white wall at my block! Time to inject newness with new locations! And what better place to start than one of my favourite areas on the island, Haji Lane.

The material of the dress is snug but stretchy. I seriously have to invest in a few bras for different types of tops or dresses – ladies, you know what I mean..the nude bra I had on for this wasn’t that conspicuous but still. I do not like the strap showing at the sheer panel. Very fussy about these little things.

I really, really, like this moto jacket.
But, like all jackets or Blazers in my wardrobe..I HATE that catch at the mid arm that restricts movement. It’s going to take some getting used to. I feel robotic and it makes me feebly flap my hands instead of move them around. Is this something you struggle with too?

My shoe collection is limited due to the injuries so even though a pretty black strappy number would have added some extra somethin somethin to this look, I made do with black pumps.

Little Details

Yay! Fashion post done!
There are a few things in the works that I cannot divulge at the moment but oooh I can’t wait to share them with you! 😀

In the meantime, I leave you with an image of a girl coming out of her shell as a sign of things to come.

Sending you lots and lots and lots of love! Chat soon 🙂

xxxo Aarti Olivia

Curves Around the World : the Bridesmaids edition

It has been a whirlwind week but it’s been productive. I hope you’re having a good weekend. I am going to relish my quiet Sunday with a siesta.

It has been quite a while since I’ve done a Curves Around the World post. This one is really special and what better way to resume my CATW posts than to celebrate one of our bloggers!

Kate of the blog Sparkles and Lace got married very recently and prior to the wedding, the group decided to come up with a Bridesmaids Around the World theme. We may not have been there in person to congratulate the newlyweds but we are so happy for Kate!

The Look

maxi sheer white lace dress with midi skirt underneath – eBay uk,
heels – DMK,
hairband – Lovisa,
bindis – Little India

I have worn this dress before for an ootd post and I always thought it would be ideal for attending a wedding, if accessorised well. It is form fitting but stretchy without being too tight so I went about my day after the shoot with ease in this dress.

The shoes have the most adorable kitten heels that don’t hurt my injured feet. That they have an exotic print lends a nice touch to the overall ‘lace-y’ look.

I could have accessorised with a dainty pair of earrings or an elegant choker but for some reason, I opted to go with adding a bindi to the side of my eyes. Inverting it that way set off the silver hue of my makeup nicely, in my opinion anyway!

Ideally, I would have wrapped myself in an organza shawl but I don’t have one.

The peacock feathered hairband was a purchase from a month ago. I don’t know many people who aren’t besotted with the of the hues and print of this magnificent bird’s feathers. This the farthest I go with real ‘animal wear’.

It is only a few days to my 7th wedding anniversary. So this made me look back at my own wedding festivities with fondness.

Little Details

Makeup for this look was set in silver hues around the eyes and a two-tone lip colour. I used Chanel for my darker shade at the outer part of the lips while adding bright red from Maybelline on the inner. Just playing around with makeup!

My dear Kate,
I wish you and your hubby a lifetime of matrimonial bliss. I wish I could have been there in person to usher in this big milestone but this post is my way of saying – Congratulations!!! Have a lovely year end and tight hugs. I hope to meet you in person someday and celebrate the vibrant, vivacious person that you are!

much love,
Aarti Olivia xxxo

Jungle Boogie

Hello!
How’s it going at your end?
It’s been alright over at Casa de Olivia.
I am going on a holiday next Monday so got to start packing 🙂

Animal prints are the new neutrals and transcend seasons. It’s a walk on the wild side with a touch of timeless class about it. You will never find me wearing actual fur – that’s a huge no no – but wild prints I wear aplenty.

I’d been on the search for a unique crop top and it ended the day I laid my eyes on this thing of beauty in H&M

The Look:

Animal printed crop top – H&M uk 18,
Plain black leggings – Forever 21 Plus
size 1X
Hoops – Mango
Black wedge heels – Rubi

It’s a really basic look if not for the top.
I didn’t want to draw attention away from it so I kept it simple. The top fits like a glove, feels soft and kinda plushy..it’s hard to describe it!

I used to wear leggings All the time before I started fashion blogging. Not that it was a bad thing! I just lacked variety in the wardrobe. It was nothing but t shirts and leggings. Before that, I had a midi denim skirt phase. I think my friends wanted to burn that skirt lol. I also only owned one pair of footwear; a pair of black sandals which my friends were tired of as well!

I have come a long way 🙂
It’s one month to my 2 year blog anniversary and my goodness the journey has been such fun.

But, I digress!

I’m using the makeup that I purchased recently from Sephora and I cannot wax lyrical enough about how they have shaved off a lot of time and agony during my makeup routine! The biggest problem area is my deep set eyes that have dark circles and dark lids. Its annoying to always get asked if I am tired, unwell, if I have been crying..the undereye area is noticeably much darker than the rest of my face. It’s hereditary so my younger sister has it too and it’s the bane of our beauty regimes! Sigh.

Right so the lighting really washed my face out, so don’t mind it looking super bright!

Little Details

The hubster and I at home after the shoot 🙂

There’s another fashion post coming up over the weekend and it’s print-related as well so stay tuned 😉

If you haven’t tried animal prints,
get yourself some and have fun with it! You don’t have to get a top or pants if it’s that seems much, try earrings, necklaces, shoes..heck there’s even nail polish! Bring some Roar! into your life.

Chat soon loved ones 🙂
xxxo Aarti Olivia

Kaylene ootd 2 : One dress, Three styles

Helloooo!
My outfit of the day look last weekend featured a dress from local plus size clothing store Kaylene
and it was the first part of 3 blog posts, featuring 3 dresses from the store. It kicks off their initiative Bloggers Unite that hopes to garner ps fashion bloggers from different parts of the globe to showcase Kaylene’s collections. So if you’re interested, send me an email at ollievanter29@gmail.com and I will forward you to Kayde Yeo, owner of the store 🙂

So the challenge is to style one dress in three different ways. Sounds easy? NO!! Oh man last week’s seemed like a piece of cake in comparison to this one. But like Barney Stinson (hello fellow HIMYM fans) always says :

“Challenge Accepted”

😀
I really loved last week’s polka dot dress and I thought it was my favourite until I started to work on styling this week’s dress. The fabric is so ‘breezy’ – oh for the want of a better word – and when you see the pictures, you will know what I mean.

The great thing about starting with a blank canvas is you can do Anything. So that’s what got my creative Mumbo Jumbo going.

Look 1 – Casual Sunday

yellow dress with chequered squares – Kaylene, uk sz 18,

brown belt – thrifted,
golden bangles – Lovisa,
embroidered cloth bag – The Island Shop at Tangs
Navy with white polka dot flats – Bata

I am my laziest on a Sunday and usually, my friends are hard done to try getting me out of my apartment to meet them. It’s my day to laze around at home, spruce the place up, spend time with the hubster, cuddle the pets.

When I do step out that day, I keep it very basic and low-key. Stylish fuss-free dressing.

This dress can definitely be worn for a special occasion or a regular day – that’s how versatile it is. So I added golden bangles – I feel naked if I leave the house sans jewellery – and toted along one of my favourites bags to have when I am out for a tres casual day/night. I purchased it 5 years ago from The Island Shop, that store feeds the bohemian soul sister within! The navy flats are part of the comfort range of footwear in Bata – chronic foot injuries demand these shoes. I am not a fan of Bata because I don’t like their style of shoes but this one is cute and more importantly, good for my feet.

It was cloudy yet humid outdoors during the shoot, so my face was beginning to trickle beads of sweat but the fabric of the dress kept my body sweat-free. Major plus points for that!!

I kept my makeup for this look exactly how I would for an actual casual Sunday – nude lip gloss, a smattering of foundation and some sun block (protect your skin!).

Little Details

Onwards to the next style!

Look 2 – wedding guest

Ah the scramble for what to wear when a loved one’s wedding looms near! Getting something that will be semi-formal, classy and event- appropriate that too in plus size can be a hassle.

elastic rhinestone bracelet – gift
crystal earrings – gift
rhinestone necklace – eBay Singapore
box clutch – Charles & Keith
nude pumps – DMK

This is a decidedly more demure style, given the chosen occasion. I have spyed some gorgeous yellow bridesmaid dresses and cocktail dresses so I thought this dress would be Perfect for such an event. This pretty shade of yellow exudes sweetness and emanates joy (funny how colours can conjure up different feelings?). Its easy to see why it is so popular for a wedding.

I decided to fashion an elastic rhinestone bracelet into a cuff for my top knot. Since it was a plain white rhinestone, the rest of my jewellery had the same colour palette. I am not one for gaudy, over the top looks (maybe I shouldn’t speak too soon, you never know eh) so this is pretty identical to how I would present myself for such an event.

Makeup for this look was updated from Look 1 with a swipe of mascara and coral lip gloss.

Little Details

Last but not the least!

Look 3 – Casual Chic – Signature Aarti

I could have tried work wear or something else, but the mind seemed
to hover on Casual chic.

golden hoops – Lovisa
red skinny belt – ASOS Curve
studded flats – Pazzion

With my signature look I fancied a bright vibrant pop of colour to go with the dress..hence the skinny belt and red lippie. I enjoy being footloose and carefree most of the time, I had so much fun twirling about in this dress! 😀 Feels like I’m making up for the tomboy childhood! This dress had that beautiful 7 year Itch Marilyn Monroe twirl to it so I stood around pouting and pretending there was some invisible fan billowing my legs hahaha.

Ironically it got really windy later on and my dress did begin to get rather playful so I kept my hands firmly to each side to avoid controversy! 😉

Hoops are one of my oldest favourites as far as earrings go. I think there was a point in time when I owned nothing but hoops in different colour, shapes and sizes. Gold hoops, like gold bangles are a tasteful addition to any look..that’s what I think anyway.

For this look, I added a touch of bronzer and went with red lippie, since that is the colour I use the most. Its cool how red lippie can brighten a face up, add some volume and bring an instant sexy pucker to the lips.

Little Details

Phew! 2 down, 1 more to go 🙂
It’s been such fun working out the different styles for the dresses. I have really enjoyed doing this with other outfits in the past as well. Trying an outfit in a different style, with a shift of fashion perspective or a novel outlook keeps things fresh and might even change your mind about a look you previously were convinced would not suit you. Like they always say, you never know until your try.

And that’s a wrap!

I don’t normally write up a beauty-related post but I had a crazy spree in Sephora over this week. You will partake in my glee over the loot soon enough 😉

Have a great weekend my loves,
be kinder to your bodies and own those curves – big, extra large or small!

all my love,
xxxo Aarti Olivia

Kaylene ootd : one dress, 3 styles

It’s the weekend!
I hope you have a good one 🙂
I love the weekends because that’s when I can meet friends, chill with the hubster or attend events.

I’ve always been really shy about self promotion so You don’t find me knocking on doors and inviting plus size brands to work with me. Firstly, I was a blogger who simply wrote about stuff before Curves Become Her..so it was all really introspective and personal. Secondly, I really didn’t know the ways of getting the attention of these companies or brands, because It’s not something I am familiar with at all. My work ethic is simple – work silently, work hard and let your work do the talking.

So I was pleasantly surprised when I received an email from Kayde Yeo, the designer behind reputed local plus size fashion house Kaylene and The Plus Mannequin. She also is the brains, heart and soul behind Bloggers Unite, an Asian initiative to bring fellow ps bloggers together. I think it was my friend Priscilla Boh – Singapore’s very own plus size model – that alerted Kayde about my existence. I often get the statement – I didn’t know you were local! I thought you were based in the States or abroad.

The local plus size community is very small so it often gets overshadowed by the straight size blogging community. There lies a common misunderstanding about the need for plus size fashion – are we promoting unhealthy living and obesity? Yes it’s something we’ve all heard before. Sigh. So even if local magazines have heard about me or other ps bloggers, fashion brands…we get ignored. It’s the bitter truth.

Having said that, I am so proud of my little community here because we are fighting against the grain to make our mark. We have formed our own magazine, we have plus size clothing companies that have established themselves over the years. It takes a whole lot of dedication, determination and passion to get our message across – that style belongs to all sizes. That we have nothing to be ashamed about and we have as much of a right to look and feel good. We have all been the target of body shaming and know how it feels to want to hide, make drastic alterations to our bodies, feel unpretty.

Kayde is one of the hardest working women I know. She is constantly thinking about how to take it to the next level and dares to take risks. She works hard at networking and building
bridges within the Asian ps community. I am not one for dishing out flattery. In the span of time that I have been introduced to her little ‘friendmily’ (that’s what she calls her awesome family of friends), I have felt welcomed, encouraged and supported. It makes such a difference knowing that I know people in this industry who have my back and don’t just see me as a commodity. They genuinely care.

I was very bashful when I received her email about collaborating over six months ago because I knew about Kaylene well by then..of course I did! As a plus size blogger it is my duty to know about the local places that provide clothing in my size, for myself and my followers. I didn’t quite know how to respond to her email because I was intimidated – oh what a difference a few months has made now – about working with her. But I plucked up the courage a while later and went to her retail store in Far East Plaza to meet her in person. I was still quite nervous and intimidated then. But I quietly followed Kaylene’s blog posts and marvelled at Priscilla’s modelling stints.

In June this year, I made a speech at the Scape youth park about my journey as a plus size person, blogger and body positive advocate. You can watch the video Here. I simply let Kayde know that I’d be giving my speech and if she was in town, she was welcome to attend.

Well that evening, she came in full force with her team and friends. I was so touched by the gesture and so happy that people in my community were watching me talk about my intense personal journey. Because I wouldn’t be here if not for those struggles.

I went over to meet Kayde another evening, feeling less nervous and we spoke about the collaboration in further detail. She picked three dresses from her collection and wanted me to style each dress in three different ways. Sizing is different from the usual us or uk measurements so I
will be sure to give details about it soon. All three dresses were in sizes equivalent to my uk size 18 body.

So let’s gets started on the 3 styles!

Look 1 – Lady About Town

I call it Lady About Town because it’s a look that can be worn for an evening out and about in the city.

choker – Lovisa,
pink halter neck dress with light blue polka dots – Kaylene,
black skinny belt – ASOS Curve
red spiked heels – Pazzion

Little Details

For makeup, I went with coral on the lips and winged eyeliner. Used the blue choker for some contrast but I didn’t want to go too matchy-matchy hence the red heels that you guys love 😀

Look 2 – Casual Chic
– Signature Aarti

Casual chic always has my name written all over it. It's a style I am very comfortable and happy with, it brings together elements of the old tomboy and feminine lass.

spiked hairband – thrifted,
oversized ear studs – Lovisa,
denim gilet with lace back – Forever 21 Plus, sz 1X
pink denim flats with white polka dots – Rubi

I was playing around with ideas and thought about adding rugged denim to the mix, since denim is so my thing.
I did away with a belt and parted the hair sideways (another personal fav style you see me in all the time), went with flats with denim flats to complete the look.

For makeup, I replaced the coral lippie with a bright red – my statement colour and added some rose beige to the upper eyelids.

Little Details

Look 3 – Retro Darling

I’ve always fancied myself as a bit of a Rockabilly girl, looking forward to explore that side of my style quotient better.

white cateye shades – ASOS,
dove rhinestone necklace – Betsey Johnson,
cream bolero shrug – Cotton On sz L,
silver skinny belt – ASOS Curve
white heels – local store

Red lips out, pale pink lips in.
I thought a pop of white with accessorising would amp up the retro style. I last wore these shades at the start of the year and I’ve not had the chance to wear them out .. I LOVE this pair. I have a few jewellery pieces by the Amazeballs Betsey Johnson and I was happy to finally wear this pendant! To add to a more Lindy Hop retro look, I added the shrug and belt.

Little Details

I went with a subtle hint of lilac to the eyes, just for fun (even though I was wearing shades…go figure).

The dress is lightweight with a full, flared skirt with lots of pleats so I ironed it out. You could always wear a bandeau underneath if you don’t want your bra strap showing – that’s what I did. Cinching the waist in with a belt is helpful to accentuate your figure in the dress but you don’t Have to belt it up. A pair of heels goes very nicely with this dress as do cardigans or shrugs. It’s definitely something I see myself wearing to outings and events – perhaps someplace outdoorsy, having a picnic 🙂

Ooh and it has pockets!! Yay!
So good for people like me with awkward fidgety hands :p

So this is one of the three dresses from The Plus Mannequin, 2 two go! I will be brainstorming over the next few days for the next dress. Let me know what you think of these styles and how you would have styled them!

Chat soon, Tight hugs!
All my love xxxo
Aarti Olivia