all round retro

Hey fam!

Thank you for reaching out after I wrote that extremely personal post about how chronic illness and my injuries have impacted my body positivity in only the best, most surprising of ways 🙂

There is plenty where that comes from, so much to talk about and it will be a running theme on the blog. It’s part of what makes me ME and my road to body positivity.

But this post is a lighthearted one, I had NO fashion concept whatsoever with this hahaha but it seemed like a mish mash of several decades gone by. Hence the title.

I Guess this look is a homage of sorts to my Mother, my Father and Me. I’ll tell you why as I go along ..

flutter sleeved blouse : Forever 21 Plus in size 1X

clear aviator glasses: Ali Express

statement earrings : Ready To Stare (not available anymore, I’m afraid)

high waisted leggings : Asos Curve in size 20

I believe I might have mentioned before that I will no longer be wearing heeled shoes because of my knee so I am still updating my flats collection as I really do not own that many pairs of flats that are comfortable and fashionable – hard to find a mix of that to be honest! This pair of sandals are knock off Birkenstocks haha, from a local store. Very comfortable but I admit I am getting tired of wearing them with everything!

I will always love wearing flutter sleeved, bell sleeved blouses or dresses thanks to being in love with my mother’s bohemian fashion sense when she was a young adult. Even later on, she rocked the hell out of sheer retro dresses and blouses. I remember watching her applying her trademark bright red lipstick for a night out and I loved watching her mix and match from her wardrobe.

My Father no longer wears clear aviator glasses now – he is a sharp dresser with cooler glasses than me! But my earliest memories of him are with a pair of silver aviators that framed his face and Apple cheeks just like they frame mine here. Mom always jokes around that she was the ‘cooler’ one of the two when they were younger but I think dad did pretty okay for himself! A modest and humble man who dressed for function and setting; his style has definitely rubbed off on me in that way. I still remember his monogrammed handkerchiefs he carried for work. Today, he enjoys more casual work wear (which isn’t That casual if you ask me the blogger in pajamas).

I have always been a jeans and T shirt kind of girl. I hated fussing with skirts or dresses, preferring something I could move around with more flexibility .. without having to fidget. Today, I have an eclectic style sense but I still feel most at ease in a pair of jeans. Denim shorts, jeans/jeggings, denim skirts – they have been a staple in my wardrobe for 3 decades. I cannot declare my style androgynous, Nor is it overtly feminine or masculine. It is authentic to who I am.

This shoot was such fun! The seasonal rain was quite literally raining on my parade – I detest gloomy weather. It was the perfect sunny evening and I am so pleased these pictures captured it.

I added a tiny bit of the 80s – the decade I was born in – with statement earrings. They were all the rage back then and they are back in trend now, how about that!

To be honest it doesn’t matter if statement earrings or necklaces ever go out of fashion because I will always adore them.

Makeup for this look was probably the most full coverage I have ever done for a fashion post – it was interesting, certainly fun to dabble but I reckon I will stick to light to medium coverage makeup looks. I prefer a more natural finish. For me, Makeup enhances what is already there and I do not wish to find myself obsessing over how much better I can conceal my facial imperfections. The much darker eye circles will always be there, as will the hyper pigmentation and scars. It’s fine. If they show through the images, I don’t see problems to be fixed – I see a face and a person behind that face who does not always love her reflection but does not hate it either.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this all round retro ensemble! You don’t have to buy all of the trendy things to be stylish; pick and choose what you feel works for you. Make trends work for You instead of the reverse.

Take care of yourselves fam! Sending you so much love.

Aarti xxxo

P.S: I do intend to post less about fashion on the blog as the year progresses although it will still be a part of what I do. So I will not plan elaborate looks as I have done in the past. I would much prefer to focus energy on write-ups and other forms of advocacy. Fashion can be a political statement, but so can other kinds of creative expression.

Olive green and Rust

Heya fam, 

I wasn’t planning on doing an outfit of the day post but I realised I had one to shoot for Already Pretty – I contribute fashion posts there once in a while. This is not the same look for that post, I obviously cannot divulge those pictures before they get published on AP. I thought, why not get one done for my blog? No time like the present! 

I enjoy mixing and matching colours and figuring out which combos I love, which ones I don’t mind and the ones I feel meh about. This was one idea I had in mind for a while. I normally lay in bed conjuring up styles possible outfit of the day ensembles instead of getting some quality shut-eye…one of the many thought processes that keep me up at night! 

   

 
 
  

Olive green maxi dress, Rust cardigan – Forever 21 Plus 

ankle boots – Zalora Singapore 

I don’t own that many cardigans because I don’t see the need for it in this humid climate but it is definitely handy to have around for travel. The dress was purchased a few months ago and what I like about it is the lining – jersey dresses can be quite unforgiving but the quality of the lining and thickness of the jersey for this dress makes it less so. Not that I mind VBO, I just don’t like outfits that can have someone discern the intimates you have on! 

Boots are one of my favourite kinds of footwear, so when this pair was on sale online there was little deliberation. Admittedly I was nervous when it arrived because I do not typically shop for shoes online. My injured wide feet are not of the same size (one is half a size smaller than the other) so you see my predicament. Thankfully this fit very well and yes it is faux leather ! I have never worn real leather and I never will. 

   
 
Makeup wasn’t too complicated. Dark lipsticks are really beginning to grow on me again and this particular one from Jeffree Starr looks much better in person. The photos just do not do it justice. 

  
This is me for now, will update the blog when my AP post is published! Have a good weekend! 

xxxo Aarti Olivia 

ootds : weekend edition

Hi guys!
How was the Father’s Day weekend?
Did you do anything special for your dad or in honor of the father figures in your life? I wish I could have but my busy bee father is out of town at the moment, he has been travelling for work since I was 12 so we’re used to it.

My dad and I have had a strained relationship over the years but as age catches up on both generations, the gap lessens and I have come to love, honour and value the life lessons he has imparted. Yes, he was a tough disciplinarian and authoritarian but I owe a lot of how far I have come today due to his dogged determination to ensure his daughters could lead independent lives. So thank you Daddy!

Moving on to the regular post content 🙂
I don’t know about where you are, but the heat is ON where I am in South East Asia! It has been extremely hot added to the crazy humidity levels here, it really makes me want to walk around in a camisole and yoga pants all day if I could. But, a fashionista doesn’t forget to look good in all climates!

Here is the Saturday evening look, for date night with the Hubster and then a late night out friends. I only got home on Sunday noon :p And guess what? I napped and met some friends in the evening on Sunday evening..my hyper energy reserves are pretty neat. I am Exhausted now though! Wish Monday would get delayed by another day..

red summer dress : Cotton On
necklace : Lovisa
stockings : Spanxx (THE best)
animal printed flats : Rubi

With the heat, it is so much more important for good coverage and staying power on the face when it comes to makeup. So I used The Body Shop CC cream, which blends in nicely with your skin tone and you don’t need a concealer or foundation after applying this product.

The eyes were given some drama with a thicker than usual layer of kohl (Yves St Laurent) and an E.L.F eye highlighter to brighten up the puffy areas.

For the lips, I applied a natural toned brown from Revlon.

My scruffy whiny pooch Dash, a cross between a Yorkshire terrier and a poodle, was clamouring for my attention while I posed for the photos so I decided to take a pic with the cute little bugger 🙂

Date night was fun, the hubster and I had middle eastern cuisine at Arab Street..our next fav area aside from Little India. This was the delicious Beyti Kebab I ordered

Here’s a rare pic of the hubster, who is rather camera shy. Naturally, this was taken when he wasn’t looking 😉

After the meal, I washed it down with a potent cup of Turkish coffee.

Middle eastern artwork is so pretty isn’t it? Must get a nice coffee & tea set when I venture into the Middle East!

After coffee, we met up with my home girl Chita..one of my besties 🙂 Like Mindy Kaling said on The Mindy Project “It isn’t just one person, Besties are a tier of people”. I couldn’t have summed it up better myself Mindy!

So this was me getting jiggy with it when a Bellydancer decided to dance her way to our table at the establishment we had drinks

She was a skinny little thing but my goodness could she move! That’s me having fun whenever the opportunity arises.

fast forward to the next day, I was sleep deprived but eager to meet my mates for some downtime.

white round neck tee – Dorothy Perkins
black & green floral skinny jeans – ASOS
round silver earrings – flea market, Little India

I only like playing with dramatic makeup looks once or twice (max) per week, and I was really too tired to do much so I simply dabbed on my NARS apricot-coloured eye concealer. I like to allow my skin to breathe once in a while, devoid of chemicals and whatnot.

I added a light layer of pale bronze eyeliner at the lower lash line to downplay the dark circles. Lips were simply given a swipe of Vaseline to keep them supple.

My mates and I chowed down on some Indian Muslim cuisine (which is only found in Malaysia & Singapore), followed by a walk through the bohemian Haji Lane. It’s within the vicinity of Arab Street and there is a rise of neat cafes at the area. We were lucky enough to find ourselves at a new restaurant called Crostinni (I may have misspelt this) for dessert.

Behold the gastronomical delights!

In order of the pics displayed :

Lemon Tiramisu
Brioche
Cacao cake
Mocha pudding

Im probably a pound larger after this weekend but, boy was this gastronomical weekend enjoyable!

Cheers to the new week,
Love your curves, Be kind to yourself
Be kind to one another

Love, Aarti Olivia xxx

studs and plaid

Hi all,

A few of my eBay purchases for the month arrived so I decided to mix and match for an evening with friends to watch Hangover 3.

Look for the evening:

black studded dress shirt (eBay Sg)
black & green plaid trousers (eBay UK)

The dress shirt could have been paired with leggings but I decided to tuck it in and wear the plaid trousers. I quite like gingham and plaid prints, so I decided to invest in these pants. It has a garter at the waist which reduces the chances of a muffin top and is extremely comfortable.

I know that some plus size ladies (like me) would not consider tucking their tops in, but I have learnt that it largely depends on the textures and patterns. If both top and bottom have rougher textures, there is little leeway in smoothening out little bulges. A top that is tight fitting might not be the best idea when tucking in if you are conscious of your lower belly and top of the hips. Tucking a shirt out is really no
big deal, its just that some outfits are carried off nicer when it isn’t tucked out. However it does boil down to personal preference, so go with what you’re comfortable with if you don’t feel ‘adventurous’ enough 🙂

My sole accessory for this outfit was a pair of long dangling earrings from Diva. I thought it suited the hair up-do and studded shirt nicely.

It’s the dreaded ‘time of the month’ and I look rather pale so I brightened the face up with bronze eyeliner and red lippie

I will update the blog with more posts when I am feeling less under the weather, so bear with me.

Have a great weekend my loves,
Please remember to be kind to one another and to yourself

Love, Aarti Olivia xx

Camo Daze

Hi guys!

Met up with my close friends earlier to have a lil impromptu bday celebration for a good friend of mine. So this is what I wore for the evening:

It wasn’t a formal dinner, we hung out at our usual joint.. a Pakistani food stall in Lil India.

Purchased the camo jacket from a vintage store during the Melbourne holiday. I’ve always been a fan of the army uniform – dates back to when I’d watch my uncle an Army Major come home from work in his army gear. He is beautiful to look at already – tanned skin with green eyes (yes we have different eye colours in the family), with the army beret and those heavy duty boots. In fact, I would have you know that I had given serious deliberation to enlisting when I was 17.

Thank goodness I changed my mind!!
Me and authority don’t mix too well.

I layered the jacket with a plain black tee, black leggings (Cotton On), a long bronze flat beaded necklace purchased from a flea market.

Just to give the look more pizzazz, I decided to continue working on perfecting the winged-tip eyeliner (still quite a work in progress). Added some rouge to the lips and gave the new hair do some teasing with my round headed brush – always helpful to use a medium round head brush when you have a wavy mane that has layers like mine.

Being a tomboy by heart, this look was easy to carry off. Of course, you can always go chic with the look (yes it’s possible) and embellish the camo jacket – studs, spikes, black lace, rhinestones. And you can add extra bling with a statement necklace or large studded earrings if you place your hair in a coif. Just don’t go all Breakfast at Tiffany’s with the outfit, that’s just too much of a clash of worlds (well, that’s my humble opinion anyway).

Hurrah to the weekend!
Now if only there was a day in between Saturday and Sunday..

Til my next post,
Love those curves and Be kind to one another 🙂