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.

Child of Nature

Hello my lovelies,

I have had this vision for a fashion post for quite a while and this has been the most enjoyable one I have done this year (even though this is only post number 3, oh but it is special to me). I hope you enjoy this piece as much as I have in trying to create this.

When life overwhelms me – which it has done aplenty this year – I turn inwards or towards nature for solace. The sight of flowers, a beach, a lush garden or even a pool surrounded by beautiful palm trees help me forget my troubles for a while. It makes me stop to marvel at the world around us and I feel like a tiny spectator in this wondrous universe, losing myself in the beauty and pace of nature, I have not been able to unfortunately enjoy long strolls or be fancy free in nature for most of this year, with the exception of some short jaunts to the pool. All in good time, as the knee gains strength.

So during one of my daydreaming sessions as I oohed and aahed watching different terrains of our planet on the tele, I decided I was going to bring nature into my urban concrete jungle existence through the means of the blog.

Often times amusing but frustrating, I have not been able to venture beyond my usual safe spots (where I am comfortable walking around, devoid of crowds) or to my favourite places like the lush Singapore Botanic Gardens or the breathtaking Gardens By the Bay. While I really love flowers, they are a rarity in my house thanks to my flower-eating cat Bindi. No spot is too high to keep her away from gnawing contently at them. Again, another highly amusing yet frustrating fact! So I make do with curated collections of floral phone wallpapers, oh goodness that sounds a tad sad doesn’t it? Oh Bindi, you cute flower guzzler.

I have absolutely absolutely LOVED this new trend across fashion runways – face flowers. With a month of planning and patiently waiting for my needed purchases to arrive, I present to you my Child of Nature look:

 

Forever 21 Floral Mini Dress | 1X 

Pressed flowers on face | Flower Seed Paper on Etsy 

 

This was my first foray into attempting to place flowers on my face, so I figured pressed flowers would be easier to apply and thankfully Etsy came to the rescue! I fail miserably at DIY even though the intent and effort is genuine lol. I did not want to mess up pressing flowers on my own, that I can practice in my own time.

 

I did not focus on an elaborate dress for this post; to give the real flowers the spotlight instead. It is a really cute dress that fits awkwardly at the bust, but I love the summery colours and figured it would be a fitting canvas for what I had envisioned.

No footwear, because a child of nature does not need them 🙂

 

“Let us dance in the sun wearing wildflowers in our hair, and let us huddle together as darkness takes over. We are at home amidst the birds and the trees. For we are children of nature” 

The feel of grass under my feet is honestly the most grounding and soothing experience. Listening to the lap of waves is akin to how music stirs the soul. Being amidst flowers brings a smile that often has been forgotten with age.

When I say the injury took a toll on me, I meant every word. And as I tread each steadier step now, I reclaim the joys and serenity that I habitually have surrounded myself with as a means to survive.

 

“You are a child of the sun, you come from the sun, and that is something true with the Earth also. . . Your relationship with the Earth is so deep, and the Earth is in you and that is something not very difficult, much less difficult than philosophy”  Thich Nhat Hanh

I hold onto my childlike wonder and joy for the things that I love as a buoy to keep me afloat when it feels like nothing seems to help awaken my senses, when I feel numbed by physical and emotional pain. When I grieve for what can no longer be.

 

 

“The grass is not greener on the other side. It is greener where YOU water it” 

 

And so I tend to my heart and I tend to physical healing. To be the masterpiece and work in progress, simultaneously.

 

DETAILS

 

Thank you for being part of my little creative venture here, its a good step towards bringing my daydreams to life. I do not see daydreaming as idle, not when they are our realities in waiting.

I dedicate this post to my husband, Suresh for being my enthusiastic partner-in-crime. I love you so very much

Chat soon dear readers, I hope you find some respite from your everyday life when possible to soothe your senses for a while 🙂

Much Love,

Aarti

Glitter and Glow

Hey Hey!

If you have read my previous blog entries, you’ll know that I had taken quite the blogging break due to health reasons. Back spasms, reconstructing a torn knee ligament..all that yummy stuff.

The plan was to get started on blogging as soon as I was able to walk unaided. What I forgot to factor in was just how much work it would take for the wobbly walking and standing to feel steadier! But I am back after all that hoopla and ready to take on what I can as the knee heals.

The upside to having had so much time on my hands was being able to figure out just what tickled my fancy (fashion wise) for the seasons of Spring and Summer. Alas, my favourite fashion season of Spring has sprung giving way to Summer vibes. Summer 2017, lets have some fun! and stay cool while at it (ooooh this heat).

Read my Body Language

Bodysuits have had a major comeback in the past few years. Be it sleeveless, off shoulder, full sleeved, frills, fun prints, bold colours – you can have a bodysuit in every colour and style! And plus size fashion retailers have given us so many options to choose from, I love it when we no longer need to designate an outfit as ‘strictly for straight sized bodies’.

 

 

A bodysuit paired with jeggings has been a personal favourite over the past few months, It is quite wonderful how someone who would have rather cringed and hid under a t shirt than tuck it into her jeans no thanks to the fashion do’s and don’ts doled out by magazines, is no longer afraid of letting her tummy stick out. I actually have the process of recuperation from the injury to thank for certain shifts in my fashion perspective, more of that to come in another post.

I wanted my first fashion post of the year to showcase some of the items in my wardrobe I have come to love in 2017. Its peppered with glitter and glow – you’ll know what I mean when you see the look 😉

 

HELLO 2017! Better late than never!

Don’t Panic Bodysuit in size 1X – Forever 21 Plus 

Frayed Denim Shorts in 3X – Forever 21 Plus

Keds x Kate Spade sneakers – Lazada Singapore

 

 

Bodysuits, shorts and sneakers are my new go-tos for a casual look. My days of wearing heels are over and flats will be in season for years to come..oh but it doesn’t mean that won’t be fun 😉 With the knee in a huge cast and then brace, shorts just made more sense. Now, I have to have shorts as a wardrobe staple.

This brilliantly holographic pink bodysuit, oh does it glisten in the sun! It has a more spandex swimsuit feel to it and has small velcro straps at the bottom to fasten or undo, making it less cumbersome when a toilet break beckons.

These shorts could be a real disaster if not for the easy to unbutton clasps. I typically wear a size 2X but I know that the sizing for denim on F21 Plus tends not to be uniform so I sized up and thank God for that!

I decided to go accessory-free for this look because I felt it wasn’t necessary, plenty of sparkle with the top!

 

Little Details

 

 

The unfortunate thing about online shopping is sizing and this time, I had trouble with this pretty pair of sneakers. I ordered them at my size but lesson learnt: try to do shoe shopping in person when you have prior foot injuries and when one foot is considerably larger than the other. You see me smiling or at least squinting (it was a gloriously sunny day) but I am glad you did not get to see me screaming when I removed the shoes! NOT a good idea when you still have to tend to a recuperating knee..I can do without more pain!

 

I plan to keep my hair short for a while – while it isn’t easier to style, it is much easier to manage while I heal. Dabbed on some loose glitter eyeshadow powder for extra oomph and what I have learnt is, when in doubt add more glitter! Especially when you’d like the glitter to stand out in photographs, no point in going easy on the amount of glitter. Also, blue lipstick FTW! I want aaalll the colours and shades of lipsticks, I adore having fun with lippies.

 

Admittedly, I was nervous about getting this blog shoot done because my last proper fashion post here is dated November 2016..it has been seven months! A lot has changed in that time and I was worried about being rusty. I sure am rusty but the beauty of starting something you enjoy doing even after quite a hiatus is the realisation of the extent of how much you have missed doing it. After the shoot, i had a cool shower and had one of the best naps in a while. Because my mind and heart felt at ease, it felt rejuvenated, it felt good 🙂

The blog. My fat acceptance, body positive, intersectional feminism advocacy. Exploring plus size fashion. These things have never been far from my mind from Day 1 of the knee mishap. Everyday, I checked in to see how everyone else in the community/ies was/were doing. What were they discussing, blogging about today? Whats new on the fashion front? Sure there were days I had a serious case of FOMO and could not muster the energy to give a shit but I missed what i was doing even (Especially) on those days.

Cheers to healing and growth! Sending you all my love,

xxxo Aarti

 

Curves Becomes Her meets Nyata

Hellooooo! 

It’s been a while hasn’t it? How have you been? I trust you have been keeping well. I’m alright, will update you on all that’s been going on in another blog post. Let me get first started on a few of my fashion posts that have been on the backlog. 

I was approached by Nyata, a plus size store in Australia to sample an item from their collection and that had me excited of course! I have marveled at their collection on Instagram before so this was a pleasant surprise. 

Nyata means real in Indonesian, and I like that the outfits are given pretty names in the language..I learnt Malay from kindergarten until the O levels so I have a decent grasp of the language. And Real is definitely what we want to encourage in body positivity. 

My outfit from the store is quite suitable for my style sense at the moment because I like keeping it pretty casual of late. 

Biarkan Glitter short sleeve dress in size Beautiful 

Yup that’s the size on the website, but don’t worry, their size guide will let you know of the available plus sizes that are pooled under these wonderful descriptors. 

It’s a casual, comfortable yet stylish shirt dress that can be dressed up or down depending on how you want it. It is entirely possible to add some leggings for the bottom with a pair of heels! 

This is part of the sales collection and they have a new collection up, I love the use of geometric patterns they have going on in a few of the outfits. 

Little Details

I decided to pair the dress with a pair of denim plimsolls and not accessorise the look up, because I was going for something casual and carefree. 

Makeup was really simple as well; some rouge on the lips and eyeliner at the lower lash line. This has been the most I’ve gone with makeup since the start of my blogging break! 

This is a short and sweet fashion post to dip my feet back into blogging, it feels strange and yet familiar. I will check back in with another post in a short while, see you then! 

Til then, much love xxxo

Diwali 2016

Diwali just ended and it was beautiful 🙂 It was heartwarming to spend time with family, especially my nephews. As always there was delicious food to be had, sweet meats and yummy food. What I loved most was spending time with my 11 mth old nephew, babies really make me smile!

Last year, I wasn’t feeling the Diwali spirit and didn’t feel like dressing up. This year I decided to make up for it and planned not one but three Diwali looks. It took me 2 months to plan these looks, had so much dressing up and shooting for them!

Lunch at the In-laws

Yumi Plus Skater Dress With Tie Back in Border Print – UK size 20

Black choker with iridescent pendant – (similar one Here)

 

Its not a traditional ethnic look, but it has ethnic accents that I love, and its made in India (no surprises there, a common occurrence for stores from the West). Instead of traditional jewellery, I opted for the choker. It was the perfect outfit for lunch at the in-laws.

Little Details

 

For makeup, I went for pink hued eye shadow and a chocolate lip cream from Nyx cosmetics.

 

Dinner at the folks place 

Asos Curve Maxi Dress With Mirror Embellished Top – UK 20

Pearl Jhumki earrings, Maayra Jewellery (Etsy)

See what I mean about stores in the West sourcing from the East? I was so surprised when I chanced upon this in the store. Well, it landed back in my Indian hands so its come full circle lol!

Beautiful isn’t it? I love the mirror detail, it’s very popular in Rajasthan. And I love the halter top.

Little Details

These earrings are so precious, I went with a vibrant shade of blue to complement and maroon lipstick. My feet were hurting after the busy day, so these were my shoes of choice lol! It cracked my dad and sis up!

 

Diwali this evening at home

So after visiting our loved ones yesterday, we celebrated Diwali at home with a simple Lakshmi Puja (prayer to Goddess Lakshmi) and the lighting of diyas (oil lamps) around the home.

Boohoo Plus Embroidered Hem Maxi Dress, uk size 20 (similar one Here)

I recall a gown that I adored from store Igigi called the Lakshmi (ironic!) but it was much too pricey for me. This dress seemed like quite a decent version of the gown, so I thought it was fitting to get it for Diwali. It comes in two layers – a simple midi camisole, a net maxi dress with this beautiful hem. So it isn’t troublesome to wear, and isn’t as heavy as the Asos gown. I added Indian accents with my bangle and jhumka earrings bought a long time back in India.

 

Little Details 

I decided to go with a smoky effect for eye makeup, with a pop of pink for the lips.

This year has been about figuring out a new normal. Diwali has been the beginning of my new normal, in ways I will speak of sometime.

Halloween cometh tomorrow and I will have my first properly planned Halloween blog post done! I look forward to sharing that with you. And Nov 1 marks my 4th yr Curves Become Her blogging anniversary – good times 🙂

For those who celebrate Diwali – I hope you had a wonderful festival of lights. For those awaiting Halloween – have a spooktacular one!