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On The Plus Side: Sunny With A Chance Of Showers

Sarah Conley — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 11:00:00 EDT

You know those days. The ones where it's pouring down rain and you can't seem to convince yourself to do anything beyond getting out of bed but there's a full day on your calendar. I couldn't find a weather forecast suitable enough to take the MOMA Design Store's Sky Umbrella out for a test drive, but being one who isn't fond of looking gift horses in the mouth, I decided to use it on a sunny day, just because.

As you may not know (and if you do, congratulations!), this year marks the 20th anniversary of the Sky Umbrella, designed by graphic artist Tibor Kalman. Best know for his bold and confrontational pieces, Kalman's Sky Umbrella has become iconic. If the Sky Umbrella has been your sunny companion on a rainy day, you can upload a photo of yourself with it to MOMA's Facebook where they are Celebrating 20 Years of Blue Skies for a chance to win a prize pack from the Design Store.

Outfit details:

Sky Umbrella: MOMA Design Store

Trench: Discovered at Re/Dress (no longer available)

Blue skinnies: Lane Bryant

Flats: Nine West Naughty

Tote: CFDA x eBay (no longer available)

Rope necklace: Target

Striped cuff: Amrita Singh

Photos by Tara Shashaty

On The Plus Side: Made To Order With INDi Custom Jeans

Sarah Conley — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 11:00:00 EDT

When it comes to shopping for denim, I do it as little as possible. I'm 6'2" and plus sized, which often leaves me with only one or two options. There are times when I've purchased average length jeans and masqueraded them as ankle length, simply because I was so desperate for the style. Founded in 2006, INDi Custom Jeans realized there was a huge opportunity in the marketplace and began to offer women and men the opportunity to customize denim to their needs online.

Sure, you can have a tailor adjust the length or take in your jeans when you lose 5 pounds, but what if you could customize every aspect of your purchase? From the fabric (including spandex content), to the wash, the stitching, and even the pockets, INDi gives you the opportunity to take full design control over your purchase. Additionally, the customization process also inquires about your measurements, your typical sizing and your body shape to ensure that you're ordering the best fitting jeans possible.

Denim from INDi ranges from $175 - $200. Orders can take a few weeks to arrive (after all, they are being made just for you).

Do you ever struggle with finding the perfect jean for you like I do? Tell me about your experiences in the comments below!

On The Plus Side: Color Craze

Sarah Conley — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 11:00:00 EDT

Back when Eye4Style and I worked together, she (in her loving way) chastised me for wearing far too much black. Since that day, I will always hear her voice in the back of my head as I get ready for the day. STOP BUYING BLACK, SARAH! I've made a committed attempt to diversify my wardrobe, almost to the point where I now own too many colors and not enough neutrals. What can I say? It's hard to find the balance.

The point is, this spring I have an over-abundance of color and I'm not afraid to wear it. I love matching up shades that feel like they don't normally go together to make the work day a little more interesting.

Neon hoops: Forever 21 (not available online, super similar here)

Sheer top: Lane Bryant (no longer available)

Cobalt jeans: Lane Bryant

Neon satchel: Kate Spade Bond Street Satchel in Flo Coral c/o Neiman Marcus

Colorful pumps: J. Renee (a Nordstrom Rack find)

Rose gold watch: Michael Michael Kors

Photos by Tara Shashaty

On The Plus Side: The Prancing Ponies

Sarah Conley — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 14:00:00 EDT

There's so much to love about spring, including how fresh all of your spring/summer clothes feel when you pull them out of your closet for the first time. We finally had the perfect spring day in NYC, with "abundant sunshine" (my favorite weather forecast) and a gentle breeze. While this look is best worn in early spring or in fall, I typically don't wear it without leggings/tights because I've yet to find the best shoes/legwear combination to wear it during any other time of year.

Browns have always been a particularly difficult category of color for me to wear, but I feel most comfortable when I mix darker browns with camels. Let's just call camel my gateway brown.

Pony sweater: Torrid

Skirt: IGIGI (similar available here)

Necklace: Avon (similar available here and here)

Handbag: Marni at H&M

Scarf: Marni at H&M

Bracelet: Rebecca Minkoff c/o TRESemme

Watch: La Mer c/o TRESemme

Pumps: Jessica Simpson

Photos by Tara Shashaty

On The Plus Side: Domino Dollhouse's Rebel Rebel Spring 2012 Collection

Sarah Conley — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 11:00:00 EDT

I absolutely love the spirit of Domino Dollhouse. Owner Tracy Broxterman has created a unique online destination for plus size gals in search of the more exciting side of fashion. The pieces she selects are always fun, quirky, bright and fill a void that plus size retailers have often ignored. Also a style blogger, Tracy has extended her editorial sensibilities into Domino Dollhouse, not only by curating distinct collections, but also by creating a coordinating lookbook with each collection.

For spring, Domino Dollhouse is putting a spotlight on all the bad girls with the Rebel Rebel collection. The Domino Dollhouse rebel loves polka dots, cropped jackets, sheer fabrics and full skirts. View the full lookbook below and part one of the collection was just released. Do any of the looks in Rebel Rebel appeal to you?

On The Plus Side: Stripes of Spring

Sarah Conley — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 13:46:38 EDT

Last week NYC felt the first real signs of spring. We had two days over 60 degrees and seasonal confusion was pouring onto the streets like an office building during a fire drill. Needless to say, I joined the masses and pulled out a dress I'd been itching to wear, but I just couldn't allow myself to be without leggings quite yet. Speaking of this dress, I'm absolutely obsessed with it. It has an almost caped back and thanks to the way it's cut, I feel comfortable showing my arms (even though I'm not really showing anything at all). I can see this dress transitioning seamlessly into summer with nude slingbacks.

Speaking of this dress, I discovered it through HSN's Digital Dress Shop. The Dress Shop allows customers to discover dresses by designer, size, color, silhouette or through customized results delivered via the style quiz. While the dresses selected for me via the style quiz results were lovely, I had to see what all of the options available in my size were. After clicking through pages and pages of dresses, I discovered this DKNYC dress and instantly fell in love.

Dress: DKNYC c/o HSN

Sunnies: Tom Ford Nikita

Necklace: Marni at H&M (lookbook here)

Bracelet: Marni at H&M (lookbook here)

Handbag: DKNY (style no longer available, similar available here and here)

Leggings: Teggings by Re/dress

Shoes: Franco Sarto

Polish: Revelon Colorstay #260 Bold Sangria

Photos by Tarah Shashaty

On The Plus Side: Bare Necessities Launches Bare Plus

Sarah Conley — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 14:00:00 EST

Intimates retailer Bare Necessities has long supported and advocated for the plus size community, so the launch of the new boutique Bare Plus doesn't come as a surprise.

Bare Plus will offer more than 1,000 styles from 81 designer brands, including my personal favorite Elomi. The boutique will feature over 500 bra styles in sizes 38A to 56J, including everyday bras, lingerie and sports bras.

Jay Dunn, the CMO of Bare Necessities said the following regarding the launch: "The launch of BarePlus reinforces our commitment to serving the woman with curves," "The launch marks the beginning of our effort to build the best shopping experience for curvy women. Over the next several months, you’ll see more features, photography representative of our customer, and exciting new products from the world’s best brands that you won’t find anywhere else."

For the latest information and sale information, connect with BarePlus on Facebook.

On The Plus Side: Hey Stud

Sarah Conley — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 11:00:00 EST

Sometimes when it gets rainy and a chilly in NYC, the only answer is to dress in all black and face the day head on. Bring out the studs, put some rock in your headphones and don't let the gloomy skies take away your spunk. The key to wearing all black is in the details - the texture, the accents and the fabrics.

Sunnies: Tom Ford Nikita

Faux leather jacket: Torrid (style no longer available, similar available here)

Studded dress: Calvin Klein (available in ideeli's Calvin Klein special sizes sale today)

Leggings: Teggings by Re/dress

Flats: Naughty by Nine West

Handbag: Rebecca Minkoff Moring After Clutch (style no longer available, similar available here and here)

Wrap bracelet: Gold Nugget Wrap Bracelet by BaubleBar

Lion doorknocker earrings: Kenneth Jay Lane via ideeli (style no longer available, similar available here and here)

Photos by Alia Rajput

On The Plus Side: H&M+ Spring 2012 Lookbook

Sarah Conley — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 11:00:00 EST

If you've heard the rumors or if you've stumbled upon it in stores, I'm happy to say that the time has officially come for the rebirth of H&M's plus size range, aptly named H&M+. While the line was previously known as Big is Beautiful, H&M took this relaunch as an opportunity to put together a collection of modern separates for Spring 2012. Available in sizes 44-54, H&M designed these first pieces to be the foundation of your wardrobe that will grow as the collection progresses throughout the seasons. One can only hope that if the relaunch is successful that not only will more fashion forward pieces be added to the range, but perhaps we'll get designer collaborations in extended sizes as well.

Click through the gallery below to view the springy stripes, colorblocked tee and mint jeans, in addition to classic pieces like an anorak, blazer and trousers. H&M+ will be rolling out to H&M stores nationwide, so if you see something you like now is the time to run out and snatch it up!

On The Plus Side: Mix It Up

Sarah Conley — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 12:10:51 EST

Oh colored pants. They're so fun in theory, but when it's 7am and you're actually trying to get dressed for work, let's just say they present a bit of a style challenge. Sure you can wear white or black tops, but when it comes to adding color on top of color, sometimes you can second guess yourself. There's a fine line between bold and wacky when mixing colors, but I always say go to the extreme - you can always dial it back. Obviously in the photo above I didn't follow my own advice, but it's a work in progress. Let's just call it my style mission for spring.

Sunglasses: DKNY (no longer available, similar available here)

Cicada earrings: Topshop (no longer available)

Top: Old Navy (no longer available, similar available here and here)

Pink jeans: Lane Bryant

Handbag: Kate Spade Bond Street Satchel in Flo Coral c/o Neiman Marcus

Oxfords: Fitzwell (no longer available, similar available here)

Photos by Tarah Shashaty