Blogiversary Post: The Year's Top Five Outfits

It has been one whole year since I started Prettiful Style, and what a fun year it has been! Blogging is a whole lot more work than I anticipated, and I didn't do as many posts as I'd envisioned for the year, but I'm pretty proud of the ones I got done. Hopefully I've shown at least a few others that it is possible to recover from all the negative stigma surrounding being a fat or differently-shaped person. You can learn to accept and love yourself just as you are!


 I've decided to celebrate my blog's first anniversary by taking a look back at the year's five most-popular posts. I hope you've enjoyed reading about them as much as I've enjoyed creating them!





# 5  Peplum Perfection

Rocking a peplum top for the first time ever, this post shows off the cute outfit I put together. This outfit consists of the top from J.C. Penny paired with a thrifted tube skirt. Black accessories complete the look.










#4  Mad About My Maxi

Maxi dresses have been wildly popular for a few years and seem to be getting more popular all the time. This post features the first maxi I've ever owned. I love this thing!








#3  Embracing Chevron Madness

Chevron is everywhere and has been for a few years now. This post features a cute sheath dress in the popular pattern. I especially liked the way the dress fit and made me feel!











#2  Plaid Leggings

Although this post has a pretty unimaginative name, it proved to be one of my most popular posts. One thing I know for sure, people love plaid, and people love leggings. I'll be rocking looks similar to this one all fall and winter!








#1  Loving Colors and Myself

The number one, most viewed post is the very same that I posted one year ago today. I still love this outfit; it's hard to beat that color combo! I remember getting a little emotional as I wrote it. This post will always be special to me since it was the very beginning of my self-love journey. 


I am so grateful for every read, comment, like, and share. To all the loyal readers, few though you may be, I am so glad that you care what I have to say. 
It has been my goal to help others realize that your shape and size doesn't matter; you deserve to wear things you like and feel good about yourself. I know this blog has improved my self-confidence in leaps and bounds, and if it has helped even one other person feel better about themselves, then I consider my goal reached.
Thanks to everyone who reads my blog and follows me on social media!


As always, thanks for reading.

         Love, Ashley

Falling for Suede

 Well there's a chill in the air at last, however slight it may be. Not exactly sweater-weather yet, but I believe it may be just around the corner.

I've been continuing to shop my closet for new fall outfits since my Autumn clothing budget is still approximately zilch.

I'm actually pretty proud of this one. How I managed to go all summer without wearing this amazing dress I do not know. All I do know is that it looks pretty cute when paired with this awesome suede vest.

Suede is the biggest trend for fall 2015 so I'm told. I think it's true, since I see be-fringed suede vests in every clothing store I enter. I love it when I pick something up at a thrift store for next to nothing, and it turns out to be a hot trend. It just tickles me pink.

Actually, this whole ensemble came from the same thrift store. The little brown and tan flats were $2. This beautiful lace dress was $5. I spent a whopping $4 for the suede vest. I was honestly shocked when I tried it on and it fit me.

I just couldn't decide how I liked it best; zipped or unzipped. I just love that either way the vest gives the outfit some structure. It really was a hidden treasure.

And how about that lace? I feel so pretty and feminine in this dress. I know it would look amazing with some nude heels and a string of pearls, but I love that I was able to make a casual outfit out of it.

My personal style is ever-evolving, and I'd like to think it is maturing a little as well. A couple of years ago I never would have thought to put such different pieces together.

I'm discovering that pairing different kinds of pieces, fabrics, and textures really adds some interest to an outfit. I can't wait to try more combinations!

Coming up with new outfits from things I already have has been challenging so far, but so much fun! Nothing better than getting excited over a piece of clothing that you had forgotten you even had.

Remember to stay fabulous! If I can do it, so can you.

Thanks for reading!

                                                     

Autumn; Apparently

It's Autumn; apparently. I mean, that's what they tell me. That's what my calendar says. I guess Mother Nature didn't get the memo.                              
                                               

Ok, technically it's not Autumn for another day, and I seriously doubt the weather is going to change drastically to suit the date. I see my fellow lovelies online, looking all cozy in their over-sized sweaters and their leggings tucked into adorable riding boots. Sigh. 

I guess I shouldn't be bummed out. This happens every year. In Arkansas, we almost don't even have an Autumn. We have summer, and then slightly cooler summer. We count ourselves lucky if it gets chilly by mid-October. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. We never know what it's going to feel like on Halloween. Seriously. More often than not, our poor kids are sweating in their costumes.

Anyway, I've been trying to make Autumn-y looking outfits that I can actually wear without dying. (Ok, I exaggerate, but it is still HOT.) 

Oh, also I have nearly no budget for new clothes. I'm having to be inventive, although I don't mind the challenge. Basically I have been layering vests and cardigans over my summer dresses. Also throwing in fringe whenever I can. So glad fringe is trending right now! I have always loved it.

I have always loved belting this particular fringe vest. (I guess you'd call it a vest?) I just think it creates an interesting look and I love the shape it gives me! Sometimes my back fat tries to eat my belts, but whatever. I'm still cute!

And these ankle boots! I got these last fall and I'm planning on wearing the heck out of them this year, too. Also my cute fringe cross-body bag. I've already been using it a lot.

Wow. I've got triple fringe going on in this outfit. Is it too much fringe? No. The answer is no.

To all my fellow Southern fashionistas, stay cute. Stay cool. Stay comfortable. Be fabulous. If I can do it so can you!

Dress- Factory Connection

Fringe vest- Factory Connection

Ankle boots- local store, Charmed

Fringe bag-Factory Connection                                      

                                  Thanks for reading!

Loving Life at the Lake

My husband, my daughter, and I went swimming at the local lake today. We found a little swim beach (Yes, in Arkansas we have trucks dump sand by the lakes and we do call them beaches) that we had all to ourselves. It was such a perfect day. It wasn't too hot, the water felt just right, and we had so much fun.

I was kind of feeling myself today in my swimsuit. I hadn't planned on taking pictures for the blog. I'd already decided that it was too late in the summer for a swimsuit post anyway, but I just felt like I should. I said, "Sweetheart, wanna take a few pictures of me?"

While we were playing in the sand with our little girl and lounging around in the water it struck me how many times in the past I've restrained myself from having fun at the lake. I didn't like the way I looked in a swimming suit. I didn't think I deserved to have fun because I was fat. Even more than being fat, I was shaped funny. What right did I have enjoying my life and having fun when I had so much to be ashamed of?

I have a very hard time finding a suit that is flattering on me. During the past few years, I would either wear a darkly colored swimdress or a pair of shorts and a tee-shirt. Don't get me wrong; I still love a cute swimdress, but I was not comfortable wearing anything that didn't have a skirt attached.

My last year's swimdress, although pretty cute, was much too tight in the bust. It dug into my shoulders painfully. I went online, to Swimsuitsforall.com, which is a wonderful resource for plus-size swimwear. I found this suit and fell in love with the big, bold, floral print. I had reservations about whether it would be flattering on me or not, but I ordered it anyway.

It's not flattering, not really. The high neckline isn't supposed to look good with large breasts. I'm not supposed to wear large, bold prints and colors when I am fat. I wasn't comfortable at first wearing a suit without a skirt to hide by flat butt and belly bulge. The low back shows some of my back fat.

But it fits. It fits, it's comfortable, and I love it. Even though it should look awful, according to all the "rules", I love myself in this swimsuit.

This isn't the first time I've worn this suit; the first time was to a different beach on a different lake. There were other people there. I was afraid. As the day went on, I noticed that other people weren't even paying attention to me. They were too busy having fun. I quit worrying and started having some fun of my own. Even though this isn't a two-piece, I feel like my body is pretty much on display. All of my imperfections are visible, yet I have learned that they are part of my body. Hating them won't change them. Hating them helps nothing. Embracing them let's me live my life and have a great time at the lake.

And anyone ever is bothered by my shape, my imperfections or my fatness, they can look at this gorgeous, colorful print instead. Or they can just not look. 

I will be blissfully unaware, not giving a damn. I will just be loving my life.

Thanks for reading!

  

Everything's Illegal

When I very first started out on my little self-love journey, it began as many journeys these days do- on Pinterest. I didn't know much about fashion, and even less about plus-size fashion. I wouldn't have been able to tell you what a personal style even was. One day after pinning about a ga-jillion recipes I was never going to make, I decided to do a search for plus size outfit ideas. That's all it took. I was addicted from that day on.

I began by simply trying to figure out what would and would not look good on my body type. Now, just figuring out what my body type was was enough to give me a headache. (I'm still not totally sure. Somewhere between apple and inverted triangle...maybe?) 

Once you've got that confusing mess figured out (hopefully) then you have the pleasant (NOT!) task of learning all the do's, and the many, many don'ts, for your body type. 

When I believed that this rule stuff was really important, I seriously wanted to pull my hair out sometimes. After reading article after article, I came to realize that there were very few things I could actually wear according to the rules.

No long skirts or dresses since I'm short. Nothing too short since I'm fat. Nothing too tight that will reveal my fat. Nothing too loose because that makes you look even bigger. Boot-cut jeans only. No long necklaces because that will draw attention to by huge boobs. No short necklaces because that will make my neck look even shorter. V-necklines are best.

Then it started to make no sense at all when it all started to get contradictory. Never wear belts because that draws attention to my "problem" areas. Belt everything (high up, of course) since it draws attention to the smallest part of my waist. Long, flowy tops with leggings are best because it hides my fat. Never wear flowy tops with leggings because it makes you look like an ice-cream cone. I seriously read all of these things for the same body shape. It felt like just about everything was "illegal" to wear.

Then, I discovered some amazing, wonderful plus-size bloggers who were just doing their own damn thing, and rocking it!

Beautiful, inspirational images from blogs like Gabifresh and Garnerstyle changed my world. The whole "Eff your beauty Standards" movement came into being and opened up my eyes!

I don't have to dress according to "rules" fabricated by other people to be stylish or beautiful. All, and I do mean all, that matters is whether or not I feel amazing in it, and if I like what I see when I look in the mirror. 

Hell, how many "rules" am I breaking wearing this pretty blue maxi dress? I have fair skin so I'm not supposed to wear bright colors. I'm super short, so no long dresses. My arms are fat, so I'm not supposed to be showing those. 

What-the-hell-ever. Rules are made for breaking.

Dress- Wal-Mart

Sandals- Payless

Gold cross-body clutch- honestly had so long I can't remember

                                          Thanks for reading! 

Playing Dress Up in the City

My husband and I decided to spend two days in Little Rock to celebrate our fourth anniversary. Little Rock is the largest town in Arkansas, and we were pretty excited to be headed to the "big city".We stayed at a pretty nice hotel in the middle of the city's River Market District, and it was pretty awesome. 

We decided to start walking and simply follow our noses to find the best place to have our anniversary dinner. Of course, I had to dress up a little for the occasion.

Now, to a small-town girl like me, Little Rock is a vibrant, riveting metropolis. Why they've got some of the best restaurants in the state, along with plenty of fun bars, museums, and cool hang-outs, all within a few blocks from one of the most beautiful city parks I've personally ever seen. Seriously, the Riverfront Park is awesome. 

Needless to say, I'm in love with the place. 

I must say though, that if we ever were to move there I would have to step my fashion game up. Many of the local ladies there don't play around. I saw some of the trendiest clothes and some of the highest heels sharing the sidewalks with me. It was heaven, basically. 

We ended up eating our anniversary dinner at a place called the Flying Fish, far from fancy, but some of the best catfish I've ever had. I felt slightly overdressed for this particular restaurant, but I couldn't be happier with our choice.

I felt pretty cute in my floral dress and purple flats. It seemed a little strange to me to wear a purple necklace and purple shoes with a dress that doesn't have any purple on it. I have this annoying nagging voice in the back of my head telling me things need to "match". Whatever. Sometimes I have to tell that voice to shut the hell up.

I felt very much at home walking those fun-filled streets and seeing the sights while wearing this colorful outfit. We had a wonderful anniversary and I can't wait until our next visit to our state capital.

Dress- thrifted

Flats- thrifted

Statement necklace- Wal-Mart

Bolero- Wal-Mart

                                                          Thanks for reading!
                                                                    -Ashley

Fat Girl; Skinny Jeans

So a few weeks ago I  got my first pair of skinny jeans. I had been wanting a pair for a long while (I kind of have this thing where if I feel like other people would tell me I shouldn't wear something, I just have to go out and try it) but I didn't want to spend too much money in case I ended up not caring for them that much.

I actually tried on skinny jeans several times at quite a few places before I could find a pair that I could work with. See, I have this problem where I have a larger belly and very little fat on my legs. If I find a pair of skinny jeans that fit my waist, they looked like jogging pants on my legs.

Now, I had toyed around with the idea of just buying a pair that fit in the waist and then taking in the legs. I found a couple of tutorials on Pinterest that looked pretty easy, like this one, and I figured it was worth a try.

So I finally found a pair at Old Navy in the Diva cut that didn't have so much excess fabric flapping around my poor ankles, and I took in the legs so they'd fit. 

Now I'm no professional, but I think they look alright. Also I think I look alright in skinnies. I've heard it said many times that "You have to be really skinny to look good in skinny jeans", but that just isn't true. I'm fat, I'm totally not the "right" shape for them, but I still rock them. 

Why? Why do I do this when I'm sure there are people who see me in them and think What is she thinking wearing those? Doesn't she know she's fat? 

Because I like the way I look in them. Because I like wearing trendy stuff like any other woman. Because frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.

Jeans- Old Navy
Top- Ava and Viv from Target
Heels- thrifted 

                                                        Thanks for reading!
                                                               Love, 
                                                                  Ashley