Patrice (pictured left) is the kind of gal everyone should have in their life. She's honest, forthright and has the most incredible spirit. Her blog, Afrobella, is written with a level of care & compassion that isn't often found in the blogosphere. She covers topics ranging from beauty, music, fashion and other passions that are top of mind that day - you never know what interesting post will be next! We had the opportunity to meet during New York Fashion Week and from the instant we met, I knew I wanted to know more about her. She offered insights into her plus size fashion sense & her hottest picks for Winter in our 5 questions with her below.
SS: Have you always been plus sized?
Yes indeed, I've always been plus sized. It was really difficult as a teenager, I didn't know what to do with myself and masqueraded my insecurity by being a total tomboy and "the friend," you know - the one boys never would consider as a possibility? But as I grew older and more confident, and went to college... I realized that I liked the way I looked. Plus size could mean sexy, there *are* boys who like curvy girls, and who needs a guy's stupid opinion to make myself feel beautiful anyway - being comfortable in your own skin is where it's at! It wasn't until college that I started wearing sleeveless tops or shorts (and hello, I grew up in the Caribbean!). It wasn't until mid-way through college that I realized my mother was right -- I WOULD look lovely in a nice skirt. Or dress. My dress fetish is a relatively recent phenomenon, but it's become a fever that isn't going away.
SS: What style/garment/etc do you wish there was more of in the marketplace?
Cute, affordable, unique dresses. I'm constantly fantasy shopping for dresses and can never find anything in my price range that I can afford, in a style that's OMG I-need-this-right-away cute. Right now I'm looking for truly cute sweater dresses and can't find anything (except for my vintage Silhouettes black mini, which I'm wearing in my current profile pic on Twitter)! Cute day-to-evening dresses for cooler weather, and tasteful, flattering dresses for hot weather. Honestly I see alot of this kind of stuff on UK fashion blogs, but it happens rarely in the US. I'm hoping we start catching up more with the UK in that respect, soon.
SS: You recently moved to Chicago, so this is going to be your first true Winter. How are you preparing?
I'm taking better care of my skin and hair, soaking up the moisture and exfoliating more! I'm plotting a big shopping trip soon -- apparently the truly thick and warm sweaters are coming out soon, but not quite yet. I gotta learn how to layer and I'm kind of struggling -- just this weekend I thought I'd done some creative and cute layering and my husband was like uh, hon....what are you doing? So it's a work in progress. My biggest mission is finding the perfect long-sleeved tops, sweaters, tights, tunics and most important of all -- boots! And then I'm looking for fly accessories to go with it all.
SS: What trends will you be wearing this Winter?
I love the look of over-the-knee boots, but for me, practicality is key. My watchword when shopping is, WWTGD?(What Would Tim Gunn Do?). So I don't go for trends that aren't timeless. I want fashion staples that can be remixed year in, year out. What I really want for my first winter is the perfect pair of jeggings (jean leggings), a thick and warm pair of sweater tights, some supafly sweater dresses and tunics, a badass pair of tall, flat leather biker boots to withstand the elements, and a truly classic leather bomber jacket to pull it all together.
SS: What are your 3 favorite items from Silhouettes.com right now?
Just three? ;)
Stretch Denim Classic Leggings - Love these in indigo
Sport Boot
Tunic Dress - the tunic, you can dress it up or dress it down. Effortless chic
Latest Comments