What Shape are YOU?

IGIGI sent me this info graphic that highlights body shapes and provides insights on what types of clothing complement each body type.  By their definitions I am an Oval, but I almost always tuck-in my shirts, and tend to belt at my natural waist.

Please let me know how you feel about seeing this sort of content.  I kind of like to see what is going on out there so it would be my bias to use it unless you object.

shape-stylist   Peace…affinity

A Torrid Kind of Celebration

IMG_2621I seem to have a couple of go-to looks these days, when I want to be comfortable.  The look I find myself in most often is a cropped Torrid sweater with either a dress or jeans.  I love the sweaters because I am often warm and they seem to have the best selection of very light – spring like sweaters that I can wear over a simple cami and be comfortable.

JRH Photography

JRH Photography

But what is unusual about this outfit is the jeans.  I sent these jeans to a shop on Etsy called Inspired Wear Jeans and she embroidered a quote of my choice on the side of the jeans “Happy is a Good Vibe for Peace”… John Lennon, and then added a little flare at the bottom to complete the hippie chic look.  I love them, they feel like they express who I am and they are fun and easy to wear.

Sweater: Torrid, Size 4
Top: Macys, Size 3X, DKNY Jeans
Jeans: Torrid, Source of Wisdom, Size 28
Affinity Belt: Ebay
Shoes: Torrid, Size 10

Sydney Erthal Photography

Sydney Erthal Photography

The first time I wore them we went to a fabulous 50th birthday party for our artist friend Marco Cochrane, who with his crew created the fabulous Bliss Dance 40 foot tall sculpture that is on Treasure Island at the moment.

jello shotsTo celebrate and make the evening more festive we made jello shots, from freshly squeezed blood oranges and champagne.  I had never had a jello shot before so it was especially fun and we loved how pretty they were.

Peace…affinity

Plus Size Tights, Leggings & Jeggings – Size 4X +

One of my fashion role models is my friend and fashion designer, Amber Clisura.  She did not wear pants in 2011 as evidenced by her blog No Pants.  We will be hearing from her soon, she just started a clothing line, Salt Clothing, and is showing her first Spring Line in a couple of weeks. She loves tights and wears them often, and she taught me how fun and useful tights are.

I am a pretty standard size 26 -28 or size 4X, I weigh 275 lbs. and I am 5’5″. In addition, my ankles are 9 1/2″, my calves 18 1/2″, my thighs are 27″, my hips 59″ and my waist is 54 1/2″.

So here is a little round-up of what has worked, what has not, and what I am excited to try next:

The Best So Far:

10/9/2016:
Sock Dreams Tights: This just in, I am hearing great things about these Sock Dreams tights in an Extra Plus Size, and come in both 180 denier and 20 denier (thickness of the fabric),

We Love Colors Plus Sized Tights: They carry a variety of plus size tights and leggings, use the charts carefully.I find them pretty true to size with maybe a 25 lb. margin.

We Love Colors striped tights in both the black striped tights and the white striped tight are “one size fits all” plus size tights, and the chart is below.  These tights just fit me, and I love them.

we love color plus sized one size tights chart

May 2014 Update: We Love Color is no longer carrying striped tights. I am heartbroken.
We Love color

Update: April 2013:  I just tried the plus size fishnets and the “one size” 1x – 3x fit perfectly, but I think I am at the top of their range, the size chart says hips to 48 inches, but they are also not very long. Update: May 2013: I just wore the fishnets for the second time today and they looked great when I put them on, and pulled easily above my waist, but within an hour they were falling down and since I was wearing a fairly short dress over them it was concerning.  I will probably not buy them again but will stick to striped and solid color tights.

On the other hand We Love Colors has a solid color tight that runs up to 375 lbs., (and maybe even a little higher).  I think they are the go-to tight if you are looking for an amazing range of colors, and I love that they last a long time.

we love color plus size tights chart

Sealed With A Kiss: They have a “One Size” legging that fits me perfectly.  I have a 54-55′ waist and I love how good they feel. Just a plain black, stretchy, footless, ankle length, legging that feels good and is wearing well.  This is my everyday, throw them on and go sort of legging.

            Size  
Length
Waist
Hips
Inseam
One Size 1X-4X 35 28-52 32-60 22.5

Torrid:

torrid footliss lights sz 2I love Torrid but their have been hit and miss for me.  I cannot wear Torrid Size 3/4, too small.  BUT their footless tights are great on me. I wear a 2 but often the 1 might be better, but might wear out sooner.  But I hate baggy tights.

Lane Bryant:

LB sz 26Lane Bryant tights tend to run large.  I purchased these Size 26-28 because I loved the studs, but they were way too large, and I have a similar pair that is equally baggy,  I am tugging on them in the photo so they will not look too baggy.  I am going to wear them at an event in a couple of weeks and I will have to take them in.

Roaman’s: .

Screen Shot 2013-03-22 at 7.11.36 AMI ordered a size 4X leggings from Roaman’s.  I did not review their size chart, I did not look at any notes I might have had about sizing for Roaman’s.  But guess what, Roaman’s runs VERY large.  According to their size chart a 4X is equal to a 34-36, not a 26-28, which is what I usually wear.  Good to know! I have this in this capri tight as well as a lace banded capri tight and they both run very large, I look best in a size 1X.

Roaman’s also carries a range of metallic leggings, up to a size 5X. I cannot really recommend metallic leggings in any brand.  No matter what size you get they bunch at the knee and the ankle immediately, and I think the bunching looks worse than in other colors.

Screen Shot 2013-03-22 at 6.41.05 AMCult of California: These are my favorite tights, I wore them recently to a Mad Max sort of party and I wear them with black boots or flats, often.  The back is not mesh so they are comfortable and the Size 4X fits me perfectly, and they come to a size 5X.  The are pricey, but I love them so, they were my splurge last year.

My Dissappointments:

Berkshire Queen: Silky Sheer Size 5X – 6x, I can just get them on but it is very difficult

Sealed With a Kiss Jeggings: 4X, I cannot get them on, and I am heartbroken.

Excited to Try Soon:

Curvissa:  Curvissa, a plus size brand in the UK, has a great range of clothing including a selection of cool and casual leggings.  They invited me to have a look at their tights and jeggings and I see several pair I want to try.

Screen Shot 2013-03-22 at 7.39.11 AMThese Fair Isle Print Leggings are my favorite and they come to a UK Size 32 which would be a US Size 30 or a Size 28 at the smallest.  I love them, they are right on trend with the tribal stripes and would look great with a sundress, and there is also an Aztec version.  I also like the lace trim on these.  If I get a chance to try them I will let you know how they fit.

Chubby Cartwheels Leggings:

chubby cartwheelsI have always wanted to try her leggings. I love the lace and these polka dots are precious and of course I love that her leggings come to a US size 32.  I will let you know if I try a pair.

I would love to hear from you if you find other plus size leggings that fit a Size 4X or higher. The more we share information, the more options we will have and the more the retailers will know what we want and need.  Sounds like a win-win for all of us.

Peace…affinity

UPDATE 3/23/2013:

A couple of Affatshionista’s readers, first Tristy, made some useful comments on Facebook that I have  added to make this a more complete discussion.  I REALLY appreciate it, I love learning from all of you.  She begins by outing my legs as smallish so in my description above I have included my measurements.

Per Tristy  “I have BIG legs and it makes a huge difference in finding tights and leggings. So I’m looking for any blog reviews of Size 4X+ leggings/tights for the big-legged ladies, in case any of you know of some. And what works for my big legs you (didn’t) ask? We Love Colors tights (only the spandex ones), Re/Dress Online‘s Teggings, and Domino Dollhouse‘s leggings fit my big legs great. Torrid, Lane Bryant, Avenue, Roman’s – not at all. I am LIVING for the CULT of California’s Rapture Leggings, so I might just have to give those a try. Did you find that they had a lot of stretch?” (My response, “The Cult of California legging are pretty true to size, not a lot of stretch)”

(Tristy responds) “It sounds like you and I have somewhat opposite bottom halves  I find with this kind of stuff, it’s REALLY helpful to know actual measurements of the person reviewing – my thighs are 33″ around and my calves are 21″ – Hips & tummy are 58″ – so that gives everyone an idea of where I’m coming from  – the reason the brands I listed that don’t work for me, don’t work, is because of my legs. Roman’s goes up to really nice, big sizes, but they only give you more in the waist and not in the legs, so I can barely squeeze my legs in them, but am swimming in the waist area.”

Per Amber,  “I’m with Tristy. I’m big all over, and I’ve got tree trunk legs. My calves are 27 inches at the widest point. (I love them, don’t get me wrong, but dressing them is difficult!) But, I left a comment on your post about tights that worked great for me!”  (That comment is incorporated here)  “When it comes to tights, I recommend these from One Stop Shop. They tend to run on the smaller side, I’d size up a size or two, and they seem to have gotten rid of the 8x, which is what fits my 5’7/430lb body. But that means they will fit anyone smaller than I am.”

THANKS SO MUCH FOR SHARING YOUR INFORMATION.  I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM MORE OF YOU…affinity

Dr. Martens Boots for Wide Calves

Cherie Andres DraperYou know I love boots, but in general find them very difficult, if they are big enough in the calf they are way too big in the ankle and/or foot length.  I don’t own a pair on knee high boots because of this problem.  I know a lot of big girls can wear Dr. Marten’s ankle boots or flats because they tend to run a little wide in the foot, but imagine how thrilled I was when Cheryl Andres Draper posted this on FatToo Anonymous and said I could share it with you.  This is how she has made these fabulous Dr. Marten Velvet knee High work for her:

My calf is about 19″ and these are the ONLY long Doc Marten boots that have EVER kind-of fit my calves. Kind-of, in that I had to do some modifications to make them work. If I wanted to actually lace them all the way up I had to replace the previous ribbon laces with longer ones (I keep forgetting to get even longer ribbons for these so I can have the poofy bow like I do with my red ones). Also, there is a little bit of gapping between the tongue and the grommets. With the black ones it doesn’t matter much as I have only worn them with dark pants so far but with my red ones I duct taped a strip of the wide ribbon on each side of the tongues so the gap wasn’t noticeable. In my experience Docs run wide (I’ve had and have a lot of them over the years, lol) and these are no different, I don’t wear wides but I need to wear chunky orthotic inserts with Docs and there is enough room for those without pinching my feet.

You might be able to find a pair of these on ebay or FatToo Acessora but I also thought these might work with a little stretching.  In my size they run about $150, and good wide calf boots run about $300+, so I may give this a try.
Thanks Cherie for sharing your secrets with us.
Peace…affinity

The Raygun Gothic Rocketship Takes Off

zkitty strykerThe Raygun Gothic Rocketship has been at Pier 14 for 2 1/2 years. It has been a fun piece of art for San Francisco.  I am very sad about the Rocketship’s departure and I feel like a little bit of San Francisco is leaving. When I was the blogger for the Black Rock Arts Foundation I wrote about the Rocketship a lot, as you can see if you click here.  Now it is leaving and last night the Space Cowboys put on a street party.  While I was there I met the lovely and interesting, Miss Kitty Stryker, who was part of the Rocketship crew.  I loved her uniform, and  loved it even more when she told me that when she had it made she told the designer that she needed ruffles and cleavage and fun.  So I thought you might like to see how that turned out.

raygun yu bestAnd yes, the party rocked and then the Bay Lights came on.  It was a special moment, that last time these two fabulous pieces of art would been seen together.

Peace…affinity

photo: David Yu

Valentine’s Weekend in the Beth Ditto Heart Sweater

IMG_2689Sometimes you must wonder, what is it that makes Burning Man Project and Burning Man so important to me, and what do I do for them?  Well, they make my life richer, fuller and more fun.  Currently for Burning Man Project I am a volunteer and the Social Media Coordinator, that means that I take photos, interact on Facebook and Tweet for them and update events, etc. on their website.

IMG_0380On Valentine’s Day, February 14th, 2013, Burning Man Project joined Glide in San Francisco by helping serve dinner to over 700 guests on this happiest of hearts day! Not only did we help serve the meal, but leading up to it, we crafted the LOVEliest valentines to give to Glide dinner guests.  The outfit above is what I wore to help make Valentine Card.

Sweater: Beth Ditto ebay UK Size 26-28  (This Evans Line no longer exists)
Dress: Asos Curve (US Size 22) bubble Skater Dress, this has become my go-to dress for cropped sweaters and tights. It is comfy and fun.
Belt: gifted with another belt that I purchased on FatToo
Leggings: One Stop Plus Size 3X (I wear a size 26-28 generally). I cannot really recommend metallic leggings.  No matter what size you get they bunch at the knee and the ankle immediately and I think the bunching looks worse than in other colors.
Boots: Torrid, Size 10, for more information click here.

IMAG0142Then on Sunday we went out to our friend Katy Boynton‘s studio to celebrate Heartfullness, and of course I had to wear my valentine outfit again.

Shoes: Torrid Size 10, I wish they had had 10 pair, I would have bought them all, they were $10 in the store Thanksgiving weekend.

414007_463963000301742_1484447488_oAnd this is what Heartfullness looked like at Burning Man.

IMG_2711And there is Heartfullness necklace, I love mine.  In this photo you can almost see the silver metallic thread running throughout the hearts in the sweater.

And here is a moment with Heartfullness at Burning Man:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jp8rJPdYpik?rel=0&w=640&h=360]

Peace…affinity

eShakti Clothing – A Plus Size Review

Cat Oake

Cat Oake

Cat Oake

Cat Oake

Cat Oake

Cat Oake

I have been watching eShakti for awhile.  It is everywhere in my Facebook Groups. I am thrilled, these buyers had posted their candid photos (I love that they take their own photos with their phones)  and they are willing to let me share them.  Because of that you will be able to see the range of clothing that eShakti sells, and they look fabulous.  And then, fellow blogger XXELLE put up a coupon code up for eShakti that is good until March 10th, (those details are at the end of this post) so I knew it was time to review eShakti.

eShakti carries sizes 0 – 36, they offer customization, they do not keep any clothing in stock, they cut to order and their clothing is made in India.  You have two choices, you can order clothing according to their sizing chart, and then have minor customization, or you can order custom sizing specifying all of your measurements. Customization is just $7.50 for both custom sizing and custom styling, and it is free with your first order.

I had never ordered anything from them because my personal experience with custom made clothing has not been very good, I tend to buy online and then have my clothes tailored.  But I ordered a dress last week, completely custom and we will see how it goes when it arrives in several weeks.

Per Cat Oake recently:

I had been buying items from eShakti and adding several inches to the bust and waist as well as saying I was 5’11” tall when I’m actually only 5’5″. Well, things were coming larger and larger. I think they have been finally figuring out that they need to add extra ease to the garments for fat people.

Anyway, I recently changed my ordered measurements to be just an inch larger in bust and waist and VOILA! Perfect fits in the last two garments that arrived. No need fix ’em with the sewing machine or just live with the extra volume.

In addition, I loooove the fabric in the dress shown. It’s a eyelet using silver threads. (That is the dress at the top). You can only customize using the options on the customize tab with eShakti and fabric is everything, when you buy their more expensive pieces the fabric is better and they look better.

Madelyn McWilliams

Madelyn McWilliams

Madelyn McWilliams said:

I pretty much ordered a size larger than I usually wear.  I usually wear a size 26 (22/24 top and 26 bottom) but I got a 28. The way it’s cut at the top i could use a little more room but it’s not bad.

Here are some more photos of other fabulous women wearing eShakti:

Aimie Thomas

Aimie Thomas

Katie Bot

Katie Bot

Cardigan: Annex Woman
Dress: eShakti
Tights: We Love Colors
Shoes:: Payless
Necklace: My grandmother’s

AnnMarie Elle

AnnMarie Elle

Cardi: Old Navy
Top: eShakti
Jeans: One Stop Plus
Headband: Sephora

Good luck to all of you if you make any purchases.  Consistently I saw the suggestion to buy a larger size than you usually wear and to add some inches to your height, the clothing tends to run short.  Thanks to everyone on FatToo Anonymous that was willing to share their photos with you and me. They look fabulous don’t they!
Peace…affinity