Sorry I've been away for a bit, I was spending time with family over the holiday. I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and a lovely holiday! And Happy New year to all of you!
Today let's talk about patterns! Specifically, all over pattern. I was always so intimidated by anything that was an all over pattern. I was so afraid that with my curvy body, I'd end up looking like a table cloth or some drapes! Someone I know posted something on social media once, they said, "They shouldn't make certain things in certain sizes", they were referring to polka dots. It sort of stuck with me for a long time. I was terrified of polka dots or anything patterned for years after that. I thought I would basically be holding a huge arrow over my head saying, "Hey look at me and all these curves!" And now, you know what, I am holding that sign, but in a completely different way!
I decided about a year ago, that I wasn't going to be afraid of patterns anymore and I've never looked back. I love navy and white so much. I wear my favorite Gap gingham button up shirt all the time. As you know if you follow me, I am constantly inspired by the Duchess of Cambridge and her effortless, elegant, and timeless style. She is class and elegance personified, and in my opinion never puts a foot wrong. When she wore that gingham shirt, I thought, "I'm going to give it a try!" and I love it so much. It's become a staple in my outfit choices as you can see in several of my previous posts.
Today though, I want to talk about dresses, head to toe pattern. I love black and white together. So that's what I'm mainly focusing on today. As I said, the Duchess is the epitome of a style icon in my opinion and I don't think you can ever go wrong following her lead. You'll see that her influence is heavily present in my choices for this particular fashion subject.
Kate wore a stunning houndstooth dress by Ralph Lauren for her first solo engagement after the birth of Princess Charlotte. You can read about it here. She looked incredible. I was envious of her ability to wear such a beautiful pattern. She is very tall, and quite thin, I wondered if I could make a similar dress work for my body type. Then I discovered that Ralph Lauren released a similar (almost identical, just a different material) dress in plus size. That's what really pushed me to take the risk. If Ralph Lauren, one of my absolute most favorite designers, thinks that curvy women can rock this frock, who am I to think that I couldn't?
There's a bit of a story to this dress. If you want to skip the story, just scroll down.
Side Note: I am a self proclaimed bargain hunter. I have an entire blog post in the works for you all about how I save money on fashion, it will be up in the next couple of weeks. I can't wait to share all my tips and tricks with you!
So back to this dress. I was drooling over it, but at one hundred sixty four dollars, (still a fraction of the cost of Kate's 100% silk, RL Black Label version) I was really having to give it a lot of thought. First of all, I was afraid of the pattern, second of all, I wasn't sure I could get a lot of wear out of it, and third, it was just a lot of money (for me) for a single garment, at this very moment. I put it on my wishlist and walked away. Several months later, I went back to have a peek. It was on clearance! Marked down to eighty one dollars. I had forty dollars in rewards for Nordstrom that I had been saving! I had been watching the dress at Nordstrom and Lord and Taylor. Lord and Taylor had the dress on clearance. Well, when I went over to Nordstrom to make the purchase and use up my rewards dollars, I was so disappointed to see that it was not marked down on their website. I knew from previous experience that Nordstrom has incomparable customer service. I gave them a quick call to see if by any chance they might price match it. And they did! The customer service representative was, as always, so very friendly and accommodating. He popped over to Lord and Taylor's website, all the while chatting with me about how timeless and gorgeous houndstooth is, like an old friend would do. Then he verified the price, matched it, applied my rewards dollars, and I also qualified for free shipping! So this one hundred and sixty four dollar dress cost me forty one dollars! This is why I have been a Nordstrom shopper since I was eighteen! And it's why I am a Nordstom shopper for life! If I can get it at Nordstrom, I do.
My point in all this is, take a breath when you see something you want. This particular situation took a lot of restraint. Sometimes due to the "Kate-Effect" anything Kate wears, or even things that resemble what she's worn (Repli-Kate's), sell out immediately. If you want something you have to really jump on it. But I was patient, I hit "pause" on an impulse buy and it more than paid off. I really lucked out with this dress. But you can always find amazing deals if you are patient and know where to look.
I do need to have it altered a bit, it's a little saggy in some areas, but luckily Nordstom does alterations and I have quite a few dollars saved up in my alterations account with them. I was too excited not to share it with you today, so here it is!
Apologies for the terrible lighting, it's been wickedly cold and windy where I live so I was forced to take the photos in this lighting.
A better look at the gorgeous hounds tooth.
The belt really cinches the waist which I love, I think it helps me hold on to my figure in the head to toe (calf) pattern.
Simple black suede pumps by Nine West
I think it just looks lovely peeking out from under my all time favorite coat. I scored this coat from Old Navy after I fell in love with the Duchess's white coat by Reiss, which she was seen in rather frequently, prior to her engagement to Prince William.
Classic pearl earrings by Mirina Collections and a black scarf by Kenneth Cole are the icing on the classic cake!
Kate in her white coat by Reiss
I'm embarrassed to say that this next dress has hung in my closet for years. I fell in love with it when Kate was spotted in it years ago. It's by French Connection and is called the "Tellin'" dress. I was always afraid to wear it because of the pattern, but now? I love it so much! I think the vertical stripes and the flouncy cut of the dress makes it super flattering.
As mentioned above, I was scared for (what I thought was) life on polka-dots, but I'm so glad I got over that and gave them a try. I purchased this dress from ASOS when I was pregnant with my second son. Again, totally inspired by the Duchess, as she wore it during her pregnancy. It is a maternity dress, but I loved it so much, I didn't want to part with it. Luckily, with a little tailoring (the front was a tiny bit long due to the extra length to accommodate a bump), it still fits like a gem and I know I'll have it forever! I get so many compliment's on this dress any time I wear it. I think I'm going to accessorize with a belt next time I take it for a spin!
Polka dots and I are good friends these days.
Last, but certainly not least, and keeping with the theme of Duchess inspired fashion, is one of my most favorite dresses I've ever owned. The "Wessex" dress by Hobbs. It's gorgeous. Its a beautiful white and gray check pattern. A lovely A line that is so flattering on any figure. I wore the dress a couple of summers ago to see my favorite singer/actress Sierra Boggess in the role of Christine on Broadway in Phantom of the Opera. It is classic and perfect for spring and summer.
No matter who it is you are inspired by, whatever your fashion choices are, don't be afraid to try something new. I wish I had fallen in love with prints and patterns long before now, but I let fear hold me back. No longer. I am always open to trying new looks now. I stick to things that I love, but I'm not afraid to get carried away or inspired any more. If I love something, I'm going to give it a chance, before I think, "Oh, I could never wear that".
That's all for now ladies!
Love,
Kate
Shop!
Ralph Lauren Houndstooth Dress in Plus Size
The Non-Plus Size Version
If you love the Duchess' style and are looking for inspiration, click here to check out one of my favorite blogs. Kate's Closet has endless inspiration for Duchess inspired looks. She even has a section specifically for plus size ladies.
Happy New Year!
