It’s my five year blog anniversary and I am so overwhelmed with emotion and gratitude. First and foremost, I want to thank every single person that has been following me along this journey. Every like, every comment and every email has continued to fuel my passion and make me feel as though I truly have a purpose in this space. Those that have been following me for a while know my story. I started TrendyCurvy purely as a hobby with no real expectations of where it would go. I just knew that I had a unique aesthetic and I wanted to show that plus size women could be just as stylish as anyone else. Now, blogging has become my full time job and I am more fulfilled with my life than ever. None of that would be possible without the love and support of my online family so I cannot thank you enough!

The Current State of Plus Size Fashion

Since five years is quite a milestone, I wanted to do something a little different. While my platform is founded on inspiring women, my hope is to also be a voice to move the fashion industry forward. That means talking to brands behind the scenes about more size diversity, expansion of trendy styles and overall plus size representation. While we have had some significant wins, I find myself still dissatisfied with the progression. For instance, I’m wearing this gorgeous designer dress from Marchesa thanks to my friends at 11 Honore. As a plus size woman, that’s a huge deal! Luxury clothing was something that I never thought would come in my size. Yet, as I stand on Rodeo drive, the home of so many luxury storefronts, I cannot walk into one of them and purchase clothing for my body type. In fact, women above a size 14 cannot find many stores in their local malls that carry their sizes. Let’s delve into this a little further.

The Underrepresented Majority

We all know the statistics. An estimated 67% of women in the U.S. wear above a size 14, which is the far majority. Yet clothing options, especially in store, are severely limited. I live in Los Angeles near one of the largest malls in the United States. It has over 200 stores including Nordstrom, Macy’s and JCPenney. Of those stores, about 50 carry women’s clothing. Aside from the department stores, only four have clothing available above a size 14. How do I know that? Well, those four stores are ones that I knew for sure carried my size. Two of them are plus size retailers, Torrid & Lane Bryant, and the others are Forever 21 and now Express carrying up to a size 18. I researched the other women’s clothing stores to see if they had plus sizes online, and then I called the ones that did to see if they had them in store. An additional 15 brands indeed have plus sizes yet none of them are available in store. I think you’re starting to get the picture.

Progression, Not Just Progress

I know that nothing happens overnight and I’m not going to pretend that I know the ins and outs of the fashion industry. However, we are in the midst of a plus size/body positive movement. Collectively, we as consumers have made it clear that we want representation. From impactful conferences such as CurvyCon, to the numerous influencers that have spoken out about the issue, we are not letting up. And like I mentioned, we have had some major wins. With plus size models walking the runways at New York Fashion Week and Tess Holliday gracing the cover of Cosmopolitan UK, these are moments that should not be taken lightly. Yet in still, the point of all of this is to make fashion more accessible to women of all shapes and sizes. Have brands really done that? Diversity & inclusion is not a box that you can just check off, but it is a commitment to that very principal. So while I am happy about the progress, we have much left to do to bridge the gap.

Thank you again for these past five years and looking forward to the road ahead.

xoxo,

Kristine

Also, a big thank you to my love and photographer, Steve Suavemente for capturing me for every single post these past 5 years. Love you!

It’s officially the first day of Fall!! Can you tell that I’m excited?! Fall has a special place in my heart and there are so many things that I love about it. Fall fashion is my absolute favorite out of any other season. I love that the temperatures start to cool down, especially in Los Angeles since we don’t get true seasons. Also, it’s the first indicator of the holiday season to come which makes me really happy. Although Fall has started, that doesn’t mean that Fall is actually in effect. The weather is still warm and I can’t quite break out my sweaters and scarves just yet. So, in the meantime, I’m going to make the best out of the situation and rock some of my favorite Fall colors and styles.

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: yellow is my happy color. Although bright, it can be worn almost any time of the year and it pairs so well with a host of different colors. This particular shade is almost a mustard yellow which is much more complimentary when it comes to styling. It’s a key staple when building your Fall fashion wardrobe. I love pairing it with leopard accents like I have done here and on a previous post. This time, I added a Merlot colored bag to not only color block the yellow, but also give a nod to the new season that is upon us.

I cannot wait for what is to come and all of the fabulous Fall fashion trends that will soon emerge. Stay tuned!

Outfit details:

Jacket: Ashley Stewart* | Tank Top: Express | Jeans: Celebrity Pink (similar) | Shoes: Forever 21 (similar)

*Fit notes – I ordered a size 16 in the jacket and could not zip it up. I was fine with it because I actually like it open. However, if you have a similar body type to mine and you would like the option to zip it up, I would suggest getting a size 18 or above.

Photographer: Steve Suavemente

A great pair of denim is essential to any wardrobe. I think that is something that we can all agree on. What we also can agree on is that a great pair of jeans can sometimes be difficult to find. This is especially true when you are a plus size woman. With the lack of options available, it can make it exponentially harder to find this essential item. Luckily, many brands are adopting the philosophy of size inclusivity and fit for all. “Plus sizes” is becoming a term that no longer represents an isolated minority but a much broader spectrum that should be included in mainstream fashion. One of those brands is Levi’s.

While Levi’s is not new to plus sizes, they have taken strides in the past year to expand their plus collection. This includes launching a plus size women’s top collection and making more of their denim available in plus. We all know the statistics that 67% of women in the US wear a size 14 and above yet the clothing options reportedly represent only 17% of the industry. With brands such as Levi’s making “Levi’s for All” and every fit for everybody, the gap will become much less disproportionate.

In addition to extended sizes becoming more readily available, it’s great that department stores like Macy’s allow plus size shopping to be much more accessible. They carry such a wide variety of clothing including brands like Levi’s and prove to be a great resource for the everyday consumer. You can check out their full selection here as well as some of my top picks below.

Outfit details:

Levi’s Plus Size Logo T-shirt | Levi’s Plus Size Boyfriend Jeans: Macy’s*

Photographer: Steve Suavemente

*This post is sponsored by Macy’s & Shopstyle. All opinions are my own.