aussie curves challenge - stripes

one of the things i love about now taking part in these challenges is that it really gets me thinking about the bigger picture of what it is i am doing and where i want to go in my world of fashion along with appreciating the looks and journeys of the other people involved.

it's no secret in this plus size community that i am part of the clothing label huudaverti, which was started in 2012 when we decided to put a collection together for Fiji Fashion Week. I had just turned 46 at the time - nothing like a being a late bloomer and we were just doing what we loved - making clothes that we loved to wear that were representative of us as plus size women.

i blog on this forum as me, not a brand, as someone who didn't really take fashion too seriously till i hit my early 30's - even though i had always loved it, it wasn't like it is now.  in my early 30's the smart phone was a thing of the future, digital cameras were megabucks and having so many opportunities to share our fashion inspiration was limited.

i don't own a lot of stripes, but one of my most memorable ones is probably this and it started as a fashion failure, but i want to talk about it, cause sometimes the road to a super outfit doesn't always go as planned and just like starting a fashion label in your mid 40's, it pays not to give up.

 

i had been eyeing this hot pink and blue fabric off at spotlight and when it went to five bucks a metre, i was all over it and snapped up the whole lot.

often, i will whip up something new to wear on a whim - always have and probably always will. i may wake up early and before you know it, i have a new pair of shorts to wear to brekky. i was about to head off to Fiji Fashion Week 2013 and made a couple of things and this dress was one of them.  i didn't get a chance to finish the hemming so stuffed it in my suitcase and off i went.

The dress was hideous.  When i put it on, it felt like i was wearing a big stripey sack.  I hated it, but seeing as i didn't have something to wear to one of the events, it was easier to try and alter it, then try and make something new.

If you have ever seen behind the scenes of prepping for a fashion show - it is chaotic, to the point of sometimes not having your stuff finished till the day you have to show.  doesn't that sound like project runway.  well, it is true.  sometimes the plan doesn't go to plan.

So who do you call in a situation like this - your mum - she did a fitting and set about altering it to something that i felt really good about and was excited to wear at Fiji Fashion Week.

 

it sucks having an outfit that just sometimes doesn't work, but it may pay to try and find a way - whether it be making an alteration - turning a dress into a top, or making into a skirt, or adding some details to make it feel different, taking it in to suit your shape, adding some great jewellery or disguising it in amongst a group of beautiful models, there is often a way to make it different.

That's the great thing about fashion - it is really up to the individual to decide how best to make it work.