BOOM! It's Phillip Lim for Target!

The 3.1 Phillip Lim line for Target has generated a lot of excitement (now that's an understatement). I was online for its release, which was...painful. I waited until 4 AM for my chance to get a few of these items--many of which sold out right away, right under my nose. I managed to get 3 bags: a Tote with Gusset in Taupe, a Medium Satchel in Purple, and a Mini Satchel with Gusset in Taupe, all of which I will be receiving tomorrow if the delivery's on schedule. I may or may not keep them. It depends on how heavy they are (I usually only carry really light weight bags) and how pretty they are in person (somehow I don't see myself being able to part with the purple one!).

Anyway, now we get to the "meat" of this post. You know, the part where I write about Petite Plus Size stuff. The 3.1 Phillip Lim collection for Target actually has some items that fit plus sizes! I don't know if they did it intentionally, but whether they did or not, hooray!!!

Here is a list of the things I tried and how they fit:

• First up, The BOOM! Sweatshirt - I love this thing. I don't really know why, I just do. The XL fits me, albeit a little tightly. If you wear a size 14-18, this will probably fit you. I wear a 20, so it's maybe a little tighter than I would like, but since most people seem to prefer wearing clothing a little more tightly than I do this would probably fit my fellow size 20 wearers as well. It's got a cute hemline and is just the right length as far as I'm concerned, so it might be a little short on taller people. I bought this one and I'm keeping it. Verdict: fits a size 20! Eureka!
• Sparkle Dress in Blue - this looked so pretty on the hanger, despite its being a sort of shapeless sack. (And when I see a shapeless item on a hanger, my first thought is, "I'll give it some shape!") I tried it on in size XL. Strangely enough, it fit great in the torso but was too tight in the hips. I am bigger up top, so that rarely happens! Verdict: if you're a size 18 or smaller, this should fit, though I don't know how well. 
• Sparkle Peplum Top in Black - this is an awesome top. Again, tried the XL. Unfortunately, I'm too busty for it, so I got smooshed. Didn't look pretty. But if you're a size 20 and not super busty, it will probably look great. It almost looked nice on me. It gave me a waist, which I don't actually have! Also, it stretches, so it might fit even if you have a big gut like mine. Not for those of us with bigger boobs, though. Verdict: may fit other size 20s without huge boobs, and will probably fit (and flatter) those who wear lower sizes.
• Sparkle Tank in Grey  - Too long and too clingy in the butt area. Verdict: not for Plus Petites.
• Long-Sleeve Blouse in Green - Another "almost." If you're a size 18 or below, you can probably pull this off, BUT you'll probably have to wear it tucked in because it's quite long and the hemline is weird. I thought it was rounded in front and squared off in the back, but the pictures on the website make it look like a normal high-low, so maybe that was just my perception. And another surprise: it wasn't too tight in the boobs, just in the tummy area! Verdict: beautiful color, too long and too tight on me, but will probably work for anyone even a little smaller even if you're busty. Don't get it if you're like me and hate to tuck in shirts!
• Drop Dress in White/Black - I wanted this to fit so badly. It was just a little too tight. Again, if you're a size 18 or lower, it'll probably fit. Sigh. Also, the length was still above-the-knee on me (but not by much). Verdict: size 18 or lower, this may work for you.
• The BOOM! Sweater Dress - Honestly, I tried this on just for a laugh. I thought it would look ridiculous on me. It actually didn't look so ridiculous. It clung to my curves, but in a good way--the sweater is really stretchy. The dress came down to my knees. If I could wear really high heels, I bet this would actually look kind of adorable. Verdict: will even fit a size 20 but might be a little long on a Plus Petite.

 

As for the rest of the items in the collection, they either haven't shown up in a size XL in our local store yet, or I just haven't liked them enough to try them on. Please let me know if you've had different experiences with the items I wrote about, or if you have info about the other pieces in this collection that might be helpful for other petite plus size ladies!

Also, a little message from me to Target: please, please, PLEASE start making your designer collaborations in larger sizes! Just XXL and XXXL and so many of us would be so much happier, and we'd gladly spend our hard-earned money at YOUR STORE! It's a win-win! Seriously!

DRESSES!

I feel so lucky right now. Even with all the trials and tribulations that come with finding clothing that fits someone shaped like me and who is similarly modest, I've had some great retail therapy finds lately. I have to share these with you!

First up: dresses. I have spent many a spring/summer searching for that perfect dress, the one I can dress up to wear to work and dress down to wear casually that doesn't have to be dry cleaned and is comfortable. Being petite and a large size, I rarely come up with anything spectacular. Usually, dresses are too long, too big in one area and too small in another, and/or just the wrong shape or cut or fit or...you get it, I'm sure. A week or so, I went out on a limb and ordered some dresses from Macy's. Macy's has long been one of my favorite stores, but for the past few seasons I've been pretty disappointed with their offerings.

Here's what I got in today's mail:

(Sans models, of course.) By some stroke of sheer luck, I managed to order the correct size for each one. (In the first dress, I needed a 2X; in the second, a 20W; and in the last, a 1X!) That was some crazy guesswork.

Usually, for every dress I find that fits me and maybe looks good, I have to try on about 20. I held my breath as I put on the solid purple one, the first one I tried, an A-Line dress by ING. I had no idea whether this would fit or not, since it's technically a "Juniors" dress and I am, uh, probably a few years older than most who shop in the Juniors section.

It is adorable! It fits closely on top, which ordinarily would turn me off as I like things loose and comfy, but it just looks good that way and feels fine. It's got a nice scoop neckline in front and in back. And the best thing? It comes to just above my knees. Above-the-knee dresses make me look better, since I'm such a shorty; but I can never find them in my size! Even "Plus Petite" dresses are too long. So, yay Juniors! I could probably get away with wearing this to work, to a party, or just wherever. And it looks great with my scarves (yes, I own one of each of these as well as trying to sell them on eBay--they are fantastic), and any long scarves in general. 

Then it was on to the purple multicolor dress below, the one that has sort-of-but-not-quite horizontal stripes. (I despise the horizontal stripe fashion trend, but these are cool and uneven-looking and besides, these are my colors!) Again, perfect fit. This Keyhole A-Line dress by Elementz is looser than the first dress, even though they are both "A-Line." Whatever. Anyway, it's loose but not too loose. It's flattering. It goes down to about knee-length on me. Again, great for any occasion. Not so sure about the metal thingy on the keyhole part of the neckline, but I can work it. Also, since I'm pimpin' my scarves, it looks great with this one.

Finally, the black dress with the black and white pattern by AGB. I wasn't expecting to like this--but once again, perfect fit and super-flattering. This one I see more as a business casual than a casual dress. It looks awesome with a string of pearls. The waistband actually sits at my natural waist (not below, like most dresses of this sort, or above like empire-waisted dresses). It goes down a little below my knees, but it doesn't look too long. 

I am so, so, so happy with these! I look good in them! My husband really likes them! I do not often wear dresses, but that may change in the very near future because these 3 are so great. Now I just need the right shoes...

An apology and some summer pics

I'm sorry it's been so long since my last post. I've been unable to buy clothing for a while, which limits my fashion blogging potential a little (or at least the ability to post pictures of myself wearing cute stuff). I have also been having a lot of difficulty finding clothing that's decent for petite plus-sizers, or at least those who are built like me. Don't worry--I'm not giving up! I'm sure I'll have plenty of new blog fodder soon, when I actually start exploring the Fall styles.

Here I am on my mom's birthday, May 30th. Yeah, it's been a while since this was taken, but this is one of my favorite tops so I thought I would share. It's made by Daniel Rainn. I'm wearing a size 1X, but it turns out the XL also fits. In fact, the XL is a completely different fit, with a much shorter high-low hemline. I'll get a pic of myself in that one eventually. Anyway, I like the relaxed fit of this one, too, so I've kept both! It is a semi-sheer shirt, but I haven't found that I need to wear a camisole underneath, at least not if I'm wearing a nude-colored bra.

(This top is also on sale in my eBay store now through Sunday at 20% off. Here is a link if you're interested.)

And here I am the next evening, ready for date night with my husband. I'm wearing an Old Navy ruched-neck t-shirt in Petite XXL. I have this shirt in a rainbow of different colors. It was very inexpensive and I love the fit, and it's great for hotter days. I haven't been brave enough to go sleeveless this summer due to big stretch marks on my upper arms, but these are close enough to sleeveless to be comfortable. (I've seen some blogs preach body acceptance to the point of "loving" your stretch marks, but I'm sorry, I'm just not there yet and I don't know if I ever will be!) The skirt is actually a size XL from Max Studio that I bought a long time ago, and it always fits because it's got a very elastic waistline and a loose fit. It's made of a heavy cotton.

My usual Clarks sandals in both pictures!

Re: my last blog post, I am still trying to lose weight (I'm down a few pounds so far). It's a struggle because I tend to binge eat and I don't exercise much, but I'm working on those things. My goal--which I will try not to beat myself up over if I don't meet--is to be down to a size 16 again for my cousin's wedding next June. I hope that's realistic for me.

The journey begins...

I have just returned from a visit with a cardiologist. She gave me a big lecture on how I should lose weight. Yeah, I am aware that I shouldn't be eating 3 scoops of ice cream a night (with toppings). Maybe some people can be healthy at my current height and weight, but I am not. I do not exercise. I eat lots of baked goods. I need help. So I've joined loseit.com and enlisted a close friend who's recently lost a lot of weight on Weight Watchers to be a sort of mentor. Also, my EKG results were normal. Yay!

I am NOT implying that other plus size women need to do the same--we are all individuals with our own paths to follow. I am also not saying that I'm trying to get out of the petite plus size range. That is an unrealistic goal for me. It would be nice to be a size XL instead of XXL or XXXL, so that's what my goal is. I want to lose about 40-50 pounds, slowwwly. I will not starve myself. I will try to build healthy habits that I can keep up.

That said, I am still going to blog about petite plus size fashion! So here I am. Sorry about having neglected the blog for a bit. I have some pictures to post soon.

Today's mail

In the mail today were 2 catalogs from Macy's (which was my favorite store before I became plus size): Macy's Woman, and Macy's Petite. Neither of them have anything I can wear. Thanks but no thanks, Macy's!

The "Woman" one was full of maxi dresses that don't come in petite plus sizes, and their Petites sizes only go up to 16 most of the time. Meh.

Also in the mail? 3 pairs of shorts I'd ordered from Avenue. 2 of them were made with the assumption that I'd have a defined waist, so they were too tight (as well as too long, but I would've shortened them or rolled them up). The other was sent in the wrong size.

I don't know why it's so much harder to find shorts than pants. Anyone have any tips?

Shopping surprise: Dress Barn Woman

My husband and I were out shopping the other day, and the gigantic strip mall we were visiting happened to have a Dress Barn/Dress Barn Woman store. I was not very excited about going in there--I've found very few stores that have clothes I like that are affordable and actually fit me--but in we went. Toward the front of the store were some very casual clothing that I wasn't interested in at all, and some really nice fancy dresses that I don't need (no dress-up-worthy events for a while). Then we got to the career clothing, and the sale stuff in the back of the store. I was still not sure how much I liked/would fit into what I was seeing.

My husband found this black and white striped seersucker blazer in a size 20W and insisted that I try it on:

Much to my surprise, it fit beautifully except for a little extra length in the arms. This was a coup of sorts, since regular blazers almost never fit me right--usually they are too long and have too much room in the back, and those are the regular-size ones, not even the plus-size ones. I had expected to be swimming in a plus-size blazer of any size, except where my boobs and belly were concerned. I was so glad to be wrong! And hooray for my husband for finding it!

Then, we found this "butterfly" skirt, which is probably supposed to be mid-calf length or thereabouts but came about down to my ankles:

The butterfly print is much prettier in person. Purple is my favorite color, followed by blues and greens, so I really like this skirt. There was something a little strange going on with one of the seams in the back a few inches below the waist, but since I almost never tuck anything in, that probably wouldn't have been an issue.

I tried it on with a pretty purple shirt in a 1X that fit me perfectly. (I am much happier when a 1X fits me than I am when I need a 2X. LOL.) I really wanted all 3 items, but I stopped myself. I don't want us to wind up in debt because of my clothes shopping habits. I couldn't decide what, if anything, to buy, so I left empty-handed. There's always the website, though...

I do think Dress Barn Woman is doing pretty well with making things that fit and flatter the average plus size woman. Some plus petite sizes would be nice, but since I did manage to find good stuff anyway, I can't complain too much.

Anyone else have positive/negative experiences with Dress Barn?

Geeky casual, my sweet tooth, and some pretties

My OOTD: comfy, casual, geeky.

That's my "The Time Job" T-shirt from Teefury, men's size 2XL because that was the only size I knew would fit me. I'm wearing it with my dark wash Old Navy Sweetheart jeans, which are bootcut and very stretchy and flattering. These are size 16P.

I'm sorry about the photo quality, but that rather dark hallway with the full-length mirror is the only place I have to take pictures of myself, and no one else is around to take one...so that's what you get!

Here's a better quality photo for you. My mom came over yesterday, and we ate these:

Mmm, macarons. My sweet tooth is one reason why I've never really been "thin," and I accept that. I don't like to deprive myself of sugary goodness. I usually try not to go too overboard, though. I just love sweets.

I know there is a whole debate over whether a plus size person can be healthy or not. I'm not going to get in the middle of that one. My answer to that is, I don't know. I've had health problems since way before I became obese. I just try to be the healthiest version of me that I can be, and that is all I can do.

In the meantime, I try to make myself feel attractive (when I'm not totally dressing down like I am today!) with tops like the ones that can be found at The Smiling Turtle eBay store. Maybe I will eventually lose the weight again, but I'm not holding my breath, and I'm not going to wait until then to feel good about my appearance.

Speaking of the eBay store, I've just gotten in some amazingly beautiful fair trade scarves from India, so please feel free to check them out at the link above if you'd like. They're being auctioned at a high-ish price for eBay, but like I said, they are fair trade (from an organization that is certified by the Fair Trade Federation). And did I mention they're amazingly beautiful?

I'll post more about fair trade eventually. It is one of my passions. It bugs me that everything I buy/sell cannot be fair trade, but the world just hasn't progressed that far yet.

Jennie Runk, and my own ramblings

Today, I've been reading about Jennie Runk. She is the incredibly beautiful plus size model who was evidently featured in H&M's new beachwear campaign, which I have not seen (and am not sure where to see). There are pictures of her in swimwear in this article she wrote and in this article about her, but the only pictures of her that I can find on the U.S. site for H & M are in the specifically plus size section.

(Picture taken from H&M's website at http://www.hm.com/us/subdepartment/LADIES?Nr=4294956943#Nr=4294928449 - note its very extensive plus size styles - what?!)

She is nowhere to be found on the U.S. site's swimwear pages. But I digress. I like her. A lot. She writes about her awkward adolescence, and then says:

Having finally survived it, I feel compelled to show girls who are going through the same thing that it's acceptable to be different. You will grow out of this awkwardness fabulously. Just focus on being the best possible version of yourself and quit worrying about your thighs, there's nothing wrong with them.

Amen. If only I could reach out to adolescent me and tell me just how NOT FAT I was. We all had our pre-teen and teenage awkwardness (for goodness' sake, I had a perm and bangs that were often poufed up as far as I could get them with a curling iron!). But really, I look at the pictures now and I think "I was so cute! And I thought I was so ugly!" And it makes me sad. Actually, this really isn't what she's talking about. But it's the truth.

She also writes:

There's no need to glamorise one body type and slam another. We need to stop this absurd hatred towards bodies for being different sizes. It doesn't help anyone and it's getting old.

I think this is wonderful. I don't spend much time criticizing people for being overweight (after all, the last time I was below a size 12, I was a teenager and everyone else seemed to be a size 6). I do criticize skinny people, though ("She should eat a cheeseburger!" and the like), and maybe that should stop. Sure, I worry about thin people having eating disorders. I also worry about the health risks associated with being overweight. But this isn't about health. It's about acceptance of other people.

Jennie, you are a good role model, as well as being a fabulous model.

There are other questions these articles by and about Jennie leave me with, though. One is, where does "plus size" officially start? I know the fashion industry thinks a model who is a size 10 or above is a plus size model, but to the rest of us, size 10 is generally not thought of as a plus size. Then there are the stores. When I try to get petite sizes, some brands come in sizes up to 14P. Others go up to 16P. To get bigger than that in a petite size, I need to shop online, and usually not at the same stores but at stores that cater specifically to plus sizes.

When we're not talking about plus petite sizes, though, there are stores that go up to size 20 (and/or size XXL) before getting into the plus size department. And the plus sizes may start with 12W or 14W, but heck, I wasn't introduced to the world of "plus sizes" until I became size 18W. And what's up with that W, anyway? I imagine it must stand for "Women" or "Woman," but I confess that I can't help always reading it in my mind as "Wide." I don't know why. I just do.

So, what IS plus size? What ISN'T plus size? Can I truly define myself as plus size if I wear a size 18P on the bottom and XXL on top? I can, and I do, but I wonder what others think about all this. Is anyone over a 12 plus size? Over a 14? 16? 18?

Of course, it doesn't really matter what we think, it's all about how the fashion brands and stores want to organize themselves. There are no real dividing lines except the ones they set up for us.

Meanwhile, there's the Plus Petite woman. Where does she fit in? None of us look like Ms. Runk. She is what the average model is to the regular Petite woman - the ideal presented to us by the fashion industry. I'm not saying I couldn't have rocked a swimsuit when I was her size (only much shorter). I'm saying that I am shaped differently - narrower shoulders, shorter torso and shorter arms and legs - and that so far, I feel that women in this category are largely ignored as far as fashion goes. Are we really such a small minority? Maybe we are? Or maybe we're just extremely hard to fit?



What do you think?

I don't know the answers. I just hope I can help a little bit in my own way, both by blogging and by selling things in my eBay store that I think will make us look and feel pretty.

Mother's Day outfit

Hi! Back again, with a new profile pic courtesy of my husband. Today's outfit is brought to you by Lands' End. (No, they're not sponsoring this blog or this post in any way.)

I know it doesn't exactly scream fashionista, but I feel pretty cute in it. The pants are Women's Plus Size Petite Cotton Spandex Jersey Boot-cut Pants in Navy. I also have them in black. They are super comfy and I didn't have to shorten them at all, and after washing they were still the perfect length. I wear a size 1X/18P in pants and generally like a 27" or 28" inseam. (Again, I'm 5'2.")

They have a high-ish waistband that isn't too tight on me (and I have a large waist), but I can imagine it would work for smaller waists, too, since it's stretchy and comfortable. The pants have a flattering boot cut shape. I love them.

As for the tunic, it can be found here but as I type this, they only have size 0X left. I wear a 2X in their tops. The tunic's not a petite size, but it's not too terribly long and also looks good with jeans. I can imagine it would look good with leggings, too, if you like leggings (which I don't, but to each her own!).

The sandals are Clarks Lexi Linden in black. These add a little height (2.5") but aren't painful, which works for me. Also, I like the name. (Lexi was my childhood nickname!)

This outfit was approved by my mom. ;-) (I spent the day with her and my grandma.)

Happy Mother's Day to the moms out there! Hope you enjoyed it! What did you wear?



By the way, in case you are interested, I can be found in many places on the Internet: on Twitter at @smilingturtle2, Pinterest at pinterest.com/smilingturtle2, and Facebook at facebook.com/smilingturtletwo. My official website is smilingturtle2.com.

A few current fashion trends I love

Like I said in my last entry, I'm not super-trendy. I do, however, keep track of the trends when I can. I also go to stores, and of course I do some people watching. And really, trends are unavoidable, unless you want to just wear old clothing all the time (in which case you probably wouldn't be reading a fashion blog!).

Here are some of this season's trends I really like:

Polka dots. Small (but not too small), tasteful ones, like on this shirt by Lane Bryant (photo from their website):

(I own the shirt. The sleeves are a bit of an awkward length for my short arms, but I love it anyway.)

Florals (depending on the color and size of the print). There are some really nice bright floral prints around this season. No rules here - big or small flowers are fine with me, as long as they're pretty.

Peter Pan collars. Need I say more about this one? I just think they're adorable.

Blues and greens. Cobalt blue and emerald green are really "in" right now, and I love them. Oh, and yellow, too.


What trends are you into this season (if any)?

Soon to come: an entry about current fashion trends I loathe. ;-)

The Awkward Introductory Entry

Hi! My name is Alexis (aka Lex). I have my own business called, you guessed it, The Smiling Turtle. This consists of a small Etsy store in which I sell my handmade creations and a small eBay store in which I sell a whole bunch of things, including plus size clothing.

I am newly plus size as of about a year ago. The correct fashion term would be "Plus Petite," since I am only 5'2". I recently pointed out to my husband how little sense the term "Plus Petite" makes (Plus implies "big" and Petite means "small"), and he likened it to "jumbo shrimp." Mmm, I love jumbo shrimp. Maybe I should just call myself a Jumbo Shrimp? LOL. It's close enough to the truth: I am a big short person.

I've never really been a small size (well, except for about a year sometime in my teens). I was a size 10 for a while, then a 12 for a long time, then a 14, then a 16; then I went on Weight Watchers and got back to 12; then I went off Weight Watchers and gradually (edited to add: actually, not so gradually! Pretty quickly!) got to where I am now. I'm not especially proud of it, but here I am.

Now that I am plus size, I've realized that there's a distinct lack of clothing in my size that I actually like. I do not like to wear tight clothing (this has always been true), and I do not like to wear tents. I am not super-trendy. I'm in my 30's, I don't want to dress like a 20-something or a teen, and I don't want to look frumpy. I'd like to avoid having to take all my clothes to the tailor to be altered. This seems to be a lot to ask of the fashion industry for someone my size and shape, so I'm going to be trying to take The Smiling Turtle to a new level to try to help people like me find clothing that makes us feel and look good, and I'm going to use this blog to document some of my experiences.

I invite you to come along on this journey with me. As well as blogging about my own eBay store, I'll also share where I've found some of my own clothing essentials, and I'll blog about fashion trends and other related things - and maybe some unrelated things. I'll probably offend at least a few people along the way. Honestly, I don't really know what direction(s) this blog will take, but maybe it'll at least be a fun ride.