Do These Stripes Make me Look Fat?

Happy Monday!  Hopefully you are rested from the weekend.  Here in the middle of Minnesota it was actually amazingly gorgeous spring weather and I spent a lot of time outside just soaking up some sun!   I am loving a red lip lately with a really natural face - I think it plays off my pale skin (aka white girl ghost emerging from winter).

Makeup:  Younique foundation/concealer and 3d+ Fiber Mascara
Lips:  Blu-Red Lipsense

And now it's Monday and we are back to our regularly scheduled gray and rainy April!  Honestly the cure for me on a gray day is a bright, fresh, and usually floral outfit.  Let's talk about florals for a minute.  So as a fat girl, I always thought there was NO WAY I could wear florals - I would look like a beached whale in a mumu.  Oh boy, oh boy was I DEAD WRONG!  Case in point, my outfit from Sunday

Blazer:  Gap (a few seasons ago, but recently fits again!), similar style here: Old Navy striped Blazer
Floral Top:  Dolman Top from Agnes and Dora
Jeans:  Torrid
Shoes:  Steve Madden - found at DSW!

The key for me and my apple body shape is balance - basically doing things like make me look less blob like!  What I've done here is a super easy combo that any of you can easily recreate by following the rules I'm going to give you.  Also these pieces are basics!  Think of how many other ways you could remix them!

1.  Pick a way to break up the pattern:  You could do a solid bottom with a floral top, or a floral bottom with a solid top.  Or if you are working with a dress think about a cardigan or denim vest or jacket as a layer to accomplish the same effect.  Above I used a solid bottom with a patterned top.

2.  Add structure:  There are lots of ways to add structure to an outfit, but basically this means again to do something so there is a "nipping in" sort of effect at your waist, top or legs.  You could use a belt, a structured cardigan, jacket, or blazer, or use sleek/straight/skinny bottoms with a fuller top or a more fitted top with a fuller bottom.  Any of these will add a nice amount of structure to your outfit and accentuate your curves!  Above I used a fitted blazer to accomplish this

3.  Pattern Mixing:  This goes along with the concept of "breaking up the pattern", but seriously do some amazing mixing here!  And don't be scared!  I'll write another full post about the "rules" of pattern mixing, but for now know that florals pair great with polka dots or stripes!  And seriously... do not even get me started with the whole I can't wear stripes - they make me look fat crap!  Are the stripes I'm wearing making me look fatter in the pic above?  If your answer is "no" then don't tell yourself that!  The more we tell ourselves something the more we believe it!  So look at yourself right now in the mirror - or on your phone if you don't have one, and say:
"I am beautiful!"
"I am worth it"
"I am enough"

Keep on rocking what the good Lord gave you ladies XOXOXO!
Sarah