Monday, April 11, 2011

Introducing the first "FoxyRoxy FashionPlate": Carly Obrycki

I am proud to announce a new feature that is sure to entertain, educate and empower you! Each month FoxyRoxy will pick one amazing woman who embodies what it means to be a fierce, fearless and foxy woman over a size 12. They all answer the same 10 questions, but with her individual wisdom, wit and flare.
Our first "FashionPlate" truly earns the title because she just learned style tips from the experts - Clinton Kelly and Stacy London! You may recognize her from last week's episode of TLC's "What Not To Wear."  I thought it was so refreshing to see a woman on TV finally tell the world "if you got it flaunt it." Without further ado...


Meet April’s FoxyRoxy Fashion Plate:
Name: Carly Obrycki
Hometown: Jersey City NJ           
Occupation: at home mom, currently seeking employment
1.    What is one item of clothing you would never part with?
Really not too attached to clothes, always open to change, however, I would hate to see my leopard print cocktail dress leave my wardrobe.

2.    What is your biggest fashion splurge ever? My biggest fashion splurge was my What Not To Wear shopping spree

3.    When do you feel your sexiest? I feel sexiest in my red pumps, they make me want to find a runway and work it!!!!!! :)

        What is your morning beauty routine? My morning beauty routine is still not "routine"' but before I walk out the door, I say to myself, "hmmm what if Stacy and Clinton were hiding behind the bushes somewhere"...lol.... resulting in Carly having all bases covered!

5.    5 things you’d take on a deserted island:
(1) lip gloss
    (2) baby wipes
    (3) agood book
    (4) a blanket
    (5) a lighter

6.   Biggest fashionista moment? (i.e. a red carpet event, meeting a style icon, shopping spree, photo shoots, etc.) My biggest fashionista moment was revealing my WNTW makeover to my friends and family. Especially my kids, I love for them to be just as proud of what their Mommy looks like on the outside as well as the person I am on the inside.

7.    Everyone has a guilty pleasure, dance anthem that can be cranked up and brighten any mood. What’s yours? No doubt about it, RICK JAMES "BRICKHOUSE"

8.    If you could have a cocktail with any woman, alive or dead, who would she be? Although I would love to sip with Cleopatra and find out if Julius Caesar really was the "baby daddy"...lol I would definitely opt for a cocktail with Oprah, she is ABSOLUTELY, AMAZINGLY, INSPIRING.

9.    Sadly, the obsession over body image is everywhere these days and being over a size 12 can be hard for many young women to deal with. What advice would you give to these girls?
           I worked with a girl younger than me that constantly picked on herself and obsessed with her size 18 frame,
  I looked her in the eyes and said sweetie whoever thinks you re too big, obviously does not hve the equipment to handle the job!!!! Seriously though, you have to embrace who you are, don't waste time comparing yourself to others, use that time to look and feel so good about yourself, that people will compare themselves to you instead! As plus size women, we posess a plus size beauty! Mae West said it best "Cultivate your curves - they may be dangerous, but they won't be avoided.

1.    To you, “Foxy” means… You can be a mother, sister, grandma, daughter,corporate woman or a houswife, as long as you can be clever!If you can walk down the street and smile, get smiles in return while people can think to themselves.... "WOW, WHOS THAT LADY, AND I WONDER WHAT SHES UPTO"! THAT IS FOXY!





Sunday, April 10, 2011

Spring Cleaning Part 2- The "After" pictures

Ok so I didn't post pics of the closet before my serious spring overhaul, but imagine disaster area of designer duds in heaps. Tragic. After several hours and large order of Elfa shelving from Container Store, my friend and professional organizer Joelle turned my life around!
I am so glad I found her! There is no way I could have done it without her - it was hard enough for me to part with so many pieces of my wardrobe and categorize what I own. My closet for the first time in my life is like a Sex in the City dream with perfectly organized places for all of my clothing, designer bags, shades and even a whole 'boutique" section of shelving for my 56 pairs of shoes! Check it out:
The left side. Check the 2nd tier of hanging space for gowns

Center of walk in - Check out those bags!

The shoe "boutique" - I will soon install a black drape and sconce.





















Live in the NYC area and want this fabulous, affordable service?

Check out Joelle's info here:

Friday, April 8, 2011

Spring Cleaning - a way to refresh the wardrobe

Hey foxy ladies!
So in preparation of spring, after much procrastination, I have decided to finally tackle my avalanche of clothes and rebuild my closet. Admittedly, I am a shopaholic. Since it is so rare to find hot clothes in my size I tend to just buy up every piece that I love regardless of if I have an occasion for it. Probably not the healthiest for my wallet or my closet, but alas that is the case.

Once or twice a year, I take a big haul of clothing that I rarely wear down to my favorite vintage store Re/Dress in Brooklyn, a secondhand store for size 12 and up. I feel great about sharing the fashion wealth and giving other curvy girls a chance to love the clothes that I have loved but don;t use enough to keep. What I love most is that after donating clothes, I earn store credit which I can then use to snag a few new pieces, thus freshening up my style for free! If you are in NYC, I strongly suggest you do this. Out with the old and in with the new!
Some of the cute spring, retro finds at Re/Dress, 109 Boerum Pl, Brooklyn NY
Even after a few rounds of closet purging, I still seem to be overwhelmed by my wardrobe and have just realized after "doing inventory" and trying to reorganize that I had no idea what I really owned. SO I suggest this: shop your closet!!

Go through the whole thing, accessories included and see what you have. In there you most likely will find styles that have been in there so long that they have come back into style! So try on everything and make sure that you still love the way it fits and that it's age appropriate. It's OK to keep a few things that you had 10 years ago only if you can update it and make it fit a more grown-up you.

For example, that kilt that used to be part of some sexy school girl outfit you wore to a freshman year party can now be worn with a sweater and tights for a sophisticated look, but that sequin tube top has to go. There are no "pimps and hos" theme parties to wear that to over the age of 20. Sorry.

Here are some of FoxyRoxy's tips on what to revive and what to give away: 

Keep your eye out for any of the following that you may own that are now hot pieces for spring: 
1. Nude, flesh tones
2. Lace
3. Fringe - but I don't mean that old flapper costume. Think leather fringed bags instead.
5. Bold, jewel tones - not neon. Neon colors are very hard to pull off and not look dated
6. Platforms and espadrilles - yep they are back!

Time to move on from: 
1. Leggings!! This trend rarely looks good on anyone and has to stop. EIther wear tights and a skirt or wear pants. Leggings don't count as pants in our opinion.
2. Cheap spandex clothing. Some spandex tops still can look cute, but most do not stand the test of time due to poor quality or dated patterns
3. Bubble hems and balloon tops - remember that awkward trend in '06 of gathered, bubble skirts or blouson tops that are banded at the waist? Not sure why they were everywhere or why I owned some, but yikes. Toss 'em!
4. Graphic tees. It is OK to keep a few of them that you love but since they have been everywhere for years you might have accrued too many by now
5. Old lingerie - bras and panties can not last a lifetime and often lose shape or get tattered. Same goes for basic tops and tanks. Go shop for some new undies and be sure to get a bra- fitting if it has been a while
6. One-sleeved tops. This look is pretty much done

Hope you have fun getting ready for the new season and get a new look for free!

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

TLC's What Not To Wear "Carly" episode: almost as good as FoxyRoxy tips ;)

Hell yeah! I am always so excited when reality shows like "What Not to Wear" and "Say Yes to The Dress" focus on plus size girls, without treating us differently. Wanting to be stylish is universal -fat or skinny. Bravo to Clinton for telling foxy, single-mom Carly that she has a great, beautiful hourglass body that she can be proud of.  Which she can- she is gorgeous! They didn't focus on body flaws, just her style, which I grant you, was pretty misguided.

Carly, like a lot of shapely girls, struggled to find quality clothes that fit in all the right places. So many times, plus size options are either frumpy hoodies or slutty spandex - which is exactly why the TLC tagline for Carly is that she has a "split personality" for style. It's almost not her fault, since unless you spend a lot of time searching, have lots of patience and know where to look, you only find low-quality pieces that are all wrong for girls who are confident, curvy AND chic. Combatting this rut is exactly what FoxyRoxy has dedicated so many shopping hours to!

Carly - if you read this- I feel your pain shopping! It is very frustrating to comb the racks and find nothing that fits right. This is why FoxyRoxy tries to take the guesswork out of it all so you don't end up trying to cram into misses size 16 or swim in 4X sweats. (Shameless self promo: check out the vacation style guides and stay tuned for FoxyRoxy's Fifth Ave Finds from my recent trip down the block to Escada and Bergdorf Goodman)

Lee Lee's Valise, $168
They went to one of my favorite stores in the city, Lee Lee's Valise and scored a 3/4 sleeve "Lisa" wrap dress...A MUST in any color or pattern for every girl looking to flaunt her shape. FoxyRoxy believes that this may be the best silhouette for everyone!
They also guided her to well-fitting trousers and tops that show off curves and little boob without looking like tramp. FoxyRoxy is all about showing off the girls, don't get me wrong, but there is a time and a place for serious cleavage - and the office is NOT one of them. Beachwear and sexy loungewear is a different story.
I wish they would say who designed the clothes she got so I could track all the pieces down, but from the looks of the jersey v-neck top they got at Lee Lee's, it most likely is a Kiyonna style. Again, great coverage while hugging in all the right places, but I would have like to have seen a top with a little less puckering at the empire waist. Empire waists are tricky because if you have a chubby middle, a cute, flowy empire top on the rack could make you look pregnant once on.

Which brings me to my next topic...sorry "What Not To Wear" team, it's not all love from FoxyRoxy. Here is what we think went wrong: 

1. We would not have done bangs (or fringe as the UK calls it) though she ended up looking smokin'!  Bangs take a lot of work to look sexy and not cut off a full face, fall flat or look frumpy. It takes a lot of round-brushing and side sweeping for them to look right on a round face. Foxy Roxy would have done a lot of long layers to open up and elongate the face instead. 

DKNY, "Soho" Bootcuts, $89
2.  We agree with the dark denim jeans as a staple but FoxyRoxy believes that the only reason for skinny  leg jeans to exist is to tuck into boots. Alone they draw too much attention to thick calves. We would have gone with some hot bootcut jeans to balance out the width of hips. Be sure to make sure that they fit (but not too tight) in the booty and thighs so they don't look dumpy or too wide. I am in love with DKNY jeans, but Lane Bryant's "Right Fit" technology jeans are great for hard to fit shapes.

3. FoxyRoxy as always, would have loved to have seen more knee-skimming skirts. Showing a little leg is always a good move if you want your outfit to be a bit more young and flirty. Whether you like A-lines or pencils, just be sure that they are the right size. I always go a size up if I am  buying online or forgot to double-check my measurements. That way you know a skirt won't cause muffin top, show panty lines or cling to your belly.

4. I wish Clinton and Stacey would show the curvy women of the world how to navigate a few tricker style issues, like finding a strapless bra that actually stays in place or getting knee-high boots to fit wide calves. There are so many fashion staples in the world that are available to plus size women, but we sometimes just don't know where to look.

THANK YOU CLINTON AND STACY FOR SPOTLIGHTING HOW STYLE IS ABOUT DRESSING FOR YOUR SHAPE AT ANY SIZE!! AD THANK YOU CARLY FOR SHOWING US YOUR AMAZINGLY SEXY CONFIDENCE!
The average woman in the USA is over a size 12. "What Not To Wear" is a great start to educating America's female majority on what to look for and how to shop for it!

Kudos!

xoxo

Foxy Roxy