Snowman New York {Fashion February}

While I was New York City for fashion week, I had the great honor of being able to visit the Snowman New York showroom, thanks to my good friend Angela!  She just signed them on as a new client and was there for a meeting, so we got to tag along to come and check it out! The company just moved their workplace so I got to see their new place, plus almost their entire collection for the season!  Everyone was super nice and welcoming.  They were excited for me to come and check out their line, and obviously so was I! I got to sit down with one of the designers, Jennifer Suh, for just a minute and she told me a bit about their vision for the brand.  We talked about the lack of fashionable outerwear that is also warm and comfortable.  With the Snowman New York brand, they hope to give the typical winter coat a modern, New York makeover!

Looking through the collection, I fell in love.  Every coat was unique and super chic.  There was lots of furs, great color, and innovative shapes. Did I mention they do dresses too?!  Also, the coats were super light-weight and thin, avoiding that A Christmas Story look we Northerners know all too well.

While we were there, Jen and her wonderful HR maven, Murrill Oaks, actually let us do a mini photoshoot in the showroom featuring some of our favorite pieces!  Thankfully, I had my "should-be-a-model" friend Emma with me to try them on! Ang even got in on the action for a shot!

Ang caught an action shot!

We picked our top four pieces and tried them out!  The first one (shown in the top and left photos) has a super cute fur hood, a cool green color, and the featured light weight down.  The one pictured in the right and bottom photos was black with a full fur front (which was super soft and shiny, btw) and a lovely face, framing collar.

This piece, shown below, was one of the first things I saw when I walked into the showroom.  It's a leather dress with fur trim and it is adorable.

Lastly, we got to see a piece from spring collection that I'm seriously in need with.  There is so much going for this little jacket! The sleeves are down, but the body is not which creates the perfect amount of warm for spring!  The collar is super "popable" and the curve in the back is flattering and unique.  It's a very versatile piece that should be a staple in every cool girl's closet!

Overall, I had a great experience at the Snowman New York showroom!  We had so much fun hanging out and doing our photo shoot!  I also really loved the whole collection!  Definitely an up and coming brand that I would recommend to any girl looking for a chic, new coat.  I can't wait to see more of what they produce in the future and hope to collaborate again with them soon! Thanks again for having us!!

For more information, look books, and shopping check out the Snowman New York website!

XO, Briana

Trend Watching at Lincoln Center {Fashion February}

So as I am much aware that today begins our so long awaited March, I'm going to continue with my Fashion February posts, since all of these things actually happened in February! I have been quite the busy bee! As you already know, I had the pleasure of making my way to NYFW this season.  Although I didn't get to see any of the shows inside of Lincoln Center, I did get to trend watch outside!  This has seriously become one of my favorite past times.

This season, it was all about the coats.  Since it was so cold, everyone was wearing one and they were all so unique!  I saw a wide range of styles: preppy, mod, grunge, bohemian, you name it!  I snapped some cool shots of just a few of my favorites! My personal obsession right now is the fur (or faux fur) coats!  They look so luxurious and chic and can pump up any outfit! Also, most girls were wearing their coats in a cape style fashion, simply draped over their shoulders.  I thought that was so classy and feminine!  Definitely something I would try in the future! I also saw a lot of plaid and pastels.  Plaid is always in style, if you ask me, but pastels are beautiful for late winter and perfect for spring! Another thing that is always in style; Leather! Wearing leather in almost any piece is instant rocker chic.  I love the styling in the last three pictures; the girl (fourth row right) working the leather sleeves with lots of bold print and color, the girl with that outstanding lip dress rocking her leather jacket, and also the coordinating trio at the bottom! (Side note: I'm loving that guy's ombre pants!!)  Another thing I saw a lot of was the classic wardrobe staple, the camel colored coat.  Camel goes with pretty much anything and is uber chic, in my opinion.  My girls here paired it with metallics, plaid, and (my personal favorite fourth row left) mixed prints.

 Overall, most people were dressed very fashionably!  I guess people are a little more outlandish in the fall (see my Fall Fashion Week trend-spotting post).  I'm really excited to try out some (or all) of the trends I saw this season and implement them into my personal style!  What I'm most excited about is the pastels!! I'm not kidding when I say excited either.  I absolutely love that chic, luxurious quality that seems to have been floating around recently and I need  to participate in that.  So be on the look out for my attempts.

Speaking of pastel, another lovely pastel thing I got to try was macarons!  I've been dying to try them, since I see them everywhere online, at least once a day.  And also because of Gossip Girl (obviously.)  So I decided to get in touch with my inner Queen B and make my way to the Macaron Cafe!  Can I just say, this was a huge mistake because I'm now officially an addict.  We got a few different flavors to try, including PB&J (my first), passion fruit, Nutella, and apple pie!  They were all amazing and I'm currently on the hunt to find a place in Philly!  (P.S. if you know of any, don't be shy!!)  I also just found out that the Macron Cafe ships nation wide!! Needless to say, I'll be expecting a package soon...

Me before the magic.  About to eat my first ever macaron!

I was definitely channeling Blair Waldorf that day, not only through macarons and tromping around NYC, but in what I wore! Unfortunately, I didn't get a good shot, but you can see my Juicy Couture beret an my aeire sequined polka dot top!  I was also wearing a black Ann Klein coat, Betsey Johnson scarf, Wildfox hoodie, black damask leggings and necklace from Target, and my The North Face snow boots (since of course it had to snow...)  

 So this is just the first half of the day! I also got to do a mini photo shoot at the Snowman NY showroom!  That will be the next post, coming very soon!

XO, Briana

The Curvy Life

So as you probably already know from seeing photos, I ride the curvy train.  My entire life I've battled with my weight.  I was never thin, ever.  And I've got everything going against me.  I've got the worst genes for being fit; curves run in the family, I'm Puerto Rican (which says enough in itself), and I'm also destined for diabetes.  I've dieted for as long as I can remember and I've tried every trick in the book.  After a while, trying to be something you're not can get exhausting.  In recent years, I've settled myself with the fact that I will never be "thin." I'm just not built for it.  But the best part is, I'm okay with that!

SO much baby-swag!

Currently, I'm a little over 5'5" and wear around a size 14, depending on the brand and fit.  Throughout my life I've fluctuated from as low as the higher end of a 12 to the lower end of a 20.  As is expected, my body changed as I got older, and one day during my junior year of college I realized that I now had hips. (I call them my "mama hips")  I was no longer stocky and boyish, I now had curves!  I wasn't exactly pleased about this, wishing I had been better endowed up top.  But then again, I like being small on the top and I'd probably be really uncomfortable if I was bigger than my measly B cup.

What I'm trying to get at is, even though I have had times where I wanted nothing more than to have a flat stomach and wear a real bikini and low rise jeans, I also have times where I'd rather have a bacon cheeseburger.  Here in lies my problem.  I just love  food too much to sacrifice it.  And I'm not just talking about Taco Bell and McDonalds, I'm in love with gourmet food! Like, Diners, Drive-In's and Dives is one of my favorite shows.  I blame this on my upbringing.  My dad was a chef for a good while and then worked in the restaurant industry for the larger part of my life.  So I was, and still am, lucky enough to get fed top notch, delicious meals on the regular.  Do I want to wear that fitted LBD, yes.  Do I want to sacrifice eating that Beef Wellington, HELL NO!

Guys Dig Curves!

So a lot of girls want to lose weight because they think guys will like them more.  I was guilty of this at some point, but I have learned better.  In the least conceited way I could possibly sound, I think I'm pretty damn good looking.  Yeah, I'm chunky (as we refer to it in my family), but looking past that, I have a pretty face, fabulous hair, and a great fashion sense! Or so I've been told...hahaha. And that's just physically.  I'm also a good person with talent and a sense of humor.  Also, so I've been told. But the biggest part of it all, is that I'm confident.  I know that sounds lame, but I could not be more serious.  When it comes to guys, your glowing confidence highlights all of the things you love about yourself and shadows the things you're not so keen on.  If you think you're pretty, he's bound to think the same.  It's like some kind of Jedi mind trick. There are plenty of guys who dig the curves!  And not just "chubby chasers," regular guys!  Everyone has their type! I seriously have plenty of good looking guys give me a once over, or that have liked me at some point.  And realistically, I've had a lot of creepy guys do that too, unfortunately.  But that's not the point! You catch him looking at you, you're confidence is no doubt what really caught his attention.  Dazzle him with your smile, and who knows what could happen!  Now I can't really say much past that point, since I am uncomfortably single.  But I can say, I have a pretty good relationship with myself, and that's the first step!

The Clothing War

Another thing that has taking me a long time to get over is clothing.  Being plus sized and finding cute clothes is like trying to find a needle in a haystack, for lack of a better, less obvious metaphor.  But really, after sifting through the moo moos and grandma items, you're left with either really crappy, cheap, trend based clothes or more ugly things.  And then the next level is the ridiculously overpriced stuff that's probably still ugly and come in black, navy, or brown.  There's also the super fun category of plus sized clothing that just isn't flattering.  Like, if you're a plus sized gal, you're probably not planning on wearing a fitted dress with cutouts anytime soon.  And if you are, kudos, but maybe you should reconsider that one.  In my lifetime of "curviness," I've developed a pretty good sense of what looks good on me, and what is flattering.  I'm really good at hiding the things I don't want people to see and I probably look thinner than I actually am most of the time.  Which is cool by me.  I'm quite ok with not constantly worrying about my weight and still looking good.

Be Healthy

Now there is a line to draw, as there is with anything.  It's ok to be curvy.  Hell, it's freaking great!  But within your limits.  I eat what I want, but I also don't eat three cheeseburgers for every meal.  The goal is to be curvy and healthy.  Your health is so important! Don't sit around all day every day. Get some exercise, go outside, take vitamins, eat healthy foods that you like (I know there are at least some!), and treat your body right! We weren't made to starve ourselves, but we weren't made to gorge either.  As I said, there's a line.  You just have to know where that lies for you!

The Fight

Over the past few years or so, the sad reality of girls and body image has surfaced in a major epidemic.  There are so many girls who think they're too fat or too skinny or too tall or short or what have you.  Since I was old enough to understand this, I have been doing what I can to fight this kind of thinking.  Among many others, I believe that every girl is beautiful in her own way.  You don't have to be thin to be pretty, but that doesn't mean that thin girls aren't pretty! All shapes and sizes are beautiful! We are called individuals for a reason: because we are all our own unique being.  No two people are alike! So why do we all try so hard to look like that supermodel? No one will ever look like her, except for her!  And being a curvy girl, I say we are all beautiful!  We all have the potential to be happy if we let ourselves! 

Check out my EveryBody's Beautiful! Pinboard for inspirational quotes, videos, and statistics!!

XO, Briana