Happy Friday peeps! Can I get a woohoo to the weekend being here AND for the fact that we are on the 5th instalment of my Holiday Double Slay Look Book?
My guest for today’s post is local model Esther Nakitende. If you aren’t familiar with Esther you seriously need to check out her Instagram feed! She has taken the industry by storm in 2016 collaborating and modelling for brands all over the world including a shoot in June with major US plus size designer Monif C. She is also the Official Style Ambassador for SexyPlus Clothing.
I had the pleasure of meeting Esther through the local plus size community and at first I was awe struck by her amazing beauty. She is in my opinion absolutely stunning with an amazing hourglass figure, gorgeous bone structure and hair that you have to see in person to believe. It was a little intimidating at first but once you have one conversation with this doll you realize how genuine and down to earth she is. She is a true beauty both inside and out.
Not only is Esther a busy model but she is in school full time and a single mom to 3 amazing kids. I admire her devotion to her family and education and that she wants to make a difference for women’s issues in developing countries and to empower women of all shapes, size and race to love themselves.
I have loved getting to know Esther better this year. She is always so kind and warm hearted when you see her and doesn’t let anything phase her. I really appreciate her support of my blog and my quest for size diversity and representation in the media. Every time I see her she tells me I remind her of her sisters back home and that means so much because I can see in her eyes how much she misses them.
I knew I wanted to incorporate a look from my fave Canadian brand Penningtons into this year’s look book. And I also knew I wanted it to be from the MBLM by Tess Holliday line which I have been pretty much obsessed with since its launch this past spring.
When I saw the latest collection (something new drops on a monthly basis), I immediately fell in love with the edgy holiday pieces and knew Esther would be the perfect person to help me rock them. Since Esther doesn’t have a website, I have provided links below for her look and check out her Instagram page for more pics.
I have found that the pieces in Tess’s collection have made me want to step outside my comfort zone. I have to admit her style is edgier than what I would normally gravitate towards but for some reason they always draw me in. This was certainly the case with this dress.
This slip style dress has an awesome green and black abstract print that doesn’t scream “holiday” but still has a festive feel. I seem to be feeling the bodycon silhouette lately and I think the fact that this is made out of a nice heavy weight ponte de Roma material with great stretch certainly helped.
It has a v neckline which is my favourite style and while it has spaghetti straps I was ok with it because they are fully adjustable. I often find that straps are too long for me so this feature is very important to me. It fell just to my knee and it has a sexy little front slit. I know, I am showing a little thigh – I break it out every once in a while!
So I am wearing the dress by itself but this actually comes with a long sleeve sheer black top that is separate. This provides such great versatility as you can choose to go bare like I did or if you like to have some more coverage, particularly for your arms you can wear the shirt.
But because it is sheer you can still get that sexy vibe. I found the fit on this dress to be large, I thought I would need the size 5 because it is a bodycon but I actually had to size down to the 4.
When I styled this look I was inspired by the current trends that are a throw back to the 90s which was the decade of my high school and university years. It is definitely a little more out there than you might normally see from me but I love the end result.
First off I had to get another fur stole from my gals at Flaws of Couture as I absolutely loved the one I got last year. And since fur is all the rage this year I was totally on trend. But OMG can you believe the colour on this one? This royal blue is electric and absolutely gorgeous. I was literally mesmerized by it. I love how it pops against the green in the dress. A fur stole is the perfect accessory to instantly add the glam factor to any look.
I continued from there with my print mixing and pops of colour by adding this new bag from Aldo. I am totally obsessed with it – between the snake skin, the pops of green and pink and the gold hardware I don’t what I love more. It is such a statement piece. And because the print on the dress is abstract it doesn’t compete with it.
To tie the blue and green together I wore this statement necklace from Torrid that is a mix of metallic, blue pearls, rhinestones and iridescent coloured beads. I literally just got this necklace and it has already sold out! But don’t worry I gave you a link for substitute. I then added my go to mixed metallic bangle set from Penningtons and a silver statement ring from Lane Bryant.
Overall this look may seem a little unexpected for the holidays but I took the risk and I love it. And if I am happy then that’s all that matters in my book. I think this would be an awesome New Year’s Eve outfit.
Both of our looks were provided care of Penningtons but all opinions are our own. Special thanks to Penningtons for helping to make this project possible. And thank you so much Esther for agreeing to be a part of it all.
Special thanks to Robert of Robert Skuja Photography for these killer photos.
Links to my look:
Dress is MBLM by TESS HOLLIDAY for PENNINGTONS | Shoes are vintage (current alternative here) | Clutch by ALDO | Fur Stole by FLAWS OF COUTURE | Bangles by PENNINGTONS | Necklace by TORRID (sold out but alternative here) | Statement Ring by LANE BRYANT (sold out but alternative here) |
Links to Esther’s look:
Bodysuit is MBLM by TESS HOLLIDAY for PENNINGTONS | Leggings are MBLM by TESS HOLLIDAY for PENNINGTONS |
