Happy Friday everyone! I heading out to Atlanta soon but I have a special post for you today. I hope you all have a fab weekend and be sure to check out my Instagram feed to see what I am up to this weekend.
Today’s post is the first in a little series I am going to do highlighting some of the fabulous indie designers that we have in the plus size community. You know the ones, the women who aren’t afraid to make us fabulous over the top, on trend, fashion forward, wear what we want pieces.
First up in the series I thought it would be appropriate to highlight Atlanta based designer Jasmine Elder. Her brand, JIBRI is dedicated to creating garments for the fashion-conscious curvy woman (size 10-28). Her designs are loved by many of us curvy fashionistas and they have been worn by celebrities such as Tess Holiday and Gabourey Sidibe along with being featured in major publications such as Marie Claire and and People Style. Jasmine is also one of the award recipients for this year’s Life Styled event by Phat Girl Fresh.
I am beyond excited that I actually get to meet her in person this weekend. Her designs are elegant and sophisticated but at the same time fun and flirty. And true to my heart she is not afraid of colour and prints. The tailoring and quality of the fabrics used are impeccable and every piece is hand made in her studio.
My first JIBRI piece was the swimsuit cover up I wore to Essie Golden’s NYC pool party last year. The sequined beauty was an absolute stunner. So when she decided to have a 50% off sale on Black Friday I just had to buy this dress. I had been eyeing it for awhile but with the crappy Canadian exchange rate I was trying to behave myself. But this girl can’t say no to half off and apparently none of us can because I think we broke her website with all of our purchases!
Since all of her pieces are hand made you need to give yourself plenty of time to order if you need it by a specific date. But the wait is well worth it. It also allows you to provide custom measurements so she can tweak it if needed. I fell in love with the print of this fabric combined with the flowy romantic design.
The billowing sleeves and the full skirt with a deep v neckline and the transparency of the fabric. And I love her smart design choices such as the slip. It’s a knee length skirt that is separate from the dress so if you want to go without you can. I am wearing a size 4 and it fit perfectly. I did provide her with my measurements.
This is a special dress and not just any accessories would do. I wanted to play off the powerful pops of orange and metallic in the dress. My first stop was to contact Bryan Greenwood, the brilliant designer behind Crystal Countess jewelry located here in Toronto. Bryan specializes in high end genuine Swarovski crystal hand made statement pieces. When he sent me a picture of this gorgeous piece I was in love. And when I saw it in person I decided to turn the necklace into a statement making bracelet.
I then picked this statement necklace that had a bit of a tribal feel from SexyPlus Clothing and these delicate gold leaf tear drop earrings from H&M. I kept the shoe simple by wearing my nude sling backs from Zappos. The final piece of the puzzle was this clutch.
I had a hard time at first deciding what I wanted to pair with this dress but I had this clutch from Aldo in my closet and I kept thinking about it. At first I was hesitant to mix the black & white print with the dress but when I finally tried it I decided I loved the contrast. And the jewels were perfect for picking up the colours in the dress.
I am not going to lie I feel fierce as hell in this look and like a celebrity. As a size 28 I never got the opportunity growing up to wear designer clothes because they didn’t come in my size. So I applaud JIBRI for giving me the chance to fulfill a dream. And for realizing that plus size women want designer options! Hell yes we do!
Photography, hair and make up by Katie of Katiuska Idrovo Photography.
Dress by JIBRI | Shoes by ZAPPOS (alternative here) | Necklace worn as a bracelet by CRYSTAL COUNTESS | Necklace by SEXYPLUS CLOTHING | Earrings by H&M (alternative here) | Clutch by ALDO (alternative here) |
