Happy Sunday everyone, today I have a very special post for you in celebration of my 2 year blogiversary! It was officially yesterday but with it being Canada Day and the 150th Birthday of our great country I decided to move the celebration to today.
It’s hard to believe that my baby is 2 already, time has certainly flown by. A lot of things happened this past year – awesome collaborations with brands like my 5×5 project with Eloquii, my Artex spring collection with SexyPlus Clothing, the denim video with Penningtons , trips to Atlanta and LA and finally being the official Brand Ambassador for Full Beauty at Full Figured Fashion Week 2017 in NYC.
I also rebranded and launched the new website. Then I had the opportunity to write for body positive outlets such as On The Plus Side Blog and FabUplus magazine. And to top it all off I hit 70,000 followers on Instagram yesterday. As I sit here writing this I hope you don’t think I am bragging I am honestly remembering everything and can’t believe how surreal it feels. I never imagined when I started this journey that I would have the opportunity to do such amazing things and it is all because of you.
I am forever grateful to all the people who take the time to read my posts and comment on my photos. And to those that send me messages and share their personal stories you motivate me to keep going and to do more. Having your voice heard is a gift and I want to use mine to continue to challenge the status quo, to fight for more size diversity in advertising and marketing campaigns, to fight for more brand options for size 24+ women, to fight the stereotypes and body shaming of plus size women and to share my continued journey of self love.
And of course I couldn’t go without sharing my love of fashion. So let’s start this next year off right and talk about this amazing dress that Lane Bryant sent me to help celebrate this milestone. This red stunner is from a recent Fast Lane collection called “Into the Sunset” which was inspired by that moment that the sun dips into the water after a long summer day. The collection is filled with shades of red, beige and white.
I am a sucker for a unique detail and the ruffled t-back on this maxi dress is definitely unique. It’s so on trend and has a romantic vibe with the ruffle and some sex appeal with the open back. And the rich shade of red is absolutely stunning. I loved that the rest of the dress is simple with a deep scoop neckline, a slight high low hem and a breezy chiffon fabric.
The dress doesn’t have much of a flare to it which is hard to tell from the model on the website. So be prepared that if you are a pear shape like me you might find it more fitted and as you can see I have some VBO happening but I didn’t care because I feel fabulous in it. I am wearing the size 26/28, my standard LB size.
I styled this look with some fun accessories to keep the look playful and sexy. These gold fringe sandals from Full Beauty are a perfect match for the red and the low wedge works with the mid calf length of the dress. And I love the texture of the fringe. Then I added some unexpected olive accents in these earrings and bracelets also from Lane Bryant. I love how the shell on the earring picks up on the sunset beach vibe of the collection. Finally I added this clutch from Xehar Curvy with its textured 3D flowers for a little bit of whimsy.
Shooting this look right across from Madison Square Gardens right in the heart of NYC I had all eyes on me. The Lisa that started this journey two years ago would have been intimidated but on this day I was confident and owned my body and who I am and damn it I was on fire! When you believe in yourself and live in the moment, anything is possible. So here is to the next year of my journey, I hope you will join me as I continue to set new goals and reach for the stars. I already have some exciting things planned so stay tuned!
Thank you to Lane Bryant for not only sending this dress but for continually supporting my journey. To work with you was a dream that I achieved in this last year. I can’t wait to see what we do next!
Photos by Nikki of The Nikki Gomez Photography
Dress by LANE BRYANT | Shoes by FULL BEAUTY | Earrings by LANE BRYANT | Bracelets by LANE BRYANT (alternative here) | Clutch by XEHAR CURVY (alternative here) |
