Happy Friday my blogger fam, I hope you all have had a great week and have an even better weekend! It’s Thanksgiving this weekend for us Canadians so I am looking forward to a long weekend and spending time with friends.
I have had the opportunity over the last few months to forge relationships with some new designers, ones that are brand new to the plus size market and ones that have been around for awhile but are size inclusive and you might not necessarily know that they design for plus too. I will be sharing these new brands with you over my next few posts and it started with my last post featuring Jeff Cafone. I think it is important to showcase these designers that are looking to make an impact in the plus community, especially when they carry extended sizes! There have been many other launches in plus but time and time again I am continually disappointed when I see the sizing stops at a 22 or 24.
So even though its October we are going to talk about one of my favourite things – swim wear! The weather may be getting cooler here but it is the start of resort season and for all my gals that will be taking trips to sunny destinations, you need to look good. I am also planning my own warm weather vacation for later in the year so I have to be on my toes! If you are looking for a suit that will turn heads on your next vacation then I highly recommend you check out Alpine Butterfly Swim, the new line founded by Olga Caro a model, mother and lover of fashion.
Olga was born in Columbia, raised in Phoenix and moved to California in 2016 to work on a modeling campaign for Guess. Growing up in Columbia, Caro says that “swimsuits are very important to us, they are basically a uniform”. So she knew that she would likely always want to start her own line. But the biggest question I had for her was why a focus on plus size when you are a straight size?
The answer I got was so sweet and honestly speaks to the beautiful person that Olga is both inside and out. She had taken her nieces shopping for suits and realized that there were limited options available for women with certain body types and they certainly weren’t cute. So she decided she would take matters into her own hands and designed the line with her nieces and their confidence despite not having a “traditional” body type in mind.
Once Olga started doing additional research she also became inspired by women she found online through the body positive movement and social media. Her muses for the first campaign were the likes of Eva Kay Serres, Bree Kish, Oolesya Raspanova and Anita Marshall. And she found me through my Instagram account! I have to be honest when she first sent me a message I was like what does this gorgeous model want to talk to me about but she was very genuine and down to earth and so supportive of what I was doing. Her encouragement meant a lot. We kept in touch while she went through the development process and I was so excited for her when she launched the line in August.
Her desires to “revolutionize the plus–size industry and create a brand meant to celebrate women of all body types, while igniting feelings of self–love and empowerment”, “wanting her children to grow up in a world full of positivity, love, and acceptance” and “believing that when women come together and empower one another, the possibilities are endless” are so inspiring in a world where women constantly compare themselves to one another and the media has us believe that we have to look a certain way in order to be beautiful. When I look at the two of us who are on completely opposite ends of the size spectrum but know that we share the same beliefs and desires for changing the current narrative that puts a smile on my face and gives me hope for the future.
The collection is very much a nod to romantic sunsets and tropical beaches in pretty pastel colours and feminine prints with some classic black mixed in. There are a variety of mix and match separates as well as a one piece options. And she certainly didn’t shy away from giving us gals some super sexy options too. The string bikini is hot hot hot! I also have much respect for the fact that none of the model’s stretch marks or rolls or lumps and bumps are photo shopped out. All pieces are available in a size L to 5X. This equate to roughly an 8/10 to 28/30. I am wearing a 5x in this suit.
I chose to try a top that is not your typical swimsuit top and not something I would normally gravitate to with the BFF Top in Roses. This piece is essentially a crop top with cute flutter sleeves and a surplice neckline. I was a little nervous that it might not fit based on the measurements on the size chart because I have a large bust but the fit is quite comfortable. I typically don’t buy suits that don’t have underwire in them but this style is very on trend and I wanted to give it a try. To my delight the top is actually very supportive and the girls looked fantastic. And it was nice to not wear underwire for a change. The waist band is nice and thick and stays put.
I wanted to keep with the retro vibe of the top and print so I chose the Star Bottom in Roses. This is slightly more conservative then the “Cheeky” alternative. Again I loved the thick waist band and the fact that it was a mid rise bottom. It has super flattering ruching detail on the sides and the back to accentuate your curves in all the right places. I liked that the leg cut was higher so it was less constricting but still gave great coverage. The print on this suit is divine and definitely turned heads, there was certainly no one else on the beach with a suit like this.
So I am going to be upfront with you guys and let you know that these are high quality swimsuits so the price point reflects this. But I am telling you that you can see the level of quality immediately. I mean first of all the suit comes inside this gorgeous little beach bag with a genuine sea shell with the logo embossed on it. How cute is it? The actual pieces themselves are fully lined and made of thick soft and super stretchy spandex that will hold up to all of your beach adventures. You can also tell in the quality of the elastic trim and stitching.
The great thing about this suit is that you can easily turn it into an outfit like I did here with this cute skater skirt that I had in my closet. I actually went out for dinner in this look after our day at the beach. It would be totally amazing to be able to do that on vacation too!
I was so excited when I got this suit in the mail that I literally wore it to the beach the next day when we had our unexpected September heat wave. So there was no styling here, just practicality and a day of fun with one of my besties. And it was an amazing day indeed.
Thanks to my boo Stef of SexyPlus Clothing for capturing my fun at the beach.
Swim Top by ALPINE BUTTERFLY SWIM | Swim Bottom by ALPINE BUTTERFLY SWIM |
