Happy Friday everyone, I hope you all had a fantastic week and wish you all the best for a wonderful weekend. I took a little break this week after the craziness of last week’s #HolidayDoubleSlay but I still have lots of great content for you leading into the New Year.
For today’s post I am going to talk about my thoughts on the Project Runway Capsule Collection by JC Penney that was based on winner Kentaro’s amazing runway collection for NYFW. This season was the first season of Project Runway that I had watched in a very long time. When the show switched to Lifetime I couldn’t watch it here in Canada and I had just kind of given up on it. Then when I watched Ashley Nell Tipton’s season unfold through social media and ultimately her win I decided I wanted to give it a chance again, especially now that it was on Bravo.
I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed the season with the addition of models of all shapes and sizes and I was glued to my TV every week. I loved seeing plus models like my girl Liris Crosse slay the runway week after week and I couldn’t have been more thrilled when she won the model portion of the contest. The representation of the plus size community was off the charts and was a huge step forward. I hope to see the same involvement in seasons to come.
The final five designers were very strong this year and I enjoyed seeing their collections come to life. I was not too happy when Kenya didn’t make it through but I will leave that for another time! Kenya girl, I love you and can’t wait to see what you do next! And while I loved all the collections and will never forget Jazzmine tore that skirt off and rocked it in that bathing suit their was something truly magical about Kentaro’s collection. It had a very ethereal and poetic quality to it, I really thought it was innovative, creative and unique.
So of course once I watched the finale I patiently waited for the capsule collection to be released on JCP.com. When I had refreshed my browser a few times and they finally appeared I have to say I was initially excited. They released 4 pieces that recreated two of his runway looks. I loved both looks that they had chosen so that was awesome. The other thing that really impressed me is that they were all available in plus and up to a 5x. Were the pieces a little watered down? In my opinion, yes indeed they were. I understand that you are taking inspiration from the runway and making it ready to wear but I personally feel they could have held more true to the original designs and still appealed to the everyday woman.
What’s my biggest complaint though? That they decided that some of the plus size versions needed to be black instead of blush which is the colour Kentaro used in his collection and what the straight sizes were offered! I mean honestly I was absolutely insulted. You are basically making a statement that as plus size women we should not be wearing blush leggings and why the skirt couldn’t have a blush lining instead of black is just beyond me. JC Penney you need to do better! We keep making progress in plus size fashion but it is poor choices like this that negate that progress.
I did really love this red tunic top so I decided to give it a go. I didn’t have time to find blush leggings in my size or I definitely would have showed that it would look fantastic on a plus size women, an extended size at that!
The shirt is made of a stretch poplin so it holds its shape nicely. I love the dramatic puffed sleeves and the v neckline along with the tie at the back to cinch in your waist. The asymmetrical hemline is an interesting visual touch and gives it a nice amount of volume. This is perfect wear with leggings to give it a clean silhouette and play off the volume of the top. I am wearing the 4x and I thought the fit was generous.
I decided to pair it with these super fun leggings from Full Beauty. Embellishments and excess are all the rage this holiday season and when I saw these on the website with their crystals and ankle zippers I couldn’t resist. The crystals are well secured to the garment and the fit in the leg was a little more like a pant which I was okay with. I am wearing the size 32 in these and was really happy with the fit.
I chose to pair this look with simple ballet flats from Hush Puppies that I got through Full Beauty. I finally found a pair of ballet flats that come in extra wide width and have support in the sole. These are honestly amazing and I would highly recommend them. They also come in a bunch of different colours and even glitter ones if you don’t like heels but want some sparkle. I wanted to honour Kentaro’s red and blush combination as I thought it was unexpected so I did this with my accessories. I added this blush embellished bag from ALDO and these rose gold statement earrings that are also from ALDO. A stack of rose gold bangles from Torrid completed by vision.
Overall I love this top and see it being a piece I could wear on many different occasions. I am excited to see what Project Runway and Kentaro do next and hope that we continue to push forward in the inclusive movement and making fashion for every BODY.
Thanks to Katie of Katiuska Idrovo Photography for these amazing photos.
Shirt by JC PENNEY | Leggings by FULL BEAUTY | Shoes by HUSH PUPPIES | Bag by ALDO (alternative here) | Earrings by ALDO | Bangles by TORRID |
