TGIF my loyal blogger fam, I hope you have an amazing weekend. We had another snow storm overnight but it looks like it’s going to clear up quickly. The good news is I am finally starting to feel better today so I hope with some more rest on the weekend I will be on the mend.
So I can’t believe it but we are already on the 3rd instalment of my 2018 swim look book! Time flies when you are having fun that’s for sure. ELOQUII shared my first look on their pages and I was overwhelmed with all the love and positive comments, particularly on Facebook. Showing my body, in a bikini and being comfortable in my own skin can sometimes be polarizing on social media and bring out a lot of hate. So it is nice to see the tides changing and women thanking a brand for showing someone my size. This is exactly what we need to keep moving forward. Thank you to ELOQUII for celebrating body diversity.
For today’s post I am sharing another look from new brand Alpine Butterfly Swim. You may recall the gorgeous rose print bikini that I shared this fall from them. Well 2018 is certainly been off to a great start for this new brand as select suits are now available at Nordstrom’s up to a 4x. And if you need a 5x, you can still purchase directly from their site. This print is only available directly from their website.
Designer and founder Olga Caro is not afraid of making waves in this industry. She has truly embraced the plus community and it shows. And to celebrate her launch at Nordstrom’s she shot a beautiful campaign with Tess Holliday. It celebrated the girly, feminine, flirty feel of her first collection perfectly. And Tess was nothing short of amazing! The images are absolutely breathtaking. Olga has also recently shared some sneak peeks of her new collection and she is definitely turning up the heat.
So I have had this suit since the fall but was waiting for the right time to shoot it. And when I decided to put together this look book I knew I had to include it and I set about planning the look. Well after I had it all planned out is when I learned about the campaign with Tess. When I saw the photos of her in this exact suit I’m not going to lie, I became a little hesitant to shoot it. I mean how was I going to make it look anywhere remotely good as Tess Holliday did? There was just no way. And I wasn’t sure how people would react because inevitably someone is going to make the connection and compare it.
But once I had a moment to digest things and put it into perspective I had to remind myself that I am not here to be a super model. I am just an ordinary woman showing you what a swim suit might look like on you. My goal is to inspire you to wear a swimsuit if you haven’t in years, build up the strength to rock a bikini if you choose and to hopefully help you to learn to love yourself by sharing my journey. So with that in mind, I put my fear and doubts aside and went for it.
When I look at this suit I immediately think of Hawaii. I have always wanted to go but I had always been saving it for my honeymoon. But since I haven’t got married yet I think it’s time to move it up on my list. I love the idea of the beautiful beaches, the lush flowers and greenery, the history and sense of tradition and culture that it has to offer. And I would definitely be renting a mustang convertible to drive around in so I can reminisce of my younger days when I owned my own.
I absolutely love the butterfly print on this bikini. The combination of the blue and soft pink is pretty and soft and not something you often find in swim which tends to be black or bolder and brighter colours. There is also a sexier top and bottom available in this same print so you could go for a more skin baring look or mix the more revealing top with these bottoms for a sexier vibe. And it comes in a super cute one piece with cut outs.
The details on these bottoms are just perfect. The solid pink waistband with a faux button fly and belt loops reminds me of a pair of daisy dukes and definitely gives them a retro flare. And the cheeky shape does wonders for your booty! I have to say I am new to the wonders of a cheeky cut, I always shied away from it because I thought it would just ride up or show too much since let’s just say I have an ample booty lol but it turns out that is totally not the case. So I am officially sold! I am wearing the 5x which is consistent with the other suit I got.
I paired it with the Dolly bikini top which has a very unique design. I have to admit I was a little perplexed when I first tried it but it works great and is very comfortable. The secret is that the underwire is not at the bottom of the cup and around like a U. Instead it is placed in the front inside panels vertically and the bottom of the cup has none. I found that it gave me a more natural looking shape but I was still supported. This top is very much like a bra so I recommend choosing your size based on your bra band size. I originally got a 5x but it was way too big and this is a 4x but a 3x would probably work best. And I wear a 44/46 bra band as a reference.
The rest of this look came together with pieces that I already had in my closet. This super cute shirt dress from ELOQUII makes a perfect cover up. It is lightweight and cotton so it dries quickly. If you were out sight seeing it would be super cute to button up and wear to dinner. I like to keep my footwear simple while on vacation so I again grabbed my white Full Beauty slides. I added this cute pink Kate Spade tote for a pop of colour and these butterfly earrings from Torrid were too cute to resist.
So there you have it, I conquered my fears and put myself out there and I feel great about it. I am honestly so in love with this look that I felt like a hot cutie patootie and I think you see that on my face in these pictures. For now I have to dream of my Hawaiian vacation but my butterflies will be coming with me when I make it a reality.
Stay tuned tomorrow for my next installment and port of call.
Thank you to Katie of Katiuska Idrovo Photography for developing this look book with me.
Bikini Top by ALPINE BUTTERFLY SWIM | Swim bottom by ALPINE BUTTERFLY SWIM | Sandals by FULL BEAUTY (alternative here) | Shirt Dress by ELOQUII (alternative here) | Shirt Dress by ELOQUII (alternative here) | Tote by KATE SPADE (alternative here) |
