Happy Friday blogger fam, I hope you have had a great week and have an awesome weekend ahead! Today I am happy to say that we are bringing back something that was new to the Slay project last year – PJs and loungewear! That’s right peeps, if you loved it as much as we did last year, then you know I had to make sure we did it again. So welcome to this very special instalment #5 of my 3rd annual #HolidayDoubleSlay. 
Last year I had difficulty finding a 5th person that could fit working on this project into their schedule so when that happened the group PJ slay idea was born! Thankfully it was a huge hit and my babes agreed that we had to make it an annual event. So I am happy to report that to finish off the work week we are featuring two of my long term favourite brands – Lane Bryant and Cacique. This post was sponsored by Lane Bryant and Cacique but all opinions (as always) are my own. A special thank you to both brands for partnering with us on this project. Your support means everything.
All of my babes – Stefanie, Gail, Caterina and Sarah are featured in this post and they have each written their own posts about their respective outfits. I asked all of them to choose something that reflected their casual style – what did they like to come home and put on after a hard day at work, what would they wear on the weekend to run errands or a lazy Sunday morning or what makes them feel sexy? 
As you can see from the photos we all have different tastes and styles but Lane Bryant and Cacique have some many great options to choose from that we all found something that we loved. And I think we all could have easily picked a few more looks lol. So make sure you also head over to their pages to check out why they love their looks. I am going to feature one photo of us together but they will be sharing individual photos of themselves that you won’t see here. (just sayin’)
Something you might notice right off the bat is that I mentioned Cacique as its own brand and not as part of Lane Bryant. That’s right, there are some exciting changes happening with Cacique. I don’t know if you have seen it on social media but the brand now has its own official Instagram page which you can follow here and they are also now a separate tab on the the Lane Bryant website. They are still offering the same amazing bras, panties, lingerie, PJs and lounge wear that we have all come to know and love but this will allow them to create their own presence as a leader in the plus size lingerie market and continue to work on innovation, new designs and technology.
As you have to come to expect from Lane Bryant (remember when the #ImNoAngel campaign?) they certainly kicked things off with a bang with launch of the #WeAreAllTheFantasy campaign as a push back against all the recent controversy with Victoria’s Secret and their infamous fashion show. I have seen a lot of campaigns around body positivity and size diversity and representation in the last few years but the messaging around this one really resonated with me. It was thoughtful, provocative and reflective and focuses very importantly on the future generations of women. Here are the powerful first messages they released, they were an instant scroll stopping moment for me that I immediately shared on my own page:
“We believe in all forms of feminity. We believe in shape. We believe in inclusivity.”
“We are here for all women to have a voice. We represent the modern woman and we believe in curves.”
“We represent the underrepresented. We work tirelessly every day to honestly depict women. And celebrate her journey every step of the way.”
“For us. For you. And for the generations of women we raise.”
“We will continue to realistically portray women in media and advertising. The picture we paint today will pave the way for our girls’ views of themselves in the world.” 
I realize that there are many of you out there that believe that they still have work to do when it comes to the representation of different body shapes (someone begged on their Instagram feed to see bodies with big bellies and I wholeheartedly agree!) and visibly plus size bodies. But you can’t move forward without taking the first step. And this was certainly a big step in addition to several other changes they have made in the last few years.
At the same time I would really ask each and everyone of you to look in the mirror and ask yourself if you could help to alleviate the stigma that is associated with being plus size and not having the sought after hour glass size 14 shape. There are often times where Lane Bryant will share my pictures or those of other influencers on their social media channels that don’t fit this mold and there is a lot of negativity from people who follow them and are fellow plus size women! I am proud that as a group of amazing and strong women we represent the full Lane Bryant and Cacique size range, we are tall, average and petite, we have diverse body shapes and we also represent age diversity. I hope that this is the type of imagery you want to see.
I think it is important to remember that each of us will be at a different stage in our own personal journeys and we also have different tastes and opinions on style and fit. You have to ask yourself if it is really right to tear someone else down for wearing a crop top and showing their belly, wearing a body conscious dress when they have large thighs, or being bold and wearing bright colours and mixing prints because it is something you either don’t like or are personally uncomfortable wearing?
We all have the right to wear whatever we want, that is what makes fashion so fun and exciting. So as I always kindly say I like to subscribe to the practice that “if you don’t have anything nice to say then don’t say anything at all!” Because whether you want to believe it or not, brands see this and it makes them hesitate to create content with imagery like this, you know how draining it must be for the social media team to deal with that kind of negativity, especially if they also happen to be plus size? And I am going to be totally blunt with this one but money talks! So when brands tell us that they sell more product when it is seen on their website in a size 14 hourglass model I am not surprised. For those of you who want to see the change, please continue to speak up and put your money where your mouth is by supporting brands who deliver on what you ask for.
Okay now that I have sipped some tea and shared why I genuinely love these brands and all of you, its time to talk about my special mission for this year’s #HolidayDoubleSlay. All week I have been asking people if they have noticed anything different and so far no one has been able to figure it out! I firmly believe in body diversity, size acceptance, size diversity and representation for all. And as we continue to push forward with making change happen within in our industry and outside of our industry I think that we still need to also see more variety in the type of imagery that is produced.
All too often we hear that plus size women need to watch their angles, emphasize the “right” curves, suck their stomachs in, don’t show any cellulite, minimize that double chin and we should only be standing in pictures. Well I feel that enough is enough and we need to see imagery that projects real life. Yep that’s right, I have a belly, I have a bulge on my lower calf from my lipedema, stretch marks, cellulite, back fat etc. Let’s face it we all have something! And do you stand all day long every day, say even in your PJs or chilling and watching netflix? Well I certainly hope not lol. But we live with this overwhelming fear of being seen in a photo in an “unflattering” position and sitting down is definitely at the top of the taboo list. 
So this year I committed that for every instalment of this project that we would take photos of us sitting down and we would choose at least one and share it. Some people might tell you that I can be a little demanding but thankfully my boos all rose to the occasion and agreed to take on this challenge. And when we were shooting I could see that it was sometimes hard for them because they carry the same insecurities that we all do but facing our fears and society’s unreasonable expectations of us will help us on our paths to self love and acceptance and help create a more positive environment for the young generations of girls and women who are inundated with unrealistic imagery that can take its toll on their self esteem. And although I may have lead the charge I will admit that it is also difficult for me. And honestly I can see it in the engagement on some of my posts where I have chosen to feature a picture of us sitting front and center versus us standing. But that only proves to me that there is much work to be done and so I will continue to move forward with this initiative. 
Ok so let’s talk about my outfit…I went for a little bit of a sexier look last year so this year I decided to go for something more warm and cozy. This look totally appeals to my love of being a home body and a bit of a loner. I am one of those people that finds solace in spending time by myself and I am a self confessed TV junkie. Has anyone else been watching my guilty pleasure – 90 Day Fiance? If you haven’t you are totally missing out! And I decided to pick a soft pink and grey colour palette. Most of you know about my love of purple and teal but I am a girlie girl and would never say no to pink. 
I mixed and matched some pieces from Lane Bryant ‘s LIVI active line and some casual basics. This graphic lip t-shirt was the first thing to catch my eye. I love a fun graphic tee that allows me to show my personality, especially on my downtime. The colour on this one is perfect, I love a v-neck and the rounded edges on the hemline. I am wearing the size 26/28 which is my standard LB size and the fit was perfect. 
From there I decided to go for a pair of leggings, something that I have to say I have worn a lot more of this year. These 7/8 length ones are amazingly soft and the thick waist band is perfect for providing comfortable support. And they even have a little built in pocket that is perfect for holding a debit/credit card or an access swipe card/key. They are made of their signature moisture-wicking and quick drying fabric that keeps you cool and dry. As I have worn more leggings this year I started to experiment more with colours and prints and I love the grey with the splash of rose gold metallic that gives that something special. I do struggle with LB bottoms fitting me but these ones are a size 26/28 and they fit perfectly. I will definitely be getting a few more pairs. 
To complete the look I added some warm layers in the form of this on trend plaid long length cardigan which I absolutely love, it is so soft and perfectly cozy. And then I also added this draped active over piece. This piece is totally amazing, it is made of this ridiculously soft and smooth lightweight scuba fabric. It has thumb holes in the sleeves and pockets to keep it very functional. I prefer to wear layers like this so that I can take one off if I get hot or put one on if I get cold. I am wearing the 26/28 in both these pieces and they are very roomy. Finally I added some fun socks with a cute winter saying “Baby Its Cold Outside” because why not? 
Now that you have seen all of our looks, what’s your personal casual style and which is your fave? I am officially ready for a snow day! You can shop all of our looks using the links below and I have some good news for you, part of my look is actually on clearance right now so you can grab them at an amazing price. This brings the fifth instalment of the 2018 #HolidayDoubleSlay to an end. I hope you enjoyed it and let me know what you think by leaving a comment below, I love hearing from you guys!
Special thanks to Rebecca of Rebecca Northcott Photography for capturing these images and bringing my vision for this year’s project to life.
Special thanks to Petula of Image Makeup Artistry for the amazing make up look.
Special thanks to Christina of Makeup by Christina for the amazing hair style.
Shop Lisa’s look:
Jacket by LANE BRYANT | Cardigan by LANE BRYANT | T-shirt by LANE BRYANT | Leggings by LANE BRYANT | Socks by LANE BRYANT |
Shop Stef’s look:
Vest by LANE BRYANT | Hoodie by LANE BRYANT | Leggings by LANE BRYANT | Socks by LANE BRYANT |
Shop Gail’s look:
Cardigan by CACIQUE | Bralette by CACIQUE | Lounge Pants by CACIQUE | Socks by LANE BRYANT |
Shop Caterina’s look:
Robe by CACIQUE | Bralette by CACIQUE | Joggers by LANE BRYANT | Socks by LANE BRYANT |
Shop Sarah’s look:
