TGIF everyone, I hope you had an amazing week and you have a fabulous weekend ahead of you! It’s officially May and its my birthday month so I am pretty excited. Especially since I will get to spend it with my Mom this year. I am also looking forward to a relaxing weekend – no work and no photo shoots.
For today’s post I am finally getting around to giving you my thoughts on the Beauticurve x Lane Bryant that launched in March. I am so sorry it took me this long but between finding the time to go and pick up my order across the border, having the weather cooperate with me and tax season, I just couldn’t seem to get it together. But alas that’s life and luckily most of the pieces are still in stock.
Let me start off by saying that I am a huge fan of Rochelle Johnson, the beauty and brains behind the brand Beauticurve. I have been fortunate to meet this babe in person on several occasions and she is such an authentic voice in our industry. She is one of the nicest people you will ever meet and her genuine love and caring for her community and the plus size community at large is undeniable.
So when they announced this collaboration, I couldn’t have been happier for her. Especially since it was with one of my favourite brands, Lane Bryant. And let’s not forget that it is a dress collection! I like to think it was meant to be since I had been planning my 30 Days of Dresses series.
Rochelle has a very feminine romantic aesthetic which is very similar to my own. She has been a source of inspiration for me since I first started blogging. And like me she loves her bags and let me just say that her collection certainly rivals mine! There are definitely more than a few that I lust over. And I wish I could rock a pair of heels like she does but if you are a shoe lover than you will definitely love her amazing collection.
This is what Lane Bryant had to say about the collaboration:
“As an undeniable tastemaker, Johnson’s own feminine style aesthetic inspired Lane Bryant to co-create a gorgeous, spring-ready 10-piece collection. Beauticurve X Lane Bryant is comprised of versatile dresses and a jumpsuit, weaving in Johnson’s must-have prints throughout the collection. Beauticurve x Lane Bryant is available for purchase in select stores and on LaneBryant.com.”
And here is what Rochelle had to say:
“I have always loved Lane Bryant. And as a former associate, it is a total full circle moment for me to have the honor of co-designing a collection with the Brand,” said Johnson. “My experience in store opened my eyes to what plus size women respond to fashion-wise. It was beyond important for me to draw on that experience with the team at Lane Bryant to create dresses that women can feel joyful, spirited and empowered in. I want to inspire her to try new prints and colors, from blush pink to leopard print.”
The dresses range in price from $79.95 to $99.95 US and unlike other influencer collaborations this collection has been included in all of Lane Bryant’s amazing sales where you could easily snag your favourite for 40% or even 50% off. I love that it is an affordable collection that comes in sizes 14 to 28 and that many of the styles are in single sizes which means the tailoring is there to give you a better fit.
Thankfully Rochelle loves prints and colours as much as I do so when her and LB shared the first sneak peeks of the collection its was love at first sight. And let me just tell you that Rochelle officially tortured me with the navy polka dot dress. In one of the promo videos you could see it on the rack and she pops her head out of the rack and you can see the ruffles, but that was it. I kept wanting a closer look at it and I was unsuccessful in my attempts to get one. But that’s okay girl, I still love you!
And apparently I must have great taste because out of the entire collection this is the dress that has sold out! So yes you can officially hate me now because this dress is currently out of stock. If you really want to get your hands on it I would suggest checking out your local store and seeing if they have had a return.
Navy is one of the “it” colours for spring and summer and you can never go wrong with a classic polka dot print. I love that these dots are over sized for a bit of a modern take on this print. And of course I love the ruffle detail a the neckline and the hem. Its got a classic girly vibe with a bit of a nautical feel. If you added some red accessories and a cute hat you would have such a cute look.
The dress is made of a lightweight crepe fabric and is fully lined. You can tell that Rochelle added her input to every part of the design process to ensure little details that we look for like linings, sleeves, etc. were taken care of. It has an elastic waist for comfort and falls just at the knee. I am wearing the size 28 and the fit was just what I expected from Lane Bryant. Another thing that is great about this collection is that there is a lot of versatility in each piece. They can easily be dressed up or down. It’s great when designs give you that flexibility and it gives your pieces more mileage. This in turns helps keep more money in your pocket, unless you are me of course lol.
I kept things pretty simple with this look and styled it for an average day at the office. These white wedges with their cork heel are a perfect casual but not too casual shoe. These are from Avenue and I got them last year but I gave you a link to something similar. To provide some contrast I went with some bold pops of yellow in this satchel from Just Fab and these earrings from Aldo. Yellow and navy are such a great colour combination.
Now let’s talk about this animal print maxi dress. I have to be honest and say it wasn’t one of my first choices when I saw the entire collection. I don’t get really excited when it comes to animal print but after I heard so many people rave about this dress I placed another order and snagged it for a deal. And boy am I glad I did! I have literally worn this dress like every week since I got it because it is so cute and comfortable. It too is also made of lightweight crepe and is fully lined where the lining is actually sewn into the dress. It has hidden buttons at the bust to keep it from popping open which are amazing and the pockets on this are perfectly placed. The short sleeve is an added bonus for the those of you who don’t like to or can’t go sleeveless at work. I am wearing the size 28 and it is a perfect fit.
When I styled this dress I wanted to go off the beaten path. The natural choice for me would have been to add red accents but I didn’t want that. It took me a bit but I finally realized that a great burnt orange would work perfectly. So I chose my classic gold flat forms sandals from my collection and then added my classic Coach tote and these super fun earrings from ASOS. I would also totally wear this with a denim jacket and sneakers, one of the ways Rochelle styled it, for a casual weekend vibe.
So while I was late to the party I hope you enjoy these looks as much as I do. There are a few other pieces that I love in the collection that I am still debating on purchasing. Have you checked the collection out? Did you buy something? What piece do you love? Leave me a comment and let me know!
Special thanks to Rebecca of Rebecca Northcott Photography for capturing these images.
Shop Look #1:
Dress by LANE BRYANT (sold out) | Sandals by AVENUE (alternative here) | Bag by JUST FAB (alternative here) | Earrings by ALDO | Bracelet by AVENUE |
Shop Look #2:
Dress by LANE BRYANT | Sandals by WOMAN WITHIN (alternative here) | Bag by COACH (alternative here) | Earrings by ASOS | Cuff by AVENUE (alternative here) |
