Fleurtle - THE Plus Size Style Destination

A client recently asked me how she could transition her summer wardrobe into Fall. Its pretty simple, just follow Fleurtle's "Mixed Seasons" Technique!

• Review your summer wardrobe to determine which pieces can take you into the upcoming season based on the trends of the Fall and the material of the piece. However, you don't have to be a slave to the trends, instead pick the ones that complement your own personal style.

For example, I loooove the full skirts from the Louis Vuitton Fall 2010 collection and, as you know, I am also addicted to leopard prints. I combined these two Fall trends to create the below "transitional" outfit, which I wore during a really hot August day for back-to-back personal shopping appointments (hence the flats LOL!).

From left: Me in a Calvin Klein dress, DVF leopard-print scarf (as a belt), Hermès "Oran" sandal and Baccarat "Occitane" pendant; Louis Vuitton Fall 2010 collection

On a side note, I snagged the Hermès "Oran" sandal on sale at the Hermès boutique in St. Martin about four years ago. The beauty about the boutiques in St. Martin is that they run great sales and they are duty free! (More on St. Martin later this week...) I also scored the cotton Calvin Klein dress on sale at Nordstrom (or maybe it was Macy's) about a year ago. In essence, you can use clothing that you've had for years and update them based on your favorite seasonal trend. I updated my dress with a simple addition of a DVF scarf. Had I not been on my feet all day, I would have also worn pointy-toed stilettos, just like the model wore in the Fall 2010 Louis Vuitton collection. If you have any other style questions, contact us!

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Fall is all about skins (everything from python to alligator), leather, feathers, scarlet and lace. You can update your wardrobe for Fall without breaking your bank account with Fleurtle's picks for this week's steals and deals. Ladies, you must view the Christian Siriano for Payless collection! It's instant glamour for less! You could rock the Christian Siriano for Payless "Empress" dress boot with a pair of black jeggings and the Tadashi Shoji beaded lace jacket from Saks (see below) for a date night or a girls' night out on the town. For work, you could pair the Kay Unger red silk blouse with a leather pencil skirt and pointy-toed black leather pumps. How would you rock the ASOS feather clutch and high shine jersey leggings? Happy Shopping!

Siriano "Skins"

PAYLESS

From left: Christian Siriano for Payless empress dress boot and "Mena" small clutch

Deal: Buy one, get one half off + $5.95 shipping
Date: Ends September 7, 2010
Steal: Use code 30500 to receive an additional 20% off your order.

The little black dress is an essential for every curvy girl's wardrobe. I try to hunt for LBDs that have great lines and structure and that are grown and fierce, like these two fab dresses by Anna Scholz and Torrid.

From left: Torrid black sparkle one-shoulder dress; Anna Scholz tailoring pleat dress

The Anna Scholz tailoring pleat dress is seasonless and extremely versatile in that it can be worn to work or to a cocktail party, thus making it well-worth the investment. The empire-waist cut on the diagonal is flattering to every figure, while the puff sleeves and the v-back add a certain feminine je ne sais quoi. If you're in the market for an LBD, this Anna Scholz dress is a must-have!

I was really dazzled by Torrid's black sparkle one-shoulder dress. It is definitely, first and foremost, GROWN and fierce. I looooooove the spin on basic black that the sparkle adds to the dress. The cut of the dress is extremely figure-flattering from the upside-down tulip-shaped bottom, which will conceal any tummy concern you may have, to the empire-waist, which accentuates your waistline. The one-shoulder just adds the extra "F" in FFIERCE! It's a perfect date-night dress, and therefore, another must-have!

"Hello, I'm Mia L. Shelton and I'm addicted to style. I got kicked out of Styleaholics Anonymous for the confessions that I'm about to share with you here…"

Style Confession #270,108:

While some people get Spring Fever, I get Fall Fever! By the time August hits with its sweltering heat waves, I constantly repeat in my head 'There's no season like Fall, there's no season like Fall!' (said like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz). LOL! Leopard, capes and boots...OH MY!!!!! Anywho, it's been a while since my last confessional and, quite frankly, I'm still debating whether or not what I'm about to tell you is a confession. I'll let you decide. Bergdorf, this one's for you...

YSL "Tribtoo" Pump

As I was performing one of my online search missions for pieces to update my client's wardrobe for Fall, I came across a pair of Yves Saint Laurent "Tribtoo" pumps in a classic shape with a sexy twist -- a hidden-double platform covered in natural leopard-print hair calf that teeters atop a six inch black suede heel. I immediately fell in love. Ladies, do you know that feeling when you first fall in love, you want to spend every countless second with that person and you bore your friends with your endless chatter about him? Well, when I saw these shoes I instantly came up with a number of different outfits for them just so that I could spend every countless second with them AND I told everyone that crossed my path about them (including all of my Facebook stylistas). LOL!!!!

Last night to our delight, we received a follow on Twitter from Jacqueline of the Fashion Snag blog, which details her extremely desirable designer steals and deals in a photo-journal layout. Her style is AMAAAAAAZING! While she's not "curvy", it's so important to seek style inspiration from everyone of all shapes and sizes and adapt it to your body type. We highly recommend subscribing to her blog.

In one of Jacqueline's February posts, she wore a Chanel meets ultra-chic "Can Can" girl outfit that was simply divine! We just had to figure out a way to recreate her look for our curves. And guess what?!?! Everything we found, outside of the fabulous Alexander McQueen pearl and skull necklace, is ON SALE! If you really love the McQueen necklace but it's out of your budget, we highly recommend that you put it on yor watch/wish list for the Fall season and see if it makes it to the half-annual sale in December/January at Saks (see Fleurtle's "Half-Annual Shopping Guide" for tips).  Without further adieu, allow me to present to you "Fashion Snag" for The Curvy" via Torrid, Just Cavalli and Alexander McQueen! Oh, and there are other steals and deals from Neiman Marcus, Gilt, Jetsetter and Ideeli as well. Enjoy!

Jacqueline of Fashion Snag in Lace and Bows

Jacqueline is wearing a Pencey white lace bow top; Free People black stretch cropped tube top; Chanel bow and pearl necklace; Joie black leather "Willa" skirt; Nordstrom black floral detail lace tights; Dior "Miss Dior II" t-strap platform

"Fashion Snag" for the Curvy: Torrid Lace, Just Cavalli and Alexander McQueen

From left (1st row): Torrid sheer lace puff-sleeve top, Torrid zip-back pick-up bubble-hem skirt; From left (2nd row): Alexander McQueen long white freshwater pearl skull necklace at Saks, Torrid black floral crocheted fishnet tights, Just Cavalli platform sandals at Yoox

What happened when a shoe- and clothes-obsessed stylista who was a size 6 encountered some of life's not-so-typical trials and tribulations, turned to her mom's cooking for comfort and ate her way up to a curvaceous size 18/20 on top and 24 on bottom? She withdrew from the world, not because of her size but because of the limited clothing options that were available to curvy women at that time. Does this story resonate at all with you? Well, that was my story until I reinvented myself and founded Fleurtle to share with other curvy stylistas the style tips and tricks that I've developed over the years while dressing my curvier, pleasantly plump body. Every Fleurtle style service, blog post, club level, and video is dedicated to helping other curvy women reinvent themselves and blossom with out-of-the-shell style! You'll learn some of Fleurtle's style tips on my Yahoo! Shine "You. Reinvented.' video.

Lights, camera, action!!!! LOL! Let me stop! I feel so honored to be part of the Yahoo! Shine's "You.Reinvented." project filmed at the BlogHer '10 conference. Ladies, I felt like a movie star! There were makeup artists, lights, a camera crew...the whole nine yards. Thanks again Yahoo! Shine for presenting me with the opportunity to broadcast my story and inspire other women to have the courage to reinvent themselves while embracing and loooooooving their curves!

Oh, and yes, I am a size 18/20 top wearing an M Missoni kaftan over a pair of ASOS Curve jeggings, an Auden necklace and Prada wedges. Curvy girls know how to work it too!!! All the curvy girls in the place with style and grace...wave your hands in the air and say 'Oh, yeah!' LOL!!! ;-)

Visit the Yahoo! Shine "You. Reinvented." page for some more inspiration!

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