LOOK-ALIKES: Lane Bryant Brocade Jacquard Blazer

Wow, this is the first Look-Alikes post I've done in a really long time! And to be honest, I actually really miss doing these posts in particular the most. They're easy and I love being able to find clothes/shoes/what have you's that look exactly the same....but for much less! :D This week's post is brought to you from Lane Bryant. I actually love Lane Bryant. In a mere 4 months (or so) I have noticed a COMPLETE AND TOTAL overhaul of their brand. I'm talkin' a 180 switch in their targeted demographic. In my opinion, Lane Bryant is obviously positioning themselves to be in direct competition with Torrid, which is really the only major name in younger curvy women's' fashion. I'm serious: take a walk-through next time you have the opportunity - you'll be pleasantly surprised, I promise. 

Enough of that! On to the meat and potatoes of this post: the look-alike of course! I'm seeing a lot of luxurious textiles for these coming holidays so I thought I'd showcase a plus-size option: the Brocade Jacquard Blazer. See the high-end below:

Stretch Jacquard Jacket, Lane Bryant, $99.95

It is a GORGEOUS blazer. The flat satin lapel is perfection. The price, unfortunately, isn't as perfect. That is a lot to spend on a decidedly formal jacket (i.e - how often will you really wear this after the holidays?). However, before I skip to the less expensive alternative, I'll mention that it looks like Lane Bryant is having a pretty big sale during the month of November. $25 off of $75, $50 off $150, and $75 off $225. So, saying you buy just the jacket, the actual cost of this blazer would be $74.95...which is still kind of spendy. But I say if it floats your boat! :P

Below is the look-alike curtesy of Torrid:

Brocade Blazer, Torrid, $64.50

Look familiar, much??? (I love question marks...?) The brocade jacquard fabric is extremely similar, as are the flat pockets (I don't know if they're functional. the only differences are that the Torrid version doesn't have the flat satin lapel and it has a TWO button closure instead of one hook and eye fastener. As far as price goes, the Torrid version is still on the more expensive side. 

For me, if I could combine the satin lapel of the Lane Bryant blazer with the double-button closure (I feel that's more flattering - and comfortable! - if you're bustier) it would be like the holy grail of Holiday jackets. Unfortunately, I'm not in the market for another black jacket/blazer, but I figured I'd give you fabulous readers the option. :D (You're welcome.) Have a lovely Sunday, and thanks for dropping by!

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Halloween Fun

The lighting on this photo happened by accident. But I really liked how it turned out!

Hey, y'all! (I'm saying this with an incredibly countrified accent, by the way. Don't ask me why.) I just wanted to do a quicky post about my Halloween costume this year! I love Halloween, and it's not because of the candy (though that's nice) or the being scared out of your wits (don't really care for that. It's the fact that for one day a year children AND grown-a$$ people can dress up in as crazy outfits as they can imagine and no one thinks twice about it! Because, let's get real for a moment, okay? We've all seen one of THOSE people - you know - those FULL GROWN people who walk around every day dressed as fairies, or as though they just stepped out of the Matrix. They. Look. Completely. Crazy. But if every day were Halloween, it wouldn't be a problem!

This was my original inspiration...

I was a little bummed this year. I had this amazing costume and I was so excited to wear it, but I found myself in the same predicament as I do every year: All dressed up and no where to go! I'm know there were some raucous Halloween parties near my apartment building (I heard them...very late at night), but I'm so NOT a party person. So I did what I wanted to: I wore my costume around my apartment while I made dinner and watched a couple movies! :D

I had some issues finding a costume when I first started looking. First of all, plus-size costumes are crazy expensive peeps! I was amazed (and not in a good way). I wasn't going to lay down $100+ dollars for a cheap polyester dress that barely covered my hoo-hah (...you know what I'm talking about.) that I'd only wear one day of the year and probably not the next year at that! Secondly, speaking of hoo-hah...what's with all the slutty costumes? I mean seriously! I was scrolling down page after page of slutty nurse, slutty teacher, slutty air force pilot, slutty disney princess. Can't women get better options? Or is this really what women, even plus-size women, like to wear? I mean, I'm not getting down on the luscious ladies who get "dressed up" for their man, but I've definitely seen women wearing these just-shy-of-illegal get ups. WHAD UP WIT DAT?

Okay...I'm done ranting. Now on to MY costume. I had an idea in my head and so the first place I looked was my go to find-everything-you-need-in-one-place place, Amazon! God, I love Amazon. I found the perfect military hat there first. They also have khaki and army green for the different branches of the military I assume. Then I figured I should push the military imagery a little further with some medals or something, which I also found on Amazon here. They are plastic, but I was surprised to see how much they actually looked like metal! While still browsing Amazon, I figured I should get some vintage-y inspired/looking heels. I came across these:

Pleaser Women's Vanity-442 Mary Jane Pump, Amazon

They were perfect. Not comfortable to walk in at all (haha) but a surprisingly sexy shoe to add to the pin-up vibe I was going for. Not to mention - from what I could tell - well made for the price. Read the customer reviews though! Apparently the Pleaser shoe brand has notoriously inconsistent sizing. I ordered half a size up and that worked well for me. They fit perfectly.

Lastly, I had to find a dress. I looked for a long time for this final, and essential, piece of my costume. It was almost like it was meant to be: about a week before Halloween, a new dress popped up on Target's website. It. Was. Perfect! It was navy, had a little retro-inspired white collar, and the best part? I knew I could wear it again once Halloween was over. Take that, over-priced costume retailers!!! And I knew it was ordained to be when I saw that the navy of the dress matched the navy of the hat PERFECTLY! That might sound a little OCD, but I'm telling you it would've thrown off the aesthetics of the whole thing if I had had two shades of navy that were close but still obviously different. Check out the dress:

Merona® Women's Ponte Dress, Target

Isn't it darling?! At this point, I thought my costume was complete. But as I was looking at myself I realized something was a little off. The hat just was NOT working with my short hair (did I mention I hacked all my hair off? Well, a professional did so it looks nice. :D). I added one last thing and I think that's what took this costume to a whole new, and may I just say epic, level. I had bought a couple wigs a few weeks back and had yet to wear either of them. One was made of burgundy fibers and was styled into a side ponytail with a braid and side-swept bangs.

It was amazing. Once I put on the wig and everything else, including the iconic red lips and black cat eye, it just WORKED. I almost wish I could walk around like that every day. But I can't (and if you're wondering why, please refer back to the first paragraph of this post). 

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