Inaugural Post

As evidenced by my empty archives, this is my very first blog post. Eek! It's quite a daunting task, starting a new blog. I had no idea how much time I would spend deciding upon the proper layout and banner. I also found myself ill-prepared to deal with Photoshop and its many idiosyncrasies. Mr. CP ended up stepping in and taking over the Photoshop work and completed in ten minutes what I had been struggling with for at least an hour. Grrrrr. =P All those pesky details have been taken care of, though, so here I sit composing my inaugural post.

I'm quite new to fashion, by which I mean I never really cared much for shopping or trends. Shopping was always a tedious exercise for me, one that often left me feeling terrible about myself and my curves. I still remember the day I went shopping for my high school prom dress with my best friend. The trip came to an abrupt end when I dissolved into a fit of tears over the fact that none of the dresses I liked seemed to be cut for busty women. Most other shopping trips ended the same way. Retail stores had very different ideas about what was fashionable for smaller women, and what was fashionable for curvier women. Had stores had their way, curvy women would have trotted around in giant circus tents looking and feeling like blimps. As a result of my terrible shopping experiences, my uniform of choice became plain t-shirts (usually black), dark wash jeans, and my trusty Converse sneakers (which are still and will forever be a staple in my wardrobe). Things have changed in the decade since those all-too depressing shopping excursions, though. More and more retailers are starting to cater either directly or additionally to curvy women, leaving us with so many more fashion forward options. Those of you on the look out for prom dresses will no longer face the same dilemma I did, and I couldn't be more delighted about that.

Only recently did I become aware of the marvelous plus-size fashion community on the internet. So many women on the internet have been an inspiration to me, and you can find all of them listed under my Daily Reads. I suppose I always assumed that the clothes I wanted to wear -- classic, feminine pieces that enhanced my figure -- simply weren't made for anyone above a size 6. But the online plus-size community quickly convinced me that I was mistaken. I simply wasn't looking in the correct place. You have no idea the happiness and relief I felt when I realized that I could, in fact, dress the way I had always wanted. Best. Day. Ever.

To be honest, I still don't pay much attention to the trends. Inevitably, some of them find their way into my outfits by virtue of the fact that trendy pieces are, by their very nature, everywhere, but I generally stick to those styles and cuts that I know are flattering on my figure. You will probably notice that most of the pieces I pick out are largely just variations on the same thing. I really want to use this blog as an opportunity to push myself to try new things, though; to step out of my comfort zone. Mr. CP, for example, has been trying to convince me for ages that I should rock a pencil skirt. I see curvy women wearing pencil skirts all the time, and they look so stunning, but for whatever reason I've convinced myself it simply isn't a flattering look for me. I'm all too aware that it's entirely in my head -- that I'm simply getting in my own way. So perhaps this blog -- and the amazing online plus-size community -- will convince me to get over myself and give the pencil skirt a fair shot. =P

So welcome to my blog, ladies, whoever and wherever you are. I'm so very happy you stopped by for a visit!