Labour Day weekend I started on a trek with some amazing ladies to the International Fuller woman Expo in Detroit. I really didn’t have much of an idea of what to expect but I knew that my nerves were a wreck because I was speaking at the expo. I think I was so concentrated on speaking that I forgot to even think about what the rest of the weekend would be like.
My trip started out by a visit to my official outfitter – SexyPlus Clothing (located at 5100 Maingate Drive in Mississauga) to pick out the dresses that we chose for the weekend. Oh and let me tell you, when your nerves are a mess, trying on sassy dresses makes all the difference. I chose 2 dresses – The Sleek in the City Dress by Joseph Ribkoff in Black and The Spiral Dress, also by Joseph Ribkoff (I have a feeling Joseph made dresses with me in mind cause somehow, that’s what I seem to choose to dress my curves in, even without realizing it). Check out some of the pics from when I was in the store. I’m still getting used to this whole posing thing – its way more work than I ever realized and I’m learning my naturally Italian expressive facial expressions aren’t always what I envision they’d be captured in a picture. But hey, I’m still learning right? I keep telling Georgia, I may be a ‘Queen’ but I’m not a very polished one yet – but I’m real!
My trip started out by a visit to my official outfitter – SexyPlus Clothing (located at 5100 Maingate Drive in Mississauga) to pick out the dresses that we chose for the weekend. Oh and let me tell you, when your nerves are a mess, trying on sassy dresses makes all the difference. I chose 2 dresses – The Sleek in the City Dress by Joseph Ribkoff in Black and The Spiral Dress, also by Joseph Ribkoff (I have a feeling Joseph made dresses with me in mind cause somehow, that’s what I seem to choose to dress my curves in, even without realizing it). Check out some of the pics from when I was in the store. I’m still getting used to this whole posing thing – its way more work than I ever realized and I’m learning my naturally Italian expressive facial expressions aren’t always what I envision they’d be captured in a picture. But hey, I’m still learning right? I keep telling Georgia, I may be a ‘Queen’ but I’m not a very polished one yet – but I’m real!
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Next stop was picking up the rest of the girls and let me tell you I laughed so hard on the way to Detroit that I had like no voice by the time we got there. I’m so thankful for the new friendships I’ve made in this journey! It was quite late but we checked in and Georgia and I got changed and decided we’d hit the town and check it out. Boy was it interesting! But also short lived as we did have to be up early the next morning. I hardly slept because my nerves were so shot. Even though I speak quite regularly with the Miss Plus Canada appearances and for work, I still get so nervous!
The next morning. The 4 of us crammed in our hotel room all got ready for this day and we were actually on time, go figure! It was kind of funny, we drove over to the venue even though we probably could have just walked there in half the time – you’d think I was a queen or something.
When we walked in we were welcomed by such friendly faces. A lot of the ladies had known each other but these were all new faces to me – but they treated me as though I was one of them which was so nice for the white girl standing out like a sore thumb.
You see, this event meant more to me than just an opportunity to speak – it was another example how things have come full circle. Last July was my introduction to this whole movement of body acceptance, accepting my curves and not just accepting them but loving them. My first experience was at the Fuller Woman Expo held in Toronto at Dundas square and it is what opened my eyes to the whole new world! Seeing woman walk across that stage in fashionable, striking, bold clothes and carrying themselves with confidence and a sense of self love – was just literally AWEsome! Check out some photos from Toronto’s expo last year – see what I mean!!!
The next morning. The 4 of us crammed in our hotel room all got ready for this day and we were actually on time, go figure! It was kind of funny, we drove over to the venue even though we probably could have just walked there in half the time – you’d think I was a queen or something.
When we walked in we were welcomed by such friendly faces. A lot of the ladies had known each other but these were all new faces to me – but they treated me as though I was one of them which was so nice for the white girl standing out like a sore thumb.
You see, this event meant more to me than just an opportunity to speak – it was another example how things have come full circle. Last July was my introduction to this whole movement of body acceptance, accepting my curves and not just accepting them but loving them. My first experience was at the Fuller Woman Expo held in Toronto at Dundas square and it is what opened my eyes to the whole new world! Seeing woman walk across that stage in fashionable, striking, bold clothes and carrying themselves with confidence and a sense of self love – was just literally AWEsome! Check out some photos from Toronto’s expo last year – see what I mean!!!
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Anyways, back to this year’s Detroit Expo….the room was set up very open concept with vendors lining the room – a variety of them from amazing T-shirts, to accessories, to hosiery, etc. I got this amazing shirt from Ms Tally Makin Faces Look how awesome it is – she’s got some other ones too – be sure to check out her website and follow her on Facebook and Instagram or better yet – buy one of her awesome shirts!
But then things got real – it was time for me to share. I had written out all that I wanted to share and told myself I wouldn’t go up with my notes. Heck I’m only sharing my story, it’s not like I’m sharing someone else’s. I started off with what I wrote and shared at the pageant for my talent portion. And even though I have shared it before and I’ve dealt with the past it’s emotional every time and legit, my legs shook the entire time I shared that portion!
The big question is – why share? Well I share because although my journey has not been as difficult as some, it has been difficult and a lot of heart issues that other women face. I want to offer inspiration and hope that although things may be tough and life might be dark right now – there is hope. Hope for a bright future and one where you can live out of a whole heart.
I get some flack from people about how much I share, how open I am, how active I am on Social Media, etc. but I’m not sure how else to be. So, I guess take it or leave it. Hopefully it will help someone. Most fashion bloggers just talk about their outfits (which is awesome) but for me there are so many matters of the heart that are intertwined with wearing bold, sexy, beautiful pieces of clothing and although it’s so fun to dress up and talk about it – the state of one’s heart is what is most important to me.
The big question is – why share? Well I share because although my journey has not been as difficult as some, it has been difficult and a lot of heart issues that other women face. I want to offer inspiration and hope that although things may be tough and life might be dark right now – there is hope. Hope for a bright future and one where you can live out of a whole heart.
I get some flack from people about how much I share, how open I am, how active I am on Social Media, etc. but I’m not sure how else to be. So, I guess take it or leave it. Hopefully it will help someone. Most fashion bloggers just talk about their outfits (which is awesome) but for me there are so many matters of the heart that are intertwined with wearing bold, sexy, beautiful pieces of clothing and although it’s so fun to dress up and talk about it – the state of one’s heart is what is most important to me.
If your interested in hearing what I shared – check out my video on Youtube by clicking HERE
(Pardon some of the choppy bits, I did my best to string the videos together)
The rest of the weekend I was a lot more relaxed to say the least. We got to enjoy an AMAZING fashion show Saturday night. Honestly I could hardly sit in my chair. To see women just rock that runway inspires me sooooooo much! The majority of them were new faces for me but I got to see a dear friend – Tess – rock that runway and boy was she rockin it! We saw so many great outfits from such awesome designers. Seeing shows like this inspires me to stop wearing so much black – I’ll get there some day. That night I was also given an award for sharing my story. Georgia chuckled at me when I sat back down with my plaque after receiving it…I was like it even has my name on it! I was so touched and honored. It is moments like these that let me know, I’m on the right path and that I’m making a difference and I’m so thankful for that.
Check out my killer Gold Necklace from Karen with Fifth Avenue Jewelry Too – just love it! Don’t forget all my jewelry is by her!
One other thing that was really neat was that I got to meet some other queens! Miss Plus Michigan, Mrs Plus America, Miss Plus Kentucky, and Miss Plus America Ambassador. It was so neat to meet them all, hear a bit about their journeys and who their platforms are. And that lady in the green in the middle of all us queens was the beautiful and absolutely hilarious Erica Watson who was the MC for the show that night. She was utterly amazing!
This weekend was one for the books – new friendships, sparked inspiration, a knowing that I’m on the right path and an increase in confidence.
Check out some of the other pictures from the weekend as well – click on them to make them bigger
Check out some of the other pictures from the weekend as well – click on them to make them bigger
Stay Beautiful!
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