In The Thick Of It

Gingham Apron Dress from Two J’s New York

A perfect sunny day in my new neighborhood and I just wanted something fun and fresh to wear.  I had to test out my new Two J’s New York apron dress.  It was a windy day so I decided to layer it over a vintage black lace crinoline and my Gene boots by Jeffrey Campbell. 

The great thing about Two J’s clothes is that they are super versatile.  Each item can be styled in many different ways.  This dress has the apron style bodice which can be changed with the strap positions, the tie can be worn in front or back, the straps can be worn out or tucked in.  There is lots of material in the skirt portion - it flares perfectly and did I mention yet….DEEP POCKETS! This dress has pockets bigger than a few purses I own :)

This lovely cotton dress is really great for summer and comes in a variety of colors and fabrics.  I really love the khaki/denim combo as well.

I’ll be posting some more Two J’s New York pieces over the coming weeks.  I hope you love their work as much as I do.

Outfit Details:
Chocolate Cherry Apron Dress - Sz L - Two J’s New York
Black Lace Crinoline - Sz unknown - vintage
‘Gene’ Ankle Boots - Jeffrey Campbell
Necklace - Topman (i think!)
Earrings - local gallery
Moth tattoo - Esther of Butterfat Studio
Glasses - SEE Eyewear

*dress was provided for review by Two J’s New York. This did not influence my review in any way.

Industrial Corner and MYNT 1792 Brown Jacket

One of my favorite things about chicago is that it does have a gritty edge to it.  The rust juxtaposed with the geese and the blue sky make me smile. 

This lovely Nolita Moto Jacket was gifted to me by MYNT 1792. It’s such a great color and I love that the collar really looks good open or closed. I received so many compliments on this outfit.  I think it can easily be dressed up or down - pair with skinny jeans or a denim skirt for totally different looks.

Outfit details:
Nolita Moto Jacket - Sz 1X - MYNT 1792
Pale pink burnout shirt - H&M - XL
Burgundy tank - Target - XXL 
Premium skinny jeggings - Target - 16
Burgundy shoes - Target
Crystal bullet necklace - lovely musings etsy
Earrings - Nordstrom Rack
Arrow Bracelets - Nordstrom Rack
Sunglasses - SEE Eyewear

I’m a 215# queer fat femme

Thanks to MYNT 1792 for the nolita moto jacket. My review is not monetarily influenced!

Record Store Day & MYNT 1792 Collaboration

You all know how difficult it can be to find a perfect pair of skinny jeans. How thrilled was I when I was contacted by MYNT 1792 to try their Tribeca Skinny Jeans.  These jeans are premium denim.  They are not overly stretchy, they are not see-through thin - they ARE a perfect weight with a tiny bit of stretch and they simply fit well.  I want to own them in every color. 

I decided to wear the new skinnies while I was out shopping on Record Store Day.  I needed something that would feel comfortable wearing all day long.  Because the weather has still been cold and blustery in Chicago - I needed to pair it with a long sleeve top and then added my go-to jean jacket.  I love this look and you’ll be seeing these jeans in many upcoming looks.

Chicago folks will likely recognize these murals from Logan Square and thanks to Fleur (floral shop) for letting us shoot a few inside (it was SO cold/windy!)

Outfit Details
Blackberry Tribeca Skinny Jeans - Mynt 1792 (sz 14)
Leopard/Gray top - H&M Plus (sz 18)
Rose quartz necklace - lovelymusings etsy
Jean jacket - GAP
Gray wedges - Target (last spring)
Glasses - SEE Eyewear
Gray ‘Okinawa’ bag - Vahallah Brooklyn

I’m a 215# queer fat femme

Thanks to MYNT 1792 for the tribeca skinny jeans. My review is not monetarily influenced!

Springtime and Patterned Shorts

I am thrilled that it’s finally spring!  Well except that all my dogs are shedding - that isn’t so sweet.  But all the flowers and the warmer weather are just making me so happy right now.

My job has been so busy lately that I really haven’t had time to take some fun photos, but I really wanted to show you guys these amazing sweet shorts I recently purchased.  I think there’s nothing better than mixing patterns and when I came home and remembered I had this precious lace sweatshirt, I knew I had the perfect outfit.  I know this outfit is a little sweet for me - but there’s something about spring that just brings it out of me.

And what about these new creamy pearl glasses from SEE eyewear?  I am completely in love!

Outfit details
Navy/seafoam green patterned shorts - Target - Sz 18
Seafoam lace sweatshirt - Target - Sz XXL
Pale pink studded flats - Target
Rose quartz necklace - lovelymusings etsy
white ring - H&M
Rose ring - Fossil
Glasses - SEE eyewear

The pink-tinted hair

And just in case it wasn’t really clear from my last post - my hair is now toned the tiniest bit of pink.  Thanks Patrick from Fringe Salon Chicago for making my hair the most perfect hint of the color I love. 

My hair matched my entire outfit!

(and isn’t my basenji, Sailor the cutest?)

The Devil’s in the Details

 Accessories can take any outfit from “just something i threw on” to an actual pulled-together look. I used to be annoyed  that sometimes the only thing I could ever find in a store was accessories, because they carried no clothes in my size, but the reality is that it’s allowed me to amass quite a collection of really cute accessories.  A good outfit has a mixture of colors, patterns and textures in the clothes and the accessories should also reflect that mix.

If nothing else, having some key pieces - a weird necklace or some big earrings that you can throw on that will upgrade an outfit is worth even a small amount of money.

And other thing - for those of you that wear glasses, they can be additional accessory that is fun to change up.  Over many years, I’ve added new pairs to my collection.

This skirt you’ve seen before, but I wanted to show you how I’ve paired it with some new accessories (and a new top!)

The Outfit Details
Sea-foam shirt - Forever 21+ - 1X
Faux Leather Jacket - Forever 21+ - XL
Patent flats - Target 
Sea-foam Necklace (worn as a bracelet) - Forever 21
Pink/silver ring - Fossil
Triangle rings - Stone and Honey
Skirt - Forever 21+ - 1X
Hand Collar Clips - gift
Earrings - local shop
Rose Scarf - vintage/thrifted
Jacket - Guess - XL
Glasses - SEE

Hard shoes and lace tops

Oh a lace top…so much to say about something so dainty and yet so tough.  Ahem.

I found this sea-foam green lace sweatshirt at target last week and just knew it would work with some other pieces in my closet.  I love the mix of the pale color with a sweatshirt cut.  My only wish is that it was a true crew-neck so I could wear it with a button-up collar shirt and have it look just the way I want it to.

I’m JUST SURE y’all are sick of these black skinny jeans, but I swear it’s 12 degrees today and I just can’t be bothered with anything else at the moment. So just know that I’m going to show you what I’m really wearing here - not just outfits that are exclusive for the blog.  REALLY REAL here.

This scarf is one I found at dorothy perkins a few months ago and it looked so much like one I was obsessed over at topshop that was 3x the price, so of course I grabbed this one for myself.

Not too bad for a winter weekend look, eh?

Outfit Details
Teal Lace Sweatshirt - Target, XXL
Jacket - vintage
Pink Skull Scarf - Dorothy Perkins
Black Skinny Jeans - Rockstar Old Navy - Sz 16
Chain ‘Gene’ Booties - Jeffrey Campbell
Citrine Bullet Necklace - Lovely Musings (get 15% off using code 15OFF during the month of February)
Triangle Rings - Stone and honey
Earrings - Target
Glasses - SEE

I’m a 5’9” approx 215# femme!

The colors of a rose garden

I promised something other than the black/white outfits I’ve been inundating you all with for weeks.  A sunny cold day seemed like just the time to pull out some pink and dark red - one of my favorite color combos.

Photos are from the el, just at sunset.

Outfit details
Pink Tunic - Forever 21 Plus - Sz 1X
Red Jeggings - Target - Sz 16
Green Jacket - GAP - Sz XL
Scarf - Urban Outfitters
Black/gold stud bag - Forever 21
Ring - Stone and Honey
Braided Belt - Nordstrom
Necklace - Forever 21
Boots - Steve Madden
Earrings - local
Glasses - SEE

Winter Outerwear and Creepers

What a surprise, another freezing day in Chicago in the winter.  There’s only so many days of boots and a puffy coat that I can handle, so I try to mix it up when I can.

I wanted to share some plus size outerwear looks with you.  This jacket is one of my favorites - it has such great lines and fits me well.  There’s something about a tailored-looking jacket that just makes you feel confident - even when it’s 4 below.

These shoes are new and are great for winter walking.  My partner S has been wearing creepers since high school.  I love the look of creepers, but never found a pair that felt really me.  When S showed me these great single-buckle gray TUKs, I totally fell in love and bought them immediately. They’re super comfortable and good for navigating streets covered in ice.

Outfit Details
Jacket - Guess Brand, Sz XL (guess has jackets up to 3x at Macys)
Scarf - Target
Black skinny jeans - Target
Argyle socks - H&M
Gray Creepers - TUK A8240
Stud bag - Forever 21

The pointy shoes and skinny pants

If you’re a regular follower of InTheThickofIt, you’ll know this outfit isn’t massively different from recent posts.  As much as I try to mix things up, I still have a strong inclination to black/white ensembles.  And in addition to that - it’s been so cold and snowy here in the midwest, it’s been difficult to get in the spirt of wearing anything other than layers of warm things.

Many of my readers have asked how to incorporate gothy elements into everyday wear.  I mean as much as I’d like to look like Siouxsie on a daily basis - it’s not really possible with my day-to-day lifestyle and clothing.  So I make compromises.  These new beautiful John Fluevog shoes i got with friend oooswampwitch in portland are a good example of a strong element of the weird and wicked that can fit into a more casual look. Also part of this outfit is this strange stretchy cross shirt that I purchased from the straight-size section of forever 21.  This is a good example that plus size folks aren’t always relegated to strictly the plus size section of a store - this shirt is SUPER stretchy and could even fit folks larger than myself.

THE OUTFIT DETAILS
Cross Shirt - Forever 21, Sz L
Denim Shirt - Forever 21+, Size 1X (I adore this button-up)
Porqupine earrings - etsy
Crystal Bullet necklace - LovelyMusings etsy (SHE HAS PROVIDED ONE OF THESE AMAZING NECKLACES FOR MY FEBRUARY GIVEAWAY - DETAILS FORTHCOMING!!!!!)
Crystal Ring - Stone and Honey
Pointy shoes - John Fluevog Selby 
Glasses - SEE

I’m a 5’9” approx 215# femme!