I'm back :) I took a looong blogging break... And guess what? In the meantime I had a baby!

Rodarte For Target

I feel like this is turning into a blog about Target but what can I say?! I'm obsessed with the place! A large portion of my closet came from their 50% and 75% off clearance racks. Well I just thought I would let you know about the sneak peak Wendy over at nitrolicious.com posted. Everything looks interesting but I'm not sure how much of it I would actually wear.

Just to let you know....

Anna Sui for Target is now 30% off in stores (at least in mine)I went ahead and bought this dress, I'm going to throw on some fishnets, boots and a witches hat for Halloween. I'm sure I will find other ways to wear it later :)

Carlos Falchi handbags for Target

Side Story:
I work for a fire sprinkler contractor. As a family owned company, it is very casual. Which allows me to express my fashion creativity without worrying about fitting in with Corporate America. Our company has been fortune enough to have worked on projects with Costco and more recently Target. Yesterday was the grand opening of 2 brand new Target stores in which we installed the fire sprinkler systems, the best part? We were invited to the Grand Opening Ceremony! It was a fun time; Shopping the fully stocked racks with a band playing in the background and employees offering us lots of red and white cupcakes.

Now on to the main story:
The Carlos Falchi for Target handbag collection was out at the new store. The line is set to release on Nov. 1st but I've noticed Target almost ALWAYS releases their designer collections early in stores. Anyways, this collection is a huge disappointment. There were 4 different styles, all of them made from cheap, thin, shiny PVC. 2 Styles were embossed snakeskin print in a blue-black color, the others were patched exotic prints (in green, purple and brown) that Carlos Falchi is famous for but it really doesn't translate well at all. Remember the Botkier collection? This snakeskin print one? The Falchi bags are similar quality but they are shinier and have no structure... I love a hobo bag but these are just a mess :(

Do You Follow The "Rules"?

Find me on Polyvore
Now that I know what body shape I have, I feel like I am bombarded by rules. There are so many trends right now that are big DON'Ts for my body shape: Strong shoulders, skinny jeans, and fur are all big no, nos for an apple body shape. You know what I say? Screw it! My legs are my best asset and I am going to show them off in skinny jeans. I already have strong shoulders so i don't even need extra padding :) Fur is luxurious and fun, who cares if it makes me look thicker?! My point is be confident and don't just blindly follow the rules or you will probably end up wearing the same thing all the time.

What's Your Body Shape?

Do you know your body shape? I always assumed I was an apple because I carry my weight in my stomach but I never knew until I took my measurements and input them on Myshape.com They have it down to a science! Input you stats and check it out! They don't just give you some tips and send you off shopping like some other websites.
Gabby at YFF also did a post with a great quiz if you don't have time to measure yourself right this moment :)

Glamour is stepping it up!

Check out Glamour's article on Supermodels who aren't super thin. The most exciting part? It seems that reader comments are what has been fueling Glamour's sudden interest in "real women" I'm all for the paying customer having a say!!!

Anna Sui for Target

Just to let you know I walked in to Target (Mission Viejo, CA) today and the Anna Sui line as already in. I tried on most of the pieces and while most of it is adorable, it just doesn't flatter my apple body shape. Actually there was quite a few shirts not in the lookbooks I found one interesting because I heart all things with swallows/sparrows...(guess which OC city I'm from?)

clean out your closets!

Clothing Swap Time! I will be hosting a clothing swap this Friday. I am a compulsive closet cleaner, although I usually donate to family in Mexico or Goodwill, with the way the economy is right now I figured even some of my "middle class" friends would enjoy a free outfit! Since I am such a bargain shopper, I never mind parting with my $5 finds. I assume I am pretty normal (Don't we all?) but my hubby is the opposite; He saves everything! He has clothes from when we met 10 years ago.

Yosemite

Just got back from our annual 3 day weekend in Yosemite. We had a blast, except the kids are old enough to stay awake the whole drive there, which means lots of "Are we there yet?" moments... Lots of walking, lots of picture taking, lots of lazing around in the creek :) good times...
Fashion was not at the top of my worries... but I did manage to not over/under pack, which is quite a feat.

Intro

So.... Introductions are always uncomfortable. I always wonder if I'm talking about myself too much...

Well here goes, My name is Monica, I'm 23 and up until about a year ago, I had no sense of style... I still don't really know what I'm doing when it comes to fashion but I'm here to prove to you that I can be stylish, look good, and be a healthy size 12.

Now the reasons behind my blog name "Not Your Average Size 12". While watching "What Not To Wear" I heard Stacey say that the average size women in the US is a size 12. Being a size 12, I thought it was interesting, so I looked it up on the internet. I came across this: http://webcenters.netscape.compuserve.com/homerealestate/package.jsp?name=fte/clothessize/clothessize
saying that the average size women is a size 14...hmmm.... well I have never felt "average", shopping is a pain at size 12! This is the size that most clothing stores cut off their sizing and I don't fit into plus size clothing so I have always felt lost searching for clothes in this in-between size! I also came across this article: http://www.wonderquest.com/size-women-us.htm
giving the height and weight averages of women in the US. Guess what? These are my exact measurements! So this blog is for you fellow size 12ers! To the size the fashion industry ignores...