Summer Suddenly

It feels like SUMMER! So sunny and warm - my favorite kind of temperatures, mid 70s to lower 80s, not too hot and not humid. Just PERFECT! 

I think you can probably tell that I'm pretty happy today. Why yes, I am! I do apologize for less than usual quality of photos though. It's all because Someone forgot her camera at home when she was hurrying to meet Someone Else in the early afternoon. That Someone would be me, of course. And the Someone Else would be, yes that's right - Justin who offered to take pictures with his phone, bless his soul and the modern technology.

I think this sudden perfect Summer weather makes people extra happy. How else to explain the abundance of gorgeous looking women everywhere today - in Justin's office, in the restaurant where we had a light seafood lunch and in the park where we took a walk later. They all could have their own style blogs, I kid you not! You see Seattle (and Pacific Northwest in general I would say) is not especially known for their stylish people, and it's a shame because everything, everything with no exceptions whatsoever is so beautiful out here - the sea, the lakes, the forest, the mountains, the islands, the volcano, the valleys, the downtown areas of Seattle, Tacoma, or more modern Bellevue, cute little villages... I mean, literally everything is amazing! Why can't the way people look be equally amazing? Well today was one of those days which showed that it definitely can. I wanted to photograph all of these women and give them a big hug. 

This orange is actually much brighter in reality!

Want a tip how to update your manicure for a new outfit without much hassle? Just repaint one "accent" nail on each hand and voila - you look fun and creative, and very together at the same time!

The necklace has a tiny cute story. It actually was my daughter's, but she got tired of it and gave it to me. I am pretty sure it's by Claire's - Anya used to be a huge fan. I really like this pendant - it has a brassy antique feel to it, and I can safely say that this is the very first time I am wearing something which belong to my kid! What about you? Do you wear your kids' stuff?

The dress is new, by Ashley Stewart, linen/rayon mix, very well made and fully lined. I couldn't wait to wear it - it is very "me". I don't know why, but safari style and military style women's clothing just really appeal to me, and I think I look good in them too. Ashley Stewart is a brand I discovered last year. If you think it's easy to find fun, contemporary, good quality clothing being a plus size woman in America, I will disappoint you - it's not very easy. The vast majority of popular brands which you can find in malls do not carry clothing over size 14. And those who carry... well, let's not go there. Often it's grandma style - not especially stylish grandma at that. (Same goes for plus size clothing at thrift shops! It's always less selection and less fun pieces...) If you are a chubby girl who want to look stylish, you need to get really active - not to loose weight, you will never hear such advice from me - but to get creative and find what brands make interesting, fashionable clothing in your size. Ashley Stewart is one of them.

It offers plus size clothing for women (US 12 to 24), in fun colorful styles - cute, bold and sexy. If you recognize yourself in this description, there is a good chance you'll find something to your liking there. We do not have this brand in stores where I live (at least I don't know of any store carrying this brand), so I order online. This dress is size 18 and fits me like a glove. (I usually go for size 14/16 for tops and 16/18 for skirts at Lane Bryant - just to give you a sense of sizing). I have a few items in my wardrobe from this brand. Here are a couple of military inspired ones:

AS Jumpsuit from my very first outfit post & AS Jacket from my earlier post Strong Female

As I said, after lunch we took a stroll in the park, to be precise we walked on a paved trail and on a loopy kind of pier and enjoyed the breeze from the lake. It was lovely and so romantic. On the photo below, you can see the restaurant where we had lunch - it's an old local seafood chain called Ivar's - fast food, but it's pretty good, or "cheap and cheerful" as Justin, Anya and I like to say. Fish'n chips and clam chowder (famous American seafood stew) it was.

Dress - Ashley Stewart (available here). Sandals - Tsubo (have a better look at them in this post).

Clutch - Urban Expressions. Jewelry - variety of places, including Claire's.

Location - Gene Coulon Park in Renton (more photos from this park in one of my very first posts here)