Monday, April 10, 2017

Plus Size Fashion- LuLaRoe Edition from Let the Good Times Roe!


LuLaRoe is known for their
Buttery Soft Leggings in fun prints! 
I'm very excited to share this haul with you guys, because it is from one of my absolute favorite clothing companies- LuLaRoe (aka LLR, or Lula)!  For those of you that have never heard of LuLaRoe, it is a Direct Sales company, with clothing being sold by Independent Consultants. They carry a variety of clothes, mainly for women, but they also have a nice selection of children's clothing and some men's shirts as well.  They are most well known for their leggings, which are buttery soft- and seriously ladies, these leggings are magical!  I literally pet myself, ALL THE TIME when I'm wearing my leggings (which, let's be  honest is almost every day...)  I also hold my leg up to most of my friends and force them to touch the leggings to feel the softness... ok, yeah, sometimes strangers too... not creepy at all...
The softness and comfort of the leggings alone are enough to make me love this company, but let's add on some additional bonus features.
1. The sizes run from XXS to 3XL, yep, that's right curvy girls- you can shop at the same place as your skinny friends, and as your short friends- and you don't even need to go to the separate "plus size" or "petite" section!
2.  COMFORT, man oh man, is this stuff comfortable! The fabrics are soft and stretchy, which basically means you feel like you're wearing pajamas all the time.  Except, you don't look like a slob- you look beautiful!  Plus, since the fabrics are so stretchy, that means you can often wear many different sizes.  For example, I can wear the Perfect tee or the Carly dress in an XL, 2XL or 3XL.  (and, let's be honest, when you're a size 24 and can fit into an XL, that's a pretty good feeling)
Julia Dress with Perfect Tee
in Classic Navy and Stripes
3. Prints- This is the really fun part of LuLaRoe (and maybe also the frustrating part, lol), the colors and patterns are amazing.  In my opinion, one of the most important aspects when making fashion choices is finding clothing that allows you to express your personality.  In order to feel beautiful and confident, you want your clothing to reflect who you are, to make you light up from the inside when you put it on.  With Lula, there is truly something for EVERYONE- if you like bright bold patterns, they've got them, do you prefer neutrals- yep, you can find those too.  Anything you can imagine- animal prints, food prints, paisley and butterflies and geometrics, holiday prints, jacquard, lace, tie-dye. Prints are limited edition,  they make a set number of each print, and when they are gone- they are gone.  Each consultant gets to choose which styles of clothing they carry, and which sizes, but they don't get to pick the prints- they get a random selection.  You never know what you're going to get. The frustrating part, is that if you see a pattern you love, you may not find it in the style or size you want.  But the really fun part is that new prints come out all the time, it is so exciting to see the new colors and prints.
4. Flattering- LLR has styles that flatter all different body shapes, and once you find a style that you love- new prints come out all the time- WIN!
5.  They use lots of curvy girls in their marketing materials.  I'm not talking about the size 10 "plus size models" that we often see, I mean real life, beautiful, curvy women. They also have short women, and tall women, and women with all different body shapes.   There's not one slightly bigger model among numerous tall thin models, there are lots of real looking people- women we can look at and think, "hey she looks like me, and she looks amazing!"
6.  You know who you are supporting.  With Direct Sales companies, you have the opportunity to get to know your consultant.  When I buy LuLaRoe, I know that my money is going directly to the consultant, and that feels good to me. Many LuLaRoe consultants are stay-at-home moms, husband/wife teams, or families- real people are directly benefitting from my purchase, not some big corporate entity.  You also get to choose which consultants you want to shop from.  Which brings me to the haul....

I received most of these clothes for review (some were items I purchased previously) from an absolutely AH-MAZING Consultant- Rachel Newlon of Let the Good Times Roe.
(https://www.facebook.com/groups/LetTheGoodTimesROE/) This is actually a family team.  The team consists of "HR" aka "Mom and Dad" aka Rachel and Michael, and their three sons, the "Newlabros"- Newt, Nathan and John.   I first discovered Let The Good Times Roe when I was searching for Halloween print leggings, and I joined a ton of different consultant groups.  I remember watching a Facebook live sale, and seeing three young guys selling LulaRoe (not a common occurrence), and they were a riot!  They danced, they sang, they did amazing Wookie calls (Newt seriously sounds just like Chewbacca), and they sold their hearts out.  I've gotten to know this family more as time has gone by, and they are without doubt one of my all time favorite consultant teams.  They truly get to know their customers, they find styles and outfits they think you will love, they encourage you to push your boundaries with fashion, and they are just all around good people.  I find myself eagerly waiting for the live sales so I can chat with them, find out what's going on in their lives, and see what new clothes they've gotten in.  Shopping for clothes should be fun- and with this crew, fun is guaranteed.

Madison Skirt
Rachel picked out some awesome clothing items for me to share with you guys, including styles I have never tried on before.  As I mentioned earlier, I typically wear a size 24, or a 3XL in most clothes.  I am pear shaped and 5'4".  I did receive these clothes for review, but I will give my 100% honest opinion (I may be a bit biased though since I already love Lularoe, lol)


Madison Take 2
First up, we have the Madison Skirt in a 3XL.  This skirt has a pleated waist band and POCKETS!  Gotta love a skirt with pockets- more women's clothing needs pockets.  This one runs true to size, so stick to your normal size.  This is my first experience with a Madison, and I was quite pleased with it!  I personally am pear shaped, with a big booty and hips.  I found the Madison worked best for my body shape when I brought the waist up to just under my bust line.  If I put it at my waist, the back hitched up and the pleats spread out over the booty, lol!  But under my bust it flowed down perfectly, and accentuated my curves.  This is a white skirt with a soft gray pattern over it, which made it very versatile!  I was able to dress it up for a classy look with a green top and scarf belt, but also able to dress it down for a fun and funky look with an off the shoulder rock and roll top, and a fun belt.  This style would also be very beautiful and flattering on women that are apple or rectangle shaped, and will give you more of an hour-glass shape with the pleats.

Amelia- note the pockets!
Next, is the Amelia dress, in a 2XL.  This is basically the dress version of the Madison, so, again, it has pleats and pockets. It also has a zipper on the back.  I can wear the Amelia in either a 2XL or a 3XL.  This style is one of the dressier styles that LuLaRoe carries, and is perfect for weddings or holidays.  When I first tried on an Amelia, I was worried that the pleats would make me look pregnant or bigger- but I actually haven't found that to be the case.  This style hits me just below my knees. I really love the print of this dress, it is very fun and summery, and perfect for me since I live on Maui!  This style works very well for ladies with an hourglass, rectangle or pear shape.  If you're more of an apple shape, you may want to try this one on (find a local consultant so you can try the different styles on and see what you love) to see if you find it flattering or not.  It is not a very long style, so if you are really tall, and don't like to show off your gorgeous gams, then, you may want to try this one on before committing.


Add caption
Next up is my FAVORITE top style that Lula carries, the Perfect Tee, and yes- it really is perfect! This shirt is soft and stretchy (like a nice soft t-shirt material usually), it's fitted through the arms and chest, and then it flares out over the hips, with a slit on either side.  It's a nice length, perfect for wearing with leggings.  Personally, I find this shirt to be so so flattering- it really accentuates my curves in all the right places.  I think this style works on any body shape.  I typically wear the Perfect tee in an XL, but can also do a 2XL or 3XL.  My chest is a smaller size than my hips, which is why I am able to size down 2 sizes, but in general this top does run large so most women can size down at least one size. The Perfect that Rachel sent me was a 2XL, and in colors that are different from what I normally choose (but it's always good to branch out), so I didn't have any matching leggings.  But, as you can see, it also goes really well with jeans!  This is a bold, fun print, so I thought it went really well with my distressed, skinny jeans.  It is a 2XL, which is a little larger than I typically wear, so I used a little rubber band to make a fun little knot and add some flattering ruching.


Ana and Joy 
The last outfit contains an Ana dress and a Joy vest. This was my first time ever wearing an Ana, which is a maxi dress.  The Ana is very similar to the Nicole (my favorite LLR dress style) but is full length.  The Nicole hits me just below the knee, and is a very flattering style, that accentuates my curves.  I wear a 2XL or 3XL in the Nicole.   With it's long length, the skirt on the Ana is heavier, so it ends up being a bit clingier than the Nicole.  The Ana I received was a 3XL, but I found it clung to my belly more than I liked, so I used the same knot trick I used in the Perfect tee, and the ruching helped the dress to fall nicely.  I added a lace Joy vest (full length dress) in a size L over the Ana for some extra style, and also to cover up any spots I was less comfortable with.  Now, I am actually fairly confident and comfortable with my body, and don't mind too much if you can see my curves, but if you are uncomfortable with things being form fitting in any way, then I recommend you size up in the Ana.  Personally, I love the way a long dress or skirt feels on, the way it swirls around my ankles.  I just feel so feminine and pretty!  This particular Ana is not a print I would have picked out on my own, but I ended up really loving it.  The flowers on it remind me of the Truffula trees from the Lorax, and I am a huge Dr. Suess fan, so it makes me smile to wear it.
Anna, Joy and Sarah

Rachel also sent me a gorgeous blue and black striped  Sarah Cardigan (the stripes are very thin stripes, so it looks like a solid grayish blue from far away), which went perfectly with the Ana and Joy.  Sarah is a full length duster style cardigan- and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!  Being on Maui, I don't have many occasions to wear a full length sweater (although it does come in some pretty light weight fabrics)- but whenever we have rain or chilly days, I always throw on a Sarah.  It literally feels like you're wearing a soft bathrobe, but is way cuter (oh yeah- and it has pockets!) The fabric is flowy and fun and long, so when you walk fast it kind of flies out behind you- I feel like a super hero or vampire with a cape, or like a bada*s old school cowgirl in a duster jacket.  I find myself walking with long confident strides, and my head held high anytime I have a Sarah on.

Overall, I really do love this clothing line, and have found that almost every style I have tried has been both comfortable and flattering.  I have heard a lot of women say that LuLaRoe has gotten them excited about clothes (some for the first time ever), and I whole-heartedly agree with that.  I plan to do many more LLR blogs,  so please let me know if there are any styles you would like me to try on for you all, if you need sizing tips, want to know what styles will be most flattering on your body shape,  or if you want me to show you any specific styling tips (different ties, layering, pattern mixing, etc.).

I want to send a big Mahalo (Thank you!) to Rachel and the Newlabros at Let The Good Time Roe for sending me these products to share with you all.  You can find them on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/LetTheGoodTimesROE/) and Instagram @letthegoodtimesroe

Also, big thanks to Morgan for doing my make up and taking photos(find her on Instagram @myl_makeup)!