Wednesday, June 15, 2011

The Curvy Canadian Chronicles

To the Lovely Ladies of Canada and Beyond,

I would love to introduce this witty and absolutely gorgeous plus size fashion blogger from Canada, Karen Ward. With the wonderful avenues that the internet can provide, I had the awesome opportunity to connect with Karen through PLUS Model Magazine's Blog's Fashion Friday Feature. Only the dopest curvy girls are featured, and Karen is definitely one of those IT girls that caught my attention. After emailing back and forth I finally got the chance to feature her on CRB! I know you ladies will show mad love and appreciation for this Curvy Canadian Diva!
Peek into the Curvy World of this Canadian Fashionista:

Blogger Rundown:

Name: Karen Ward
Age: 27 (In about three years, I will start lying about my age)
Hometown: Mississauga, Canada

What inspires you to blog daily?

My readers and myself. I am always so deeply moved when I am contacted by a women who has found empowerment through reading my blog and embracing how fashionable she can be. Being curvy, it's so easy to just give up on your appearance because society doesn't typically view you as beautiful or sexy. By dressing my curvy body the way I do, I am challenging that societal view and encouraging others to do so as well, either in their thoughts or in the way they dress themselves. There is something truly subversive about being plus size and at the height of fashion, and I love that! Learning to love myself has been a big part of this process for me, and dressing well is really helping with that, so I have to make sure I keep my fashion on-point at all times!

Do you thrift often if so, where and how often?

LOVE to thrift. Being a student (perpetually - I am entering my 10th year of post-secondary education in September - working on my PhD), it's hard to afford all of the designer stuff that I'd love to buy if I was working full time. So I take to the thrift stores to see what treasures I can find! Sometimes you can find really awesome designer stuff that the store owners weren't aware was designer. I would say I thrift maybe once or twice a month, usually at Goodwill, Salvation Army, Value Village, and Talize.

What was your best find(s) at a thrift store (or any other store)?

My best find in a thrift store was at a Salvation Army in Port Elgin, Ontario. I found a pair of vintage Alfred Sung clip-on earrings from the 80s for 25 cents. I got home and did some research and they were going for over $50 on ebay! Woohoo!

How has blogging changed your perspective on the outside world of fashion?

I would say that starting blogging has just made me more aware of trends in general, and I can sort of predict what will be coming next. New fashions from the UK always give a sense of what will make it to North America for the same season in the following year. Aztec prints will be big next summer - so get a jump on all of your friends and buy some now! I would say that ideologically, blogging has changed my perspective on fashion because it has really helped me to realize that fashion is for EVERYONE (rich, poor, skinny, fat, and in-between). There are some people won't like that you're fashionable and fat, but those people don't matter. Fashion is a form of self-expression that places our body in the position of the artistic canvas. Paint yourself and make a statement.

If you could describe your fashion blog in one word, what would it be?

Wow, one word? You're asking a PhD student in English Literature to describe something in one word? Hmmm... this is hard. I guess it's been the word of the day today - so I would hope that the word "empowering" describes my blog. At least a little bit. I also hope it's a bit subversive. Sorry, had to sneak that one in there!

*Ladies* Please take the time out to check her AMAZING and EMPOWERING blog, it is full of amazing finds: Like This Polka Dot Cobolt Blue Blazer Karen has on (I need to borrow that, like now!) CURVY GIRLS RUN THE WORLD!


Smooches!

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