Day #7: Elegance...for work?

Why not? These girls look like they are ready to party it up every day of the week when the average person may attend one formal event every few years. Maybe.

I really had no idea what to expect when the Elegance Collection was released. All I knew was, several of my consultants were taking preorders, nothing in my size was available, and everything that I absolutely loved wasn't even made in my size. And it was expensive! And dry clean only!

But when it comes to clothes, jewelry, makeup, nail polish, whatever....I'm attracted to the sparkly. If I were a fish, I'd have been dead on a plate long ago. An old friend of mine used to yell "fish bait!" every time we'd be shopping and run into a display of jewelry that caught my eye. 

The first thing I got was the Classic T in a combination of silver and rose gold. That was a preorder and I was happy with it. The second thing I got was the sparkly Carly in the berry color. Also a preorder and I was happy with it. Everything else? Well, I came across this Lindsay in the picture at a multi-consultant sale after Christmas and told myself I wouldn't buy it unless it was still available at the end of the day. Obviously it was. I had several friends on the list to the left contact me when they had stuff in my sizes to offer me first right to buy. I had several friends say that they didn't think they would EVER sell X, Y or Z....and then I decided I had to have it. The rest of it? Imagine a lion hunting antelope and

that was me. See that picture? The antelope was the shiny blue Wonder Woman skirt and I was the pouncing lion. I justified it by telling myself that because I have fifteen nieces and nephews that are growing up and will be getting married that I need these semi-formal (all right, fine, they are formal!) clothes. Then I justified it by telling myself that they really aren't that Christmasy and I can wear them whenever I want. Then I made myself a promise that I would wear Elegance to every Lularoe party and pop-up and event this year to get my money's worth, a promise which I promptly broke on Sunday.

Shameless....I really could talk myself into walking off a cliff if I tried hard enough. 

So a few tips for those of you that are like me and have a ridiculous amount of Elegance and won't admit it (but you know you do):

1. If you have one of the glittery sparkly Carlys and you are freaking out about the glitter dust that is everywhere, I heard from another consultant that if you take it outside, shake it out and then spray it thoroughly with Scotch Guard, the glitter fall out will be at a minimum. Another suggestion is hairspray, although I'm not going to be trying that, thank you very much! Here's an article that talks about how to keep glitter from falling off clothing. 
2. I have heard from several wearers that the glitter fabric scratches the bejeezus out of the underside of the arms when you wear it. I don't have any input on that yet since I haven't worn mine anywhere except around the house, but I'll update this article when I wear one for more than five minutes. I would suggest wearing a Lindsay or Monroe with it to help with the chafing. 
3. Read the care instructions on every piece that you have. I have heard that dry cleaning is recommended for these pieces, but I seriously doubt I am ever taking it down to my local dry cleaner to let them have at it. Since I'm an insurance adjuster, I know people in the textile restoration business, so I'll probably be doing that as needed but only as needed. Any piece that can be hand-washed, I would do that with the most delicate soap possible and wash by hand. 
4. Be careful with it and watch your jewelry, especially on the stuff that can snag. I didn't even bother wearing a bracelet Christmas even when I wore my Elegant Lucy that has a tulle overskirt. (You can see the picture of me wearing that green skirt in this article.)
5. I seriously wasn't kidding about wearing it to every pop-up party I attend this year, but I'm not going to wear head to toe metallics or glitter. I plan on toning some of those pieces down with some solid shirts and skirts. 

And with that, it's a perfect segue into the title of my article where I actually did wear Elegance to work. My first Lindsay that I bought (ouch, I just admitted I have more than one, didn't I?) was a bronze shimmery Lindsay with gold threads running through it, and I thought it went really well with this combination of a mineral-washed black Classic tee, a floral Azure skirt in tones of gold, gray, and white on a black background, and tan leggings underneath. Definitely four pieces that I would not have thought about pairing together, but it just kind of....worked. Which is odd considering that there were four fabric types in this outfit....mineral wash, gauzy chiffon with metallic threads, slinky Tencel in the Azure and then everyone's favorite leggings. It was dressy for work without being overkill, and it was fun. (Karaline, if you are reading this, I told you I had worn the mineral wash to work!)

And the Azure is such a cute topper for leggings...it's swingy, it's comfortable, and you can pick a color out of the pattern in the Azure to bring to the forefront with your legging choice. I was trying to highlight the gold in the floral pattern to bring out the color of the gold threads in the Lindsay.

I loved pairing the Azure with leggings so much that day that I decided to give it another shot today when I was traveling, except this time I paired the Azure and leggings with a Perfect tee and a Sarah cardigan. It was great for flying, so much better than the jeans I used to travel in. Unfortunately I didn't find anyone that I felt would stop what they were doing and take a picture of me, and I hate taking selfies of myself in the mirror, so I took this one of me from the waist down . The "bell" of the turquoise Perfect blouses out perfectly over the Azure, a lavender cotton with a rich vibrant purple and turquoise thinly striped grid-like plaid, which I layered over purple leggings to match the "grid" in the Azure. I wore a purple striped Sarah over the entire thing, and now you get a close-up of my Skecher ballet flats. When I travel, I only bring one set of jewelry, so I just was wearing my wedding rings, some handmade turquoise black beaded earrings and a stainless steel Fossil watch with a white marbled face. 

But this weekend I am hosting my first in-home party AT my home, and you bet I'll be wearing one of my fancier dresses then...maybe I'll try one of the glittery Carlys and see if I can irritate my husband by getting glitter all over the couches that he'll insist on vacuuming to perfection before my guests arrive. 

The bronze Lindsay with the gold threads is available for purchase from Jessica Martin in sizes medium and large.  She also has the berry sparkly Carly, the green Lucy with the rose gold diamonds and the Classic tee in the silver and rose gold, so if you are still on the hunt for Elegance, it's a great place to go shop, and she is offering special pricing through tomorrow evening. 

Have a great day and remember, any day is a good day to dress in sparkling clothes!

Oh, and one last thing...look what I spotted at Hudson News at Dallas Love Field! Sure do look like MIMIS, don't they? Just goes to show you that EVERYone wants to Roe!

The Madison skirt....hand pleats just like a cheerleader skirt...

The Madison skirt is such a fantastically tailored skirt and looks so great on the right body shape...I refuse to give up on it for me, even though everything tells me that it won't look right on me ever. And that's why there is no Madison in my closet. 

I love, love, love the Lularoe line up of skirts so much and was determined to give this another go after it was a bust at a pop-up I went to last year. At that time, I tried a 2XL. At the time, I thought that it made me look pregnant so I didn't buy it, but later I went to a multi-consultant event and decided to give it another shot, but size down. I chose a beautiful soft chocolate brown XL Madison, one that I would consider buying, and paired it with a dusty rose knit Classic. It was actually kind of funny, because I realized when I got in the dressing tent that I needed a shirt and asked the nearest consultant to hand me a Classic in 2XL that would go with brown and that's what she chose for me. AND I ended up buying the shirt. The knit Classics are awesome, like short-sleeved sweater tops, and I thought that this knit top would blend well with the fabric of the Madison since both fabrics were so fancy.

Sadly, I did not buy the skirt, although I did realize that a XL was a better choice for me than the 2XL. This skirt is absolutely beautiful on the right body type. It has a tailored waistband with elastic in the back, perfectly hand-set pleats and pockets big enough to fit your entire hand and probably little things like keys or a coin purse. (An excellent clubbing skirt, if you don't want to keep up with a purse!) It is very flowy and twirly, and when you sit down, it pools just right around you in the chair. The fabrics on most of them also are a little heavier than the typical Lularoe fabric, so it's really got some meat to it. And the pleats are just so adorable. It reminds me of a cute pleated cheerleader skirt and when you spin, it actually flares out. 

However, there is one big reason I didn't buy this skirt, and it's not the Madison's fault. It can be summed up in three words: Baby Got Back. I could not figure out why when I held up the skirt, it was perfectly even and then when I tried it on, it almost looked tilted. Easy answer: my booty was lifting up the back and making the back portion look shorter than it is. The reason why this happens with Madison and not the other skirts is because this skirt has a completely even hemline all the way around whereas the other Lularoe skirts are cut just a tad longer in the back to accommodate those of us with a little extra junk in the trunk. Even the Cassie is slightly longer in the back. My suggestion if you are interested in this skirt is to try it on first (unless you have a fairly flat or non-bubble butt) and make sure it is a good look for you. It is fairly true to size although I felt one size down for me looked better. I even tried pulling the shirt flat instead of blousing it over the waistline and that didn't help with my booty issue, sadly. 

Jennifer Klump of Sweet and Sassy Lularoe wears the Madison better than anyone I have ever seen, and as such gave me permission to use her pictures of her wearing her beloved unicorn Madison skirt in my blog. Look at how well the pleats drape and how great she rocks this Madison! She looks so beautiful! It is a beautifully well-made skirt without a doubt. And the Madison comes in solids, prints, silky fabrics, heavy cotton fabrics and was released in the Elegance lines in 2016 in a variety of styles including heavy tapestry plaid fabrics and velvets.

I am also featuring a more recent picture of me wearing a black, red and peach print Madison with a peach Classic tee. While it looks better now that I have lost some weight, you can still see it raising up in the back because I have a booty!

So....truly personal preference. I refuse to give up on this skirt, but I also admit that this skirt may not be the best choice for my hourglass figure, just as the Randy baseball tee is also not the best shirt choice for me either. 

The minimum advertised price (MAP) set by Lularoe for the Madison skirt is $48.00. 

If there are any questions about the Madison skirt, please post them below. Make it a great Lularoe day!

The Nicole Dress...May the odds be ever in your favor!

The Nicole dress is such a fun party dress. To me, it is the perfect all-occasion dress. It is great for weddings, funerals, dinners, holiday work parties, work, just wherever you want to wear it. It EVEN makes a great Halloween costume! I wore a plain red Nicole layered with a red lace Monroe and accessorized with a metallic devil horns headband and plastic pitchfork. It is a very simple fitted dress with a waistline that is right at the natural waist, a fitted bodice with a scoop neck that shows the perfect amount of cleavage without being indecent and fitted elbow-length sleeves and a Katniss Everdeen twirly skirt. You know what I'm talking about...remember her dress where she spun around and it burst into flames? Yeah, the Nicole does that. You twirl and the skirt flares out. Totally fun.

This dress is completely versatile. It can be dressed down with sandals and worn alone. It can be layered over leggings and worn with boots. It can be dressed up with hose and heels for a formal look with a wrap. Any occasion, any season, any day, this is your dress. 

I initially bought this dress for a funeral, and the first time I wore it was in Orlando, Florida, where it is humid all the time. The morning that I put it on, I remember thinking, black dress, 75% humidity, 82 degrees, I'm going to ROAST. But I really honestly didn't. I can't explain it....I don't really sweat that much in Lularoe and I'm a sweater, not a glistener. More importantly, I was comfortable all day long starting in the wee hours of that morning when I woke up to shower and get dressed to the wake to the burial to the party afterwards and then to my aunt's house where we sat around until the wee hours reminiscing. That's nineteen hours in a dress in Orlando, Florida and yet I was comfortable the whole time? That's saying something! I layered a black lace Joy over it which is the perfect layering piece since it is the same length, and it was truly perfect. 

The only thing about this dress that I would caution you about is to definitely find your exact size. The dresses that I am wearing is a 3XL and I can not wear a 2XL in it which is my true size because of how fitted the sleeves are and how fitted the bust is. One of the pictures I have featured is a comparison of my black funeral dress sleeve which is a 3XL and then the red 2XL sleeve. It's a very significant difference, so if your arms are either a problem area or just a little on the large size because of muscle (like mine), size up. If you are big-busted, size up. It's a fitted dress from the waist up without a doubt, but once you find your size, it's a dress that you can take anywhere, wear anywhere and do anything in. I love my Nicoles! They come in the typical Lularoe polyblend of 94% polyester, 6% spandex, crepe fabrics (like the Cassie) which are very stretchy (the blue dress above with the bird print is that type of fabric), and even thicker tapestry fabrics which are great for winter. Solids, prints, stripes....Nicole has it all. The Elegance line that was released in 2016 released Nicole dresses in various materials....crushed velvets, oil-slick colored metallics and glittery knits with poinsettia prints. Oh, and as a side note, my cousin Nicole (yes, I know, funny, her name is Nicole too) and I were both speaking at my grandmother's funeral side by side at the podium. She was wearing an XXS Nicole in a gray snakeskin pattern and I was wearing a 3XL black Nicole. No one had ANY idea that we were wearing the same dress. 

Every one of them is unique. Every one of them is perfect and simple and the very epitome of understated elegance. You can even wear a lace petticoat under them to flare out the skirt and wear a belt around the waist to create a 1950s rockabilly look. 

They are so fun and the ultimate party dress! Add in that they are comfortable to boot, and they are well worth the money for the understated elegance that this style gives that will endure as it has for over sixty years. 

The minimum advertised price (MAP) set by Lularoe for the Nicole dress is $48.00. 

If there are any questions about the Nicole dress, please post them below. Make it a great Lularoe day!

Day #1: Happy New Year and Welcome!

I can't believe that I almost missed one of my New Year's resolutions before it started! My #1 resolution for 2017 is to blog in This Is How I Roe In Real Life every day and talk about an outfit that I put together and wore, preferably that day. 

This is a great time for me to let everyone know that is reading that if you scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page, there is a list of all of the styles that are made by Lularoe that I can model and review. If there is a particular style that you would like to see (or a few), please make sure and participate in the poll every week as I will use this to come up with outfit ideas. For example, if you want to see how I wear the Monroe and what I pair it with? Check Monroe and one of the dresses or skirts. Every week, I'll clear the poll, and we'll start again!

Sadly, my butt was glued to this couch all day today working on getting all of my core reviews up on the styles, so I never made it into the shower, out of my pajamas, and out the door. The most sad? I didn't get to go to Lisa Mims' house and pick up my new gray Mimi or stop at Spec's for a little something something to celebrate the New Year. But at least I have the core reviews up on the Julia dress, Cassie skirt, Classic tee and Lindsay cardigan for your reading pleasure, so please, enjoy, and excuse my strange picture placement. A lot of these pictures have been cropped for Facebook which doesn't exactly work perfectly with blog placement, but I think they came out pretty well. 

I'm so excited to be blogging again that I can't even tell you all. There are likely some people reading this blog that remember when I blogged before my daughter McKenna was born and I actually had the time to cross-stitch (not to mention the eyesight). I actually really miss blogging. You know how there are those kids while growing up that always had a journal or a diary that they were writing in? That was me. That's now my daughter. Even though blogging is a bit of a lost art, I'm glad to be back to it, and really happy to have something that I'm excited to write about! I will thank you all every day for reading and following along in my Lularoe journey in 2017, and if you have any friends that enjoy reading blogs, love clothes or are curious about Lularoe, I hope that you will encourage them to come visit. 

So, since I can't really post a picture about my Dr. Pepper pajama pants and my old t-shirt, I am going to post a picture of me in my holiday outfit on Christmas Eve! My outfit for Christmas Eve was one of the Lucy skirts from the Elegant Collection. When I claimed this skirt for sale, I had clicked on it and of course, there were about ten or eleven posts on it so I was thinking, "surely it is already sold." Ha ha, lucky for me, everyone was asking questions, but no one actually said the magic words: "SOLD PENDING QUESTION". And I haven't seen another one in my Lula travels like this or for sale. This is a Christmas dark green Lucy, which is a two-layer skirt. The Lucy itself is constructed with a thick belt-like elastic waistband from which two layers of fabric falls. The underskirt is a silky base that acts both as a slip and a background for the top skirt, which in this case is dark green tulle with rose gold diamonds set in the netting. What I love the most about the Lucy is that once it's in place, it stays in place, and this one was no different. I paired it with a dark green Irma tunic to match. As I had spent most of the day getting ready for Christmas, I was hustling to get out the door, so my accessories were a rose gold Fossil watch to match the skirt, handmade Christmas tree earrings, and a lab-created emerald three-stone ring for my right hand. Shoes? Black ballet flats from Skechers. 

I also featured a close-up of the rose gold diamonds on the skirt with the flash.

 

So, in case you are wondering what this mysterious Mimi is that I am excited to pick up, the Mimi is a limited edition full fashion knitted scarf finished with hand tassels. The first release of these was in August and I was able to get two. I'll do a full review of them very

soon with pictures since I have no doubt that this won't be the last release that Lularoe does of the Mimi. It's just too popular! It hasn't been cold enough yet in Dallas for me to really wear them, but the one day that I did wear my Mimi it was freezing, and I layered it over a Lindsay cardigan, Carly dress and leggings for an outdoor cookout. It was wonderfully warm and comfortable, and as such, I decided to invest in another one since I don't think I've worn a winter coat in Dallas in years. The one that I selected below is a solid gray one with white

threads running through it and I will be picking it up tomorrow. If you haven't tried on a Mimi yet or gotten a good look at one, definitely check them out. I have heard mixed reviews about them. People in the colder climates don't think they are warm enough, people in the warm climates think that they are too warm, and they are too long and heavy for some petites to wear since they are all One Size (OS). For me, they are perfect because I like to layer my Lularoe, and these will fit perfectly over a Sarah cardigan and whatever else that I choose to wear that day. In addition to the full fashion knitting and hand tassels, the Mimi also features a row of buttons which can be worn in the front (my preference) or to the side which lets the scarf drape at an angle. Some people think this looks like an afghan and some think it looks like a poncho. My husband asked where my sombrero was when I first modeled it for him. But I like it and that's all that matters! In addition to the pictures of my new Mimi, I have also included a picture of me taken wearing my black and gray one on the cold day which was layered over a black Carly dress and a pair of black leggings flowered with tiny orange and red flowers.

Best wishes to you all for a wonderful start to your new year and I look forward to seeing you tomorrow!

Please refer to the calendar above for the current sales. At the current time, green Irmas like the one I am modeling with my green and rose gold Lucy are available for purchase in size XXS from Ariel Walk, 

I also had an idea of including pictures of my manicures (since I do my own nails) when they go with the outfits! These were my Christmas nails....Zoya Honor with a matte top coat and Julep Sharma on the accent. Fun, right? They were inspired by the Elegant Lucy!

The Cassie pencil skirt...an golden oldie never goes out of style!

The first time that I saw a Cassie pencil skirt, I was immediately transported back in time to Grease and Grease 2. I guess some styles are just timeless and never go out of style. But even now, when the Cassie skirt is an integral part of my wardrobe, every time I pull on a Cassie I remember my favorite scenes in the movies with Betty Rizzo and Stephanie Zanoni. Remember? Michelle Pfeiffer realizes on the first day of school that she's the only one wearing pants and pulls out a tan pencil skirt to pull over her capri-length leggings? And Stockard Channing...always wearing her trademark black knee-length sexy pencil skirt. 

It should not be a surprise that the pencil skirt is still in style as much now as it was then in the 1950s and 1960s as it is an incredibly flattering and slimming skirt that is just as fashionable for a trip to the mall as it is for an evening out for a nice dinner. And the Cassie? It's the best pencil skirt imaginable. I joke with other Lularoe fans that I collect Cassie skirts like most Lularoers collect leggings...I love them that much. I live in Texas where eight months of the year, it's just not a practical temperature to wear leggings. This is where Cassie skirts come in. I have worn them to do literally everything. I wear them to work with sandals. I wear them to the mall to go shopping with friends. I wear them to lunch. I wear them out to dinner. I have worn a Cassie to get a tattoo on my ankle. I even have discovered that Cassies are the perfect solution for getting pedicures done because they are the perfect length at the knee where you don't have to roll up your pant legs. I am not a fan of shorts and never have been, so for me, the Cassie skirt is the perfect solution to my summer woes. Plus, the fabric is cool, comfortable and breathable, not to mention stretchy and flexible, so for our blazing Texas summers, they are perfect. 

The construction is quite simple of the Cassie. It is a uniform appearance all the way around the skirt (the only way to tell what is the back is the tag) with a slightly longer length (just slightly) in the back to accomodate for the curves in the trunk. The waistband is an elastic five inch band, similar to a yoga waistband, which pulls up and stays in place. If you are wearing a Spanx or other sort of undershort, you may notice that it slides a bit during the day because the fabric that the Cassie is made from is so soft, but for the most part, it stays right where you put it and doesn't move. 

When I first tried on a Cassie last summer, my first reaction was no. JUST NO. I don't wear skirts! Right? Then I realized that I really WAS a skirt wearer and these are super-comfortable to wear either to work, to dinner or just on the weekends to go shopping. I pair them with Spanx underneath so it's like wearing shorts and a t-shirt but more comfortable and more dressy, and the look is very classy, comfortable and sexy. The fabric that most of them are made of is a crepe-like stretchy fabric that is incredibly comfortable and soft. The skirts that aren't made out of the crepe fabric are made of a knit fabric which is just as soft and cozy and breathable as the crepe counterparts. And the best part? They require no ironing which is one of my favorite things about them. They are the epitome of wash and wear. I actually recently moved my Cassie skirts into drawers after realizing that there is really no point in keeping them hung up since they really don't wrinkle. 

The number of prints and colors that Cassies are made in is almost as varied as the prints and colors that leggings come in. It is Lularoe's most popular skirt. My favorite Cassies are the ones that have so many colors in them because the possibilities of shirts to wear with them is endless. Every time the look is different because whatever shirt you are wearing brings out the corresponding color in the skirt to the forefront. The Elegance line released in 2016 also included Cassie skirts in a variety of fabrics with metallics and foils.

One of the other great things about the Cassie is the versatility and the options that you can use it for styling. While I have acquired the majority of mine for the purpose of wearing them in the summer, they easily transition to the winter by sliding them over leggings. These skirts can also double as a stylish infinity scarf. They are very comfortable and soft around the neck because of the lining on the inside, and not at all itchy or scratchy or hot. 

 


And lastly, while the Cassie is very stretchy and has a lot of give to it, it is slimming at the

2XL Cassie over 3XL Cassie

same time. My true size is a 2XL which I can wear in a Cassie, but I prefer a 3XL for me since I wear them over leggings. There's very little difference between the 2XL and 3XL as you can see in the picture where I laid the 2X over the 3X. Once you find your true size in Cassie, it's game on as there are so many fun patterns and prints out there. If you have tried this skirt and didn't like how clingy it was, try sizing up. The waistband is still going to be very fitting and slim but will give you a little more room, and you might just find a new best friend that will make you feel just like a Pink Lady!

The minimum advertised price (MAP) set by Lularoe for the Cassie skirt is $35.00.

If there are any questions about the Cassie skirt, please post them below. Make it a great Lularoe day!

The Julia dress...the perfect little black t-shirt dress and more!

Black Julia dress

The Julia dress is a very popular one, but is not an easy one to wear due to its close tight fit. It has a clingy fit to it which makes it a very sexy and attractive dress, but it is imperative that the right size be chosen in order for this dress to look absolutely amazing as it does. It can easily be worn alone by itself with sandals for a casual look or dressed up with heels and a wrap for an elegant night on the town. There are even baseball styles that, paired with chucks, can look extremely sporty and fun for the summer. 

I admit that being a plus-sized woman, it took me a very long time to get up the nerve to wear this dress in person, and I still am not completely comfortable in it without a cardigan or another layering piece over it. However, it is an absolutely comfortable and cool dress for the spring, summer or early fall, and with the way that it hugs curves in all the right places, it is very flattering if you are on the curvy side as I am. If you are slender, it is a wonderful draping dress that hangs perfectly straight to the knees for an elegant but not overly dressy look. 

Julia and I have had a love-hate relationship from the first moment I saw her and tried it on. The first time I saw it was on a teenager who was a size 2, so of course, yeah, she looked freaking AMAZING in it. So slim, so cute, just perfect. That's the love part of the relationship.

The first Julia that I bought was this black one, and one of my local consultants convinced me to try and buy it by showing me how you can ruche up the bottom around your waist for a gorgeously elegant elbow-length sleeved top. The Julia is a knee-length t-shirt dress with a flare at the hips, a nip at the waist, elbow-length sleeves, and a hemmed jewel neckline.

Since the Julia dress has a very long fitted bottom, you can wear it with a skirt and ruche the bottom up to the length that you want and the dress will stay as a shirt since it is so clingy and fitted. The ruching technique will hide your tummy if that is a problem spot and it's great to rock with jeans or a shorter skirt and just get your Friday night on. I threw a pair of jeans on to show how it looks with pants. Basically the Julia is a transition piece....you can wear it to work during the day for a professional yet sassy look and then scrunch it up for a sexy top, throw on some jeans, and hit the happy hour! And...look what I can do so I can pretend I'm wearing a Randy! A reader gave me the idea of ruching up the baseball-style Julias so that it looks like a Randy which is really cute over jeans.

Blue/Gray Julia
worn as shirt

Black Julia dress
worn as shirt

 

I was determined to give this another fair shake, and try it on as Lularoe intended it. AS A DRESS. I will share with you that I was SO afraid of wearing this dress out of the house that not only did I not cut off the tags before putting it on, but I made my husband wait to leave for work until I had his stamp of approval on it. And THEN I cut the tags off. 

Black Julia with crepe Monroe

My first thought when I finally put this dress on before work the day that I wore it for the first time was, "OMG, I FINALLY HAVE A LBD!" I felt HOT and sexy ALL DAY LONG! I layered it with a red, fuschsia and orange crepe Monroe, and it was just a fun, sassy day.

Urban Dictionary definition of LBD: "A term used to define a little black dress which most woman possess.The dress is most likely overworn but always seems appealing especially when added with acessories such as bangles and clutch purse."

Chances are, pretty much every woman under the age of 40 has some sort of LBD in their closet. I remember the term becoming much more commonplace when Sex and the City was the hottest show on cable. Sarah Jessica Parker even has a line of little black dresses which you can read about here. 

It's great that I can finally wear this dress and feel confident, thin and sexy in it. Spanx (my new best friend) is a must for me with this dress as it really pulls everything in for a slim, smooth fit. I wear the Power Shaper in nude which can be purchased here from Amazon. I am 5'7 and the skirt of this Julia falls right at my knee line. If I ever had a night to go hit the bars and have some lemon drop martinis with the girls, this would be the outfit! 

However, this dress also exudes class and elegance. When it came time to select a beautiful and flattering dress yet not too dressy for our family portraits, I immediately selected a dark blue Julia dress, which I am wearing with a gray Lindsay cardigan.

For sizing, the Julia runs small. My true size is a 2XL and this is a 3XL. The arms are fitted just like a Nicole dress and an Ana dress if you have ever tried those on. As you can see in the photographs, I have swimmer arms from high school, a large bust from having a child, and I'm clearly plus-size with my problem area being my tummy area. If you are the same, you might want to size up. Trying the dress on in person at a multi-consultant sale or at an in-home pop-up is the best way to determine if this dress is for you (which it is likely is) and what size looks the most flattering.

2XL over 3XL sleeve

If you are buying this untried (and I commend you for being that brave if you are!), I might suggest that you pull out a sweater or a long-sleeved shirt that you are comfortable with between the elbow and the shoulder and measure the height of it. Then, ask the consultant you are buying from do the same thing with the size that you are considering. The booty area and width of the skirt doesn't seem to be an issue for me at all, so I would say that this is true to size. There is a difference between the sleeve width on the 2XL and the 3XL, so if you are a 2XL but would like a little more room in the arms, size up. 

So channel your inner Carrie Bradshaw or Samantha Baker and go out in search of YOUR LBD! Black Julias are not easy to find, but they are out there, and if not, maybe you'll find a pattern or another sexy color or print that really speaks to you! I own Julias in a number of solid colors, but I also love them in prints, with my favorite one being a jeweled-toned print with black scrollwork running through it. Striped ones are also very flattering and cute, and baseball Julias, worn as a shirt or as a dress, are sporty and fun. Julias are available in so many colors, so many prints, florals, geometrics, stripes, baseball styles....there is truly something out there for everyone.  And Julia dresses are great for layering with a lace Joy vest, a Lindsay kimono, a Monroe kimono, whatever you like!

Peacock Print Julia

Jewel-tone print Julia

Brown and red geometric Julia
with red lace Joy vest

The majority of the fabrics that I have seen the Julia made in is the standard Lularoe poly-blend of 96% polyester and 4% spandex, but there are some very soft silky dresses made of 76% rayon, 19% polyester and 5% spandex which drape beautifully. I own two baseball Julias and they are a blend of polyester, rayon, cotton and spandex. The Elegance line released by Lularoe in 2016 did make the Julia dress in a variety of sparkle and glitter dresses that are absolutely gorgeous and still available for purchase if you are lucky enough to find one that didn't sell during the holiday season. Once you find one that seems to be "your fabric", you might just make a note of that and search for other Julias that are the same blend. 

The minimum advertised price (MAP) set by Lularoe for the Julia dress is $45.00. 

If there are any questions about the Julia dress, please post them below. Make it a great Lularoe day!