Peajai's Plus-Size Fashion Picks: Answering the Call of Booty

The author of Daddy Likey is a mad genius. I feel we are kindred spirits, she is the Winona to my Portland*. Which is why so often I read her blog and I feel inspired. Inspiration is the sincerest form of flattery, right??

She recently did some posts on "the great boot conundrum" and I too must answer the call of booty. (I can't believe I just typed that, again!) The boot dilemma for plus-size fashionistas is two-fold. 1. Finding boots that are cute AND comfortable. 2. Finding boots that fit a wide calf. The second is obviously the more difficult because most boots that do not specifically cater to a wide calf, do not fit a wide calf. But with a little help from your friend, me, hopefully I can spread warmth into your cold, bootless world.

Shoetrader stocks alot of wide width and large size shoes. Even though the boots below are not listed with their shaft cirumference, it is likely they will accomdate a larger calf. Besides that, they are so cute, I would sell eyelashes to get them, so I think it is worth the risk.

Modena III Tall Leather Boot, shoetrader.com

For your more casual days... I really like these in camel.

Rachel Scrunch Boot, shoetrader.com

Avenue has a decent selection of wide calf boots in their Cloudwalkers collection. (I can't believe this is like the third time I am mentioning the Avenue on this site! I am not an Avenue stan, by any means.) The quality of their shoes can be hit or miss, but I have a couple of pairs of boots from there that have held up fairly well for two years I've had them.

Midland Wedge Boot, avenue.com

Zappos always has a few wide calf boots available. But the usually have only 1 or 2 of the largest sizes currently in stock.

Naturalizer Sidney Plus, zappos.com

You may have noticed that I did not pick any traditionally "wintertime" type boots with furry and/or fuzzy things at the top. This is because I really don't like boots with furry and fuzzy things. But if you must, at least get some with pom poms.

Quilted Pom Pom Boot, victoriassecret.com

*Winona, if you are reading this, I am not weird. Email me and I'll tell you what this means. We'll laugh maniacally.

Plus-Size Style Diva: Crystal Aikin

I had been on the "BET does nothing for me" bandwagon for quite some time. For me, American Gangster and reruns of Girlfriends were the only shows that interested me on BET. That all changed when I caught a rerun of Sunday Best a couple of weeks ago. It's an American Idol-style gospel competition, and for me, the stand out performer is Ms. Crystal Aikin.

Check out her performance of "I'm Running Back to You." This girl is unbelievable. She gives me chills every time she sings. Boards and forums are buzzing about her talent, and the story of how she came to audition for Sunday Best is truly amazing. Not only is she a brilliant singer, she is a gorgeous plus-size fashionista! I was all set to pull a Plus-Size Style Thief on her, but not only could I not find any good full-length pictures from the show, I have a suspicion that her outfits come from Ashley Stewart, and their website doesn't have online shopping.

As if there weren't enough reasons to love Crystal Aikin, here's one more! She has a beautiful head of natural hair. I got a glimpse of her huge puff during one of their Toyato promos where each performer tells why they started singing. I couldn't find a picture of that either. *sigh* But she is rocking some great kinky twists on the show. This picture shows them pulled into a high ponytail. Kinky twists are a great protective style whether you're relaxed, natural, or transitioning. Her red streaked twists are very similar to the ones I wore during my transition to natural hair.

So if you haven't been watching Sunday Best, tune in before it's too late! New episodes air on Tuesday night at 8pm EST. They are down to three contestants, and I am team Crystal all the way.

Curls vs. Winter

The warm days of fall have passed and I am deep into my winter hair routine. In fact, I am writing this post while sitting under the dryer after one of my new winter weekly rituals, the nighttime co-wash. I only wash my hair twice a week now, shampoo on Saturday, and co-wash midweek. I co-wash at night, because my hair is so long now I'd have to sit under the dryer for 45 mins to get it dry enough to go out in the cold. Between showering, checking my email and watching Saved by the Bell* on TBS, I just don't have that kind of time in the morning. I'm barely making it to work at a decent time as it is.

Since I am only washing twice a week, I do what I can to reduce frizz. Just yesterday, I rocked some fourth day hair. I couldn't believe it! Usually I confine my second, third or fourth day hair to a puff but my hair actually still looked good enough to wear loose on the fourth day. A good satin bonnet really helps control the frizz you normally get from sleeping on your hair. I use the Triple Gro Satin Bonnet. Not only does it help me keep my style, I retain more natural moisture. I rarely put any additional moisturizers on my dry hair since using this bonnet. I put my hair in two loose ponytails and cover them with my bonnet. The ponytails keep my hair from being matted to my head. This is especially important for me because I flail, flop and flip over during sleep. I wake up with all my pillows on the floor, and my hair will look like "who did it and why" if I don't wrap it up at night.

In the morning, I take down the ponytails and cover with shower cap. I think the steam from the shower loosens my bed head. Once I get out, I can just fluff and go! I think the loose ponytails are key, you can even do them without the bonnet. Also, I am heavy on the gel on my wash days. The above pic shows my wet hair with extra gel on it after a nighttime co-wash. My hair is a little hard that first day, but I am rewarded with longer lasting curl definition.

Are you a wild sleeper like me? Do you have any tips for making your styles last longer?

*Yes, I still watch Saved by the Bell, and I am unashamed! Now what?

Excuses

I was going to come up with a long list of excuses for why I haven't posted in 3 weeks. But I know my readers are smart and attractive people, so I will not bore you with my life's many tediums. I will simply say that I am back, so on with the posts!