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Thursday, December 13, 2018

The Unleashed One Speaks on Chic and Curvy (#ThrowbackFashionReview)

Greetings everyone. Miss Ova Veugh here, welcoming you to another Throwback Thursday. Today, we take a break from books and venture into fashion. 





This throwback is from April 2013, and it is The Unleashed One's time to shine. Will Chic and Curvy's review be #onfleek? (I've always wanted to say that.) There's only one way to find out.

Name of Business: Chic and Curvy (known as Chic and Curvy Boutique when the review was done)
Based in: Inglewood, California
Target Audience: contemporary plus size fashion, the curvy confidant, plus size women





Hello. Unleashed One here. Before I get into the crux of this throwback, I have to share with everyone a few things about me.

(1) I rarely buy anything for myself. It is only within these past few years that I've become more selfish as it pertains to my needs.
(2) My wardrobe, in the past (and who am I fooling ... currently), consists of items made for everyday and multiple function. It is slim when I have an item that is for a special occasion.
(3) If that special occasion does not come into fruition, the item will just sit in the closet until (a) it doesn't fit anymore (b) I find someone who may need it more than I or (c) I end up donating it.
(4) Ninety-five percent of the time, when I do buy something, it is on sale ... and the sale has to be forty percent or greater. I'll even take a buy one, get one free. If there is no sale, I will find a coupon, or a coupon code ... worse case, Honey will find something. (My review on Honey to come soon.)

The year 2013. One of my closest friend (nickname: Sugar Plum) was telling me about an event that she was going to have around her birthday. It was going to have the colors of black and white, and she asked me about attending. Although she and I have been connected since the days of Yahoo 360 (dang that makes me sound old), we had yet to meet. Of course I agreed.

So ... in my typical fashion (read: get prepared many months ahead of time), I started to shop around for the perfect outfit because nothing I had would do. Then I came across this dress ... and something about it made me excited.



Maybe it was the way the black was in between all of that white. Perhaps it was the confident pose of the lady. All I know was that the dress looked to be all that and a bag of chips. The song "Brick House" by The Commodores would be in my head, so my nickname for the dress was "The Brick House Dress".

I also noticed that one would have to have oodles of body confidence to pull off such a look. However, I was convinced I would get some by the time the event rolled around. Sure, I checked out other spots, but I kept circling back to this dress. It was different from anything I had ever worn, much less ever worn ...

Now that I got the background set, let's get into my thoughts.


It was around February (2013) when I first saw the dress. The dress that made my jaw drop. It’s rare that I see a clothing item that screams to me, “I have to have it.” I tend to be very frugal as it pertains to getting anything for myself.

But this dress right here … I had to have it, and you had to pre-order it. I went ahead and pre-ordered it, waiting patiently.

The anticipated ship out date was to be sometime in early March. A week past that date came and went, but still no dress. I looked in my e-mail to see if tracking information was sent for my item, and I didn't see any. I contacted them via Facebook to inquire about my order. They sent an e-mail to me, letting me know that because of the huge demand for this particular dress, there was a one to two week delay.

To compensate for this, they offered to do one of four things:

1. Exchange the dress for another items or items on the website.
2. Receive store credit for a future purchase
3. Exchange that dress order for the sleeveless version of the dress to ship around late March
4. Wait for the original.

In other circumstances, I would have taken the credit, but I couldn't forget the feeling I had when I saw the dress. I let them know I would wait for the dress.

The dress arrived about a week and a half later. The first thing I noticed was that on the model, the white color looked closer to cream. I didn't mind it, but I would have to be careful to make sure I didn’t get it too messy.

Next thing was to try the dress on, which was a slight struggle to get to the opening but I finally did. 

Side Note 1: I’m glad I did proper measurements for this dress. I almost went a size up, but the dress wouldn't have fit properly on me if I did that.

It fit perfectly in the chest (not overly snug). The chest is what I was the most concerned about, since my chest is a bit over-sized compared to the rest of me. A nice fit in the waist, but slightly loose in the hips, which didn't surprise me because my hips aren't overly wide. The sleeves also were a little long but not long enough to where it couldn't be remedied.

Some substantial heels had to be worn with the dress because the skirt drags the floor (it also doesn't help that I'm just 5' 6"), but other than that, the dress is definitely a winner.

Side Note 2: The styles definitely cater more to special events or club wear. Also, to those women who are a bit taller.

Side Note 3: If you tend to like more conservative (less flashy) styles, this site may not be your cup of tea.  

Side Note 4: If you are hyper sensitive about certain parts of your body, then a few of the fashions may not be what you are looking for.

Pros:

1. The designs are full of color and prints.

2. They actually have plus sized models that are modeling the clothes so you can get a real sense of how it would fit on the body.

3. They e-mailed about the delay and gave options to remedy the inconvenience.

4. Great for those who are proud of the curves.

Cons:

1. At times the website was a bit tough to maneuver through. Like I would place something in my cart but when I went to check out, it wouldn't immediately take me to the check out screen.

2. There was quite a delay in when I got the item I ordered (I did get notified about the delay when I inquired).

3. Need more variety with the jewelry and accessories section.

4. The sizing is Junior Plus, and no sizes above a 3X. There's also no Petite section.

Overall, my rating is:


#IDigIt

Now Ova, I know this is the part where you wish everyone farewell, but I do have some very important updates as it pertains to "The Brickhouse Dress".


Okay, you're still here? Good!

Well, Sugar Plum ended up canceling her event, so the dress (and the similar looking shoes) stayed in my closet that year ... and the next year ... and the next year ... you get the picture.

Until this year (and in a different closet in a different location ... but that talk is for another day).

One of my co-workers was having a re-commitment ceremony and Mini Truth and myself were invited. Since the dress code was formal, "The Brickhouse Dress" came to mind. 

However, it had been a little over 5 and a half years since I purchased the dress. My body had gone through some changes, particularly this year with losing weight. Therefore, I was uncertain whether I would still be able to wear the dress ... or had I lost too much weight for the dress to fit properly?

Luck was on my side, so I present pictures of yours truly in "The Brick House Dress".




This has concluded another Throwback Thursday. Let's hope it's not another five and a half years before I get all snazzy ... lol

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