As many of you know – I’m insanely excited to be partnered with Maurices out at Hickory Point Mall! I’ve been a huge fan of this store for years now for many reasons. I love the clothes they carry. I love that they carry sizes for bigger girls. I love that they carry similar style clothes for both regular and plus sizes (which is rare). But most of all I love the girls that work there! Ever since the first time I went into Maurices – the girls know my name, what style and color of clothing I like and my size. They do a great job of helping me find things I will like and want in my size and it makes shopping fun!

So last week on Tuesday, we had our first ever SPLURGE party! Basically what this was, was a chance for my girls to come to the store and get some awesome deals (whether it’s for their sessions or just back to school). I was so excited for the girls to get to do some shopping and to get to know the girls at Maurices better too.

One of the awesome things while we were there – Sarah (the store manager) talked about and showed us how to put together really great outfits that flatter your specific body type. Diana was our wonderful model and such a good sport trying on a bunch of different styles and trying new things.  So I thought I’d show some things we learned.

I thought I’d start with what Diana wore into the store. This kind of gives you a base point. This is what Diana often wears for work. Now let’s see what Sarah puts together for her.

Okay so with this outfit you can Diana is in a pair of dark skinny jeans that really elongate her legs. Wearing a looser fitting/flowy top helps hid any weight you might be concerned about or rolls and then layering a more fitted style jacket that hits right around her waist – it gives her a waist and helps create slim lines. And adding a scarf is always fun! The next two outfits are very similar…

Now this was an interesting one. I actually have this olive green wrap top at home and I usually pair it with a t-shirt (because I like to hide my arms since they are a little wide).  In the left image Diana has on a white camisole top under the top. She wasn’t too fond of this pairing because she felt like it made her arms look wider. So Sarah swapped out the white cami for a black bedazzled tank and it made a huge difference. The wider straps on the top helped to de-emphaisze her arms and the darker color underneath added a bit more slimming effect.

Now this jacket was one of Diana’s favorites! When you are wearing a more fitted (in this case ruched) top – a flowy jacket can be a great way to feel more comfortable with your curves. One of the great things about this jacket is that it hits higher on your backside which helps define your waist – keeping it looking tiny. When the jacket hits lower and cuts into your butt – it makes your whole backside look wider. So this is a much better alternative!

This was a fun dress! These hi-low style dresses are great for elongating the legs and making girls look long and lean. Sarah paired this one with a fitted denim jacket to give it a bit of a casual feel and to help define the waist.

Here we tried on another darker toned dress that was knee length. (Also a great option for short girls.) You can see in these two images the only difference was the jacket. On the left – Diana is wearing the fitted denim jacket and on the right she’s wearing a more flowy jacket. You can see how the flowy jacket paired with a flared out dress will make you look wider. But the fitted jacket with the dress slims. So the rule I’m kind of seeing here is if the dress or top is fitted wear a flowy jacket and if the dress or top is flowy wear a fitted jacket.

So this dress was an interesting one. Everyone loves this dress on the hanger, but what we discovered is – you have to have a very specific body type to make it work. The boxy top wasn’t particularly flattering for Diana and gave her whole figure a more boxy feel. We also decided it probably hit her waist a little too low for her body type. So this was a no go.

This was an outfit Diana put together herself. Dark boot cut jeans, a loose flowy top and a fitted jacket. This follows all the rules we’ve been talking about previously.

This was fun too – we wanted to show that something as simple as adding a belt can make a huge difference. By adding the belt (on the left) it draws your attention to her little waist and helps to make it look even tinier. And it really serves to add a little fun and interest to the outfit.

You may remember Kayelene from her senior session a couple years ago. She was such a good sport too and tried on a bunch of new and different things. We asked her to try the belt with this tank top and flowy jacket too. and it definitely add some excitement to this outfit too 🙂

We had to take a picture of these three girls together. They were such great sports all night and tons of fun to spend so much time with!

And then of course these girls! I love them all and had so much fun spending Tuesday evening with them! Four hours went by insanely fast and I enjoyed every minute of chatting with them and getting to know them. I’m looking forward to spending more time with them in them in the future too. If you girls are looking for somewhere great to shop – DEFINITELY check Maurices out! I guarantee you they will take AMAZING care of you and help you find outfits you love!