SmartGlamour's Spring 2015 Line, Body Positivity at It's Best

I spent Friday night blissfully surrounded by the spirit of body positivity at the SmartGlamour fashion show.

For those of you who haven't heard me talk about SmartGlamour yet, I'll say it this way. When you meet someone, or see a brand, who is totally changing the game, you just know it. SmartGlamour is one of those brands.

SmartGlamour is a clothing line for women of all shapes, sizes, ages, and heights. Sizes range from XXS-6XX and beyond, all items are fully customizable and all are under $100. Founder and designer behind SmartGlamour, Mallorie Carrington started the brand in the spirit of body positivity - her line is meant to empower, to help women feel more confident and to love their bodies.

One of my favorite parts about the brand is their latest campaign, importantly named #MeasureMeBeautiful. The campaign is the brainchild of SmartGlamour designer Mallorie Carrington and co-sponsored by body-positive blogger Sydney Stone of Stylaphile. It’s a movement to educate women on the importance and benefits of knowing your measurements and your body. In my conversation with Mallorie after the show, she reinforced that #MeasureMeBeautiful enforces women to "measure themselves, and see those numbers are purely information, as not something that is a positive or a negative, it's just a fact."

These themes were totally palpable at Friday's show. Not only could you see it on the faces of everyone attending, but most importantly you could see it on the models - who were every size, shape, age, height and ethnicity. We saw the same outfit on multiple body types, and every woman was a vision of confidence and happiness in what she was wearing. 

NOW ABOUT THE CLOTHES. There were a bevy of bright colors, floral feminine prints, and versatile jumpsuits and dresses. There were retro fits, high-waisted skirts, maxi dresses and short rompers. And then, there were the fabulous satin bomber jackets, which Mallorie wore to close out the show, aptly reading "BOSS" in pink letters across the back. 

In our conversation after the show Mallorie told me, "there is always an underlying theme of a feminine in my pieces, and I love the retro silhouette. And because of the message behind the clothing, I always try to infuse a little bit of bad-ass." Damn right, she does. My favorite pieces on the runway were their new clutches with empowering words emblazoned across (babe, BOSS, feminist). As Mallorie says, 

"Any woman can be a boss, any woman can be a lady, any woman can be a feminist, any woman can be a babe." 

I think that sums up why this brand is amazing. 

Stay tuned as SG is opening a pop up shop in NYC on March 6th on the Lower East Side. It will be the first and only store in NYC where women of every single size can buy the exact same clothes at the exact same price, customized to their body. They'll be doing weekly events to bring attention to the body positive movement. Women of New York, stay tuned!

So my friends, do remember to be kind to yourself, be good to your body, and dress it accordingly.

x
SJB 

How to survive (and thrive!) in NYC.

Hello, friends! Today, I bring you my bSMART column on tips to survive (and thrive) in NYC! Head over to bsmartguide.com and check it out! P.s. it's also printed below. 

x 

sjb

5 KEYS TO BEING A SUCCESSFUL WOMAN IN NY

1. Preparedness 

To be a successful woman in a city like New York, you have to be ready for anything. Rain? Snow? Apocalypse? Flu outbreak? No worries, I’ve got my ENORMOUS purse, filled with the essentials to get through my 12 to (sometimes) 18 hour days. Most New York women can be found carrying hand sanitizer, an umbrella (it always rains when you don’t have one), hat, gloves, change of outfit (last minute dates do happen), a variety of medications, headphones, make up...a friend of mine once pulled a tire gauge out of her purse - “What if the cabbie didn’t have one and I was late to a meeting?” (WHAT?!).

Oh, and then you have your gym bag, which also possibly doubles as a lunch box. The real point is that in a city like New York, you never know where your day will lead. In a way, this is an amazing feeling, the opportunities feel endless. And hey, amidst all the schlepping, you are getting a good workout (one thing to check off your busy daily list).

2. Ability to Prioritize 

New York has a true smorgasbord of things to choose from on any given day. Should I go to happy hour with the girls? Wait, maybe I should go to the gym? Or maybe I should meet that guy (but I should probably save money on dinner)? Ugh, I really just want to lie at home and eat ramen while watching The Biggest Loser. These are the inevitabilities of being a New York 20-something. We have so many opportunities, and feel compelled to live it up while we’re paying an absurd amount to live in our city abode. Yet sometimes you have to take a step back and prioritize what really matters to you at this moment to be a successful woman. New York forces us to be PRESENT in the moment, because each moment is so critical. The ability to be “here & now” is a beautiful thing.

3. Tough Skin 

Last week, I was standing on the bus and sneezed into a tissue, in the armpit of my jacket. I feel that this what we’ve been taught is the “polite” and “sanitary” way to sneeze in public. Apparently, this was not polite or sanitary enough for one of my fellow bus riders. “WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING SNEEZING ALL OVER ME? SOME PEOPLE ARE SO RUDE! YOU SHOULD JUST GET OFF THE BUS.” For the rest of our 14th street crosstown ride, she was complaining under her breath about my apparent rudeness. I clearly apologized, but being the sensitive person I am, I was kind of embarrassed. Then I realized - stop being an idiot and toughen up. In life, some people are just going to yell at you. Life isn’t fair a lot of the time. Get used to it. To be a successful woman, you can only try to be the best you.

4. Flexibility

There are quite literally 20 (to 75) things that can go wrong on any given day in NYC. The subway is delayed. You spill coffee all over yourself on your walk to work. They ran out of bagels at your favorite bodega when you’re already struggling through a hangover. You forgot your umbrella (ALL too common). There are no cabs when you desperately need to get to that meeting (even MORE common). Your heel breaks in the sewage grate (hobbling is in, right?).

New York moves so fast, sometimes we forget that we can take a step back and breathe, and realize that it will be ok. You can be a little late to work. Coffee stained shirts are so in this season. There will always be more bagel mornings (hallelujah). Rain-soaked hair is so in season (re: new looks for 2014). No cab? Take the subway and save the $10 (thanks, fare hike). We practice our flexibility every day. These challenges make you a successful woman and more versatile person. They remind us that we’re human. They give us the power to believe we can overcome. And THAT is a very powerful thing.

5. Patience 

We’re all stressed. We’re all busy. But to this I say that we have to remember that patience really is a virtue (alas, clichés are so accurate sometimes). You can’t always be on time. You sometimes have to wait in line. And sometimes the best things in life are worth waiting for. In these moments, breathe, smile, and remember that it’s the obstacles in life that show us who we really are and how to become a successful woman. And most of all, remember that you’re living in the greatest place on earth - New York City.

This article was originally printed on bSMARTguide.com. (c) Sara Jane Baker 2014.