Oh I like the name Alexandra. Our neighbors have a new baby girl and they named her that.
You have great style. The first picture is kind of dark on my screen but from what I can see the outfit is very cute and shows your curves. I like the stripes in this case. I think maybe stripes have to be considered on a case by case basis.
On the second picture is this top all one piece or is it a blouse with a sweater over the top? I ask because I would like it better if the white band were not cutting across your arm. Can you adjust the sweater so it is covering the band.
By the way thanks for speaking up and joining the party here.

Welcome to the forum Alexandra!

I like stripes (a lot!-), so I'm biased there, I'll leave this to the others.

The skirt in the second picture does look wonderful, I can't see the colours all that well, is there black in it too? I don't think black shoes would be a problem here. Love the sweater/shirt combo too, but I think I'd like the sleeves to be just a tad longer (elbow length).

Thank you for posting pictures, hope to see many more;-)

Hi Eve! Welcome to the forum and thanks for posting. It’s true that you have a stylish eye.

For what it’s worth, I’d love to point out a few things:

o The stripes on the top are great. I like stripes too. But cap sleeves are hard to wear. They cut you on the widest part of your arm. My suggestion would be to either go sleeveless or a little longer in the sleeve – like elbow length. Hope that makes sense. But the concept of the ensemble is super. Well done!
o As pretty as the skirt is, it’s gathered, and gathers tend to make us look bigger than we are. You’d be looking for an A-line skirt with stitched down pleats or a pencil skirt. This defines your waist and makes you look more streamlined. But I love the way you’ve layered and the necklace is fab. Hope that makes sense.

Looking forward to more lovely pics of you.

Thank you for all the lovely compliments! Angie, I live in fear of cap sleeves. Unfortunately, I occasionally turn a blind eye to them if I'm otherwise in love with the item in question, but I suppose I should put more effort into stopping myself in the future.

I've always gone for more full, circle-type skirts, figuring that the higher waist would give me more definition. Oops! Going to have to analyze my collection for those pesky gathers. :) As for the sweater (which is all one piece), I'd never given much thought to how the sleeves looked vs. how they should look. I will happily be on the look out for tops with elbow-length sleeves; that's actually my favorite type!

Thanks for all the tips and warm welcomes.

Hi Eve/Alexandra! I like both names. :) My name is Sarah.
I love your coloring a lot! I also like elbow-length sleeves on blouses. I'm not sure what your budget or style is, but I picked up this blouse at Target the other day. I love it! I purchased the navy color. The blouse is very tailored and nips in at the waist.
http://www.target.com/Merona-L.....#38;page=1

They have several other shirts and jackets with that sleeve length. My favorite (which I also purchased hee hee) is this one (which is on sale in the stores):
http://www.target.com/Mossimo-.....f_rd_t=201
It also comes in cream, which would be lucsious with your hair. :)

Amazing Sarah. Those would look beautiful on Alexandra. You have an amazing eye. I must start shopping at Target. You ladies amaze me with what you find there and the prices are killer.

Hi Eve, and welcome! I see Angie already has you sorted out. I will add that in the dress, which is more form-fitting, you look thinner than in the skirt. But you say you felt self-conscious in that outfit? Was it the length or the more form-fitting nature of the dress?

I think you have an adorable curvy figure, with an amazing waist and enviably flat mid-section. So don't be shy to wear more form-fitting clothing! Not too tight and clingy.. but something that follows your figure and skims it gracefully, showing it off to best advantage. Don't hide under too many gathers. :-(

Also I *LOVE* that necklace!!! Where did you find it?

Sarah I have that black jacket and I LOVE it, it's probably my favorite piece right now, I would wear it everyday if I could!

San: Definitely start shopping at target! They have some amazing stuff: lots of kniw shirts, lots of color everywhere, great tweedy and twill jacket, basic dress pants. Great stuff!

Eve you are on the right track with those outfits they just need some tweaking to truly bring out your fabulous figure and features. You have come to the right place, congrats! And my name is Kendra (can explain my screen name to anyone who asks:))

Hi and welcome to the forum, Eve!

I don't have much to add, you look terrific in the first outfit.

Sarah, thanks for the heads up on the Target blouse. I've been looking for a casual shirt like that.

Thanks again for all the welcomes, tips, and compliments! Just your comments alone have really changed my outlook on what silhouettes I should be looking for. I have three weddings coming up (don't worry, this will definitely become a separate post) and had been looking all over for a nice full-skirted dress, but now I'm actually looking at other styles with a new eye. It's very exciting!

Sarah, I am in LOVE with that jacket and planning to run out to my Target next week to see how it looks. The blouse is also super cute! I may have to steal you away to be my personal shopper. ;)

Shiny, the necklace is from Target. I was skeptical about it at first, but now I never want to take it off! I'll try to take a better picture of it for you, since I had no luck finding it on the website.

Hehe Alexandra, any time. The jacket fits so well. I'm glad Kendra can back me up on this one. I'm hesitant to shop somewhere that typically produces lesser quality clothing items (Target is one of my first stops for jewelry, though!), but one thing I've learned from YLF is to just try. So I tried several items on, and these two seemed to fit me perfectly, and already had a place in my wardrobe. They also seem to be made well. I hope it works out for you!

Hi Alexandra! Welcome to the YLF group. I am from MA and am all too familiar with the requirements of dressing for the climate, especially this time of year. Keep up the good work!

Welcome to YLF, Alexandra! Glad you joined us! The ladies here are great, as you can tell already. I love your striped dress. Look forward to seeing more from you.

Welcome, Eve/Alexandra! Congrats on posting pictures of your outfits, it's really the best way to get feedback and tips from the wonderful YLF community.
You have great style and I dig your first outfit; agree with other posters that the stripes are fine and that it's slimming on you.
Angie already got you sorted re: the cut of the skirt in the second outfit. I used to wear similar skirts a few years ago, the "poufy" ones, thinking they hid my hips well (also, H&M and some other stores just have so many of these types of skirts in super cute prints that I couldn't resist). I've since learned that skirts in slimmer cuts, A line or pencil, are much more flattering on us curvy gals. Give it a stab!
And another thumbs-up for Target. I have found some great dresses there, and it's a super place for buying trendy accessories, e.g. belts, necklaces, earrings. I have found the selection in accessories better and better over the last couple years, and now regularly pick up some new fun piece of fashion jewelry there while shopping for paper towels and the like...