2020 is always going to go down as a hard year. Nothing can take away the loss that people have felt this past year. The year however was not all bad. To end the year on a light note I am looking back on some of my posts over the past year and rounding up some of the best things I shared. 2020 sucked in so many ways but if I’m being perfectly honest it was my favorite year of fashion.
Best Trend
The nominees:
1. Sneakers with Skirts
2. Tie Dye Lounge Wear
3. Tiered Layers
4. Puff Sleeves
My choice: Sneakers with Skirts
Although tie dye lounge sets is the most iconic 2020 trend I’ve got to give it to sneakers with skirts. I was not a fan of this look at first but I really embraced the comfort and practicality of this look. I started with a plain white pair and quickly added printed keds to my wardrobe and finished out the year with two pairs of LoveShackFancy sneakers. I think tie dye lounge sets were really fun, and let’s be real – really comfortable! But, I also think we look back at our pictures wearing them and cringe.
Best Designer Collab
The nominees:
1. Halogen x Atlantic Pacific
2. Lane Bryant x Beauticurve
3. Lands End x Draper James
4. Target Designer Dress Collection
My choice: Target Designer Dress Collection
This category way really hard because I think all of these collections were amazing. But, I think the Target Designer Dress Collection made something I wouldn’t ordinarily be able to buy from both a size and price perspective but very much fits my aesthetic accessible to me and for that I am grateful. Of course, I always love the Draper James magnolia print so I’m happy to have swim pieces in it.
There are still a few select sizes from this collection on sale, shop them here.
Best Bag
The nominees:
1. The Luncher from Modern Picnic
2. Limited Edition Reese’s Birthday Bag from Draper James
3. The Dollhouse purse
4. The fringe tote from Trades of Hope
My choice: The dollhouse purse
This category had a pretty split vote, which makes sense because they are all great bags but the Trades of Hope fringe bag won in the end. This bag is a little different than my usual style but I love how perfectly it paired with a lot of my fall items and how it’s roomy enough for all the things. I personally love the dollhouse purse though just because how fun it is!
Shop Trades of Hope similar bag Shop dollhouse bag
Best Bought it in Multiples
The nominees:
1. Draper James Kitty Dress
4. Fuzzy Stripe Sweater
My choice: The Kitty Dress from Draper James
This dress is so soft, so comfortable, so cute and under $100 so it’s easy to see why I needed it in every print. This dress fits my pre-pandemic clothing buying habit of buying things that are versatile to wear for work, worship and the weekend but it’s been nice for looking good on zoom calls while still being comfortable at home too.
Best At Home Moment
The nominees:
1. Snuggling dogs in office
2. Afternoon tea at home
3. Reading nook in office
4. Fall front porch
My choice: snuggling dogs
I think we all know that our dogs think 2020 was the best year ever! Ours dogs loved spending time with us in our offices – my office has a large window at the front of the house so it gave them the perfect opportunity to be on the lookout for danger like delivery drivers and little girls riding their bikes, lol!
Best Workout Look
The nominees:
1. Fabletics pink foil leggings
2. Draper James magnolia sweatshirt
3.Fabletics wild stripe leggings
4. Fabletics Luxe360 set
My pick: Fabletics luxe360
Can you tell Fabletics is my go to for working out? This category was pretty tight with votes, so close it was a tie between two! The magnolia sweatshirt is feminine but still practical for a fall hike. I obviously love this sweatshirt as I have it in several colors / prints! My absolute favorite though was the Fabletics Luxe360 set – I wish you could feel how amazing the leggings feel through the computer. The subtle leopard print is so pretty and the burnout top is just something really unique for a workout set.
Best Home Item
The nominees:
1. Bar Cart
2. Dog Topiaries
3. Office Dress Wall
4. Fashion Tree
My pick: Office Dress Wall
I struggled for a long time what to put on the wall behind my desk. Before working from home my office was part planner / craft space and part blogger space so I really love being able to combine the two with this gallery wall. Each dress is actually made from strips of washi tape from Simply Gilded!
Best New to Me Brand
The nominees:
1. Spanx
2. Leading Lady
3. Lele Sadoughi
4. Dia and Co
My pick: Dia and Co
I think one of the biggest misconceptions about being plus size is that we are limited on places to shop. There are so many plus size options out there that there are at least a dozen I can think of that I have not yet tried which is why it really excited me to get to share both Dia & Co and Spanx as plus size options this year. I now understand why the Spanx faux leather leggings have such hype and I’m sure you’ll see me in more items in 2021.
Shop Spanx Faux Leather Leggings here
Best Destination
The nominees:
1. Panama City Beach
2. Cummins Falls
3. Nashville
4. Ste. Genevieve
My pick: Cummins Falls
Hiking Cummins Falls was definitely the highlight of 2020 for me because it pushed me outside my comfort zone and felt like such an accomplishment. However I always love a day at the beach too and we’ll be back to PCB soon enough. I’ll plan on publishing a blog post soon of all my favorite PCB spots!
Best Holiday Look
The nominees:
1. St Pats Green on Green
2. Halloween leopard
3. Thanksgiving purple dress
4. Christmas red tulle skirt
My pick: Christmas Red Tulle
The holidays are such a fun time to be a little extra and this red tulle skirt does not disappoint. I think it’s also great for Valentine’s Day and patriotic holidays so it really is my holiday skirt!
Best Makeup item
1. Huda Beauty Mercury Retrograde Palette
2. Pixi Cheek palette
3. Nomad Cosmetics Berlin Palette
4. Charlotte Tilbury Face
My pick: Huda Beauty
I loved getting better at wearing statement eye looks in 2020 and the Huda beauty mercury retrograde palette was one I found my self reaching for over and over again to make pretty pink, purple and teal looks. However, the Pixi Beauty face palette was probably my most used makeup item of the year because I wore it with every makeup look. I love that the blush was not too bright and that I have the option between more of a golden highlight or pink highlight.
Shop Huda Mercury Retrograde here Shop Pixi Beauty here
Best Beauty Product
1. Collagen gummies
2. Pixi Vitamin C
3. PMD Clean Device
4. Babor Advent Calendar
My pick: Babor Advent Calendar
Trying new beauty products always excites me because it takes me back to my beginning of blogging roots. The Babor Advent calendar was so fun because it allowed me to try a variety of serums and really pay attention to my skin’s appearance. The PMD device is something I was skeptical on but wound up really loving! I really did notice a difference in clearing up my acne when using this to clean my face and it’s become one of my must have items.
Shop the PMD device here
Best Subscription Box
The nominees:
1. Sipsby Tea Box
2. Curateur (formerly Box of Style)
3. Splendies underwear
4. Ipsy beauty
My pick: Curateur
I really like Curateur because it gets me to try things I wouldn’t have ordinality tried and usually I wind up loving it. Of course, Ipsy does the same thing with makeup as well. I am not a morning person, at all so working from home and having time to do my makeup later in the day gave me the opportunity to experiment and play with my routine more. I really enjoy creating different looks with each palette I received and Ipsy has introduced me to some of my now favorite beauty brands.
Best Three Way Style
The Nominees:
- Ulla Popken Leopard Skirt
2. Draper James Magnolia Sweatshirt
3. Walmart Red Plaid Pants
4. Ulla Popken Metallic Mint Skirt
My pick: Mint Metallic Skirt
Shop these Leopard Skirt Looks here
What can I say, I just love my mint metallic skirt and it will literally have to fall apart for me to stop wearing it. But I know leopard is super popular so it was no surprise to me that it was picked as the best three way style of 2020. I love how leopard can act like a neutral and be styled a variety of ways. Each o f these looks just feels so fun and I have worn them on repeat.
Best Outfit
The nominees:
- Pink Draper James Dress
2. Ulla Popken Floral Set
3. Eshakti lace Gown
4. Pink Halogen Dress
My pick: Pink Halogen Dress
I actually hesitated on what wound up being my personal favorite outfit of 2020. I absolutely did not need a pink dress that is too prissy to ever wear to work. But it’s fun and it really demonstrates the shift I took in my wardrobe last year that it’s ok to have clothes that are just fun to wear and will never be worn to work. Of course, the look voted the favorite for the year also fits into this category. I frequently get asked for plus size formal wear recommendations so I was really happy to share this look and I absolutely love how the photos turned out.
Best item worn on repeat
The nominees:
1. Pink Maxi Skirt
2. Mint Metallic Skirt
3. Pink Velvet Skirt
4. Pink Tulle Skirt
My pick- mint metallic skirt , my most worn item
Can you tell I like pink? I think skirts are the most versatile items in my wardrobe because they are so easy to mix and match and can be worn dresses up and dressed down. The mint metallic skirt was my most worn item, showing up in my feed 12 times in 2020, which is more than a single pair of jeans! The pink maxi skirt chosen as the favorite certainly makes a statement and is a fun bold piece. It’s easy to dress up but can also be worn casually – my favorite was wearing it with a bath suit as a cover up!
Best Brand
Nominees:
1. Draper James
2. Ulla Popken
3. Chic Soul
4. Fabletics
Most featured brand – ulla popken (53 times!)
I love all these brands for different reasons so I can’t pick a favorite but I was surprised when I went back through my 2020 posts to see how often I had worn Ulla Popken items. I definitely believe in buying things you love and want to wear over and over again and can be restyled different ways so I was pleased to see how frequently I re-wore several pieces. Of course, there are plenty of times I re wear and item but don’t post it on the gram and that’s true of my Draper James pieces. Their dresses are so pretty and really match my style so I tend to wear them as is and thus the look would be the same the 1st or 10th times i wear them which is why I don’t repost – but I promise I do wear their pieces over and over again.
Best Beyond Fashion Moment
The nominees:
- Understanding White Privilege
2. Pregnancy Loss
3. Social Justice
4. Celebrating Biden / Harris
My pick: understanding white privilege
This category felt weird to call “Best” because the all call attention to difficult times for either myself personally or the country. I do believe though that everything happens for a reason and I never for a second doubted that I would share my ectopic experience. While it is something deeply personal I think it’s so important for society as a whole but women especially to share these difficult experience. I had never even heard of an ectopic until I had one!
Highlight of 2020
The nominees:
- The beach
2. Celebrating my birthday with confidence
3. Hiking Cummins Falls
4. The End
My pick: Hiking Cummins Falls
Like I talked about as a destination our Cummins Falls trip meant a lot to me because It was such a mental and physical accomplishment. It was also a real opportunity for Shaun and I to achieve something as a team and after the crap hand 2020 dealt us we just really needed a win. My birthday celebration will always be bitter sweet because it was that night I found myself in the hospital. But, I did enjoy taking the pictures and I always enjoy sharing how I’ve grown in confidence with y’all so I appreciate that it was your favorite moment of 2020 I shared.
I really enjoyed looking back at 2020 and appreciate all the participating in voting on favorite from the year. I hope that 2021 bring you wonderful moments and this post inspires you to see the good times mixed in with the hard times.