You know the whole, "whatever size you are, buy clothes that fit properly" mantra? Well, yeah, I've never actually believed in that. I'm more into the Tim Gunn school of thought--in other words, make it work. If I restricted myself to only buying clothing with my size on the tag, I'd be stuck paying hundreds of dollars for calf-length polyester dresses.

Instead, I go to mainstream stores and hunt for things that look like they might, by the grace of God, work for me. The other day, I went into Forever21 and found so many cute tops, none of which they even had in a size large. Instead of walking out disappointed, I grabbed the mediums and brought them in the fitting room. Each and every single thing looked great...I mean, I didn't end up buying anything, but that was because I had no money, not because the tops were too tight. I need everyone to understand this: just because stuff may not "fit" the way the designer intended, does not mean we can't wear it. Creativity is the one thing that has saved my style as a fat girl.

While at H&M, I saw the most amazing pair of stretchy acid wash denim pants (I warned you I'd be wearing acid wash this summer), and I knew I had to have them. It was no surprise that the largest size they had in stock was a 12. According to most size charts, I should wear a size 20/22 in pants. According to experience, I wear a solid 18. Either way, I think it's safe to assume there is no way I'm anywhere near a size 12.

I bought them. After a little stretching and a lot of jumping up and down while pulling upwards, you better believe I made them work for me.

I can't lie, they do create a bit of a muffin top, but whatever--the layering of my long H&M burnout tee paired with my blazer (why yes, I do wear it everyday) quickly fixed that problem. The black Zinc wedges and neon pink f21 headband perfectly complete the outfit. I've been wearing some version of this for the past week or so (hey, I'm living out of a carry-on suitcase), and it's my new favorite day time look.