If you follow me on Instagram/Insta-Stories, you know that I attend The Curvy Fashionista’s Style Expo in Atlanta, GA 8/12-8/13. It was my 1st time attending one of Marie’s events and I was all to eager to hop on a plane to be there to support her. Of course I enjoyed being able to shop with brands & clothing lines that I’m familiar with, but also brands and clothing lines that I wasn’t so familiar with. As a blogger I attend tons of plus events throughout the year and for the most part they are the same. However there was something so awesomely different about TCF Style Expo. TCF Style Expo was REAL.
Now I know you’re probably thinking, what do I mean when I say it was real. I sat in all four of the industry panels, all of which were packed with some really informative, knowledgeable & seasoned individuals. Although every panelist was vastly different, the one thing they had in common was they held nothing back. They gave you tips & tricks that you won’t read online. They gave you information that was raw and uncensored. And it was so refreshing to listen.
For me sitting in on each panel you can feel the passion & intensity of what the panelist were discussing. Even if people didn’t agree or didn’t “piggy back” lol you could appreciate the different POV’s. Particularly for the body positive panel discussion I was quite happy that the panelist weren’t afraid to move beyond the flowery rhetoric of how loving your body is easy with unicorns & gumdrops. I love that they talked about the days when they don’t fully love themselves for whatever reason. I loved that my name twin Shaina of Out of the Corner, wanted plus women to be held accountable when it comes to celebrating when brands actually feature size 22 & up. She challenged us to not just speak up when we don’t like something, but also when a brand gives us what we asked for.
Sitting in on the Stylist panel, shout out to my girl Meaghan (in the middle) for being so real about everything. I was really amazed at the honesty of the panelist. They talked about the reality of working for free in the beginning. They talked about understand the business. It’s not just about putting together a good look, but understanding the trends, understanding textures & fabrics. They talked about making a point to intern for someone that will actually teach you, not just send you out for coffee. They talked about having good credit, because most, if not all showrooms require a credit card on file when stylist request items. They talked about carving out your own lane with your work & portfolio. I never had an interest in being a stylist but I completely respect their craft.
One of my favorite panels was the blogger panel. I promise I’m not bias lol. A lot of my faves spoke on this panel and gave some awesome advice on how new bloggers can get started. My favorite moment came from Ty Alexander of Gorgeous in Grey. She said
“For me living is important. I wake up everyday on purpose, to live on purpose, to inspire on purpose. That’s what I do every single day.”
The passion she spoke with really mimicked how many of us feel & why many of continue to blog day in and day out. For once we had an open dialogue about blogging that didn’t include how to monetize, it didn’t include how to use your affiliate links or how to email brands. They gave honest advice on living your life as a blogger. It was so bomb!!!!
And this is why I love @gorgeousingrey. Wake up everyday to LIVE on purpose. One of th most passionate, raw & talented people I know. @tcfstyleexpo #ASXTCFSTYLEEXPO #psblogger #Bloggerbabe #inspiration
A video posted by Shainna Tucker (@thickgrlscloset) on Aug 13, 2016 at 8:31am PDT
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| The blogger table…Canon cameras on deck lol |
All the thighs & all the sexiness here at the @tcfstyleexpo. #ASXTCFSTYLEEXPO #plusmodel #plussizefashion
A photo posted by Shainna Tucker (@thickgrlscloset) on Aug 13, 2016 at 9:32am PDT
Got em!!!! @telethiap & @arden6 at @mariedenee Style Expo VIP mixer. So much fun. #ASXTCFSTYLEEXPO XPO
A video posted by Shainna Tucker (@thickgrlscloset) on Aug 12, 2016 at 6:50pm PDT
All in all the TCF Style Expo was an amazing experience. The panels, the networking & the shopping, this is definitely an event I HIGHLY recommend you attend. I can’t wait to see how much bigger & better it will be next year. Thank Marie for having me and I can’t wait to be back next year.
xoxo
Shay
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