Hello Fashionistas!! Today I’m sharing a great recap of the TCFStyle brunch in Los Angeles last weekend April 29th.
We’ll also share insider details, tips and tricks for joining the NEXT branch! (Be sure to sign up for our email list. herebe the first to know about future events!!)
are you ready? Alright, let’s go!
Bringing back plus size community events
Marie Denee (founder of The Curvy Fashionista) recently moved from Atlanta back to Southern California where she grew up! I was very excited to meet Brando.
And most importantly, she was so excited to connect with her fans and readers!
This summary describes:
- Setting up and scheduling branches
- Quotes from Rad Panelists
- Information on where to connect with AWESOME brand partners for this event
TCFStyle branch setup and timeline
Ok, can I say best friend – the brunch food was delicious. Magen Grays (@single mother cook) what was made for us was delicious. I’m a fan of everything and the fries and French toast were a big hit at my table lol.
The space is beautiful and Clay House Branding did a great job with the decor.
Timeline-wise, this was the chain of events.
- 12:00 – 12:15 || Welcome from Marie and Plus Bath
- 12:30 – 1:30 || Eat brunch and listen to panelists
- 1:30 – 3:00 || Networking and shopping!
meet old friends and make new friends
My personal favorite thing about brunch was meeting friends and clients I only knew online (and via Zoom, lol), IRL! I actually flew in from Salt Lake City, Utah for brunch and it was worth 50000%!
I loved seeing old friends get together whom I hadn’t seen in years (shout out to Panera). Also, it was so special and lovely to see people make new friends. step and repeat.
When I’m talking to people one-on-one, I see people coming in and worrying that ‘nobody knows’. I totally hear that horror. I would also like to say that the space was very welcoming and people were able to get to know others at the tables and during the event.
This was such a great place to meet new people and make new friends!
We also had a surprise guest who was planning a flash mob in LA! “The Big & Tall community, represented by National Curves Day, Inc., has been very active in taking matters into their own hands.”Overall picturea flash mob fashion segment hosted by the Plus Size Men Campaign Johnny Big”
Information and quotes from Rad panelists on the TCFStyle branch
We had a great line-up of great panelists!
- Melissa Mercedes: fashion designer and winner of the Eloquii 2021 Cultivate Award!
All of the panelists shared some really great things.
I love Melissa! She wore a gorgeous green gown to a Banana Republic event (STUNNING) and shared how it’s meaningful to look apart to make clients feel good.
She also took a sneak peek at her next collection and said she expects some sparkle and statement-making fashion!
Essie Golden: I love seeing Essie Golden in California (she also recently moved). Essie wore her GORGEOUS mesh dress from her Kai Collective. Essie shared her outfit tips, saying she tries to find joy in her clothes, and that she makes a special effort to support her designers indie.
Essie also let us know she might be working on a talk show (how cool is that?!) so stay tuned!
Daniel Franzese: I loved watching Danny on the panel. I will send you an extra piece to do it!
He wore a pretty rad fringe jacket that he custom made at etsy. Danny also mentioned wanting to reopen his big, tall menswear company. Personally, I love Danny’s capsule collections with menswear brands!
Last but not least, we have Kat Eve in our hearts! I was wearing
Kat shared many great indie and sustainable brands with us and also talked about how important it is to work with tailors (Danny also spoke up here ).
Cry of a brand partner
The truth is, in-person community building is extremely important, especially for plus-sized babies, and without generous support from sponsors, in-person work would be impossible.
- plus bus: Jen and Marcy turned this event into a PARTY! I especially love how Marcy entertained us all and kept to the schedule. She popped out with fun giveaways and prizes! Plus Bus also had a booth (Jen’s brand, URTUMUCH selection) and it was so much fun to see the babes styling!
- Also, Mercy’s mom was at the event and was honestly everyone’s favorite (Hi Gigi!) Check out Plusbus here(Also, their videos are so good, make sure to follow them on TikTok!)
- erotic key: Oh my god, y’all! Eloquii has been a supporter of the TCF for years and Marie wrote to revive ELOQUII. Marie rocked her Melissa her Mercedes x ELOQUII dress (cute Tenney, I loved it)!
- I’ll write more about Eloquii’s spring SUIT DROP later here, so stay tuned!Join Elokey here!
- big fig mattress: Funny enough, Marie uses the Big Fig website (!!) and loves it, Big Fig gave away two mattresses at the event. Danny and Marie, in particular, told me how much they loved Big He Fig (Danny thought he would buy one for his living room as a replacement sofa for his best friends at B&T). talked about).
- Big Fig also stepped and repeated the HotFatSummer campaign.Check out the Big Fig Mattress here!
- VINNIK: This rookie brand (2023) is amazing and our guests loved the glitz and glamor of byVINNIK. Founder Suzanne Vinick showed attendees how to style ethical clothing and jewelry. Amazing!
- Look at the byVINNIK area and say “Is this for us? I’m getting a little emotional typing this but yes! This is for the US! Checkout VINNIK here!
- What Law Wants: OK, like everyone on social media, we’ve seen What Lo Wants take over the internet. True story, founder Lauren (“Lo”) was so sweet and fun his IRL. It was so much fun to see the fat girl actually try on her pieces! It was a lot of fun (in the best possible way)!!
- Brands also sponsored some of the gift bags, so everyone in attendance got a “What Lo Wants” tote!! (I love totes!) Check out Lo Wants here!
- Chouette Designs: Elmer Guard! I was so excited to see this size inclusive his jewelry brand (rings up to size 15) at the event!This company is LGBT owned and I love seeing people buy jewelry during events was.
- By the end it felt like everyone was rocking Chouette! Stay tuned for an upcoming article about custom plus size engagement ring design with Chouette! Check out Chouette’s designs! here!
- Bakar: last on the list, but definitely not on our minds. There are BAACALs. The brand had multiple people wearing pieces at the event, and it was great to see so many different body types wearing BAACAL pieces. I was wearing it!)
- Cynthia also gave a giveaway and shared that she was working on expanding the size chart (excited for that)! Also, as an aside, Cynthia Vincent was so effortlessly cool and chic! I loved meeting her in person. Check out BAACAL here!
Ok, best of true stories! I was working BTS (behind the scenes) for brunch and a lot of people messaged TCF on Instagram the morning I tried to get tickets.
I regretted it, but tix didn’t sell on that day! Clay!! <333
If you’d like to be invited to an upcoming TCF event (and I’d love for you to be there!), be sure to join the email list. here Join us on Instagram hereI would love to meet a plus size ALLLLL and a fat baby IRL!
If you’re reading this from outside LA? You can “pull Brianne” and dive in! seriously! i did it! There was an explosion! 10/10 recommended!
Did you like the TCF branch?! Make a sound in the comments below! Want to sponsor a future branch? Contact Us!