The first time I wore a bra as a shirt, it was a black vintage-style longline bra from Torrid. I paired it with a black pencil skirt and black lace bolero and headed out to Heavy Rotation, a body positive dance party on the Northside. I was anxious about going out sans shirt, but after dancing the night away in a bra, I was smitten.
Finding a beautiful bra for a plus size figure is no small task: While there are a few retailers who offer a limited selection of fashionable and functional undergarments, they still tend to be pricey and lackluster. So, I do pick up a fancy bra here and there on clearance, but mostly I buy plain bras and embellish them, like the studded bra below:
Ever since I saw Lady Gaga rocking studs in her “Telephone” video, I knew I had to make this bra. I sourced the studs and spikes on eBay for a couple of bucks and thrifted the bra new with tags for $2.50.
Lady Gaga in the “Telephone” video, the inspiration for my studded bra. | LadyGagaDIY.com
Studs seem intimidating, but I found them fairly easy to work with once I got the hang of them. I just turned on some of my favorite trashy TV shows and went to work. To insert the spikes, I poked a small hole with a leather rotary punch and screwed them in. The studs have small prongs on the back that easily fold in place with some small jewelry pliers. A few hours later, I had a bitchin’ bra. I even put some studs on my black booties:
For Queerer Park, a dance party at Beauty Bar Chicago, I paired my studded bra with some studded epaulets on a black blazer and a black sequin skirt.
Outfit details
- Old Navy black blazer jacket, size 4x, $5 via the Gap Clearance Store in Hebron, Ky.
- Black sequin bubble skirt, no tag, $12.50 via eBay
- Torrid black fishnet tights, size 3x/4x, $4.98
- EyeBuyDirect.com Rock! Peggy cat eye glasses in black, $55
- Payless black booties, size 12, $14.99
Generally, I try to avoid wearing all black. All too often, fatties try to hide in “ultra-slimming” black, and I don’t want to hide anymore. At one point, over half of my wardrobe was black because I thought that was the only color I could wear. So now that I’ve gained confidence in myself and my style, I generally don’t wear black unless it really makes a statement.
I topped off this look with simple red lipstick, black winged eyeliner and a sweep of mascara. And I went Winehouse on my hair, sweeping it into a beehive on the top of my head and securing a bandana around it.
Follow me on Instagram for my latest raw photos from the wild.
Follow @queerknowledge
very nice