Lookin’ Good Girl: Interview with Diana Di Poce, Creator & Editor of DARE Magazine

Written by Vanessa Vaillant

Diana Di Poce is a Ryerson University graduate, Canadian entrepreneur, and editor of DARE magazine, Canada’s first plus-sized fashion magazine. With plus-size fashion on the rise, it is wonderful seeing Canada have it’s first plus-sized fashion publication. I was lucky enough to interview Diana and find out what life is like this plus-sized fashionista, where her favourite places to shop in Toronto are, and some tips on dressing a curvy body.  You can find Dare Magazine online here.

Q – What is life like as a magazine editor and entrepreneur?
Life as a magazine editor and entrepreneur has been wonderful. Having the opportunity to meet and work with such inspiring individuals throughout the past year has been a dream come true.

Building a platform with my team to share information with curvy ladies on the latest in plus size fashion, celebrities and beauty has been such a great experience and I am constantly amazed by the amount of emails and notes that we have received from our readers. They are extremely supportive of DARE and express this on a daily basis. They inspire us in every way possible!

Q – Tell us about DARE magazine.
DARE Magazine is Canada’s first plus size fashion magazine. Founded in May 2013, DARE is the curvy woman’s digital go-to-guide for the latest in fashion and beauty news, tips and trends. A destination for fashion-forward ladies, DARE is committed to featuring top celebrities, bloggers and models to inspire plus size women worldwide to be daring with their style and to flaunt their curves. All women can be fashion-forward no matter what size they wear—style truly has no size.

Dedicated to catering to women sizes 12+, DARE is a quarterly online publication that offers readers style and trend tips, shopping advice and beautiful fashion editorials. DARE has worked with leading plus size fashion bloggers, models and designers such as Jeanne Beker, Cycle 10 winner of America’s Next Top Model Whitney Thompson, singer Mary Lambert and Karyn Johnson of Killer Kurves to fill our pages with the latest in style.

DARE has reached thousands of viewers worldwide and has received incredible press reception from sources such as Perez Hilton, The Thought Catalog, CTV News and newspapers across the country (Metro News, Montreal Gazette, Ottawa Citizen, etc.).

Q – What made you decide to create DARE, the first Canadian plus-size fashion magazine?
DARE was developed as part of my fourth year thesis project, a requirement of the Ryerson University fashion communications degree program. I have had a passion for art direction, graphic design and fashion since beginning my degree, so I knew that creating a magazine was going to play a major role in my final project.   I have also been plus size most of my life, so the creation of DARE, a magazine speaking to the curvy, seemed so natural. The drive to create such a magazine came from the lack of diversity seen in fashion today and the fact that as a stylish curvy woman and magazine lover, I had nowhere to turn for my fashion fix. Therefore, when asking myself what to include in the magazine and whom I should be targeting, the answer was simple: women like myself!My professor and mentor, Ben Barry, helped to guide me through the process and has supported the magazine and me since day one.

After the launch of the first issue (the Spring/Summer 2013 issue), the feedback from readers and the press was incredible. It was at this point that I decided to pursue DARE.

Q – What got you interested in plus-size fashion?
I have always loved fashion. From dressing up dolls as a child to constantly researching upcoming trends as a teenager, fashion has been a passion of mine since a young age. As a plus size teenager, being fashionable was a challenge at times, however I used my love for fashion to create unique outfits (or so I thought at the time!).

My interest in plus size fashion really came about when I first started my research for DARE. Coming across this whole new world of amazing curvy models, bloggers and icons was amazing! Not only did these ladies inspire me to create DARE, they also boosted my own self-esteem and made me feel beautiful no matter what dress size I wore. With this, I knew that Canada was missing a magazine like DARE and that I needed to change this.

Q – What do you think are some common faults that “straight-based” magazines make when discussing plus-sized women and fashion?
When discussing plus size women and fashion, I believe that “straight-based” magazines often stick to very basic styles and don’t offer enough variety. As the average North American woman wears a plus size, the curvy reader would love to see several pages dedicated to showcasing clothing available in plus sizes, rather than just one page in several cases.

Q – What are some of the best experiences you’ve had writing for DARE magazine?
I’ve had so many wonderful experiences working on DARE! Some of the most memorable moments have been interviewing and filming a beauty tutorial with America’s Next Top Model winner Whitney Thompson, interviewing songstress Mary Lambert, working on set with international models Kristina Yeo, Clementine Desseaux and Anita Marshall and receiving unforgettable emails from curvy women around the world expressing their love for DARE.

Q – Who are some of your plus-size fashion inspirations?
Some of my plus size fashion inspirations are Canada’s own curvy bloggers, Karyn Johnson from Killer Kurves and Karen Ward from Curvy Canadian—these two ladies are always on-trend and make Canada proud! I am also always keeping an eye out for celebrities Amber Riley, Rebel Wilson, Queen Latifah and Mary Lambert; it’s so inspiring to see these starlets embrace their curves on the red carpet. Finally, models Clementine Desseaux, Denise Bidot, Anita Marshall, Kristina Yeo, Fluvia Lacerda, Ashley Graham (the list goes on) are always confidently flaunting their figure in the latest trends.

Q – Where are some of your favourite places to shop for plus-sized fashion in Toronto/Canada?
My favourite boutiques in Toronto are Gussied Up, Your BIG Sister’s Closet and SexyPlus Clothing, these stores offer such a wonderful experience and carry the best in plus size fashion. Not to mention, the owners are fabulous curvy ladies! I also love checking out the latest styles at Forever 21+,Addition Elle and Dorothy Perkins at The Bay.

Q – What is your number one tip for dressing for curves?
Wear what makes you feel beautiful and confident! No matter what the latest trend is or what style you are told to wear based on your shape, it’s important to dress your curves in what makes your feel the best.

Q – Where do you want to be in 10 years?
In 10 years, I hope that DARE is seen as one of Canada’s top fashion and beauty magazines! I believe that it’s extremely important to embrace diversity and to address women of all shapes and sizes in fashion. Thanks to plus size models, bloggers, readers and magazines, the importance of catering to all women has recently made a huge mark on the fashion industry. I hope that these changes continue over the next 10 years and that DARE can continue to be the voice of us curvy ladies.

All photos courtesy of DARE Magazine

Real Talk: In Conversation with Amarina Norris of Ursa Major +

Of Amarina Norris of Ursa Major +, I have previously said:

There’s something so heavenly and bewitching about Amarina.  She’s a plus-size fashion & jewelry designer here in Toronto. About ten years ago, Amarina took up an apprenticeship with a jewelry designer and came out with a line of plus-sized embellishments. Today there’s Usra Major +, wicked cool fashions for fat babes. Maybe it’s that our style is so matched and she’s forever en pointe, but she can do no wrong my eyes. Though I came across Ursa Major and Amarina very recently sometimes (trying very hard not to be hyperbolic) it’s like having found a shooting star.

As you can imagine, it was a exciting moment when I got the chance to film Amarina in conversation with our own Leigh van Maaren right here at FGFS HQ.

Lookin’ Good Girl: Our Fave Crafty, DIY & Fashionable IGers

When I started Lookin’ Good Girl back in May it was with a simple (and totally awkward) braid crown video tutorial. I started LGG with the intension of bringing easy, fun and affordably as well as crafty, DIY how-tos to our readers. Under the LGG umbrella we’ve been able to publish a lot of sweet, funny, personal and powerful posts from our writers. It’s become increasingly apparent that those posts need to have a home on the site. They’ve become a huge part of our voice and also given people a voice on subjects close to their heart. LGG has been the home to where a lot of ideas about body positivity have been shared and that’s an essential part of who we are. But equally important I think is that Lookin’ Good Girl returns back to it’s DIY roots, so that’s why we’ve made the decision to break up Wednesdays on the site a bit.

From now on every second Wednesday will continue to be Lookin’ Good Girl, but on the alternating Wednesday will be Real Talk. In Real Talk we plan to post videos like our recent In Conversation With… post, and things related to the more personal and political. We know a lot of our readers have come to love reading the posts on Wednesdays, and we hope the change up makes as much sense to them as it did to us when me made the choice to do it like this.

With that here’s this week’s Lookin’ Good Girl. I polled some of contributors and found out who their favourite DIY, crafty, home-cookin’ and just plain fashionable Instagrammers are. I present them to you  in no particular order!

@elaineho – I’m a huge fan of all the jewelry makers I’m seeing around online making things that are vaguely occult like out of raw and natural materials.

@mingdoyle – mega talented freelance illustrator and comic maker, a favourite of many FGFS writers.

@topshelfpreserves – small batch badass in Ottawa (branding done by another IG fave @RossProulx)

@woolgatheringottawa – wicked crafty wool and thread lady in Ottawa

@truefat – this girl has got it going on. fat, fashionable, foodie. plus cats.

@dltvo – this lady makes vegan and microbiotic look damn easy and beautiful.

@lagusta – Jodie nominated this one because “@lagusta has great vegan chocolates, is the biggest sweetheart, AND the best colorful vintage get ups. BOOM.”

@crystal_cave – basically the most fierce fat babe on the West Coast or any coast. She runs with the illest crowd and I live vicariously through dat life.

@megmakins – Like most IG accounts I don’t remember how I found this one, but I can’t stop loving her. DIY lifer to be sure.

@doorsixteen – this lady did the ultimate in DIY, she gutted her kitchen and titled it herself. Dreamy white subway tiles with black grout of course.

@franallin – a girl with wicked rad style of her own but also the provider of the best Toronto #streetstyle captures your bound to find on IG

Lookin’ Good Girl: Premiere Plus-Size Collection at NYFW Gives Safety First.

This piece comes to us from our resident fashion expert, Leigh van Maaren, in response to a plus size collection debuting at this years New York Fashion Week. Leigh is a non-stop positive party babe and 4^th year advertising student at OCADU.  She’s an avid maker, music junkie, and general pop culture enthusiast.  You’ll find her writing about cooking, fashion, feminism, good vibes and body positivity. Read her full bio here.

A model wears the Robin’s Nest dress from Cabiria’s A/W 13/14 collection

I’m glad that Eden Miller was able to show her line, Cabiria, at NYFW.  It’s absolutely fantastic to see a plus-size collection at a mainstream fashion event, and it’s a wonderful step away from a world where in order to be a fashionable plus-size woman, you need to have a strong assortment of sewing & DIY skills, incredible luck thrifting, or an absolutely fabulous budget.

The thing is, though – I’m still not happy. The discussion surrounding Cabiria’s collection reminded me of one thing, though – for fat people who don’t actively follow fashion blogs, style inspiration is something they don’t have access to. The fact that there have never been plus-size bodies at NYFW reminded me that for people who don’t have resources or desire to spend hours online, there is nothing telling you that you can be a fashionable fat person. This is why I wanted to love the Cabiria collection.

I love it for what it represents – a door in to mainstream fashion for plus-size women. What I don’t love about it is how safe it is. While Miller has used a lovely assortment of prints and created nicely shaped garments, it’s not exciting. It’s revolutionary as a first-ever NYFW plus-size collection, but there’s nothing more exciting about it.

The collection covers the base need of having clothes to put on your plus-size body, but it doesn’t push any real boundaries. I want more than well-constructed garments in typical ‘fatty’ shapes and full-coverage. It’s not often that I see a show at NYFW and the only thing I can think is that I have seen every one of these garments a million times already. Is putting a bold print on a fat chick interesting enough for an event of this calibre?

There’s nothing new about the collection, so there’s nothing that makes me care that it’s at NYFW – and that’s really disappointing. What I dreamed of when I first heard of plus-size at NYFW is the same sheers, aggressive shapes, bizarre hair & makeup and challenging runway pieces that inspire a year of ready-to-wear fashion. What I got is ready-to-wear fashion that will inspire more boring versions of the same things to be sold to the masses in stores next year. I wanted a collection that would introduce high fashion concepts in to the plus size fashion industry. What I got is a collection that only really matters because some fat chicks are at NYFW. It’s nice, but for the first-ever plus size show at NYFW, we deserve more.

Bite-Size Miniatures: Jewellery Good Enough to Eat

Have you ever wanted to combine your love of food & jewellery?  Well then look no further than Bite Size Miniatures, from the creative and artistic genius of Miss Karen Firth from Montreal, Canada.  I had stumbled upon Karen’s designs through Instagram and immediately fell in love with the whimsical and unique collection of necklaces, earrings, magnets and keychains she had made.  Each design looks good enough to eat and provides plenty of selection for girls to choose from their favourite treats & eats.

I had the opportunity to interview Karen regarding Bite Size Miniatures, who kindly offered up all Fat Girl Food Squad readers with 25% off their next order (USE PROMO CODE: FGFS), about the line and her inspirations plus where she sees the future of Bite Size Miniatures headed.

(1) Tell me the history of the line and how did Bite Size Miniatures get started?

The original idea behind Bite Size Miniatures first came to my mind about three summers ago when I was bored and wanted to try something new. I’ve always had a strange obsession with any miniatures from Barbie food to miniature collectibles. After looking at some random techniques from miniature making books, I figured I could give it a try. I decided to mix my love of miniatures with my love of food and bam, Bite Size Miniatures came to life!

(2) Why did you begin to make jewellery from food and where did you get your line ideas from

I’ve done a lot of different kinds of work surrounding design, from fashion design, passing through accessory/poster designs and costume design. Though I’ve enjoyed all the experiences I’ve had, none of them really grabbed my full attention and didn’t really make my heart skip a bit. Being way too passionate and emotional of a person, I wanted to find something that became a huge passion for me. That’s when I decided to try some jewelry making. I had a training in simple silver-smith techniques while doing miniature food on the side and really wanted to find a way to combine the two. That’s when I made my first donut necklace. After that, I knew what I wanted to do. After making my first food jewelry collection on Etsy, I decided to combine this newfound love of mine with my online retail obsession.

My inspiration for my collections comes from all over the place. I usually start with a long Pinterest and seasonal fashion trend research. Once I get a couple of general theme ideas, I pass it onto my awesome customers and friends. I share my ideas on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter and ask people what they would like to see next. Once the general theme has been chosen, the month long research begins. From pictures I find, I then draw my ideas and take a ton of notes and go from there. I usually only make food that make me hungry…. It’s a little weird aha, but that’s what keeps me wanting to do more and more.

 (3) You currently sell earrings, necklaces, rings, charms, magnets, keychains – etc. Is there anything else you would like to add to the brand?

Definitely! Having studied in fashion, I do love clothing and fashion design. I really don’t consider myself a fashion designer and, to be honest, I really don’t think I’m that good at it. This is why I really hope to bring smaller, independent clothing and jewelry designers to Bite Size. I really want to keep it weird and unique, so finding new items to bring to the site is a really fun research.

The first outside designers we’re bringing to http://www.bite-size.ca are Meagan from Play Nice and Shelfies. Play Nice is a super cool necklace line. All the necklaces are made with vintage or new plastic toy animals and doll parts hooked onto a cute leather cord. I’ve been obsessed with her for a while and an thrilled to have her join the Bite Size family. You can see her jewelry very soon once the Fall 2013 is launched. As for Shelfies, they are an awesome printed-design company. Donut sweatshirts, watermelon t shirts, cat/space tank tops… really awesome stuff. We’re expecting Shelfies to join the site a little later this season in October.

(4) Is there anyone who you would like to get your line into the hands of.

A couple of months ago ModCloth started selling a couple of my pieces. Being a big fan of the website since the beginning, getting on ModCloth was actually a long term goal of mine. I was lucky enough for them to accept me onto their website on the 6th month anniversary of my my website. My magnets also made it onto Cosmopolitan Australia and the awesome Atlas magazine gave me a feature in their latest issue. If that’s all the publicity I got, it would be amazing. If I had one more goal to accomplish though, it would be for my jewelry to get in the hands of someone like Audrey Kitching.

(5) Has there been one food that you have been dying to make into jewellery form but haven’t as of yet.

Lots!! I run out of time for everything I would love to make. I really want to make a pie collection. Just a ton of pies. I was dying forever to make Lucky Charms but I found it a little challenging for a while. That goal was finally accomplished with the Fall 2013 Collection. Also, TV Dinners and a full 50’s Holiday meal collection. Also, having such an active and included customer base means I get new, awesome ideas almost everyday. The list of everything I want to make just keeps getting longer and longer!

(6) Where do you see the fall/winter collection going, anything you can let our readers know about.

For the Fall collection, expect yourself to be brought back a decade or two. To anyone who grew up in the 90s, expect your childhood to slap you in the face ; ) . Lucky Charms, Ring pops, Grilled Cheese, Poptarts, Smiley Face fries and much more! We’re also introducing a collection of Best Friend necklaces, rings and keychains. Also, let’s not forget our new animal necklace line and awesome, new clothes.

(7) Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

In 5 years, I would love for the company to have grown at least double in size! I want Bite Size to become a place where you can go for anything quirky that you need. In the near future, you will be able to get not only clothing and accessories, but awesome shoes, bags and home items.

Lookin’ Good Girl: A Big Girl with Big Fashion Dreams

It’s hard not to feel like plus-sized stores don’t want me to be the best I can be. Two years ago was the last time I set foot in an Addition-Elle, one of the largest plus-sized clothing stores in Canada. I went to their flagship location in downtown Toronto, searching for a skirt – long and fitted, in any neutral colour other than black. The skirt seemed to perfectly fit with what I’d expect at Addition-Elle; conservative, business-professional, and basic. I searched the two story location up and down and found less than half a dozen skirts; all the same shape, all within 3 inches in length of each other, all polyester, and all black. I felt like I was missing something – is this style of skirt so popular that Addition-Elle feels no need to have other options? Had they sold out of every other skirt? I went online to see if there was any other options, but there was only one difference between the two selections – the website had an even larger selection of knee length, black polyester skirts.

After that experience, I committed to no longer buy any articles of clothing that exhibit the stereotypical traits of the ‘Fat Girl Clothing’ that I hated. Those special styles of clothes that are relinquished soley to plus-sized sections, branding you so obviously as a woman that can’t buy “regular” clothes. It’s particularly brutal in Canada, where the two largest plus-sized clothing retailers are owned by the same company and sell incredibly similar merchandise, but my search for clothing abroad has brought me to this list of horrible styles that I swear, we don’t want.

 Polyester everything: I deserve the option to buy natural fibres. A lady needs to breathe.

Wrap front:  Women’s magazines spent a lot of time talking about how “flattering” this is in the early 00’s. They are mostly great if you like one boob falling out of your shirt all the time.

Knee-length everything (skirts, shorts, dresses, etc.): There’s nothing wrong with showing fat body. Even in their youth-oriented collection, Addition-Elle barely shows kneecap. Fat women experience hot days too, we shouldn’t be forced to cover our bodies with long, sweaty, polyester shorts, skirts and skorts.

One-shoulder, cold-shoulder, or any other weird cut of shirt: They don’t sell these in straight-size stores, they shouldn’t be sold in plus-sized stores. Prevents you from wearing a real bra, super dated, inconvenient.

Large, unfashionable patterns: If the patterns aren’t in-season for straight-sized clothing, they shouldn’t be in-season for plus sized clothing.

Stretchy everything: Can’t a girl get some structured clothing? It looks much more professional.  I haven’t seen a pair of plus-sized non-stretch jeans since the 90’s.

Smocking: I swear, I can pick out clothes that fit me. This is a cheap way to make up for crappy sizing, when the real solution is better-made garments.

Ridiculous embellishments / rhinestones: Being fat does not make you in to a crow. I am not more attracted to shit that is shiny.

Ruining nice ‘basics’ with horrible screen prints: Many of these relate to a multi-day search to try and find a white, cotton, button-up shirt.  The closest one I found had a gigantic screen print on theback shoulder, rendering it both ugly and completely inappropriate for an office environment.

I refuse to be subjected to this sad, unstylish uniform that stores seem to want to thrust upon us. I want to make a list of places where you can buy clothes that don’t look like the same old plus-sized crap that you find everywhere.  There’s a lot more, but these are ones I can personally recommend:

asos.com – Their plus sized line, Asos Curve, is exceptional. Less expensive than AE/Pennington’s, free shipping, excellent quality, and a load of fantastic styles.

newlook.com – They’re seriously doing it right in the UK. Asos also carries some of the Newlook Inspire range (their plus-sized line) but you can order from the full line on their site. Fantastic variety.

forever21.com – Their in-store selection is strange and their online selection turns over incredibly quickly, so I have a bit of a tenuous relationship with F21+. If you don’t check regularly and don’t buy the first second you see something, don’t expect to find it again. This is my impulse buy destination.

chubbycartwheels.com – Body suits! Bandeaus! Mesh! All of the great stuff that most stores don’t seem to thinkplus-sized ladies want. Oh, and so much velvet. Beautiful.

fashiontofigure.com – Jumpsuits, bodycon, and fantastic leggings. Sure, pretty mucheverything here is stretchy – but it’s also fabulously form-fitting with on-trend patterns and cuts.

It’s frustrating that not only do we have to pay more, we have a small fraction of the options that our straight-sized peers do. That’s why I try to wear things that you never see in plus-size – I want every plus-size girl out there to know that even a giantess like me [I’m 6’1 and a size 18ish, with a size 12/13 shoe] can find fab clothes. Your body should never stop you from wearing what you want – because in the expert words of Latrice Royale, it doesn’t matter where you come from, what colour you are, or what shape you are. Be the best that you can be.

Not So Hot Day. top: American Apparel (XL), pants: New Look (UK 22), vest: Forever21+ (2XL), royal blue wedges: barefoottess.com (13

The Hottest Day. top: F21+ (2XL), shorts: Torrid, thrifted (20), studded bra: Winner’s, self-studded with studs from ebay, studded shoes: barefoottess.com (13)

Leigh van Maaren is a Toronto-based fashion blogger and 4^th year Advertising student at OCADU.curvyleigh.com & curvyleigh.tumblr.com

CAKE+FASHION: Works by Corey Moranis and photographer Shannon Echlin

The Toronto Squad first met Corey Moranis when we picked up our custom Food Network Canada cosmic cake. Corey had put the call out on Instagram that she’d be making four ten-layer cakes for a photoshoot and would like to sell them off once done the shoot. Waste not, want not. We though the cakes themselves, especially the one we had customized, were out of this world, but then we got a load of the images from the shoot.

Styled by Moranis with model Inez Genereux and images by photographer Shannon Echlin the series exudes vibrance and childlike wonder, but what you come to see the more you regard the images is the layers upon layers in the outfits and the sublet conguence with each cake.

Here’s how Moranis descibed the project to us:

This is the second CAKE+FASHION project I have done.  The idea is to match the cake to the outfit, layer by layer, and in this project, I decided to include objects found on Inez, or ones inspired by the outfit, on the cake.  So these cakes are toy / fashion sculptures. The outfits are planned with many layers and details to reflect the different layers of my cakes. This is a relationship that is back and forth in the planning. For example, pom poms in the pants came from, “I want pom poms on the cake.”  Wanting a castle on Inez’s head meant making a castle headband!  Some things did not work out exactly as planned but I rolled with it.  I wanted the visor to be on the cake in the 3rd outfit, but that cast a big shadow! These cakes were tall, had some issues, but [I was] not going to let that stop me. Live and learn. Next cake fashion project may be kiddies or grannies.  I love prints, colour, textiles, frosting, edible glitter, non-edible glitter, toys, antiques, crystals, and candy. BUT MOST OF ALL, i love to feed people. Their emotions + stomachs. I especially love it when people find out that they can eat the edible glitter!

That outfit that matches our Food Network Canada contest cake!

DIY or DIE – Dip Bleached Means Summer Fatshions on the Cheap

Hey Squad. I know last time I posted a Lookin’ Good Girl it was a full on video tutorial. Well this time I’m trusting you to figure this out all on your own. Dip bleaching. It’s like your mom’s worst nightmare. Someone used bleach in the washer and now everything is effed for all time. Well she might not mind this so much (and if she does, well sorry mom).

Acting casual in the FGFS HQ

I don’t have a lot of cash, and I generally like to do things on the cheap anyhow, so remixing some tried-and-true but maybe tired summer clothes is what I am into. It’s music festival season and a girl has to look fresh for all those mixers and media parties. So here’s how:

1. Grab what you want to modify. I did a pair of jean shorts (aka jorts) and a dress I have had for over four years and will never give up on.

2. Decide which direction you want the “fade” to go. You’re going to get an ombré thing going on. I believe the style is dark on top and light on bottom. But girl, you can do whatever you want.

3. Grab

• a bowl you probably wont eat out of ever again
• a pair of rubber gloves
• a bath tub, preferably with a shower-head you can detach (you know what I mean)
• bleach (about 2 cups per garment)
• water
• a place to hang your stuff up to dry and/or a laundromat

4. At this point there are two methods. One being you mix 1/2 cup of water and 2 cups of bleach into the bowl and dip the garment into it at the level you want, keeping in mind that the bleach will climb up. Or you can do the method I prefer, which is to soak the clothes, wring them out and place it into the blow 1/3 of the way in and the water, again, will cause the bleach to seep up.

5. This takes 10-45 minutes. If you’re doing jeans, particularly dark ones, it could take longer, but just keep an eye on things.

6. Once it’s your desired hue, and this is where the shower head comes in, rinse. It’s now ready to be washed and dried as normal. You’ll want to wash it before wearing or you’ll smell like a swimming pool. Trust me.

Feel free to ask me any question! I’m on Twitter as @yulischeidt and my email is yuli@fatgirlfoodsquad.com