Tupieta

My New York trip would not have been complete without taking a trip to the Monif C boutique. I am a huge fan of her work, and although it is out of my price range, I had to see for myself what everyone has been talking about. I had the opportunity to try on her convertible dresses and I am now convinced that it is an absolute staple piece for any woman, big or small. Words can not explain how comfortable this dress felt. It is difficult to feel sexy when you are not comfortable in your garment, having to pull and tug all day to keep everything in place. I did not feel that way at all with this beautiful dress. Her assistant was also great with the camera and took some nice shots of me trying on a couple of the dresses. He was even nice enough to let me wear his necklace, a Fennimas original.

Unfortunately for me Monif was on vacation so I was not able to meet her in person. However her staff was so warm and really made my visit such a pleasure. I stuck around to talk with them about the collection and check out some of her features (Of course I had to now include the recent photo of Gabi). They also had on show-case some beautiful accessories by Divine Sugar that were used in her photoshoots.

Although I was unable to meet her in person, Monif agreed to a short interview by email. She discusses this year’s Full Figured Fashion Week, her new fall collection, and upcoming collaborations.

 

You were definitely a fan favorite at this year’s Full Figured Fashion Week. How did you feel about the event this and the collections presented?

Each year the show gets bigger and better. The collections this year were wonderful. Its great that curvy girls are having more options than ever before. 

Who are your favorite fashion designers worldwide?

Wow, that’s a hard one. There are so many designers that inspire me. Definitely Matthew Williamson, Oscar De La Renta, Tracy Reese, Alexander McQueen, Stephen Burrows just to name a few.

Your garments are very well known for their comfort, versatility, and exceptional construction. What has inspired your style in general?

You just hit my style inspiration right on the head actually. I want to make clothes that are aesthetically beautiful, well made, and functional for the modern curvy girl on the go. When I design I think of this confident sexy woman and all the places that her social calender will take her. 

What vision did you have in mind when designing your fall collection?

The fall collection is really a continuation of the spring/summer story. It’s really a marriage between chic, sophistication with an ode to 80’s cult classics like dynasty but it’s still fresh and modern.

What is a typical day like when you’re working on a collection?

I usually seclude myself for a few weeks as I come up with concepts because it’s important that I first hone in on the story I am trying to tell that season. Honestly it’s hard to say what a typical day looks like because sometimes I sleep for half the day and work at 3am or I may decide to spend the day in the library surrounded with my mood board and trend books. Once I have some sketches of my ideas I usually bring it back to the office to start refining them.

Your aesthetic is beautiful and you really do know how to dress full figured women. Have you ever thought about dabbling in couture wear?

Haute couture is an art that I respect and probably wouldn’t dabble in it. Alot of people use the word couture loosely, but the artists that do haute couture really approach from a different perspective than myself. I will say though that when I design I aim to merge couture ideas, quality fabrics, and high fashion ideas into everyday fashion, so it’s a slightly different concept.

There have been rumors of you adding more apparel to your collection, such as denim. Will we be seeing an expansion into more areas of apparel design?

Well, we are working on some collaborations with other designers. We do what we do best, which is make the best dresses, jumpsuits, and swimwear so we decided to partner with other designers that do what they do best. This season we will have a denim collaboration with Svoboda, we will also carry outerwear by La Dan’s Closet, and we will have large size shoes, up to size 13, by a variety of shoe manufacturers that we sourced.

You’re obviously a busy woman. What do you do when you’re not hard at work?

Sleep! Lol, im such a workaholic, I dont really have much time to do much else. The saying is true though, once you are doing what you love, you will never work a day in your life.

Are there any other words of wisdom or information you’d like to add?

Sexy is a state of mind. No one can teach you self confidence, its a muscle that you build. Live life to the fullest, because you only have one shot. Happiness is a choice! 

 

Thank you Monif C for providing us curvy women with sexy, comfortable, and luxurious style options. I can not wait to see what the future holds!

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