Summer doesn’t officially start until June 20th, but there are a lot of places in the U.S. that are getting an early start. This encouraged retailer Torrid to celebrate their 2nd Annual Pool Party under the California sun on Saturday where they debuted their latest swimsuit collection. The soiree took place at The Monaco Mansion in Orange County and they hosted celebrities as well as more than 90 plus-size influencers including comedian Nicole Byer, Ashley Nell Tipton and Gabi Gregg.
Ashley Nell Tipton Celebrates Summer with Torrid
Now I know how many of you adore Ashley, who was the first ever plus size winner of “Project Runway.” So we caught up with her to find out what she thinks about the collection, what trends she’s totally digging and she shared her favorite styling tip to get you ladies inspired early on!
“I’m wearing head-to-toe Torrid and I’m loving it,” Ashley said. “The fit is great. I had to order all this last minute and I’m just so glad that I could put it on and need no adjustments. This is exactly what plus size women need today. To be able to wear a bathing suit and feel comfortable. We’re not going to go out there and show our bodies if we’re not comfortable with what we’re wearing. I’m glad that there’s a store like Torrid, to be able to design and really nail it on the wall. These bathing suits fit perfectly on my body.”
For those of you that aren’t aware, Torrid is not only for plus size women but also curvy girls on the cusp. They carry sizes ranging from 10-30. It was pretty amazing to see women that were all shapes and sizes wearing pieces from the collection at the event.
“In this world, we don’t want anyone to feel like an outsider,” she added. “I think plus size women or women who just never felt accepted, can definitely feel that. I’m so glad that Torrid has thought of those in between sizes because they’ve been in the game for a long time. They understand that they have plus size women working for them behind-the-scenes and they know what they need in this industry.”
The collection features many hot new trends including bright prints, high waist bottoms, bold patterns and fun cover-ups. Ashley shares what looks she can’t wait to rock this summer.
“Definitely off-the-shoulder is one of my personal favorite trends for the summer. It’s like this new found glory that I found that my shoulders are sexy! I can be sexy by showing off my shoulders. I’m also into anything see-through. As long as you’re confident in what you’re wearing and who you are, I say ‘rock it.’ You don’t have to worry about anything else because it will all show in your energy,” she said.
No matter what you plan to wear, there are always tips and tricks to help you look good and feel even better. Ashley says that you have to embrace what you’re working with and highlight certain areas more than others. It’s quite easy to remember too!
“It’s all about manipulating the eye,” she said.“When you’re wearing something, you want to manipulate the eye. I tell women, if you don’t have a waistline, you need to wear things that will make it look like you do. You want to draw everything to your waist. So if you’re top heavy, you want to wear a solid color instead of prints. If you’re bottom heavy, you want to do the opposite. If you want your bottom to look a little bigger, that’s where you want to wear your prints.”
The 2017 swimsuit collection is currently available for purchase either online or at any Torrid store location. Pick it up now with a Torrid Gift Card, available on SHOP.COM now.
