Plus size and sparkly: a night I’ll actually remember

My boyfriend and I had this fancy black-tie thing to go to – “A Celestial Affair” , like can you even with that name – and I was stressing hard about what to wear. Like, sweating over it at 11pm on a Tuesday kind of stressing.

Originally I ordered this gown in green. Looked gorgeous in the photos. But then he goes and picks a navy tuxedo. And my brain just went uh oh. Green and navy? Next to each other in photos? We're gonna look like we didn't even try. So I panicked and switched it to black. Best decision ever, honestly. The sequins on this thing? The texture? I'm not even kidding.

I'm about 5'7", around 195 lbs – give or take a few depending on how much pizza I've had that week – so I ordered the XL just to be safe. My logic was: better too roomy than spending the whole night feeling like a stuffed sausage. And you know what? It fit like a glove. Could I have squeezed into a Large? Maybe. But why risk it? I was so glad I didn't try to be cute about sizing.

The night itself was kind of magical, not gonna lie. We took these little polaroid-style photos – me in the sparkly black gown, him in his tux, both of us grinning like idiots. And I kept getting compliments. People actually stopped me to ask where I got the plus size formal dress. I was like, “Oh, some random online shop, believe it or not.” Their faces were priceless. It made me feel so confident, like I actually belonged at that fancy gala and wasn't just some imposter sneaking in.

Quick thing about the dress that I almost forgot: I didn't even use the zipper. Just slid it right over my head. Huge win when you're rushing to get ready because you spent too much time doing your eyeliner. The quality for the price is kind of insane – fabric feels luxe, sequins don't fall off everywhere (you know those cheap ones that leave a trail of glitter behind you? yeah not this one), and the tulle skirt is just dreamy.

Okay yes it's long. I had to watch my step on stairs and sitting down on that velvet couch was a little tricky. But who cares? It's a 1980s prom dresses. Tripping a little is part of the fun, right? Adds character.

Anyway. This dress was honestly the star of the night. I felt beautiful, comfortable, and still like myself – not like I was playing dress-up. So if you're on the fence about ordering it? Just do it. Trust me on this one.