I admit, sometimes I start looking for something and just never give up until I have exhausted all avenues.

Case in point, I really liked the black maxi dress from the last post...

...however I like over-jackets for something like this. So I went in search of a soft velour crop jacket [bolero or shrug] in black. I was hoping for something with a Mandarin collar however found nothing that fit the bill...

Here are some looks I did find..

So, I thought about some of the things I own already. The knit crop top in these photos might work.

...or this shimmering gold crop top with a safari print that comes just below my breast-- perfect for the Empire waist of that maxi dress. The top looks longer in the photo and is shown with a summer black dress that is slightly shorter than the black maxi.

Both of these tops would make the dress less formal-- on most. Why cover up? For me- it gives a more formal look and I prefer to appear more aloof. Is this an oxymoron? No -- not really.. My hair and make up -- tend to dress up my outfits.

Another great resource I found for plus size boleros and shrugs-- Amazon's eVogues Store. I was really impressed with some of their offerings for plus size girls.

By the way-- did you see this Kate Spade New York Women's Neveah Bootie-- I listed in my Things I {Heart} in the sidebar link?

When I was looking around for fashion items last night-- and searched Amazon for Kate Spade-- I found this bootie and fell in love. Will they go with the Black Maxi? Yes.. but why hide them.

moving on. I love fashion.. I have very little in the way of options. are you? Let me know when you are done. I said no.