Hi there, I’m Diane, the designer of Cherry Velvet, and I've been on the curvy/plump/fat side my whole adult life.
I don’t know about you, but I sure can relate to Penelope from the Netflix TV show Bridgerton, which is why I named my newest dress after her character. I could totally see Penelope as a Cherry Velvet gal and envision her in this dress!
Just like Penelope and Nicola Coughlan, the actress that plays her character, I think many of us can relate to not ‘feeling worthy’ because we aren’t model-thin. But if you really look at her and not through the predetermined beauty standards of society, you can see for yourself how truly beautiful she is, just the way she is. Curvy is beautiful!!
Recently, I found some old pictures of myself when I was an early teenager. I remember thinking I was “so fat” back then. I was constantly on a diet. Can anyone else relate to this? But of course, now when I look back, I realize that while I never was super thin, I looked great. I'd like to go back and tell 10-year-old me just that.
One thing I’ve learned over the years of being a fashion designer and working with fitting clothes on women is that almost nobody is ever happy with their body. Fat or thin, everybody thinks there’s something wrong with themselves. And that’s really sad. As women, we need to lift each other up, tell each other how beautiful we look, wear the pretty clothes, and live our best life, and not waiting for that mythical day when we’re going to be thinner or smaller.
So let’s take some cues from Penelope, find our confidence, and wear that pretty dress in the pretty colors that look good on us and spark joy. I hope all of you find that confidence and show the world what it means to feel beautiful just the way you are. Wear pretty clothes because you deserve it, and truth be told, something pretty will genuinely boost your confidence...
Check out all 7 prints of our Penelope dress here.
XOX Cherry Velvet