Written by C.Diva

This weekend, I began to scour the internet for fashion looks that I might wear to WonderCon, which is coming up on March 23-25, 2018 in Anaheim, California. While character cosplay isn’t something I really do much of anymore, I am all about the geek fashion and wanted to sport something that screams Black Panther, without the cat suit, pun intended. As a plus size geek with absolutely no sewing skills, I prefer ready-to-wear styles to do-it-yourself clothing, and I am always on the hunt for fat girl fashion.

I came across a post by the Curvy Fashionista, a website I follow religiously for their hot takes on plus size clothing across the world that introduced me to Ray Darten by Yetunde Olukoya, a line of clothing with a range of sizes and styles for the modern woman. According to the Ray Darten website, the line “specialize[s] in designing deeply rooted African-inspired clothing and accessories focused on using our styles to tell stories of our magnificent Nigerian culture and heritage. We view ourselves as not just story tellers of African elegance but also playing a role in helping drive its economy with all our fabrics sourced and our clothes handmade in Nigeria.”

The colorful maxi skirts caught my attention, and I could see myself pairing one of these gorgeous bottoms with a simple black fandom tee, a look that I can get away with at WonderCon, work or out on the town. With a first-time buyer’s 10% discount on a sale item and free shipping, I got myself a colorful Gosi Maxi Skirt in my size for around $60, headed over to Torrid.com for a Black Panther shirt and lo! I’ve got a high fashion, quality convention outfit to show off my Wakanda looks that cost me less than $100.

What I appreciated about purchasing from this site was 1) the skirt shipped from the U.S. the same weekend I purchased it 2) I received an email from customer service, specifically from owner Yetunde Olukoya, thanking me for my purchase and 3) the prices are fairly reasonable for the type of outfit and quality compared to similar websites. My only wish is that Ray Darten offered a collection of head scarves, because now I’m on the hunt for one to match this amazing skirt.

If you’re a plus size fashionista looking for a convention outfit or just want to get back to your African roots, I highly recommend RayDarten.com.

*update*

https://twitter.com/collectivadiva/status/974039457216086016