Candice Huffine Luvlette Lingerie Interview

Born in Washington DC and raised in a Maryland suburb, Candice Huffine did a bit little bit of the whole lot when she was rising up, from being captain of the cheerleading squad to taking her flip as a pageant queen.

“It was ‘typical’ in a Hallmark film form of approach, I assume,” Huffine tells POPSUGAR. “These particulars are essential to say as a result of they did affect my life path. I willingly put myself on a stage at each flip — and never at all times sort ones — to do the issues I cherished or to observe a dream I had.”

Huffine, 39, signed her first modeling contract in 2000. She was “decided” to be a mannequin, regardless of the style business being notoriously discriminatory towards plus-size individuals. Figuring out the chances had been stacked towards her propelled Huffine even additional towards realizing her dream.

When she was 15, she went to New York Metropolis to go to “numerous companies,” trying to be signed and get straight to work, however the actuality wasn’t fairly what she had envisioned. “I used to be very naive and knew nothing concerning the business and skilled a whole lot of rejection,” she remembers. “After I obtained a contract as a plus-size mannequin, it unlocked a brand new mission in me: to not pursue modeling only for myself, however to push more durable than ever to create change in a spot that does not simply open its doorways. I wished to show I belonged.”

Now with a decades-long modeling profession that is nonetheless going sturdy, she has executed simply that. From gracing the quilt of Elle in Could 2017 to starring in Luvlette‘s newest lingerie marketing campaign, Huffine’s assortment of accolades retains rising.

Forward, the mannequin and newlywed — she eloped in Las Vegas on Aug. 25, 2023, marrying her accomplice Shelly Lynch-Sparks in a customized sheer lace Christian Siriano look — opens up about her trailblazing path, her private fashion evolution, and what frustrates her probably the most concerning the resurgence of ’90s and ’00s traits.

POPSUGAR: What do you get pleasure from most about being a mannequin?

Candice Huffine: Actually, I get pleasure from each single factor. Being a mannequin is one thing I’ve dreamt of from a really younger age. It is the one factor I stated while you requested what I wished to be after I grew up. What I did not know on the time I proclaimed this, although, was how deeply essential the job of a mannequin may be. I discovered early on that the facility of a picture may very well be higher than myself if I used to be in a position to be trustworthy and free. I wished younger ladies to develop up in a different way than I did. I wished them to like what they noticed and never be on fad diets within the lunchroom and really feel empowered to overcome the world as an alternative of a perfect gown dimension.

I discovered that my work as a mannequin — in an business the place I used to be the exception and never the norm — may make an impression and implement change within the illustration we had been all looking for in trend and media. I really like dressing up, posing, having glam hair and make-up, however let me let you know, making a distinction is what I get pleasure from most. That is one of many causes I used to be so thrilled to accomplice with an inclusive model like Luvlette and shoot their marketing campaign with an all-female, empowering staff. The model strives to make individuals really feel assured to like and have fun their individuality and pure magnificence.

PS: What’s your private fashion like now, and the way has your private fashion developed over time?

CH: My private fashion is basic and timeless with a little bit of aptitude. Whereas I joke about sporting an abundance of black, it does lend itself to being an ideal canvas to construct upon time and time once more. I add a pop of one thing particular to a primary look, whether or not it is a classic jacket or a shiny bag. The way in which this method has developed over time is I’ve gotten wiser about what I put money into and search for items that are not only a wild one-time use. This “do it for the image” method was not good for my storage, pockets, or the planet. So, see, with time, my fashion has turn out to be wiser!

PS: What else can the style business do with regard to plus-size illustration?

CH: To not be too temporary right here, however I wish to see extra. I’d like to see extra manufacturers, like Luvlette, decide to representing and celebrating people of all sizes.

PS: Are there misconceptions about plus-size fashions that you just wish to dispel?

CH: I feel it is price repeating, as I’ve labored very exhausting to specific over the entire of my profession, that dimension doesn’t point out well being. Various armchair specialists and social media medical doctors appear nervous about my well-being, and it makes me snicker. Dimension doesn’t equal well being, and weight doesn’t equal price. You may be curvy and robust and wholesome and cherished and blissful and profitable. Full cease.

PS: Inform me a couple of time in your life while you took a step again and felt like, “I’ve made it.”

CH: I truly do that very often, particularly if I am on set for a model, with a mannequin or photographer I idolize, or I’m taking pictures for a model I used to work [for] within the retail retailer, or when a buddy sends me an image and their daughter is in entrance of my billboard. These all really feel like “I’ve made it” moments. I pinch myself typically and pause to be grateful.

PS: Which trend objects are you loving recently, and why?

CH: I’m LOVING loafers, wide-leg denims, trousers, and sheer the whole lot for day or night time — or your marriage ceremony day, too. The Luvlette Strapless bra in black is the proper basis piece to indicate off beneath mesh and lace tops.

PS: What’s your excellent day without work?

CS: The right day without work can be an incredible cup of espresso (bonus factors if it is from my store One Trick Pony), an extended stroll on the seashore on a superbly sunny and crisp day with my spouse and our canines, antiquing, oysters, a glass of wine at a winery, a home-cooked meal, and a sport of playing cards by the hearth.

PS: Which ’90s and ’00s trend traits do you retain in rotation? How do you replace them for 2024?

CH: I’m a giant fan of this ’90s and ’00s resurgence, however am so pissed off I’ve to purchase all of it once more as many of the items I’m sporting now, I had the precise copy of in highschool. A minimum of my signature fashion has remained constant! Both approach, I am again in my Nike Dunks, dishevelled Calvin Klein Denims, and, dare I say, crop tees. I attempt to elevate and replace my throwback look and make it [contemporary] by including luxe gold jewellery, a leather-based purse, and a pleasant jacket/layering piece. Within the ’00s, I really feel like I by no means wore jackets. Now it is all about stylish boxy blazers and trenches.

PS: What’s your self-care routine like?

CH: My self-care routine is essential each bodily and mentally. It consists of normal health, one thing I’ve admittedly fallen out of routine till just lately. I’m excited to be beginning over, doing issues I really like like operating, and newly introducing Pilates. Whereas it additionally consists of issues like getting nice sleep, or carving out time to do skincare, and many others., one other side is honoring my wants by studying to step again, say no, and decelerate when essential. Sheet masks and social battery recharging are equal companions in self-care.