Posts with tag plus size

In some parts of the country, it's turning pleasantly cool, while in other areas, it's just flat out freezing. And while the cold weather might not bode well for those killer peep toe stilettos (unless you're very, very brave and have an uncanny knack for balancing on icy sidewalks), there is a warm, fuzzy lining -- you get to wear sweaters!

Ladies, just because a size eight better describes your shoe size than your dress size, there's no reason you shouldn't be just as fashionable as those lucky enough to have a super high metabolism. Style exists for women of all shapes and sizes, although, admittedly, it is tougher for those who wear plus sizes.

Who doesn't love a tall, sexy boot in the fall? It's a great way to add a little edge to an otherwise simple outfit, and when added to an already sexy outfit ... well, just watch the heads turn as you walk by! But, finding the right boot can be tough, especially if you have bigger calves.

Plenty of women use Halloween as an excuse to dress a lot sexier than they normally would dare. Why go as a cat when you can go as a Sexy Kitten? Why dress as a mummy when you can go as the Lusty Undead?

We love all of the amazing independent designers out there. In order to find out more about just what makes all of these creative types tick, we present to you an ongoing segment called Indie Designer Interviews.

We'd like you to meet Diana Rajchel, owner of Magickal Realism Natural Perfumery. Diana creates all-natural fragrances in addition to massage oils and conditioning oils for your hair, and bath milks and soaking salts.

Beth Ditto has signed on to be the new face of Evans, a fashion plus size retail giant. She'll be designing a line of clothes in the size range of 14-32.

Becca Peters used to like Old Navy, apparently. So much so, that when she learned from a friend that they were removing the Women's Plus (plus size) section from their stores, she wrote them an email asking why. Their response? The company more or less told her to deal with it, and buy her plus size clothes online.

Becca writes: "it's not fair for us to be pushed aside to the Internet for our shopping needs. We have just as much a right to shop as the skinny girls do."

And an Old Navy spokesperson responds with an email that essentially says "tough luck," and adds: "We will, however, continue to carry Women's sizes 1-20 in our stores."

Oh, so if she'll just lose a little weight, it'll be no problem!

I'm not a plus-sized woman, so I have no idea how difficult it is (or isn't) for bigger women to find stylish clothes that doesn't cost a fortune. However, if it's anywhere near as difficult as Becca makes it sound, I imagine they're about to lose quite a few customers.

Truly romantic clothing is often in short supply for plus sizes. It's as if there is a weight requirement for being girlish.That's not the case at Fashion To Figure where you can find a bunch of cute tops that have a feminine and flirty style. The cotton blouse shown here has a flattering empire waist and eyelet trim and ties in the back. It is very sheer so you will have to wear a camisole or tank top underneath. It sells for $20.

This post on Fatshionista led me to some interesting pictures of a Lane Bryant catalog from the 1930s. Yes, Lane Bryant has been around that long, it was actually started in the early 1900s by one very enterprising lady who found that then, as now, the market for larger fashion was being underserved. The elegant flutter-sleeved dresses for "stout" women sell for under $5 and there are also silk stockings and some very sturdy-looking girdles. Perhaps the most interesting thing about the pics is that until rather recently these types of dresses comprised the bulk of options for larger women.

Browsing around some plus size forums, I kept hearing the name Addition Elle and was curious -- a new plus size fashion outlet perhaps? A few clicks and I was at their website.

First of all, I love the name, Addition Elle. It says plus-sized without being too cutesy and isn't as resolutely humdrum as Lane Bryant or Avenue nor does it sound too youthful for me like Torrid or Forever 21 . Secondly, the clothes are decently priced and a bit flirty which is often in short supply in the plus size category. They also sell bras in larger sizes including the oft-hard to find DDD cup size (not that I would know personally). The only problem for U.S. shoppers is that they are Canadian and don't sell online. The clothes do show up on eBay from time to time.

Any Canadian readers out there with any Addition Elle experience? Are these clothes as craveworthy as I think?

Plus-size shoppers may want to click on to the Saks Fifth Avenue post-holiday sale. There are plenty of of items for all sizes but plus-sized fans of labels like Eileen Fisher, Dana Buchman and Marina Rinaldi will find some delectable items at reasonable markdowns. There are a bunch of Elieen Fisher cardigans in various styles and colors to help you get through winter. This boucle cardigan has a ruffled collar that could be worn as a hood. It was $178 but is on sale for $63.54.

It's been a while since I brought you a good plus size find. Let me make up for it with this cute suede jacket from Ashley B by Bernardo. The studded suede jacket is a bit bedazzled (especially on the arms) but this actually endears it to me since too often items for larger girls tend to skimp on the decorative details. The jacket has a notched collar and flap pockets and sells for $158.

In my boutique, we generally carry sizes 0-14. Why don't we carry a 16, you ask? Well, it's because most manufacturers don't make a 16. That doesn't seem fair, you say. Why wouldn't clothing designers and manufacturers make clothing that fits the general public? Isn't fashion a for-profit industry?

Good question.

I have plenty of customers who see a top, love it, and leave disappointed because we didn't have it in their size. I feel awful knowing that many times, the customer thinks that we chose not to carry a size 16, rather knowing the truth, which is that the manufacturer did not create a size 16.

I feel an inclination to blame the steadily shrinking size 0 celebrities for the puzzling sizing guidelines designers seem to follow. With designers now going as far as to produce negative sizes for a tiny population of even tinier celebutantes, the average size-16 Everywoman tends to get left out, despite being in the sizeable majority.

Quirky isn't always something that you find in larger sizes. The assumption seems to be that bigger sizes don't require clothing that makes you stand out. But Hannah Kopacz of Made With Love By Hannah makes unique handcrafted clothing for everyone in sizes ranging from extra-small to 3x. Hannah takes a simple a-line skirt and makes it extraordinary through her use of screen printing. These winter woods skirts are made of velveteen with an original tonal print of bare branches. The skirt sells for $68 and has a removable felt woodland creature brooch.

Can one dress really fit sizes 8-24? That's the claim of the Marilyn convertible dress by Monif C, a popular plus-size designer. The soft jersey knit is designed so that it can be tied up and worn in at least 10 different ways including several styles of halter dresses, a baby doll top, wrap dress and a skirt. The dress comes in five colors (black, brown, blue, red, pumpkin) and as mentioned above one size size fits all, 8-24. It sells for $195 which isn't a bad deal if it is as versatile as they say. Unfortunately for me, I'm no good at spatial relationships and can never seem to figure out how to tie one of these in a way that makes me feel secure enough to go bounding around town without fearing I'm going to accidentally unravel.