Italian Vogue Has A Great Plus Size Fashion Website!

If you've dreamed of going to Italy, you now have a reason for being!
Italian Vogue has a website devoted to "curvy" women.
Content includes a blog, interviews with curvy models, and news about developments in the large size world.
There's also a daily fashion tip from Vogue.it
I say Gelato!
The photo is from today's tip.
Check it out.

Slimming, flattering, figure-enhancing swimwear by It Figures!®

Slimming, flattering, figure-enhancing swimwear by It Figures!®

The Annual Swimsuit Safari

I'm on my annual swimsuit safari - the hunt for inexpensive swimwear for the daily dip and swim workout.
Starting in early February, I hit a couple of Ross stores every week to see what the mix is and try to find a fit.
I'm seeking something that covers, is flattering, has a liner, and that I wouldn't be embarrassed to wear. After years of hunting down cheap suits, I've accepted the fact that the Michael Kors and Calvin Klein suits in my size are few and far between.
But I'm seeing more brand names at Ross this year. I scored a Miracle Suit for $29.00. Miraclesuits rarely go on sale and they run an average of $150, which is a lot of suit.
I love Miraclesuits, I usually invest one sexy black v neck, halter or wrap style for social swims, in hopes of getting one summer out of it.
I swim in a chlorine pool six months out of the year. The chlorine destroys the elastic fibers, and I go through one of the discounted suits every three or four weeks.
This week I picked up a suit from It Figures. I like It Figures suits. I've showcased them in numerous swim fashion print layouts and TV segments over the years.
Be Your Own Stylist Tip
It Figures offers suits in cup sizes, including their C Cup & UP® suits that can fit up to an E cup size.
And this season a portion of the proceeds from each purchase will be donated to fund advanced research at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

Are You a "Lucky Bitch? Valentines Day Never Tasted So Delicious!

Just when you can't stand seeing the tired looking heart shaped boxes of assorted milk chocolates crammed together with the usual suspects of Valentines Day offerings at your local drug store, along comes a breath of fresh air and some new ideas.
Anya Wabnig, a Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising grad and daughter of the founder of The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills, wanted to offer more ways to express the mood and food of lovers.
Her hand made Valentines Day cards feature manipulated images of cheese, but look playfully like the retro VD cards we passed out as kids.
She says, "If you're not feeling it this year or getting a divorce, turn what could be a sad and depressing evening into an instant celebration with any of the "Bitch Baskets."
The "Bitch" series of baskets:
BitchNBox, Lucky Bitch and Bitch.
Let the love flow this year and splurge on something extravagant. Set aside your eco/efficiencies and dust off your wealth conciousness, splurge on a little luxury.
Think of the benefits. Red wines have lots of healthy resveratrol, purported to be high in anti-oxidants with other anti-inflammatory and anti-aging characteristics.
Chocolate seems to continue it's rise up the food chain. Yahoo recently posted an article about "Three New Health Benefits of Chocolate."
Imagine that dark chocolate can stimulate the blood flow into the cerebum, which encourages the brain to grow new blood vessels and brain cells! That one benefit alone could help you break even with all the blood cells lost drinking beer in your misspent youth.
I like the idea of turning Valentines Day into a celebration of Love, period. So love the one you're with... or not, but love yourself too. Perhaps if we shared a little more love with the world, well think of the possibilities..., because who knew chocolate was a health food?

Create Your Own Personal Shop on Myshape dot com

A few years ago, a client of mine went to work for a start up online fashion website called My Shape dot com.
It's been interesting to watch this concept and their website develop.
The premise is to help you find clothing that fits based on your shape, in addition to your size, which is how I approach any styling assignment.
This key element in the shopping process will help you get just the right look and fit you've been looking for.
And it makes shopping online a better experience, because you are less likely to have to return something.
Myshapedotcom has some great features like Personal Shop, which allows you to input style preferences and measurements, which in turn, saves you time by showcasing key items that match your numbers and your style.
The Style Me feature gives you tips and finds the right clothing based on your body shape, and acts almost like a fashion magazine within the site, with great interviews, trends and a Quick Fit Guide that finally deals with the fact that most of us wear more than one size.
With over 400 choices available in a larger size, you will see brands you trust like Spiegel, Liz Claiborne, Kiyonna, Alex Evenings, Karen Kane and even a few things from the Jessica Simpson collection. I love the interactive features: a pop up window for each item with
zoom, sizes, colors, item description, all at your fingertips without leaving the page!
Check out Myshape.com and let me know what you think.
The pictured item is the "Tory Cinch Dress" from Kiyonna, available up to 5X and in this season's cool colors.

Jillian Hessel's New HomeBody DVD and BBW Magazine Interview

About 16 years ago, I interviewed Jillian Hessel for BBW magazine. Jillian is a fitness expert and author of Pilates Basics.
Jillian has a new DVD called HomeBody, that's fun and easy to do at home with no special equipment. I've been doing the seated arms and hands dance to relieve the stress of holding and working with my cellphone and laptop.(click to the free, short - 2:45 seconds, workout on youtube.)
HomeBody is designed to do at home and each chapter in the workout covers a different part of the body, so you can customize your workout and fit in some movement, even if you only have a few minutes.
I took a review copy of HomeBody to Europe last fall. I showed it to my friend in Amsterdam. Even though she uses public transportation and walks a lot, she is still carrying some extra pounds she gained while pregnant. She hates to workout, especially because she is on her feet all day. But after watching HomeBody for few minutes, she was up out of her chair and moving along with Jillian and she didn't even realize it.
She said the music and Jillian's friendly conversation got to her and she didn't feel like she was exercising.

Plus Size Model Search Announced Today

Re/Dress NYC is hosting a model search!
Here's a quote from the New York City retail store owner who is hosting the search.
"Our goal is to find someone who's beautiful inside and out," said Re/Dress NYC store owner Deb Malkin, 40, who lives in Red Hook. "Plus-sized women deal with a lot of negativity, so we're showing something positive."

I used to produce an annual model search for BBW magazine.
Here's a cover featuring the winners from 1995.
Wonder where all the winners are today? If you know anyone who was a BBW model, tell them to contact me at Linda.Arroz@gmail.com

Thanks to Chenese Lewis for pointing out the article in the New York Daily News today.
Go for it and good luck!

Why Would You Pay $99 for This DKNY Shirt?

I wrote about this shirt in my last post, but can't stop thinking how ridiculous it is that clothing manufacturers are cutting back on making large size clothing. Apparently sales figures are down for plus size clothing.
Well, take a look at this drab, dowdy shirt and maybe someone will tell me why we should or would pay $99 for this shirt?

Rumor Has It: Designers Cutting Back on Plus Size Clothing

Rumor has it that designers and clothing manufacturers are cutting back on making plus size clothing.
Cutting back by offering less in the size ranges 1x-3x and 14 - 16.
If the actual average size of the American woman is size 16, then I say, wtf??
As a former editor of BBW (Big Beautiful Woman) I had to go on advertising sales calls to potential advertisers.
Sadly, the demographics at that time, 91-95, indicated that overweight women were in lower paid jobs with less discretionary income. So in spite of say, a company that wants to sell sunscreen or body lotion, and my readers would by default use almost 2x as much due to their size, the companies usually declined to advertise.
We relied on clothing companies to place ads in the magazine.
I don't know if those demographics are true today, with the rise in obesity rates and the high numbers of citizens who are just overweight vs obese.
But I do know this. I've cut back on clothing purchases because I don't like the styles offered in my size, and right now, depending on where I shop and how the item is made, I wear a department store XL, a Lane Bryant 14, a regular size 16 and 18, and there's something in my closet that's an 18W. No wonder women aren't buying anything. The sheer effort to find anything that fits, no matter what size you wear, is a bore. And check out this drab, dowdy shirt made by DKNY for $99.00! Why would any of us pay $100 dollars for a shirt that looks like a budget offering from a cheap catalog. This looks like a shirt you would do housework in.
I heard Donna Karan got fat. A designer friend told me, but I haven't checked it out.
I'd love to work with her on the plus size division. It should be item driven, not a collection. Lots of classic pieces always available. That was her original concept.
I had a pair of DKNY cotton wide leg draw string pants that were fabulous, in fact a friend gave them to me, I wore them for ten years, and I just passed them on to a friend. They are suitably aged! That pant was from Donna's first foray years ago and then the collection dumbed down and it didn't survive at retail.

The Fat Girl's Guide to Living

Hey Grrrls, I found this fun, informative website called The Fat Girl's Guide to Living.
Check it out, I think you'll like it.
You can follow them on Twitter here:
http://twitter.com/fatgirlsguide