Fashion for Fun

Many of us know that high fashion is not a necessity but a bit of a luxury. Just look at a site dedicated to the people you see at a certain big box store and you get the idea. That is why it should always be fun. But some of us dread certain patterns, colors and cuts because we do not wish to accentuate the wrong thing.

What would happen if we simply ignored the rules and did what we thought was simply fun? We need not wonder anymore. We have a great example in Beth Ditto.

In this article by Maggie Alderson of The Age, she discusses exactly why fashion should be more about fun than function and why Beth is a great icon.

Beth "breaks so many of the rules" when it comes to fashion for large women. Bold colors, large patterns and horizontal stripes are just some of the things she embraces that most women of size would run screaming from. By not hiding her from her shape, height or size she is able to be herself and benefits from the freedom fashionably.

Our shape and size is not something we can hide from, so embracing them is a lesson we could all learn from and Beth Ditto is a great teacher.

Go out and be bold, brilliant and shameless! If one plus-size woman can do it, we all can.

Big Girl in a Skinny World

Here is the latest episode of  Marie Claire's a Big Girl in a Skinny World. Plus-Size fashion advice we can all benefit from. Enjoy.

Big Girl in a Skinny World

Marie Claire's plus-size column Big Girl in a Skinny World  written by Nicolette Mason has gone viral. Host Marcy Guevara hosts the video series You Tube.

Giving well needed attention to the obstacles faced by plus-size women seeking high fashion, this series is a welcome addition to the growing on-line Plus-Size community.

We invite you to view the first episode below. As new episodes debut we will be sure to bring them to you. Enjoy.

K

USA Today Curvy Supplement

USA Today and Media Planet have brought us their second Full Figured Fashion supplemental.

In this Curvy Evolution edition Supermodel and Founder of Emmenation.com, Emme starts it off with her thoughts on the growth of the industry and it's future.


"We need, as an industry, to actively listen to the customers who have not stopped using their voices throughout the blogosphere, implement their innovative solutions and suggestions and reward them for not giving up with incentive programs."

Madeline Figueroa Jones, Editor-In-Chief of PLUS Model Magazine, mentions her talk with the owner of Dorothy Combs Models on the industries take on plus-size models and gives her thoughts on the industry.


"The hard truth is that the current marketing scheme toward plus-size women is rife with hypocrisy. The Primary focus is selling the plus-size woman has shifted for some in the industry and instead has turned its focus on ego, money and attempted control of the industry."

Marie Denee of the Curvy Fashionista blog talks about social media's role in helping the plus-size women find a voice.


"Social media has allowed new designers to be found, personal style to be explored, frustrations and injustices to be voice, stereotypes to be challenged, and plus-size fashion to be celebrated and embraced."

Scattered about are tips on making the most of your fashion and a few ads of course. Also found with in is a nice piece on how cultures differ on their views on body size.

As the plus-size industry continues to grow and it's impact on fashion as a whole is felt more and more, these types of supplements can not come often enough.

It is wonderful to see this supplement back and we hope to see it more often.

Bare Plus by Bare Necessities Debuts at Fashion Week

Fashion Week. The mere mention of those two words can get the most composed fashionista jumping around like a little kid in a candy store.

This year fashionistas of all shapes and sizes could celebrate the joy of new looks and styles. The curvy shopper had their moment this year. Bare Plus, a plus-size lingerie shop brought to you by Bare Necessities, had it's runway debut in the middle of Fashion Week.

Long overlooked by media, plus-size fashion is beginning to have it's day in the sun. Often seen as a minority in the fashion world, the plus-size shopper is not.

According to the Center for Disease Control, 33% of American women are considered overweight or obese. Not taking into consideration economic and racial diversities, the average woman is a size 14 and up not the size 0 to 6 shown by media.

Jay Dunn, Chief Marketing Officer for Bare Plus says, "They are no longer the minority. You would never know that by looking at media, advertising and entertainment, but they really are the majority." This is something many of us have known for quite some time. And finally people are beginning to notice.

Maryellen Kernaghan, a 53-year old blogger who has been working as a plus-size model for years says, "Plus-size fashion has been the step-child of Fashion Week and of fashion in general for just too long." "A plus-size woman, just like any other woman, wants to feel great. And lingerie really does support a woman in more ways than one."

Bare Plus will be a part of the Curvy Fashion Show at the next New York Fashion Week in September. I for one will be looking forward to seeing that.

As plus-size fashion grows in awareness we hope that body image and acceptance changes. In this bloggers opinion body size and health are individual. No two people are alike and not all women can fit into mainstream fashion and mainstream media's mold of what they consider as beauty.

Crystal Renn's Body Debate

After the release of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition featuring former plus-size model Crystal Renn, the now size 6 or 8 model is receiving criticism over her new slimmer body. The once size 16 model has attributed her recent weight loss to a break up and exercise.

As the author of Hungry, Crystal Renn tells her tale of battling anorexia and bulimia. Becoming frustrated at trying to remain a size zero, she embraced her body and became an icon in the plus-size community.

Speaking to PEOPLE about her experience doing the SI shoot she says, "I felt comfortable with my body. I have found a place of stability when it comes to how to view my figure."

Some in the plus-size community have shown some animosity toward the supposed betrayal Ms. Renn has shown by losing weight.

Plus Model Mag's Editor-in-Chief Madeline Jones is quoted as saying in this Radar Online interview, "You don't lose that much weight doing yoga and hiking! You have to put a lot of effort to go from a 14 to a size 6. We're not that stupid, we know how hard it is to lose weight and she insulted our intelligence."

Madeline is also quoted as saying, "Everyone rallied around her and now she's turned against us." "We have been betrayed by her." Rather harsh words for someone who was once the poster child for body acceptance.

Can we truly afford to ostracize our own? Crystal Renn has made a personal choice that we should support even if she has 'gone to the other side'. The social stigma of being plus-size is hard enough to battle without excommunicating our former members.

If Ms. Renn is suffering from her former ailments the last thing we should do is push her away from the community that accepted her when the rest of the world didn't. Let us be better than those that have ostracized us.

We should stand behind Crystal as one of our own. And congratulate her on her success at such a young age. Not as someone that has turned to the 'dark side'.

Full Figured Fashion Week 2012

For the 4th year, Full Figured Fashion Week FFF is coming up. Registration begins now. The search goes out for Designers, Models, Volunteers and Vendors. Register here to be part of the great events.

FFF Week is brought to you by Gwen DeVoe. CEO of DeVoe Signature Events, Creator and Executive Producer of FFF Week.

Full Figured Fashion Week is the premier event featuring everything in Plus-size fashion. Born from the neglect by mainstream fashion, FFF Week allows the plus-size fashion community shine. And shine it does. The past years have been fabulous and we have no doubt that this years event will even more so.