The Difference a Model Makes

I was looking at the new arrivals at Anna Scholz’s official website and I realized how much I dislike her clothing… at least until I was able to see them on a body… then I fell in love. Tricked ya!

One of the things I like about Anna Scholz website is you get to see all of her pieces with and without a model. But what really makes me like a piece is seeing how it is styled on a model. There’s something about flesh, hair, and coordinating bits that really bring it home for me.

Take these examples for instance. I would never considering buying these pieces had I only seen them in the images on the left. It’s not that the pictures are bad or anything like that. The images on the right give the clothing some perspective and definitely make these pieces favorites I would want to buy:

Print Jersey Belt Shirt Dress, £125
I love this belted shirt with the leggings and orange pumps!

Jersey and Silk Fringe Top, £89
I love this unusual top paired with jeans and boots!

Digital Jersey Pleat Dress, £269
Ok, there isn’t much styling other than nude pumps here but the body brings the cut and pleats to life!

Crepe Jersey Sequin Sleeve, £165
Actually, this one not so much but I loved it so much I had to show it!

How about you? How important is product display for you? Do you prefer a model? No model? Or both?

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Topic Links
* Get your own plus size clothing from Anna Scholz

Purple Trench Coat

La Grande Dame added a few new arrivals from plus designers, Melissa Masse, Marina Rinaldi, and Anna Scholz just in time for fall. Three pieces really stood out for me though. The Calogera two piece suit by Marina Rinaldi ($799), the Jersey Wrap Dress by Melissa Masse ($325), and the Acchille Purple Rain Coat by Marina Rinaldi ($546). That Calogera suit would look awesome with the “wisteria” rain coat.

The Wisteria Purple Rain coat will probably be a hot item thanks to Christina Hendrick’s bringing attention to an alternate shade of purple at the Emmy’s this past weekend. We’ve been so focused on deep purple we’ve forgotten about the deep pastels. It’s not an exact match but it’s pretty close and it’s a little more versatile than an evening gown.

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Topic Links
* Get your own plus size designer clothing from La Grande Dame

Plus Size Marilyn Costume

One of the most glamorous women in the history of Hollywood is Marilyn Monroe (1926 – 1952). She was just starting to become a respected actor before her untimely death — having completed thirty-one films. She has been an idol for curvy women since she hit her 30s although there is some debate as to the size of those curves. Her weight ranged from 118 – 140 lbs so even at her heaviest she was no bigger than a size 12 (and us girls all know that in the fashion industry anything bigger than a 6 is plus size). Regardless of her size, she was curvy, not scrawny, and we still love to emulate her.

The scene and costume she wore from her movie Seven Year Itch is the most popular costume women gravitate towards. If you are thinking of a Marilyn costume but are unfamiliar with the famous subway grate in which her white flowing dress gets a gust of air, or you just want to get into character, here’s the famous clip to inspire you:

The Dress

You’ve got the attitude all you need is the costume. Buy Costumes has a 50′s Starlet Costume that goes up to size 3x. It includes the flowing dress, you’d still need a wig (unless you are already blonde) and shoes.

If you want a dress that you can wear after Halloween you might want to invest in Monif C’s Marilyn Convertible Dress. The colors change every season and they don’t always have white but the dress is awesome and worth checking out.

Next to the dress the most important feature of a Marilyn costume is the make-up. Learn how to get the Marilyn look with these simple instructional videos.

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Topic Links
* Get your own 50s Starlet Costume from Buy Costumes
* Get your own Marilyn Convertible dress from Monif C

How To Create Marilyn Monroe

Once you have the costume it is important to have the hair and makeup. Here is a three step video by Samantha Chapman from FashionFaceTv on creating the legendary 1950s Marilyn Monroe look. Don’t be fooled by the long dark hair, Samantha gives great direction on the types of products to use and how to apply them.

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

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Topic Links
* Plus Size Marilyn Costume

No Plus Shopping at Old Navy

Last week I mentioned to you how excited I was that Old Navy was now offering online delivery to Canadians but my excitement was cut short when I surfed over to OldNavy.ca and realized the womens section only serves women up to size 18. I sent off a quick email to OldNavy.ca and asked about this difference and expressed my hope that plus sizes would be coming soon. Today I received a customer service response:

Dear Moe,

Thank you for your email. We appreciate the time you’ve taken to contact
us about your desire to see our Women’s Plus clothing added to our new
oldnavy.ca website. Unfortunately, at this time we are not offering the
plus sizes and we are unable to say when we will be offering them in the
future. We apologize for any disappointment this may cause.

Customer comments like yours are essential to our business and feedback
from our valued customers help provide us with a better perspective on
how we might change and expand to meet your needs in the future. Please
be assured that we will share your feedback with our merchandising team.

We appreciate your interest and look forward to shopping with you again
soon.

If we may be of further assistance, please contact us at
custserv@oldnavy.com or by calling 1-800-OLD-NAVY. If you are calling
from outside of the U.S. you may also reach us at 1-614-744-3543.
Sincerely,

Stephanie
Customer Service Consultant

This is a huge loss for plus size Canadian consumers. If customer comments are essential then it is incredibly important that they hear from plus size clientele. Please email or call to express your dissatisfaction!

Weekend Sales

Just  a few for the weekend shopper in you:

Evans is offering 10% all orders over £40
Coupon code: EVPLSHE10
Expires: September 10, 2010
Get your own plus size clothing from Evans (UK)

ExtremeHalloween is offering 15% off orders $80 or more
Coupon code: EARLYBIRD15
Expires: August 31, 2010
Get your own plus size Halloween costumes at ExtremeHalloween

E.L.F. is offering a free 3 piece back to school kit with any $20 or more order
Coupon code: BTSAF
Expires: August 31, 2010
Get your own affordable cosmetics from E.L.F.

Hot Topic is offering 25% Off $60+
Coupon code: HTAGET25AUG
Expires: August 29, 2010
Get your own novelty plus size clothing from Hot Topic

Have a great weekend!

Perfect Fit Pants

Addition-Elle is introducing their own Perfect Fit Pants where you enter your waist, hip and inseam length into their website and it recommends the best size and fit of both jeans and dress pants.

This new system will work if your waist falls between 36 and 48 inches and your hips below 60 inches; the difference between your waist and hips must fall between 3 and 13 inches.

The final results determine whether you are slim, shaped, curvy, or versatile body type and sort which of their lines/styles fall within each realm. There’s no searching through the titles to find the coordinating cuts — one click of a button and you are transported to a listing of appropriate fits.

Here’s a behind the scenes peek a the photo shoot for the new system:

I have not tried the new system but if you pop in-store or try it online let me know how your final fit works out. I’m curious if the technology is up to par to Lane Bryant’s Right Fit Pants.

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Topic Links
* Get your own Perfect Fit Pants from Addition-Elle
* Check out the Addition Elle Fall 2010 look book

Bright Blue Convertible Ruched Dress

The bright blue “Marilyn” Ruched Convertible Dress is one of my favorite looking dresses from Monif C. It combines two of my faves — the Marilyn Convertible and the Nelli Ruched. And here’s a new video of/by Monif showing off the ruched convertible on plus size model Stacy:

The convertible ruched dress has different sizing than the one size fits most convertible dress, fitting sizes 1x to 3x for $215. Go ahead, get ruched!

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Topic Links
* Get your own ruched convertible dress from Monif C
* My other favorites from Monif’s pre-fall collection

Love This Dress from Anna Scholz

I love the bold purples of blues of the “graffiti” pattern that decorate this wrap dress from Anna Scholz. The Print Jersey Wrap Dress is part of her black label and comes in sizes 16 to 28 for £135 (which is about $222 CAN with current exchange). You can get it online at her official website. Or keep an eye on Canadian boutique, Lola and Gigi (see store listings at right) which carries various styles from Anna Scholz.

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Topic Links
* Get your own plus size Print Jersey Wrap Dress from Anna Scholz
* Currency converter

Great News from Old Navy

I’m very excited to tell you that Old Navy now delivers to Canadians from their website.

The best part? There are no worries about duties or handling fees. And they have free returns. As an introduction, for a limited time they are offering free shipping on orders of $50 or more.

Now for the sad, sad news. I could only find sizes up to 2x (18). There was no plus size section like the main website. Hopefully the same line of 1x to 4x at the main site will be available on the Canadian site very soon!

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Topic Links
* Get your own affordable plus size clothing from Old Navy

Weekend Sales

A sale or two to make your weekend more exciting:

Addition-Elle is offering 10% off all orders $75 and up
Coupon code: 1PLUS10
Expires: September 1, 2010
Get your own plus size clothing from Addition-Elle

Evans is offering 10% discount for all orders over £40
Coupon code: EVPLSHE10
Expires: September 10, 2010
Get your own plus size clothing from Evans (UK)

Emitations is offer Cat Cocktail Ring for $7.99 (reg $30)
Coupon code: AFFCAT
Expires: August 31, 2010
Visit Emitations for cocktail rings

Shoes.com is offering 15% off Carlos Shoes
Coupon code: CARLOS15OFF
Expires: December 31, 2010
Get your own Carlos Shoes from shoes.com

Hot Topic is offering25% off $60+
Coupon code: HTAGET25AUG
Expires: August 29, 2010
Get your own plus size novelty clothing from Hot Topic

Shop Translated is offering 30% off orders of $100+
Coupon code: gimmemy30
Expires: NA
Get your own plus size clothing from Shop Translated

Silhouettes is offering Free Shipping on Your Order of $75 or More
Coupon code: AFFG75
Expires: September 10, 2010
Get your own plus size clothing from Silhouettes

Have a great weekend!

New Bras and Panties

It’s time to celebrate pre-fall with new arrivals at AdditionElle, Penningtons, MXM. As well as the traditional pants, tops, and sweaters they have released some new styles in bras and panties. The bras are a bit pricey at $49.99 but if you check the website you’ll find a code for 20% off.

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Topic Links
* Visit AdditionElle, Penningtons, MXM for new arrivals

The Allure of Texture

eShakti has some great textural pieces this fall in skirts, dresses and tops. Their unique custom sizing store for size 0 to 26 always has some intriguing pieces but I think even more so this fall. Here are a few of my favorite textural pieces ($45 to $70) from their new line up:

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Topic Links
* Get your own unique plus size blouses from eShakti

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