Wrinkle Free & Eco-Friendly

Looking for a little eco-friendliness in your clothing? Allistyle is a Canadian shop offering clothing from bamboo and organic cotton. They boast that they wash well and never wrinkle. You can shop for their line in person in Toronto at Gussied Up (Bathurst) or shop at their official website. At the moment there is not a large selection, about three bottoms, twelve tops, and fifteen dresses; each having two to five color options to choose from. Here are a few of my favorite pieces:

The Cowl Neck Top ($125): I love the color blocking and the bright block of blue with a subtle cowl neck.

Allistyle short sleeve tunic.

The Full Cowl Neck Tunic ($165): I like the longer length both in the sleeves and the body. The diagonal ties are an interesting visual feature.

Allistyle tunic with a longer sleeve.

The Short Vest ($85): I love vests and this is a simple piece that can be put over camis, tanks, tees, blouses, dresses, etc.

Allistyle short vest for women.

The Wrap ($118): Love the color, love the style. Looks great with tops or dresses.

Allistyle  wrap cardigan.

The Sweater Dress ($205): I love cardigans that are dress length. They are fabulous with leggings or left open for layer. They have a wonderful movement about them. I love the ripple effect on this one.

Allistyle long sweater / dress.

The Little Black Dress ($110): I am a fan of pleats so this is a winner. I love the wide neck with matching banded sleeves and hem. It is a bit short so I’d probably wear it more like a long tunic than a dress.

Allistyle  short black dress or long tunic.

Here is a look at the fashions in motion:

They offer their clothing in sizes XS to 3X. Prices are above average but some of the pieces are pretty reasonable considering they are made in Canada.

Their website is a bit finicky to shop at so be patient with it. For some reason they don’t show all the colors for each item. The images look blurry at first but when you click on them the extra large view is sharp and gives a good view. They ship throughout North America using Purolator so you know the shipping won’t be cheap. [FYI: The lovely blonde/brunette in images 1, 3, 4, and 5 is America’s Last Top Model Whitney Thompson by the way.

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* Get your plus size eco-friendly clothing from Allistyle

Houndstooth Jacket

One of my favorite fall patterns is houndstooth especially if it is in classic black and white. I love this cute little houndstooth jacket from Ulla Popken which comes in a great size range from 12 to 34 for $69.

This black and white houndstooth knit jacket is from Ulla Popken.

This would be a great piece to dress up your little black dress or over a cami and trousers. Or dress it down with a pair of black denim jeans or your favorite leggings. Having a jacket style gives the option for completely different looks; it can be left open as shown and layered over lighter pieces or it can be buttoned up to the neck and belted to give it contour.

How are you incorporating houndstooth into your fall and winter wardrobe?

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* Get this plus size Houndstooth Jacket from Ulla Popken

Kaleidoscope Top

I know if I spent any length of time looking at this top my eyes would go wonky but I just love it. I love the mixture of colors especially the grey and pink but the white really brings it all together to give the pattern texture. It is also a pretty good price at $24. This top is from City Chic Online and they do deliver to Canada — they have some nice swimwear if you are looking too.

This multi-tone Kaleidoscope top is from City Chic Online.

This Kaleidoscope top is cute on its own with coordinating peek-a-boo bra straps for a casual summer day in denim shorts or dressed up with trousers and a summer blazer (dig out the grey suit).

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Topic Links
* Get your plus size textured cami top from City Chic Online

Plus Size Gauze Tops

The days get longer and warmer as we head toward summer. Some parts of Canada will be incredibly comfortable while others (hand up) will be hot an humid. Going in and out of air conditioned places seems like a constant battle. In their latest video, Ulla Popken suggests gauze tops as an option for layering in warmer weather (FYI: gauze is generally made of cotton). Have a look:

Ulla Popken has a few different styles of plus size gauze tops in their store that I like.

There is the Cotton Gauze Tunic Blouse shown on the spokes model in the video which also comes in five solid color options. It is a pretty reasonable price at $39.

Plus size gauze blouse from Ulla Popken.

There are beaded and embroidered gauze tunics ranging from $49 to $59. I absolutely love the black one with the turquoise beads (has turquoise ever been as hot as it has the last few years?).

Plus size gauze tunics from Ulla Popken.

If you want something with a collar then there are the plus size hankie hem gauze shirts. I especially like the print (shown on one of models and video) and purple ones. These shirts are $39.

Plus size gauze hankie tops from Ulla Popken.

Ulla Popken offers sizes 12 to 34 and ships in and outside of the U.S.

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* Visit Ulla Popken for plus size clothing

Tunic Love

Love, love, love this tunic from Making it Big. I love the color, the length and that it has some elastic in the back to give it even more shape. This is one of my favorite tops from them that I have seen in a while. It is a bit pricey though at $109 to $119. It looks great with the cotton pants but the length would work great with leggings or skinny jeans too.

Plus size long red tunic from Making It Big.

If you are not familiar with Making It Big (MiB) they are an American company that offers sizes 2x to 8x. That is right, nothing below 2x. Something almost unheard of in the plus size clothing industry.

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* Get your plus size clothing from MiB

Mint and Black

For me, mint on its own is a pretty bland color but add some black it and really begins to sizzle. Addition-Elle has this cute sheer mint top with black accents on their site in sizes 14 to 26.

Plus Size Roll-Sleeve Shimmer Blouse, $60

Plus size mint sheer top and cami from Addition-Elle.

Personally I prefer the “roll-sleeve” rolled instead of unrolled like they have in the first photo.

This plus size sheer mint blouse is from Addition-Elle.

The cami you see here does not come with the blouse and is sold in the same color or many others — black would look equally fetching.

Adjustable Tank, $25

Plus size mint cami from Addition-Elle.

Do you have any mint in your closet?

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* Get your plus size mint top from AdditionElle

Remember Dusters

If you remember “dusters” then you are getting to be a certain age. Guess what, you can dust off the ones in your closet and start wearing them again. For those who may not be familiar with dusters, basically it is a long jacket, the most common ones these days are sheer.

If you got rid of them long ago then you can find pretty ones like this one at Ulla Popken in sizes 12 to 34.

Plus size women's duster set from Ulla Popken.

The one shown here is actually a three piece set that includes the coordinating cami and duster and a pair of pants, all for $159. If you do not want a three piece Ulla Popken has a few other duster sets that do not come with pants to choose from.

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* Get your plus size dusters from Ulla Popken

Print Tops from MiB

Making It Big (MIB) has been around for many years. When they started out their clothing was what I would call boxy but the last few years they upped their game and started bringing things in in the right places for a more tailored look. Their new spring line of tops is a bit iffy, though. The cuts are good but some of the pattern choices are not, they are something I would expect for a different price point. That being said, MIB is not without merit as I did find two tops I really like.

The plus size Lola Crossover Top with cross hatch pattern is available in sizes 3x to 7x for $99:

Print plus size top in cross over fashion from Making It Big.

The plus size Milan Tunic is a nice mixture of patterns and solids available in sizes 3x to 7x for $95:

Patch work tunic in plus sizes from Making It Big.

As you can see the sizes at MIB are unique, one of the reasons I love them is because they offer a higher size range for a market of women that are often ignored by retailers. Have a look and maybe you will find a gem or two that speaks to you.

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Topic Links
* Get your plus size tops from MIB

Oh-So-Pretty Plus Size Tops

I do not know why but when I think of Kiyonna three words come to mind classy, sexy, and oh-so-pretty. Kiyonna has been producing figure hugging designs for a decade and they keep doing it with style. The same holds true for these cute plus size Kimono Sleeved Tops which have been an ongoing trend that has been rocking our world for the last year. Kiyonna offers a few options to bring out your girly side available in sizes 10 to 32 for $62.

plus size kimono top from Kiyonna

I am not usually a huge fan of rose print but I am totally crushing on this one.

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* Get your plus size kimono top from Kiyonna

Romancing Peplum

City Chic Online (CCO) is having a romantic liaison with peplum, one of the hottest trends for fall and for the most part I am loving it. Specifically their Scoop Peplum Top which comes in black, mandarin, aquatic, iris, and strawberry. I think the iris and the black would be the most versatile this season.

Plus size peplum tops from City Chic Online

The top looks great on its own or layered under a cropped jacket. It is a flattering cut that works with a pair of dark jeans or a pencil skirt. CCO offers sizes 14 to 24 (read their size charts) and are not a bad price at $48.

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Topic Links
* Get your plus size clothing from City Chic Online

Holiday Looks from Addition-Elle

The holiday parties are around the next corner and Addition-Elle is ready for us with their latest collection of plus size holiday tops. I was actually quite impressed with how many I liked. They can be mixed and matched with items already in your closet or with their fun holiday pants. Here are (more than) a few of my favorites:

Plus size holiday tops from Addition-Elle.

For these tops, plus sizes range from 14 to 26 and cost $39 to $79. Be sure to check out their sister site while you are there.

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* Get your plus size holiday looks from Addition-Elle

Cinda’s Last Call

I have known designer and seamstress Cinda Shields for a few years now, I first interviewed her for BellaOnline back in 2007. You know how it is when you are online, you meet people, you lose touch, then you meet up again. Well I just ran into Cinda on Facebook where she was promoting her Last Call clothing sale. Cinda has been making clothing for herself most of her life and for people of size for over twelve years. I had purchased a few things from Cinda in the past and was happy with them so I had no doubts about hopping into her Last Call photo file to look for some goodies.

Here are some of my favorites from her “Best of” and “Last Call” series:

custom plus size clothing from Cinda Shields

She makes dresses, tops, skirts, suits, sleepwear, bridal, costumes, and I think she has done some outerwear. You can purchase from her ready made sections or commission her to make on spec — contact her for complete details.

Cinda is sweet to deal with. Her process is simple, you visit her online photo catalog at Facebook and find something you like. You can ask questions about the piece in the comments section for each photo and when you decide you want an item you can message her the link to the item and she will send you the total purchase amount plus shipping which you then pay via Paypal. Before you even have it paid she will be packing it up and getting it ready to ship.

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Topic Links
* Visit Cinda’s Facebook for plus size shopping

Variety is the Spice

I think each online shop has a similarity you can see in their product lines but one of the things I like about Ulla Popken is their variety within that scheme. It has traditionally been a mature woman’s store but it has really redefined the traditional look we have come to expect over the last decade or so.

Mature women can be fashionable and do not have to be ushered into a fashion stigma corner — they do not need to dress like they are eighteen to have fun because women can have fun no matter what their age. I think Ulla Popken’s range of style over the last few years, especially for tops widens their age bracket of interested shoppers than it did once upon a time.

I found at least eight non-traditional tops that would work for a variety of ages — it’s all in the display — what you wear with it, i.e. a younger person might wear leggings, booties, and a tote while an older person might choose trousers, flats, and a formal handbag. That is not to say that someone in their 40s/50s/60s could not pull off leggings — they might just approach the look differently.

plus size every day tops for women from Ulla Popken

From left to right:

  • Crochet Detail Tunic Blouse ($59), available in six colors.
  • Open Front Viscose Spandex Knit Pintuck Jacket ($59), available in five colors.
  • Embroidered Tunic Blouse ($69)
  • Artistic Bow Blouse ($59), available in four colors.
  • Houndstooth Knit Tunic ($59)
  • Cowl Neck Striped Knit Tunic ($59), available in two colors.
  • Pintuck Trim Tunic ($59), available in two colors.
  • Mixed Media Top ($59)

What do you think, has the acceptable nature of who should be wearing what expanded or at least evolved a little?

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Topic Links
* Visit Ulla Popken for plus size tops