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

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

Fall Arrivals at Ulla Popken

In general I would say that Ulla Popken has a more mature look than I prefer but I do believe they have styles for many tastes which is why I had no problem finding some favorites in their new fall arrivals. All items are between $39 and $89. My absolute favorites are the military vest, black shirt dress and zebra flats.

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Topic Links
* Get your own plus size fall arrivals from Ulla Popken

Combine Feminine with Military

Two of my favorite looks are feminine chic and military. Evans (UK) does both beautiful. Here is one of my favorite floral tunics matched with a military mac. One of the great things about Evans is they have the accessories for one stop shopping.

1. Floral Longline Tunic, £35 and available in sizes 14 to 32
2. Neutral T-Bar Sandals, £25
3. Black High Waisted Legging, £15 and available in sizes 18 to 32
4. Khaki Military Mac, £55 and available in sizes 14 to 32
5. Tan Cross-Body Satchel, £20

Evans offers affordable shipping to Canadians and has a huge clearance worth viewing.

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Topic Links
* Get your own feminine and military inspired plus size clothing from Evans

More to Love

More to Love is an Australian women’s plus size clothing company offering sizes 14 to 24. And yes, they ship to Canada; although, there are a few details under “policy” you many want to email them first for details. They have a cute website that is easy to surf and shop. Their fashion labels include: More to Love, as well as Alquema, Angle Circle, Advocado, Euphoria, Cafe, Chocolat, Woman, Swish, Lounge Apparel, Chee, F & I, Qui, Insalata, Mirrors, Moss, Embody Denim, Kiyonna, SWAK, C.enne.V, Tara Vao, Angelica, SPANX.

I found lots of cute pieces all in the high-end price range:

The fact there seems to be a lot of red items in my picks is probably more of a reflection on me than them.

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Topic Links
* Get your own plus size clothing from More to Love

Paisley Blouse

It was true love when I saw the paisley print blouse from SwakDesigns. The brown version was recently featured in Plus Model Magazine. I can’t decide which color I love more, the grey or the brown. You?

My first reaction would be to pair with denim: jeans or skirt but it would look equally fab with a pencil skirt and pumps. This top has a great size range 1x to 6x. One of the things I like about Swak is they don’t tack on another $10 for the super sizes. The Hainsley Print Blouse is $54 for the whole size range.

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Topic Links
*Get your own plus size paisley print blouse from SwakDesigns

Official Eclipse Movie Tees

MXM has the official plus size t-shirts for the next installment of the the Twilight series. Eclipse will be released in theaters June 30th so you still have time to get your novelty tee for the big night. At the moment MXM is selling them for buy one get one 50% off until June 22. There are five to choose from (my fave is the v-neck Edward in lower left) and they come in sizes 1x to 4x! Choose your team:

In case you haven’t seen the trailer yet (where have you been), here’s a peek:

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Topic Links
* Get your own plus size Eclipse T-shirt from MXM
* Twilight Eclipse Merchandise from HotTopic
* My Twilight Book Reviews

Tunic Surprise

I was surfing through Ulla Popken’s pages for about twenty minutes when it finally hit me that the majority of the pieces I was falling in love with were tunics; hence “tunic surprise”. There’s a certain physical comfort that comes from wearing a tunic. They hide the things I want to hide and they are incredibly comfortable. In Ulla Popken’s case they are incredibly pretty too. They make me want to live in leggings and capris. It is just a coincidence that I picked one for every day of the week.

These Ulla Popken tunics are available in sizes 12 to 34 and and range in price from $39 to $69. Yes, they do deliver to Canada for an additional $15 on shipping rates as well as charging GST and 18% duty. Personally, I hate it when companies do this. I’d rather pay the duty at the door, because sometimes duty isn’t required.

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Topic Links
* Get your own plus size tunics from Ulla Popken

$10 Tees on Thursday

Get ready! Threadless is having a $10 t-shirt event on Thursday at 10 am CT. They recommend filling up your cart ahead of time because favorites will be going fast. I’ve been dying to get the Fail tee (by Budi Satria Kwan) but every time I go to get it it’s either sold out of my size or completely dormant. I’m so happy it’s back in reprint.

Why do I like it? It makes me smile and smiling makes me happy. I don’t know about you but I need all the happy I can get. There are lots of fun, political, and down right pretty (as well as pretty silly) designs to choose from. Most will go up to 3x, some only 2x. Have fun!

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Topic Links
* Get your own plus size novelty tees from Threadless

Avon Picks for June

There are two things I love about Avon: convenience and affordability. Here are some of my favorite picks for June:

Forever Classic White Top, $44.99 (in sizes up to 2x)

Beaded Chic Bracelets, $7.99 (reg $19.99)

Midnight Mauve Smooth Minerals Eyeshadow, $7.99

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Topic Links
* Get your own Avon picks from your Avon rep or online at Avon

Designer Summer

La Grande Dame is getting ready for a designer summer! Here are some of my favorite plus size designer pieces:

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

Cute Plus Size Tops

I’m a huge proponent of clothing that shows off the curves, now I’m not talking spandex in everything but a pleat and dart put in the right place makes a huge difference. That being said, I’m not totally against baggy clothing. I think there is room in our closets for a mixture of figure hugging and baggy clothing.

MIB is one of those plus size clothing companies that generally has baggy or what I’ve often called boxy clothing. Or at least it seems like they are when you look at them on the website’s models. I have received notice that they are adding a new line to their offerings that will have a more fitted appearance than their traditional line. I think this will open up some customer doors for them as there are many out there who believe that a plus size woman shouldn’t have to hide in her clothes.

That all out of the way. I found three tops in their new arrivals I quite like. From left to right: the Maren Panel Blouse ($95) is light and airy. I love the asymmetry which is a hot trend this spring/summer. The Angelina Ruffle Blouse ($99) in dolphin is such a hot color and the ruffle placement has a camouflage effect but the small gathers provide enough contour at the waist. Finally, the Citrus Mandarin Blouse ($89) has a delicate pattern, traditional mandarin color, and short loose sleeves for ventilation. The side splits are a nice detail that encourages the wearer to let it fall naturally instead of tucking it in. I would wear this one with a thin black belt.

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Topic Links
* Get your own plus size tops from Making It Big

Plus Size Active Wear

Always For Me has been carrying plus size yoga and aerobic wear by Danskin for a few seasons now. This season they have added a new collection of plus size athletic wear including plus size jerseys, bike shorts, cycling clothing, skorts, capris by Mt. Borah. This collection is recommended for spin classes at the gym, open road adventures, and triathlons. Whatever floats your boat.

My favorite piece would have to be the Mt Borah Mystic Baggy Shorts, shown here as it is supposed to be worn on the left and inside out on the right to show off the baboon butt padding. You get the comfort of a bicycle short with the camouflage of a baggy short plus a little butt padding to take the edge off those narrow exercise seats. These double layered shorts are $81 and come in sizes 1x to 4x.

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Topic Links
* Get your own plus size active wear by Danskin from Always for Me
* Get your own plus size active wear by Mt.Borah from Always for Me

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