Archives for October 2011

A Night of Plus Size Fashion

October 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Mark your calenders! If you live in the Toronto area then you need to mark November 15 on your calender. Plus Size Model and Ben Barry Agency director Liis Windischmann has put together a night of plus size fashion fun. plus size model Liis Windischmann

Who is Liis Windischmann?

Liis Windischmann is one of Canada’s most successful plus size models. She has modeled internationally for retailers such as Talbot’s, Eddie Bauer, Laura Plus, Reitmans and Addition-Elle. She has graced the pages of Woman’s World, Wedding Bells, Lush, Canadian Living, Chatelaine, Homemaker’s, Today’s Bride, Clin d’oeil and MODE. Besides modeling, she blogs about plus size fashion for LOULOU’s 14+ (one of LOULOU Magaine’s online fashion portals) and is an advocate for a positive body image in young girls and women.

On The Curve

On November 15th, 2011 Liis Windischmann will host the first event to kick off her latest initiative On the Curve — The Time is Now. A fun filled evening from 8pm to 11pm at the Rosehill Lounge. The main event of the evening will be a plus size fashion show that begins at 9pm featuring fashions from Lola & Gigi, Toni +, Gussied Up, Stefanie Bezaire and Allistyle, and Secret. Tickets for this event will cost $49.99.

To encourage future events like this throughout the year then definitely make a point of attending On The Curve’s night of plus size fashion.

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Topic Links
* Learn more about On the Curve Events
* Visit Liis Windischmann’s official website

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , ,

New From Kiyonna

October 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment

I think when I first visit Kiyonna the first thing I fall in love with is the colors: red, green, plum, maple and gold. Definitely makes me think of fall. Five of my favorites from Kiyonna’s new collection are the lipstick red bellini, the olive green sheath dress (and I am not usually a big fan of green), the plum ruched top, the maple twist dress (also in a hot magenta), and the golden cocktail dress (awesome in allover black too).

plus size tops and dresses from Kiyonna

The Nadia Knit Belini ($68) is one of my favorite layering pieces that Kiyonna has been carrying over season after season with new colors. The Olivia Sheath Dress ($118) is just so pretty and flattering with its vertical ruched bodice. The Rylan Ruched Top ($58) has the same neckline but the ruched fabric is horizontal and just as flattering and with long sleeves. The Tamara Twist Dress ($118) has so much going on, all with the fabric, a twist here, ruching there. And the Cosmo Cocktail Dress ($158) would be the go to dress for the upcoming holiday season. Despite the all over lace it is modern and polished. All in sizes 10 to 32.

I am disappointed their shipping costs to Canada are so obscene; starting at $30 for the first $300.

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Topic Links
* Shop at Kiyonna for plus size clothing

Filed Under: Career, Dresses, Tops Tagged With: , ,

OOTD with Lana

October 21, 2011 By 1 Comment

My friend Lana is considering doing an outfit of the day (OOTD) post or vlog for you once a month (or perhaps more often if we can talk her into it). Lana is on the lower end of the plus size scale coming in at a 14/16 depending on the clothing brand. She always looks polished like today when we went for lunch (and a little shopping).

Lana Davison OOTD

Watch the video to find out where Lana did her shopping for this outfit:

Outfit breakdown:

Jacket – Danier Leather (washable)
Jeans – Lane Bryant (petite)
Shoes – Winners
Top – Touch of Class
Handbag – Coach Outlet

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Topic Links
* Find plus size petite and tall jeans and pants at Lane Bryant

Filed Under: Accessories, Bottoms, Outerwear Tagged With: , , ,

Cami Secret Review

October 18, 2011 By 4 Comments

I walked into Zellers and was immediately distracted by a display of “As Seen On TV” products. There were a few fashion related accessories there but the one that caught my eye was the Cami Secret — basically it is a fabric insert that attaches to your bra straps and gives the appearance of a cami peeking out. The package sells for $14.99 and comes with three “mock camisoles” — black, tan, and white. Here’s an infomercial showing how it works.

The only difference from the commercial cami is mine have a fabric tab that wraps around and snaps unlike the uncomfortable hard clip shown. The snaps fit around thin and wide strapped bras.

For the last few days I have been wearing the white one. And I have to say this is my new favorite accessory. I have quite a few crossover tops that are perfectly fine if you are standing still but always make me feel self conscious if I am moving around or bending etc. This little slip of fabric is perfect; especially for the form fitting tops as there is no bulkiness like wearing a full cami would cause — or having to constantly readjust because the cami is riding up in the back or twisting.

mock camisole from Cami Secret

Another bonus is I can decide how much extra coverage I want as the insert can be slipped up and down the straps for more or less coverage. The mock cami does a good job of staying in place. Some tops, depending on the fabric, I chose to tuck the dip into my bra to keep it in place but for the most part they stayed where they were put with only minor fold adjustments through the day — much less than fiddling with a full camisole.

In Canada you can buy Cami Secret at Zellers and in the U.S. you can find them at Walgreens and Target. You can buy them online (a set of 12) from the official Cami Secret website or you can buy the basic three colors that have on eBay but read the details and look at images closely as I see a few of the old clip styles are out there. You want the soft fabric with wrap around and snap.

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Topic Links

Filed Under: Accessories Tagged With: ,

New Naturalizer Handbag

October 17, 2011 By 1 Comment

I have been searching for a red handbag for over a year now. I have found many that I liked of course but nothing I wanted to commit to for the long term. What do I mean “commit”?

For me handbags are an investment. A $20 bag will probably only last a season with constant wear either the zippers breaking off or a handle. Anything over $50 I consider an investment that will last much longer, therefore, a commitment is required and I have to love it.

I finally found a bag online at the Naturalizer. The Naturalizer Elin1 is $79 and comes in dark red, black, or cognac. The dark red will take me through fall and winter. On the plus side the bag was on sale and shipping was only $5.

Naturalizer Elin Handbag

The bag arrived within a week and I had it sit out in the living room for a few days so I could ease into the color. I’ve never had a red bag before! Over the last week I have been carrying it around it has really grown on me. The bag is actually darker than the image below.

Red Elin Handbag

Closer to the color in this one:

Dark Red Purse from Naturalizer

It is so much bigger than I thought with its three compartments. There is enough room for my smaller Kangaroo organizer in one side, my recycling bags in the other and my top secret items in the zipped center. I love that it has a silky lining which makes the bag feel luxurious to me.

Inside Red Elin Handbag

The handbag double straps fits comfortably over my shoulder if my jacket is not to bulky but I do wish it had a removable cross the body strap for true hands free motility that is sometimes required or at least convenient. But overall I am quite happy with my purchase and look forward to our long term commitment.

At the time of this post, all handbags at the Naturalizer are 20% off.

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Topic Links
* Get your red handbag from Naturalizer

Filed Under: Accessories Tagged With: , ,

Weekend Plus Size Sales

October 14, 2011 By Leave a Comment

A few sales to brighten your weekend (don’t forget to enter this month’s giveaway!):

Motherhood Maternity is offering Buy 3 Get 1 Free on Select Nursing Items
Coupon code: NA
Expires: October 23, 2011
Visit Motherhood Maternity for plus size maternity clothing

Hips & Curves is offering up to 70% off select sale items
Coupon code: NA
Expires: Limited quantities
Visit Hips & Curves for plus size lingerie

Buy Costumes is offering Buy One, Get One 20% off
Coupon code: BOGO20
Expires: October 31, 2011
Visit Buy Costumes for plus size costumes

Have a lovely weekend!

Filed Under: Sales Tagged With:

On Top of Penningtons

October 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment

I am really liking the selection of every day plus size tops online at Penningtons this season (I just wish they would stop using headless models). Here are a few of my favorite picks:

plus size tops from Penningtons

  • Ribbed Cardishawl Sweater ($40) – Grey is such a hot color for fall it goes with everything. The cardishawl can be worn as is or belted and looks good with dress pants or jeans.
  • 3/4 Sleeve Ruffle Front Ruched Tunic – Bold blue is always right up my alley. Love the ruffle detail on the diagonal for a change.
  • Crinkle Floral Blouse with Cami ($40) – Pretty and sweet. Now if we could just get them to stop attaching cami’s to cover ups so we can really make use of these duo pieces and get more function out of them for the buck.
  • Cowl Neck Sweater – I think this may be the biggest season ever for the cowl neck as it makes it way back into our closets. I already have two tops with cowls (I know, easy does it!). Love the toffee here and the cabernet red.
  • Denim Tunic ($30) – This top doe not look like much here but it was fabulous in the look book. This is an excellent layering piece for fall that can be worn as a top or as a jacket.

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Topic Links
* Get your plus size tops from Penningtons

Filed Under: Tops Tagged With: ,

Happy Thanksgiving

October 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment

family sitting down to dinner

The funny thing about Thanksgiving,
or any huge meal, is that you spend
12 hours shopping for it and then
chopping and cooking and braising
and blanching. Then it takes 20 minutes
to eat it and everybody sort of sits
around in a food coma, and then it
takes four hours to clean it up.
~Ted Allen

Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy the “food coma” while it lasts.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With:

Lane Bryant Ships to Canada!!

October 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment

I have waited two years for it to happen. And I have bitched on and off for most of that time. But it has finally happened:

Lane Bryant is Shipping to Canada Again!!!

I know I can’t believe it either. I thought this day would never come. But the good news does not end there. Because Lane Bryant now has a shared site with its sister stores: Catherines, Fashion Bug, Cacique, Loop 18 and Sonsi (which includes many other brands), you can also order from all of those stores in the same session.

The site is set up to handle international shipping and exchange rates to make shopping easier. I am hoping it is updated with exchange rates fairly often. They also collect Canadian taxes and duty at time of purchase. I played around with the cart and you DO NOT have to enter all your personal information before you can shipping, duty, and taxes. FYI for about $200 shipping was $15.

Make sure you have some extra time on your hands because once you visit you are going to be there for a long time. Here are a few of my favorites:

plus size clothing from Lane Bryant, Cacique and Catherines

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Topic Links
* Visit Lane Bryant for plus size clothing

Filed Under: Bottoms, Tops, Uncategorized Tagged With:

Who is Sheena Snively

October 7, 2011 By 3 Comments

One of the producers over at MTV contacted me recently to ask if I would talk about Sheena Snively to Five Favorite Things readers. As someone who watches way too much TV, I am ashamed to say I had no idea who she is. But if you are an advent watcher of MTV LIVE you probably know way too much about this drop dead gorgeous blonde from Hamilton, Ontario. Actress, Comedian and Host, Sheena Snively

MTV LIVE is currently hosted by Daryn Jones and Nicole Holness with appearances by Paul Lemieux (a.k.a. Paul the Intern) and Sheena Snively. She is known for her outrageous behavior during interviews and comedic skits. From the little I have already seen of her, I think it is safe to say that nothing is off limits and she braver than any ordinary person. To give you an idea of some of her antics she has competed in a mud pit belly flop contest, sumo slammed a Cadbury egg, and flashed celebrities like Tommy Lee.

Here is a clip of Sheena on the street talking to people about what is hidden in their handbags; actually it is more like chastising people for what they have in their handbags — and a perfect example of “why not to open your handbag up to a woman with a mic and a camera:

Now whoever said fat girls are not active has not seen Sheena at work. In this clip she gets a workout butting in lines all over the place. Here’s Sheena doing a little butting in line at Fan Expo (make sure you click on the wedding “photo bomb” after you watch this one):

You can also find her over at MTV FORA getting all edgy about fashion and beauty. Here is a clip of Sheena talking about a shipment of plus size clothing she received from Torrid (there is a coupon in sidebar):

After all this something tells me Sheena is one of those people that you either love or you hate. Check out her official networking sites and decide for yourself but we really need to support our plus sistas when they are in the media because it is very rare that we see any.

Go Sheena! Go Sheena! Go Sheena!

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Topic Links
* Sheena Snively on YouTube
* Sheena Snively on Twitter
* Sheena Snively on Facebook
* Sheena Spoofs Weight Watchers with Fat Watchers

Filed Under: News Tagged With: , , ,

Looking for Jeans

October 6, 2011 By 1 Comment

If you are looking to try a new pair of plus size jeans then Ulla Popken has released a new denim jean with the traditional zip and the pull on with elastic band. They are 99% cotton and 1% spandex. You are going to love the size range — get ready for it — they are offering them in sizes 12 to 38 (and I am talking about a plus size 38 not a standard size 38). That is one of the best size ranges for denim out there. The button/zip jeans are currently on for $39 (reg $59). The pull on come in a jegging and a relaxed fit for $39. Here is a video from Ulla Popken introducing the jeans with in house staff models in sizes 12 to 20:

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Topic Links
* Get your plus size jeans from Ulla Popken
* Other places to buy plus size denim

Filed Under: Bottoms Tagged With: ,

Sensual Bras

October 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment

This week Torrid introduced a new line of plus size bras — the Sensuous Bra Collection. The collection includes six different bras styles each with their own function. plus size black cheetah lace t-shirt bra from Torrid

The T-shirt Bra (black and nude lace, black cheetah print, or nude lace)
The Push-up Bra (black lace, nude, or black)
The Strapless Bra (black zebra mesh, fifties pinks, cosmo pink, black, white, or nude)
The Demi Bra (black and nude lace)
The Full-Coverage Bra (grey, nude, or black lace)
The Racer Back Bra (black)

They are currently offered in sizes 40 C to 44 DDD and are $34 each BUT for a limited time Torrid is offering a promotion to showcase these bras — buy 2 bras, get a third FREE! And this promotion is extended to all bras at Torrid, not just the new line.

And if you use the coupon code: 9AF11OFF you can get an additional 10% off your purchase. The coupon expires October 15, 2011.

Give the gyrls something to look up to!

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Topic Links
* Visit Torrid for plus size bras

Filed Under: Lingerie Tagged With: