Wouldn’t it be cool if life looked as spicy, exotic and breathlessly carefree as this outfit? That’s what I was thinking too.
I’m in love with red, to the point where close family & friends can practically bet their child’s college fund on the probability of me wearing red at least twice a week, if not more so. They’d make a killing, I swear. Cheap jokes aside, I like red because it can mean just about anything, but my favorite color wakes up all the right emotions: feelings of power, of attraction, of femininity. This is a color not to be messed up.
I like that the shirt has the ruching where it counts — a shirt that sexy can’t dare go out in public without drawing attention!
Red and black share scary-perfect harmony here as well, but I’m biased: I’m a huge fan of black pants. My worst nightmare is my closet launching a massive coup and ruling the world, one pair of wide-legged palazzo pants at a time.
The outfit, the outfit, the mighty mighty outfit. Roar.
I swear there’s one word that everyone understands, language notwithstanding: free. We like free. No cost, zero worry, no problem, right? Rosalee Womensize Apparel, one of our great sponsors, offers a free item of clothing every month in Rosalee’s monthly giveaway.
I’ve talked about Rosalee before, and once again, Rosalee overdelivers great style that definitely caters to the plus size market (sizes 18w - 50w). Her giveaway for this month — what’s left of it, anyway — is a denim patchwork multitone jacket with embedded sequins. Now, remember that the jacket is the “it” thing this season — you can wear it to formal events, and turn yesterday’s tired outfit into tonight’s new little sizzler!
Make your entrance in this stunning little number today! How? Bring it on down to Rosalee’s Blog or the main company site, Rosalee Womensize Apparel. This jacket retials for $79.99, but you can register for the contest and get it for free! If you go onto Rosalee Womensize Apparel, be sure to fill out the “contact us” form.
Stay stylish in 2007, ladies!
…is the gift of self-control. Seriously.
My involvement in the field notwithstanding, we’re bombarded with a whole lot of “buy it now” orders from every direction. I’m not saying to stay in your homes 365 days a year and never purchase anything (yeah, I’m talking to the online shoppers too — I keep my credit cards far, far away from my laptop). I am saying not to feel bad if you aren’t walking around busting your piggy bank.
Shopping is one of those areas that hit all the high notes — functionality, entertainment, community. We shop alone and in packs, we shop for what we need and what we could live without. Keeping perspective during this marketing overloaded holiday season is key to getting what you want, when you want it.
Why do I constantly get on this theme for the last six months? Because I believe that just because we’re plus size people, it doesn’t mean that we should kow-tow to any retailer. If Big Fashion Co. said to me, “Isabella, we’re giving you a full wardrobe in exchange for something-that-irks-my-moral-compass”, I’m going to have to pass up on that opportunity.
I’ve often heard the refrain, “Well, we should be thankful…”
Pardon my irreverence, but “thankful”? The only thing I’m thankful for is that God continues to pump oxygen through my wonderful curvy body. I can live without kimono-inspired blouses, I can’t live without oxygen.
I’m never thankful when someone snatches dollars out of my wallet. You shouldn’t be either. Instead, we should continue to be picky, and discern what’s best for us. No business can stay alive without customers.
What customer are you going to be today?
Now that I’ve moved to Springfield quasi-permanently, Deluxemom and I have lots of conversations — and plenty is said about plus size fashion. DM is older, and when we talk about the current offerings for plus size fashion, it’s clear that PSF is missing the over-35 group completely.
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Don’t let December be the only time you’re actually social - while the holidays are important, your loved ones still want you to be happy, safe, and well year-round! I went to see my father, which was exciting in of itself, but it got me thinking about social engagements, dressing up, and meeting new people.
I’m not a social butterfly, but I do like to dress. I stick to the same rules in fashion as I do in writing, speaking, or anything else - “be yourself!” If you’re a schoolmarm that wears turtlenecks and coveralls, don’t feel pressured to become a cocktail dress wearin’, Cosmo sippin’, couture-aware jetsetter. There’s so many styles of dress out there, why not stay true to your style instead of trying to completely reinvent yourself?
I learned this lesson the hard way over the last few weeks. I’m a conservative dresser — I like flowy kimono style tops, long black skirts, and just a touch of skin showing. This isn’t always 100% the case, but overall, that’s me. As I grow more comfortable with myself, I may throw on a tank top and a skirt and walk clean out the door.
Without diving headfirst into a church sermon - I believe that you have to have peace about your actions. If wearing skinny jeans doesn’t give you peace, then save yourself the angst and don’t wear them. If a plunging neckline makes your stomach turn, turn towards a square neck or a cute button-up instead. I live on career-style blouses, myself. Ignoring that peace is what lands us in trouble most of the time. It doesn’t even have to deal with how we look, but how we treat others.
This is my “reality call” before everyone gets wrapped up into the social scene during this time - your family will still love you if you aren’t wearing the latest and greatest, and any significant other worth their salt will still crave to be seen with you.
Now, how’s that for “positive body image”?
Isabella Murphy wants each and every one of you to be the best you can be, all year round. As the year draws to a close, however, why not pamper yourself one last time? Enter the Makeup Madness $100 Cosmetics Giveaway today!
I can’t wear Juicy Couture yet, but that doesn’t mean I’m sitting on the sidelines looking like a rejected muppet — with the help of the Internet, and the universal power of my debit card (this fashionista has more financial goals than buying the latest plaid skirt, you know), and my new buddy Rosalee.
Plus size fashion has come a long way from the frumpy, floppy swatches of fabric our mothers and grandmothers wore in the past. We have style, we have elegance, and we have outfits that accentuate and advertise our curves, rather than hiding them from the rest of the world. We even have a choice between sexy and conversative, and shades of meaning between modest and not-so-much.
A lot of stores seem to think that no plus size life exists beyond a 22, and sometimes they’ll dangle a few 26’s out for our approval — however, Ms. Rosalee eschews numbers in favor of clean, crisp style that every woman can get behind. In the interest of full disclosure, Ms. Rosalee is one of our site’s sponsors, but we all know how my mouth is. I’ve got no problem endorsing Ms. Rosalee or her site. She blogs, engages in discussion about plus size women and the issues we face, and is all-around a very friendly lady.
Many plus size women want to try other plus size stores besides the usual curvy trifecta (you know who I’m talking about), but are often unsure. Plus size shopping online is always an uneasy process when you start out. Will it fit? Is the fabric what I expected? Will the clothes be so expensive that there’s no way I could afford it?
Ms. Rosalee offers her customers the opportunity to sample fabric before making a final decision — how cool is that? You can also get the scoop on the season’s offerings on her site by just clicking around. Ms. Rosalee has firsthand experience in how hard it can be to find great clothes that actually look good. She goes out and looks for styles in other sizes that can be easily adapted for us plus size ladies. It’s refreshing to find a designer that realizes we plus size ladies still have to go out looking our best and cannot afford to wear oversized paper bags (hyperbole mine).
Ms. Rosalee teases us with mentions of the fabric she has lined up for this season’s offerings: embroidered fabric, crinkle suedes, doe suede, moleskin, stretch denim, and silky satin fabric for soft intimates you’ll love through this season and the next one!
There are so many things I really liked on the site — instead of reading this review, you could be checking them out too! Go on — I’ll still be here!
I recently went to Lane Bryant, and it was a decent shopping experience. I dropped roughly $240 dollars to get a few signature pieces for school. I strive to dress “college professional” — not quite business style, but I like to avoid the whole jeans-and-a-tshirt thing. It’s just not my thing.
I get to the counter, and I get 4 little plastic coupons attached to my receipt. It’s the Real Woman Dollar promotion. On the surface, it’s pretty straightforward: for every $50 you spend, you get $25 in “real woman dollars” to use for another purchase. Caveat: that next purchase must be $50 or more.
Now, I’m rather critical of advertising as it is, but the overall concept speaks to me: Real Woman Dollars? Plus size fashion is emotional as it is, and you’re giving us little fashionistas dollars that are targeted just for us? Cool!
However, there are things about this promotion that irritate me:
The promotion runs from September 5th - 26th. That’s very, very, limited to me — why can’t we have the Real Woman Dollars all year, or at least through the fall season? Perhaps the time crunch is to create more demand, but in my case, it has the opposite effect — if you don’t fit into my schedule, you don’t get bought.
Your next purchase has to be $50 or more — which is fine, I suppose, if you’re honestly going to be returning within the tiny time frame they offer.
And let’s not get into the other big limitation — no online. That’s a shot to the knee and then some: why cut out the massive throngs of people online that are absolutely in love with your store, your product, your brand?
When I’ve got people in the UK and other places abroad telling me to thank my lucky stars there IS a Lane Bryant, I know that this company is here to stay. However, the more I’m watching Lane Bryant and the other two Charming Shoppes storees, the more I’m wondering how dedicated CS really is to plus size fashion, or are they just cashing in?
It really is the little details that cross my mind. My dollars are very important to me — when I spend them, I want to feel satisfaction in my purchases. Perhaps this is just a sale that this deluxe fashionista won’t be indulging in.
Perhaps this would be an excellent value-add to the creditcard holders? Right now, other than being able to use it at Lane Bryant, I don’t see much point in having a Lane Bryant credit card. I haven’t caught any “secret sales” because of the credit card, nor have I gotten any real incentives.
The Charming Shoppes trifecta really needs to kick it up a notch — I’m starting to see some other players in the game coming directly into the spotlight. Has Lane Bryant gotten soft? I’m saving Fashion Bug & Catherine’s for another day — one at a time. However, I keep mentioning them in threes because they -are- run by the same company, and the niche is so related that we really should be seeing better service across the board.
It saddens me that this promotion isn’t stronger — it’s a great idea linked to a very emotional section of shopperhood that would honestly get a kick out of this idea. Why not make it year round? Why not make it online as well as in stores?
Sure, you might lose sales in the stores, but you can always catch the online shoppers -and- most likely upsell them on items they would have never bought if they slipped into the store.
What do all of you think? It’s your shopping dollars, people — if Lane Bryant is going to offer you a sale, what has to be in the sale to make you go? Is the realwomandollar important to you, or did the sale fall flat for you too?
Oh man, Spiegel is still around. We use to have their catalogs in my house all the time.
I decided to check today and see if they had anything that we plus size women (and fellas, can’t leave out Glen and the silent plus size male majority now) could honestly have.
It would be nice if the site had the women’s sizes a bit more prominent — as it stands, the link is smushed way down at the bottom of the page. C’mon, Spiegel - we’re spending enough dollars for you to at least pretend we’re the stars of the show.
Other than that, I was throughly impressed by some of the selection.
I’m seriously considering this top - I really love the texture and the color. There’s more stuff I want, but I think I’ll save that for another post.
I’m not saying the site is perfect; there’s going to have to be a bit more range in the women’s sizes for me to truly throw it as a pick for everyone - I guess I’m spoiled by Lane Bryant & Co. However, there are some lovely things here either way - if nothing else, visit the site to get a good feel about what’s out there. That’ll go a long way to helping you craft a style you’ll love!
As if 750+ stores aren’t enough, Lane Bryant is opening up outlet stores hopefully in a place near you.
The initial incentive to stop in is 25% off orders over $50; they’re striving to keep you in the outlet stores by helping you save 25 - 40% off every day. If the promises hold up to reality, I definately predict a massive shift in the way Lane Bryant / Charming Shoppes sees purchases being made.
Right now, I don’t see too many offerings, but there’s enough locations that hopefully the journey out to the new outlet stores won’t be too hard on your head — or your wallet. I fully expect Lane Bryant to roll out new outlet stores incrementally over the next 8 months.
I’ll most likely be going to the Branson, MO location in September when I pass through Springfield to see Mr. Deluxe. Maybe I’ll catch you fashionable ladies and gents there!
Note: the 25% off orders over 50 bucks deal ends Aug. 31, 2006. It’s not valid in the traditional store, or online. Buyer beware.
It’s not a secret that Fashion Bug, Lane Bryant, and Catherine’s are owned by the same company, Charming Shoppes, Inc. I’m going to pick on them a little bit on this article, but I’m sure we can all come up with sites that have similar problems.
I’m sure there’s a brillant marketing reason behind it, but if Charming Shoppes owns all three stores, it would be nice to have one of their store cards work for the other two. For example, if I stroll into Fashion Bug, I should be able to use my Lane Bryant store card. I think this would be a big hit to shoppers that mix-and-match clothes from all three people.
I mean, I can use a Lane Bryant gift card at Fashion Bug - is there a leap of faith between gift card and store credit card? Sheesh.
Don’t make me google for your products. Do I like Google? Of course I do! However, when I go to your site, I expect to be able to search for products directly on the page. Looking up item IDs isn’t always the best approach. When I was hunting down the Bra6, it took me forever to do because I had to go through the entire bra section and search with my eyes. If I wasn’t such a grizzled old net.person, I most likely wouldn’t have bothered. That equals lost revenue.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but as of this post, I don’t see a traditional search feature. C’mon, Charming Shoppes - women everywhere love your site. We can’t get complacent here.
This isn’t really a gripe, more like something that I want to see. I really wish that all 3 sites carried some sort of RSS-fu. That way, I could load up my favorite newsreader (I’m a BlogLines girl) and get the latest scoops. Again, if this feature exists, feel free to comment and clobber me.
I know that no site is perfect, but if I’m going to drop good money to improve my wardrobe, I (and all of you other customers out there!) should pinpoint problems and talk it up.
Update: I wrote a short letter to Charming Shoppes, Inc. I hope to hear back from them within “five business days”. I’ll post the letter when I get home.
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dee·lux·GRRL n.An intelligent, dynamic female who isn't afraid to take risks, take time for herself, or create her own unique style!
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