Mo Livin' Large

"I'd have to say that, in general, models take themselves too seriously....

.... Basically, they are genetic freaks who spend a couple of hours in hair and makeup." ~ Rebecca Romijn

Last week, Macy's posted a load of pictures centered around their Spring plus size apparel on Facebook.

I swear, you would have thought they'd posted a picture a grisly crime scene with the amount of flack they received over those pictures. Over 75% of the 250+ comments were about the models and how they aren't plus size because no one appears to be larger than a size 10 or 12. The fans went on and criticized the clothes themselves, saying the clothes were matronly, the prints unflattering for women of size  and that there was no use of color.

Either I'm getting old or my sense of what's stylish and attractive isn't what it used to be, but I found absolutely nothing wrong with the clothes. I admit, after reviewing the website for awhile, I found quite a few pieces I would never consider buying, but the reality is not only can I say the same thing about Lane Bryant, but I actually found more at Macy's I'd like to buy this spring than I did from Lane Bryant.

A dozen or so years ago, I actually used to work for Marshall Field's here in Michigan, which for those of you who don't remember is now Macy's. Back then we had a half dozen racks of Koret and Alfred Dunner which, with the exception of a few (very few) select pieces, were synonymous with granny clothes. Jones New York was our primary suiting brand, though we had a bunch of suit sets for $79.99 in the dresses departments that again appealed to our 70 and over clientele. Evening dresses cames in about five colors: black, navy, champagne/ivory, mauve and powder blue. And we also seemed to carry every Liz Claiborne horizontally striped t-shirt and sweater known to man. 

In short, with the exception of the (at the time) new Ralph Lauren lines, my paycheck was never in imminent danger of being in the negative with all of the clothes I was buying. In fact, more often than not, my friend B and I were blowing up the Comments and Suggestions box with requests for a more stylish selection, more color choices, and just an overhaul of the complete buying-for-plus-size process. 

I personally think that in 12 years, plus size fashion has come a long way. Not only do we have the mainstays of Lane Bryant, Avenue, and Ashley Stewart, but designers such as Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Michael Kors, Calvin Klein, Karen Kane, Marina Rinaldi, and Jessica Simpson, among many others, have jumped on the bandwagon. We have a wonderful selection of plus size apparel nowadays.

So why are all of the Macy's Facebook fans crying foul regarding the lack of plus size models? Don't they realize how far we've come? (I'm being sincere here. I really just don't get it).

I received a catalog for Roamans, an online plus size store, about three weeks ago. Last week, I received a catalog for Jessica London, another online plus size retailer. Neither catalog featured plus size models. And these are plus size specific companies. I browsed through Avenue's website and again, by the Macy's fans definition of plus size models, no plus size models were to found on Avenue's website either. In fact the only plus size companies Macy's fans used as examples for plus size models were Torrid and Lane Bryant.

So isn't it ironic that Lane Bryant's Ashley Graham is also found on Macy's website modeling for INC International Concepts, Nine West, Spense and Macy's own brand Style&co?

Yes, I would love to see a woman larger than a size 12 model clothes for plus sizes. Am I going to take Macy's to task for not using such a model like most of the commentators on Facebook did? No. Or at least not right away. Because I firmly believe that plus size specific companies, such as Avenue, Lane Bryant, Roamans, and Jessica London need to raked over the coals for alienating their clientele first before Macy's, who caters to all sizes, gets called in front of the firing squad first.

Oh, and the dress? I just bought it at Macy's last week. Like I said, lots of things I want to buy there this season.  ;)

 

"Beauty has a lot to do with character." - Kevyn Aucoin

I was poking around on Yahoo's Shine today and came across this article: Do You Change Your Beauty Routine For Men? In it, the Allure Daily Beauty Reporter recalls how she stopped in the midst of getting ready for a date to completely change her make-up look from the one she'd been planning on to one she felt might be more appreciated by the man she was going to see that night. Which of course begs the quesiton: do you change your beauty routine for men?

I have long been the friend many turn to when they have a beauty question. "Have you tried this moisturizer?" or "I need a product that performs this miracle, what do you suggest?" are oftentimes
put in front of me in casual conversation. I have at any given point four or five lip glosses/sticks in my purse, as well as blotting powders, a pencil or two, and even a sharpener. As you can tell from the picture, I'm a huge fan of Bare Naturals and Too Faced cosmetics. Anyway....

When I first met Dipshit (yes, it's another Dipshit-related story), I was going through a phase. I had cut off all my hair, dyed it red (not a good look for me as it turns out), and I decided to embrace my au naturale self. I went through this phase of doing the bare minimum to make myself presentable and for some reason, I was a really frumpy dresser during this time. I moved to Chicago, one of the more chic cities in our wonderful nation, and continued this boneheaded idea until one morning when I was getting ready for work and I looked in the mirror and didn't recognize myself.

Literally, I had no idea who this stranger was. I went to work, asked my boss if I could take a half day, and made an appointment at Marshall Fields to get my hair cut and colored. Before I went into the salon, I stopped at the MAC counter and dropped an easy $300 on myself. And thus my au naturale phase came to a screeching halt and never again have I traveled down that frightening road.

I was loyal to MAC for awhile, and then it was Body Shop. I tried Lancome, Clinique, Revlon, and many others along the way but it wasn't until my girlfriend Brande' told me about BareEscentuals 
that I became loyal to one brand and never strayed again (six years and STILL going strong!). Yet I also find myself drawn to Too Faced cosmetics, though mostly because I love their palettes. Especially the Naked Eye and Natural Eye collections (yes, I own both).

WARNING: I digress for a moment (completely surprising that I'd digress isn't it?).

So I had a date last weekend with a guy by the name of Preston (hilarious blog post to follow). And I wore something that I deemed casual. Now when I say I deemed it casual, what you need to understand here is that I have a tendency to be a notch or two overdressed for an occassion. I mean, hey, I'm the girl who owned two pairs of jeans in college and about four pairs of khakis, two pairs of navy pants, and three pairs of black pants. In short, I rarely wore jeans in college. And I didn't own sweatpants until my late twenties. Yes, I do own sweatshirts, but I'm not going to lie. They're both Ralph Lauren (and one bright orange Mackinac sweatshirt that I can't fit into but still holds sentimental value for me and perhaps Brande' too).

Anyways.... For this date I wore a pair of white flip flops, white capris, and an aqua Talbot's 3/4 length sleeve ballet neckline t-shirt with a white hummingbird on it. My hair was perfectly coiffed, my make up wasn't what I'd wear to the bar but rather what I'd wear to work, and I had on some cute aqua earrings.

He wore flip flops, khaki cargo shorts, and a gray Popeye t-shirt.

So in light of the fact that while I've heard from Preston sporadically since our date (yes, I'm guessing he met someone else whose grass is greener than mine), I've found myself wondering if perhaps I came off as being too high maintenance for him. On the otherhand, this is a guy who is comfortable with eggplant colored furniture in his living room so perhaps not. Either way, I think I may try a look that's a bit more subdued if we should perchance meet up again.

 

“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.”

Turns out, not all of Albert Einstein's smarts were related to science.

Anyways.... This is going to be a post filled with random things I've learned over the past few weeks.

• In Detroit, it takes an hour and a half for the police to arrive at the scene of a (non-injury) car accident, but less than an hour to ticket you for parking too close to a fire hydrant.
• It requires twenty to thirty FBI investigators to investigate fraudulent health insurance claims. And they don't hesitate to use battering rams.
• If your tenant is two or more months behind on rent, one should issue an eviction notice as you never know who's going to be looking for said tenant.
• I am definitely not a fan of Weight Watchers Edamame Salad but I love their Chickpea and Feta Salad. I'm not saying I don't like edamame, by the way, but that salad just didn't do it for me. But don't take my word on it; try it yourself. 
• I am either a complete whack job or much nicer than most people think, but either way, I get invited to parties by people I've never met in person.
• One asshole in the office can ruin an otherwise (relatively) happy place to work. Lesson to be learned here? Don't be the office asshole.

And the random things I've learned ends and the new places I've learned about begins.

A few weekends ago, some girlfriends and I went to the new Imagine Theater downtown Royal Oak 
to see Bridesmaids (if you haven't seen it yet, do! It's hilarious, both for men and women). Anyways, as we roamed downtown Royal Oak, we made two discoveries I want to share. Before the movie, we went into Creative Arts Studio where we found a plethora of amazing and well priced jewelry and other accessories as well as a studio where you can learn how to fuse glass, throw a potter's wheel, make beaded jewelry, paint on glass and many, many other creative art techniques. You can check them out on their website http://creativeartsstudios.com/.

So for the past two years, I have been obsessed with cupcakes. Not just to eat, but everything cupcakes. I have a cupcake trinket my mom bought, endless cupcake stamps for my card making hobby, recipe books dedicated to cupcakes, and so much more. So with cupcake bakeries springing up all over, is it any wonder I love Taste Love Cupcakes? They're located on Main Street south of 11 Mile and just a little teeny bit north of Fourth Street. My personal favorite is the chocolate on chocolate, but I've heard absolutely wonderful things about the vegan too.  Check out their FB page too for their daily specialty flavors.

I could rattle off a dozen other Royal Oak business I love, including 6 Salon, Beirut Palace, Skyward Group (be sure to ask for my friends Jen Stillwagon or Jeff Watson), and Caroline, Inc., owned by the beautiful Caroline Groeneveld. But I won't.

Instead, you'll just have to check out Drag Queen Bingo at Five15 for yourself.

P.S. - I started a FB Fan page for my blog. Check it out and "like it" for more up-to-the-minute news and witticisms I have to share.  :)

 

Whoever said money can't buy happiness simply didn't know where to go shopping.

Bo Derek said that. The irony in using this quote today is that it's about that one item all women dread shopping for. Swimsuits. And if you don't know why I'm mentioning irony about a Bo Derek quote being used in a blog post about swimsuits, then you need to crawl back under the rock you just came out from under.

Okay, so it's been awhile since I've posted about anything related to being plus-size, so let's make up for lost time and discuss different sites to purchase a plus size swimsuit.

There's the usual full figure shopping sites such as Lane Bryant, Avenue, Catherine's and Fashion Bug. Followed by the department stores i.e. Sears, Macy's, JCPenney, Lord and Taylor and Parisian (which unfortunately doesn't have a website for shopping in your jammies ease). And finally, the typical discount stores such as Wal-Mart, Target, Kmart, and Meijer (again, no online buying so hence, no link). I'm going to assume you know all about those already and get down to the nitty gritty. The sites you may not be aware of.

First up: Kiyonna. Now, Kiyonna's selection is by far the smallest with only two styles. But they're so cute, I just had to include them. That, and I've been on a retro kick lately. As I mentioned in a previous blog post featuring Kiyonna, don't let the price stop you. Kiyonna's quality is worth the quantity of money.  The pic at right is Kiyonna's Ava Convertible suit. Adorable, right? 

Secondly, another website featuring vintage swimwear for plus sizes. ModCloth. I've personally never ordered from this site, but I've heard nothing but good things about them. My one problem with the site in general? There's no way to sort plus sizes from the misses. Even so, check out their adorable dresses and stuff for the home.

Next I bring to you one of the best known sites world wide for swim suit shopping. Land's End. Known world-wide for the quality of its swimsuits, Land's End not only has one of the largest selections of plus size swimwear, but they're also one of the few sites that caters to both plus size petites and plus size talls. One of my favorite perks of Land's End? You basically get to design your own suit. They have both soft and underwire cup tops, you can shop by cup size, and the colors, styles, and selection of swimwear is hard to beat. And right now, all of their swimwear is 25% off until May 17th.

H2O Wear is another good site.  They go up to a size 32, cater to all heights (short, regular and long torso anyone?) and they have both one piece and swim separates options. The site itself can be a bit tricky to navigate, but the site may be of particular interest to those of you who frequent the community, gym, or backyard pools as all of their swimwear is chlorine resistant.

Swimoutlet is a site offering a variety of higher-end swimwear brands at a slightly reduced rate. It's worth checking out as they have some cute stuff that may be hard to come by.

Always For Me is a site catering strictly to plus sizes. They feature a lot of swimdresses and one pieces, and allow you to shop by cup sizes (always a great option for us busty gals). The one thing I'm not enamored of? Their tankinis don't have a mix and match option for tops vs. bottoms.

Another site with a great selection of swimwear is Swimsuits for All. Now they start at a size 8, but don't let that stop you from checking out 12 pages worth of adorable plus size swimwear. They carry up to a size 34, have the shop by cup size option, and also have a selection for Breast Cancer survivors. Plus, they carry the a larger variety of the brands you'll find on Swimoutlet.

And finally, the site I bought my suit from last year. Swimsuits Just For Us. This site covers it all. Mastectomy patients, large sizes (24W-34W), mix and match pieces, and polyester suits for chlorinated pools. My only complaint about the site? Their return policy is just two weeks. So I still have the board shorts I bought last summer that were not only too big but scratchy as well. 

So there you have it ladies. A pretty inexhaustible list of sites to find pretty plus size swimsuits including Delta Burke, Penbrooke, Speedo, MiracleSuit and so many others it will make your head swim (as always, that pun was totally intended).  

Come To Your Senses!

Two weeks ago, I posted my first attempt at copying Daily Candy's Weekend Guide. I've decided I'd like to make this a weekly post (or at the very least a twice monthly post), and so without further ado....

FEAST YOUR EYES ON...

I came to hear about Tess Gerritsen last summer when TNT aired a new series,  Riz zoli and Isles, based on her books. While I highly recommend the series, I'm really enthralled with her book The Bone Garden. Set in Boston in both the present day and 1830, the book follows present day recent divorcee Julia Hammill's startling discovery of a buried skeleton in her garden, and the original story from 1830 of how the skeleton got there. If you're a fan of James Patterson, you'll enjoy Tess Gerritsen's works.  

LISTEN TO THIS!

I was walking through Barnes & Noble two weeks ago and browsing their music selection when I found a 50% off rack. I didn't expect to find anything I'd be interested in, but when I come across an album entitled "Lucy Woodward... Is Hot And Bothered" I have to admit intrigue. A quick stop at a listening station confirmed it'd be a worthwhile purchase (but it's a B&N exclusive which is kind of a bummer but still worth it). Listen to it on a mellow Friday or Saturday night with a glass of wine or a cup of your favorite tea, and tell me if she isn't a bit whimsical along the same  lines as KT Tunstall.  

 

IT'S MOUTHWATERING

This Parmesan Chicken recipe is one of my favorite and perfect all year long, and I even go as far as making up a batch of the lemon vinagrette by itself to use as a daily salad dressing. Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa, published this in her Family Style cookbook. Remember that grated is the fluffy stuff as opposed to shredded cheese, and the only other two things I'll say about this recipe is: a) make sure you wipe out the frying pan between cooking each batch or the pan will start smoking and the breading will burn, and b) do NOT attempt to make these ahead of time until I've figured out a way to do it without making them soggy. Serve with the salad greens on top, underneath or side by side, and I highly recommend with sauteed carrots. 

 

DO YOU SMELL SOMETHING?

I first discovered Archipelago Botanical's Signature Soy candles in 2002 at Cali's Cottons Boutique in Traverse City (I WISH she had a website). While all of their scents are absolu
tely wonderful, Bergamot Tobacco still remains my personal favorite. It's a wonderfully masculine scent (but not in a sandalwood kind of way) with a hint of floral to it. In short, you're going to love it without worrying about men yelling about girly smells. They also offer a bath and body line, and the entire product range is natural-based. 

OOOOOOOOOOO.... FEEL THIS!

My friend and college roommate Brande' first introduced me to Bare Escentuals in 2005, and subsequently in the past six years, I've bought two bottles of liquid foundation (but only to tide me over until pay day). It's the company that started the entire mineral make up craze, and I can't say enough good things about their products. The coverage is fantastic without the look and feel of pancake make up. The color ranges rival MAC's. And today, and today only, they're having a 30% sale on 20 of their most popular products. Unfortunately, the original bareMinerals foundation is NOT included, but so many of their other products are and so... basically just check it out. And you're going to love the way your skin not only looks but feels after using these products. Trust me. (P.S.-- use the link I included. You won't be able to get into the sale without it!). 

Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination.

Just for the record, Oscar Wilde deserves the credit for my post's title today.  :)

As promised, dear readers, I am continuing my Wish List Plus post, which I originally started on December 3rd. I went researching more Plus Size websites, and decided that today's post will be dedicated to decadence. Mostly because every shop I browsed through is a bit... well, pricey.

Bedhead Pajamas: This site is dedicated to pajamas and robes for everyone. Their size chart is very generous, I've got to say, and their pajamas look absolutely divine. But at a starting price of $118, they're priced WAY out of most curvy girls' league. They top out at $234 a pair, and you need to allow for an extra 4 to 6 weeks for delivery. In short, they're only suitable to buy for your best friend's birthday and Christmas all rolled into one present or for your mom's Mother's Day present assuming her birthday is in November and your credit card has had significant recovery time.

Neiman Marcus: One of the quintesential American luxury department stores known the world over (and not just for their cookies!). While I won't buy anything full priced, some of their clearance prices are, in fact, quite reasonable when you take into consideration some of the brands include Johnny Was, Eileen Fisher, and Caroline Rose.

Saks Fifth Avenue: If I mentioned Neiman, it's only fair to mention Saks. I've never been a fan, as I find their prices overly ridiculous, even when they do hold sales or have clearance items. But they do offer Anna Scholz, Marina Rinaldi, and Tahari among others.

Bloomingdale's: I actually tried shopping at Bloomie's quite a bit when I was living in Chicago. I say tried because usually when I found something I liked in the store, they never had it in my size. I don't consider Bloomingdale's to be a major contender along with Neiman's and Saks, yet it's a notch or two above Macy's (IMO). But they offer the best of both worlds by mixing in the aforementioned Johnny Was and Tahari alongside with Jones New York and Ralph Lauren. They also move stock much faster than both Saks and Neiman's, so it's worth it to spend six weeks waiting for price changes.

Lee Lee's Valise: The first site I've mentioned that's dedicated to nothing but plus sizes. I like Lee Lee's offerings, I do, but when your cheapest skirt is $98 and your Sale items seem non-existent.... you've put yourself in the luxury purchase category.

Evans: Again, this website is dedicated to nothing but plus sizes. They have something for everyone here, but here's the catch for us Americans. The catch is that this is a UK site, and therefore, you're spending $16 USD for every10 pounds (I can't cut and paste a pound symbol, sorry) in UK currency.

Talbots: I'm a fan of Talbots, but then again, I've always been something of a preppy/classic dresser. Their quality is consistently some of the best, as evidenced by the navy blue suit I bought six years ago that has withstood the test of time (I do change the blouse and the shoes though). In fact, it still remains my number one choice for interviews. Their prices start high, not going to lie, but like Bloomingdale's, their merchandise moves fast and you'll most likely see drops starting about three weeks after it's first put on the site.

So there you go curvy fashionistas! Another edition of Wish List Plus.  :) More to come next month.

 

 

I want candy! Daily Candy that is....

Once upon a time, I lived in the major metropolitan city of Chicago. One day, the beautiful Mo tripped across something leading her to a wonderful daily email from a website called Daily Candy. These daily emails were devoted to helping Chicago aficionados find the new, unusual, and best things in Chicago. My how I miss those emails.

I digress. Daily Candy also had an email for everyone, everywhere called The Weekend Guide (here's a sample of one for Chicago). I enjoy the format so much that I'm going to create my own little version of The Weekend Guide. So without further ado....

 

EAT

Extra-Crusty Baked Rigatoni with Beef Ragu

What: Despite its lengthy name, this is an easy Italian dish that’s a cross between lasagna and baked spaghetti. It’s almost guaranteed to become a favorite comfort food, is perfect for company, and is even better as leftovers. Bump the meat up to 2 lbs. instead of 1 ½ and to save extra calories substitute evaporated skim milk for the cream.

When: Sunday night

Why: Because it’s too good and too easy to pass up.

 

 

VIEW

Easy A  

What: A modern non-John Hughes John Hughes film featuring the adorable Emma Stone as olive Penderghast, a girl who loses her virginity and becomes the school’s own Hester Prynne by way of the school’s gossip mill.

When: Sunday night (ideally while you’re enjoying your Extra-Crusty Baked Rigatoni with Beef Ragu

Why: Witty enough to hold your interest, strong enough to fill part of the gap left by the death of John Hughes, and an awesome soundtrack.

 

LISTEN

Melody Gardot’s “My One and Only Thrill”   

What: A wonderful compilation of her own songs with a few old standards (“If The Stars Were Mine” and “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”) thrown in for good measure. While her style is definitely reminiscent of Ella and Eartha Kitt, her voice is more a mixture of Diana Krall and Sarah McLachlan.

When: Friday night as you’re unwinding after work or Sunday morning as you’re getting ready for Brunch with your friends.

Why: Your can’t help but feel uplifted and cheery listening to Melody’s melodies.

 

 

SMELL

Body Shop’s “The Mother of All Sales” 

Bath and Body Works’ “Hello, Yellow” sale

What: Two of the best bath and body product stores annual sales. I recommend the Spiced Vanilla items at Body Shop, and Brown Sugar & Fig is always a popular (but discontinued!) scent at Bath & Body Works.

When: Saturday morning before or after you do your Facebook viewing

Why: Get an entire year’s worth of bath and body goods for the cost of what you’d spend in one visit.

 

JUST BECAUSE

Talbots' Red Hanger Sale

What: Talbots has put just about all of their winter items on sale starting at 40% off. Be sure to check out their Sale and Outlet tabs for even better deals. They have misses, petites, tall, women’s, and women’s petites sizes along with shoes, jewelry and other accessories. BE WARNED THOUGH. Everything in the Sale and Outlet tab are Final Sale.

When: NOW! Seriously, for Friday only they have free S&H on any purchase.

Why: Because dress pants for work at $24 a pair is just too good to pass up!

 

 

Oh, the tangled web we shop?

I, like most of my friends and family, don't have as much money for Christmas shopping as I have had in years past, and so over the past few years I've tried to develop a system to make Christmas shopping easier and cheaper without losing my mind (there are those that would argue my mind was lost years ago, but for the purposes of my blog here let's pretend that isn't the case).  Apparently, with the entire country struggling to make ends meet, holiday budgets are a huge topic of conversation everywhere, whether it be on Shine (Yahoo's Lifestyle section) or in magazines with their ever popular Holiday Gift Guides. I particularly found Glamour's Slaves To Fashion's  article Holiday Shopping On A Budget: An Almost But Not Quite Scientific Plan Of Attack of interest (so much so that I was the first person to comment on it). Which got me wondering... with the Internet, how has holiday shopping changed?

When we were kids, my mom used to plop my brother and I down with the Christmas Wish Book from Sears and JcPenney (remember when both stores used to send your parents the 300+ Christmas catalog?). Armed with colored Sharpies, each of us paged through the catalogs circling our innermost Christmas desires. Unfortunately by the time my little sister came along, the Christmas catalog from Sears was a thing of the past and JcPenney's catalog was only a shadow of its former glory. Thankfully Toys R Us had caught on and released their wish book the weekend before Thanksgiving.

Ten years ago when I first moved to Chicago, I was all about individuality. I walked up and down the Magnificent Mile (Michigan Avenue), dragging my boyfriend along looking for that perfect gift for each of the twenty-five people on our list. Fast forward five years to 2005 when I was doing half my shopping online and shipping it to my mom's to save the hassle of packing and unpacking the car in between Chicago and Detroit.

Nowadays, it's give or take. With the exception of two, possibly three gifts, everything I bought this year was purchased online. I comparison shopped between the discount stores (Target, Walmart, etc.) and the bookstores and still found Amazon to be the cheapest for the gifts I bought for my parents, grandpa, and sister. It was actually cheaper to buy my friend Liz's gift online since the store had a web-only sale going on with free S&H even though there's a brick and mortar within 10 miles of my house. Thanks to a $15 gift "card" I received via email, my friend Mary's gift got upgraded to a better version of what I had intended to purchase and I got the benefit of not only free S&H, but a little something for myself.

Some years I've done all of my Christmas shopping based on available balance of my store credit cards (hello Macy's and Kohl's). Other years I've done all of my shopping at TJMaxx or Marshall's. And sometimes it's just a matter of what my yearly theme is, whether it's bath and beauty products (Body Shop or the ever popular Bath & Body Works), or day by day calendars with a mug (a combination of Barnes and Noble and coffee shops around the neighborhood).

Next  year though I've already decided to do my Christmas shopping handmade. Thank goodness for Etsy. And the web too, of course.