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I'll be back with regular posts again really soon but I wanted to point out these coupons from Kiyonna - you can save $30 off a purchase of $150 or more with the code Save30 or $75 off a purchase of $250 or more with the code Save75. Plus, all orders over $50 ship free. The coupons are good through January 1st.
IGIGI is having their Friends and Family event and you can receive 30% off your purchase with the code HOLIDAYS07 through December 31st. With express shipping, you still have time to order a perfect New Year's Eve dress.
I have a wicked cold and I'm sure I won't be over it until Christmas day or something. I probably won't be posting here much over the next week so I want to wish everyone Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, joy to the world, etc.
I want to thank everyone who commented on the giveaway post. Thank you so much for sharing your stories and memories. They were all really just fantastic and some even made me cry a little. The first ever giveaway is closed and the lucky winner has been notified. I had so much fun with this and I look forward to doing more in the future! Woohoo!
I recently ordered the Sovereign dress from b&lu. The picture to the left is me in said dress, you can click to see it full size. I apologize for the crappy image quality. Word has it that Santa's bringing me a real digital camera for Christmas.
There are some great things about this dress. The fabric is softer and more substantial than I was expecting. It has a bit of heft to it without being heavy, which is great for winter but not too much for spring and fall. The fit is really nice. I ordered by my bust size and thankfully, it isn't too snug on my lower half, perfect for pear shaped ladies. The quality is good, especially considering it costs under $65. I like the details, including the long tie that can be wrapped in a few different ways and the waist inset and gray borders that go all the way around, rather than just across the front. This dress has expensive details without being pricey.
There are a few things I'm unsure about as well. I feel like it's too long and hemming this dress would be a pain. The sleeves are either a little too short or way too long, I can't decide. When I asked my boyfriend what he thought of the dress, he said it looked like I was in an "Amish church cult." I think he means that it's a little dowdy and overall, it seems like a bit much for me. All the black is overwhelming.
Bottom line: I'm not sure if I'm going to keep this particular dress but I will gladly order more pieces from b&lu in the future.
Gosh, December is just flying by, isn't it? By now, you're probably wrapping up the final details on holiday parties and get togethers. Maybe you're totally prepared and have all of your cute little outfits all planned out. Or maybe you have no idea what to wear and you're running around like a crazed chicken? Right now would be a really good time to check out Sydney's Closet Holiday Collection. They've pulled a bunch of looks from their huge selection of plus size formal wear just for the holidays. They have approximately one billion dresses on their site but here are a couple that I love.
Galaxy Dress
You have to click through and view the close up of this dress, it's so pretty. At $270, it's on the spendy side but you're paying for beautiful details like the gorgeous hand beaded lace. This dress is available in sizes 4 - 34 and has built in bra cups so you don't have to worry about a bra.
Black Forest Dress
Ok so, I like ruffles. Not over the top, lacey, insane ballerina ruffles but pretty, understated, elegant yet whimsical ruffles. I love the simplicity of this dress but I do feel like it needs something, maybe a skinny belt at the waist or pretty shawl. Oh! Wrist length gloves! That'd be so freakin' CHIC. Ahem. Anyway, this dress comes in other colors besides black (crimson, navy, etc.) and is available in sizes 0 - 44.
Your comments on yesterday's post were so great and now I'm feeling quite cheered up. Go you! In the spirit of the holidays and bringing a little joy and cheer to someone else's life. I've decided to have a "Winter Kind of Sucks So Here's a Gift Card, Now Go Buy Something Fabulous! Giveaway"
It's a long name but I think it gets the point across.
The prize: a $200 gift card for the store of your choosing, to spend on whatever you want. The only restriction is that they have to offer online ordering for gift cards.
How to enter: Leave a comment on this post and tell me about your favorite holiday tradition, the best gift you ever gave or received, or another heart warming tale along those lines. Make sure to include a valid email address with your comment.
How to win: I'll use a random number generator and the corresponding comment wins. So if it picks #15, the fifteenth comment on this post wins.
When: From right now until midnight Central time on Monday, December 17. I'll notify the winner later that day, in the afternoon.
Who can enter: Anyone! Tell your friends!
Other stuff: You can enter as many times as you want but please don't go crazy. Try to make each comment different and put some effort into it. I've turned on comment moderation to keep out spam and douche bags. I'll be rejecting comments at my discretion so again, don't go crazy. Submitting a bunch of comments in a row will probably trigger the spam filter, so again DON'T GO CRAZY. Don't worry if you don't see your comment published right away, I'll likely have to publish them in batches.
Ok, let's party!
This time of year is always tough and it seems to get worse after the New Year. There's always that dreadful gap between the holidays and my birthday in March, when spring is right around the corner and I start to feel more like a human being again. Winter is just so dark and dreary and honestly, a little depressing.
If you look back through the years of writing I've done here, you'll see that there's always a drop off in the winter. I think I have that Seasonal Affect Disorder thing going on but honestly, who doesn't feel a little less peppy when it's 12 degrees and cloudy outside? Having said that, I'm determined to keep myself out of that hole as much as possible this time around and I need your help.
I want you to leave comments on this post with a silly story, a fashion question, a silly fashion question, whatever you can think of. Is there something you want me to write about that isn't exactly a question? Is there something you're in love with right now that you want to share? How do you get through the winter blues? What color are you favorite pajamas? Just leave a comment and perk me up.
I do have some ideas for posts coming up so don't worry, I'm not going anywhere :P
I've written about the Pecan boots from Avenue previously (here) and after staring at them for a while online, I finally decided to order a pair for myself. They're on sale and I had a coupon and if they didn't fit, returning them to a store would be easy, so why not give them a try?
I'm pretty sure I have around a 20 inch calf but I decided to play it safe and go with these because they can be adjusted up to 23 inches with the laces up the back. I wear between a size 8 and 9 in shoes, so I ordered the 8.5. They come in both wide and double wide widths, I ordered the WW width. The shoe part of the boot fits fine. I could probably wear the wide width but I like the extra bit of room for comfort and room for socks on extra cold days.
The shaft part of the boot was a bit of a struggle, even after loosening the laces. I really had to work at getting them zipped up. After I got past my lower leg, they were easier to get on. Now that I've broken them in, they zip up pretty easily. There's a wide gusset in back, under the laces, that provides a good three or four inches of adjustment room at the top and down the leg. The laces are really stretchy, too. I'd recommend taking the laces out completely, wearing them for a while to break them in, and then re-lace to get the right fit.
These aren't super high quality, leather boots and they're not pretending to be. They look really good, better than I expected and I'm pretty thrilled to have found a pair of boots that actually fit my thick legs. I don't typically wear any type of heel but the two inch heel on these is sturdy and totally doable, even for my klutzy self. My only complaint is that the sole of the shoe part is grippy and the sole on the heel is a little slippy. It's a tad unbalanced.
Overall, I'm very pleased. I'd recommend these boots if:
Bunnah asks:
Where do girls with big "girls" go to get measured? I would love to go to a professional to be measured, but I don't think many of the boutique shops would carry my size? (I'm, at a minimum (I think) a 44D.) Help?! (FYI... I'm not sure where you're located, or if anyone will have any ideas for my local area, but I'm from the DC area.)
This is a good question, Bunnah. They (whoever they are) say you should be measured once a year, or whenever you lose or gain a significant amount of weight. You should also replace your bras every six months. Realistically, if you take good care of your bras and hand wash them, they should last a bit longer than that. It also helps to rotate your bras every day and give them at least a day to let the elastic rest.
Anyway, where to go? I just went this past weekend to my local Lane Bryant because my favorite bras felt a little off. I measured at the same size I have forever (44D, go figure) but I decided to try a few different styles in different sizes. I bought three styles of bras in two different sizes, 42 and 44 C. Your size can differ between styles, even from the same store. It's like clothes - figure out a baseline size and then go up and down from there depending on how each style fits.
Lane Bryant employees are all trained on how to properly measure bra size and help a customer select styles. Most major department stores also train the employees in their lingerie department on how to measure for bras. I don't know of specialty lingerie stores in the DC area but the Yellow Pages is a good place to start. I'd call ahead and tell them that you want a bra fitting. They might even make a special appointment for you so you get all the attention and time you need.
Wherever you go, it's unlikely that anyone will care if you have larger breasts. In fact, they're trained to help fit women of all sizes and bras now come in a huge array of sizes and shapes. Getting the right fit can be tricky, though so set aside some time, be patient, and be open to trying styles and sizes that you might not pick for yourself. Be honest about how each bra fits and don't settle for "ok." The right bra should support without being uncomfortable.
And one last tip - bring a bottle of water. Trust me.
Have a question? Ask me here!
Shannon asks:
I live in Seattle and winter is approaching, which means rain. Often it seems to just mist rather than rain and I hate umbrellas. I have one of those short packable rain jackets from Land's End, but I would like to invest in a thigh-length waterproof jacket of some sort, preferably not too warm. I'm about an 18 on top and 24 on bottom, which makes long-coat-shopping difficult. Have you seen anything which might fit my needs?
I have three letters for you: Q V C. I'm not kidding. When I was looking for a jacket earlier in the season, I was blown away by all of the outerwear options on the QVC website. And pretty much everything on the site is available in sizes up to 3X.
Given your sizes, I'd look for an A line cut and order by my top size. That will fit a lot better than going by your hip size and hoping for the best on top. The Dennis Basso line has a lot of really great jackets and coats so search for that name to see more. Some of the jackets are water resistant. The one pictured here is water repellent for $50, the item number is A71079.
And you know what else is really great? There's a section for each item where customers can write reviews. I love that because it says to me that QVC stands behind the quality of their products.
Eve asks:
I was wondering if you ever came across good ski clothes - especially pants. I have a ski trip coming up and I'm amazed at the lack of info out there for plus size ski clothes.
Head on over to Junonia. They have all kinds of plus size active wear, including three styles of ski pants and a whole bunch of jackets. Swoosh!
Have a question? You know what to do.
Well. I wasn't expecting so much conversation about this but I'm glad to see it, here and over at Shapely Prose. Some wheels must've clicked at Old Navy HQ because I just got this email from their customer service:
Thank you for your e-mail regarding our Women's Plus line. As you know, as difficult a decision as it was, we have removed the Women's Plus line from all of our Old Navy stores. Please accept our sincere apologies for any disappointment this may cause you.
We welcome you, however, to take advantage of our Friends & Family Days offer. To do so, simply print your e-mail and place an online order in any Old Navy store and it will be honored. Alternatively, use the promotion code [I'm leaving the code out, it looks like a one use only code] to receive 20% off online or by telephone by calling [ON's 800 number]. Our online representatives are available 24 hours a day to assist you with questions or order placement.
This isn't the same response that other people have gotten so they must have received enough phone calls and emails that they decided to start offering the coupon online, but probably only if you actually contact customer service.
I just want to reiterate that my goal here wasn't necessairly to get the coupon. Now that I have it, I probably won't even use it (though.. am tempted. ARGH!) My goal was just to point out to them that not offering the coupon to customers who can only shop online was unfair and that I was disappointed. This is called an "opinion." We all have them and I encourage you to share yours whenever you can.
