The Pretty Pear

Adorable indie tees from Shanalogic!

Shana from shanalogic.com contacted me to let me know about a new selection of super cute tees she's carrying. They're available in sizes up to 3X, which is about 48" in the bust from the measurements given on the site. Here's the scoop from Shana herself:

I run a small online boutique called shanalogic.com. It's a site that features 100% independently designed and handmade items by artists from around the world. One thing I've noticed is that it's really hard to find indie clothing in larger sizes so I've been working really hard to make sure I have items in the plus sized range. I have about 12 amazingly cute tops that go up to 3xl and am working to make more (some of them were even designed by me!) I also have a lot of jewelry and necklaces that go up to 18-20".

My favorites are the Cupcake Love and Robot Love designs!

Have you ordered from eShakti?

I’ve been keeping an eye on the eShakti website for a while now (years, probably) but have resisted ordering this whole time. I do check in occasionally to see what’s new but nothing has ever really grabbed me. The dress to the right is really tempting, though and the custom sizing and styling options are hard to pass up.

However, the reviews I’ve read are so hit or miss, I’m extremely hesitant to order. For example, this review sounds like a total nightmare but this review on Fatshionista sounds pretty great. See why I’m confused?

If you’ve ever ordered from eShakti and can share your experience with me, either in the comments for this post or through my contact form, I’d really appreciate it! I’d like to just take a chance and order so I can write my own review but I want a better idea of what I’m getting myself into first.

New items from b&lu

I get so excited when I visit b&lu and see they’ve added new items. Right now, there are over 40 new pieces to explore. It fills my heart with joy, really. There are a bunch of great styles and lots of them are available in sizes up to 5X. 

La première de la Grande Dame

Catherine, one of the owners of La Grande Dame, emailed me to let me know about the grand opening of the store’s online boutique.

My mom and I just launched a high end, trendy, plus sized e-boutique and we are having a huge grand opening sale with all dresses at least 20% off. Check out www.lagrandedame.com! Plus we have an awesome new environmental program your readers will love called Round Up.

There are quite a few pieces that caught my interest, especially the shirt dress pictured on the left. There’s a nice selection blouses, jeans, pants, etc. but the dress selection stands out the most.

The site is brand new so I have no experience with ordering from them but La Grande Dame looks very promising. Take a look and let me know what you think in the comments for this post.

Forever 21 to launch a plus-size line

Via Fatshionista on LJ: Forever 21 will be launching a plus size line in May.

Faith 21 will offer tops, jeans, tanks, leggings and skirts in a junior plus size as well as XL, 1X and 2X. The design aesthetic follows Forever 21’s trendy take on everything from runway knockoffs to jersey basics.

There are a few promotional pictures in the article. The line will be available in select stores and online. What do you think? Are you excited? I think it's neat!

I still need to read this LA Times piece - Fashion's invisible woman. "The average American woman is size 14. Why is the fashion industry still pretending she doesn't exist?" That's a question I ask myself every day. Go read the articles and let me know what you think!

What's Beth Ditto up to?

I love Beth Ditto. Not just because she's fat and famous (though it is nice that she's fat and famous). She's also super talented and fascinating. I don't always love what she wears but I love how she wears it.

Vogue.com reports that Beth's line for Evans will debut in July.

Promising to add a touch of glam rock to the brand's conservative appeal, the capsule collection has a strong Eighties feel and will consist of clothing, accessories and shoes.

Hat tip to Diva Look Book for the link to the Vogue story.

I'm kind of over the 80's trend but it's not going away any time soon. I am really anxious to see the line and what's even better is that Evans now ships to the US.

When Beth isn't wearing over the top, bold fashion, she seems quite happy to pose nude on the cover of magazines. Jezebel has a scan of her cover shot for LOVE magazine here. It's not safe for work but it's definitely worth seeing.

Would I call Beth Ditto an icon? Maybe not yet but in the future, we may look back at the last couple of years and see just how revolutionary she is.

Brrr!

I guess it's time to start thinking about sweaters, boots and coats. To ease us into the long winter ahead, here are some of my picks for the new season.

Maxi down coat
Sometimes you need a super warm, puffy coat that covers your butt. That's just how life works. This super warm, puffy coat is available in black from Lane Bryant in sizes 14/16 - 26/28 for $190.

Gigi Boots
Unless I can find a pair I like more, I'm going to order these and see how they fit, if they're warm and comfy, etc. I will be snipping off those fluffy things if I keep them, though. It's a cute touch but not really my style. Available from Avenue in sizes 8 - 13 wide in black or brown, on sale for $35.

Belted wool-blend coat
There was a really cute green version of this coat that I wanted to showcase but I guess it sold out. A lot of people seem to be confused about the 3/4th sleeve coat. My answer to that is: long gloves! It's definitely a look and very vintage, in a way. I think it's adorable. The down coat from the beginning of this post is definitely for "It's freezing and I'll be outside for a while." This coat is "It's cold but I'm not playing in the snow or anything." Dressier. It's available in sizes 1 - 4X from Old Navy is on sale right now for $57.

Ros Hommerson: Trot
Have you ever thought to yourself "Self, I could really use a pair of red, suede, knee high boots!" but were unable to find them? Well, here ya go. They also come in black but, I mean... red suede. The best part is that they have an 18.5" shaft and come in medium. wide, and extra wide widths. They're $176 from Zappos, which always ships for free and has excellent customer service.

Right Fit from Fashion Bug

Did you know that Fashion Bug has a Right Fit line? There are two styles of pants and three styles of jeans. Two of the three jeans style have tapered legs, though. I don't quite understand that decision but the bootcut style looks promising:

L.A. Blues Rodeo Right Fit stretch jeans

They're on sale currently for $22 but retail for $27, which I think is more than reasonable for jeans that fit perfectly! They come in black sandblast, the dark sandblast pictured above, and medium sandblast in Right Fit sizes 1 - 10, in short, average and long lengths. I don't know if the selection is the same in stores.

I've heard that Fashion Bug's sizing runs on the smaller side but I'm not sure if that's true of the Right Fit, or if the fit is similar to the Lane Bryant Right Fit jeans. Has anyone out there tried these jeans from Fashion Bug? How is the fit? I wish I had a store near me but I'm going to see if I can figure out the sizing and order them online. I'm definitely curious!

Oh, and this is interesting - the Right Fit line at Fashion Bug also comes in misses sizes, not just plus sizes. I think that's great because I know that women at every size have trouble finding jeans that fit properly.

Obama tees in plus sizes

This is a nice little surprise. Whenever I look for t-shirts online, of pretty much any kind, I just automatically look at the men's tees. They're just more likely to come in bigger sizes. But I was curious and took a peak at the Obama store and yay, they have a few tees that come in women's plus sizes, some up to 4X. They're a couple dollars more but that's fine, I think. I'm ordering this one. I wish they had a size chart, though. I'm assuming that it's standard sizing, where an XL is 14/16. So I'm hoping that a 3X is a 22/24 and that will fit. I'll shove myself into it anyway, if it doesn't!

Dressing Women Of a Certain Size - WSJ.com

On Style: Dressing Women Of a Certain Size - WSJ.com.

The average woman's size in the U.S. approximates a 14, but fashion designers generally don't make anything larger than a size 12. It doesn't take an economist to see that supply is out of kilter with demand for large-size designer duds.

I haven't had a chance to read the full article yet but I wanted to share anyway. Via Jezebel.

yawn.

I don't know what it is about this time of year but it's a lot like the middle of winter, at least in terms of fashion. All of the new stuff for summer is already out and it's still too early to think about fall. Frankly, I'm bored.

There's also the fact that I've looked at pretty much every plus size clothing website on the internet and it's just all so uninspiring. I want new, fresh, exciting! I'm sick of seeing the same styles over and over. Nearly all of the major players in the plus size game are guilty of regurgitating the same stuff they have been for the last few seasons, just in different colors and patterns. Boring!

I've been thinking about which site/product I want to cover for the next Try it On post and I can't think of anything I'm willing to spend money on reviewing. If you have any suggestions, let me know. But it better be exciting 'cause I'm bored to death over here.

A new look at avenue.com

Avenue has updated their website to make it easier to use and much more engaging. Check it out today and save 20% off a purchase of $100 or more.

For the blushing bride

This isn't a post about wedding dresses. In fact, this is a post about everything but wedding dresses. I assume that if you're getting married this spring/summer, you already have your perfect dress all ready to go, so let's look at some plus size bridal items that put a little fun into your nuptials.

Kiyonna's Bridal Boutique has adorable bride-themed tank tops and undies that can be worn as comfy pajamas before or after your big day. You could also wear one of the sparkly tank tops under a jacket for your bachelorette party or bridal shower. I especially like the ones that say "Wifey" and "The Mrs."

Torrid also has a special bridal section with a small selection of dresses for the bride and bridesmaids, accessories and white lingerie. I especially like this embroidered bustier and cheeky short set.

Hips and Curves has a section of plus size bridal lingerie that ranges from very naughty g-strings to nice foundation pieces to wear under your dress.

Avenue has a nicely varied selection of sweet and sexy plus size lingerie, including white lingerie for the bride.

If you're headed for a tropical honeymoon, be sure to check out Old Navy Women's Plus summer vacation checklist for swimwear, coverups, sundresses and comfy warm weather separates. I also like Old Navy for feminine but non-fussy pajamas.

Wow... ten dollars?

I bookmarked this leopard print trench by Jones New York from Macy's awhile back, meaning to include it in a post about spring jackets. And hey, guess what? It's marked down from $250 to $10. Ten dollars. It's only available in size 3X and I'm sure there are only a few left. Seriously, ten bucks.There are tons more great deals in Macy's clearance section.

Avenue at One Stop Plus

Avenue now has their clothing, shoes, and intimates available on One Stop Plus, which also features brands like Jessica London, Woman Within and Roaman's. I think it's pretty safe to say that One Stop Plus easily has the largest selection of plus size clothing online. I love that they allow customers to post product reviews, which can be extremely helpful when shopping online.

And I have coupons!

• $20 off orders of $80 or more with code WW18674
• 30% off one item with code WW18682
• Free Express Shipping with code WW20464