Thursday, December 25, 2008

Elle Magazine, January '09

The January Elle was all about Makeovers - or "Make-betters," a term they sagely coined in deference to the already-fabulous state of their readership.

While not my favorite fashion rag, (too much real magazine - with articles and variety and all that - with not enough clothes. The spreads they do feature are generally too high-fashion-runway to translate to my plebian what-am-I-gonna-wear-tomorrow tastes) but... somebody got me a subscription and I always find a few things for my scrapbook.

Before I tell you what I think would look great on our great big bodacious bodies, I want to give an honorable mention to one of the articles...I forget what page because I already clipped my picks and recycled the book, but the author tried a new hairdo each day for 3 weeks and let someone photograph her! The pictures and descriptions were inspiring, sad, and comical all at once.

<-- Page 42 predicts tie-dye will be making a hippy dippy trippy comeback for spring. This suit by Cynthia Rowley is anything but flighty! In a softly-sheened grey with random white tie-dye patterning, it lends a whole new ease to corporate suiting. The one button rise on the jacket and the A-line skirt is the ultimate in full-figure flattery. Cynthia Rowley looks to be about a size zero-minus, bless her bony heart, so I doubt she'll be making it in my size anytime soon. We'll have to wait for Lane Bryant or someone to pick up the slack, ladies!


On the facing page, the "I sell thin-mints outside the Safeway" look continues from last fall, which is great because my own khaki shirtdress is so versatile when I want to look like a sultry scoutmistress.
-->
Here's a jacket that would be so flattering on an Apple shape - talk about creating an illusion of a waistline! One caveat: it's long, so us vertically challenged should probably abstain, but I can easily see this on someone over 5'6.

<--Again, on page 78, a runway look from Lios Vuitton features this great sexy safari look. I wouldn't wear it with a dangling plumb-bob on a shoestring, nor with a feathered skirt, but the jacket and wide leather belt are perfectly ready-to-wear.

"Designer to Watch" Jason Wu has some interesting things including this lovely embroidered silk number on page 63 with its creamy colors and flattering wrap-shirring at the waist/bust. -->
D-E-licious! I never go sleeveless, but I might for this dress.
(Is there a dressmaker out there who wants to whip me up a copy? Make mine with cap-sleeves and a back-zipper please) :-)



<--I just cut this picture out because it's so cool '80's rocker chick. It's not a style I usually attempt, but for a slightly altered version of this dress I might.

The side panels (red arrows in illustration) should be done in black to slim the sillhouette, and the banding at the waist should remain, but not continue down onto the hip.

It would also have to skim the knee instead of being 4 inches above it...this max-mini length would ride up with every movement on a person-of-size. (I saw this happen recently at a Christmas party and wanted to stage an intervention for the poor, control-top-pantyhose-flashing girl.)

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Lucky Magazine, January '09

This month's Lucky had several things I pulled for my scrapbook.

<--This outfit from page 43 would be very flattering for someone with my Pear bodyshape or an Hourglass girl. (Probably not so much for our Apple sisters.) I love how the deep V neck highlights the face (or would if I hadn't cropped it off so you could imagine YOUR face there,) love how the belted cardigan accentuates the waist and plays up the top half of the body, and love how the darker skirt and hose match to minimize a heavier lower half. The light peeptoe shoe just adds that fashiony pop, if you know what I mean. Plus, the d'orsay style (cut low on the sides) makes the leg look longer. I'll be wearing a version of this on Monday!


This next dress (page 58) -->
might work for any body style as long as the fit is right. What I like about it is how the stripes dictate the direction your eye travels, accentuating the torso and verticalizing the lower body. (If verticalizing isn't a real word, I claim poetic license!) The key would be to make sure the pleats hung right with no pulling or it would totally ruin the effect. If what they say in this issue is true, and stripes are going to be a big thing in '09, this is a great way to do them!

A couple of bags caught my eye.
<-- This one (p50) has a tattoo-ish motif, and is cute and punky. The only thing I don't like about it is the short straps. Maybe it has a longer strap hidden. I believe it's important to match the bag to the frame of the person wearing it, which is why most larger women should carry nice, large, substantial bags. Just my opinion but I think I'm right. Plus it lets me carry a pair of flats or tennies around for when my oh-so-fashionable heels are killing me!

Another bag I drooled over is this one from page 51 -->

It is larger than any bag I now own. I love the shape, the hardware, the lux look of the leather, the earth tones.


Last but not least, SHOES.

I once organized a 12-step group for Shoe Junkies, but our meetings always dissolved into shopping trips. At our last meeting, we ended up in the Nordstrom Rack fighting over a pair of gold moc-crock stillettos. So now I suffer my addiction alone.

Two pairs from the January Lucky are new must-haves. They're both much more practical than many of the shoes I own, and they're still adorably, wonderfully, wearably cute. Did I mention I'm gaga for shoes? Doesn't show a bit, does it?

Page 77, Cuban heels. The deep V is going to make your foot look sexy and your legs long. The sturdy heel is going to imbue your stride with confidence!

Finally, page 80 has the absolute THING for my trip to Kona this February!

They'll be charming with sunny dresses, and they look super-comfortable! -->

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Zwinkette

Here's my avatar from Zwinky. I like her because she's short and wide, like me!


Fat-vatars

I love picking and customizing avatars on sites like Yahoo and Zwinky (see my Zwinkette in a separate post) and on video games when choosing a player, but there are never any plump ones! I'd like to see a thick, voluptuous, curvy body type for an avatar somewhere! I saw a post on bigfatblog.com that said Yahoo had added some plus clothing for their avatars, but they don't look too plus to me.

I've wanted to design a fashion software for a long time that would let you try different clothing styles with your OWN body type. I loved paperdolls as a girl, and this just seems like an extension of that. I've seen similar things in ToysRUs for kids, but I'm quite sure the body-types would never represent us real-girl types. :)

Have you seen the hairstyle picker website? (http://www.cosmopolitan.com/style/makeover/) They let you take a picture of your face and superimpose hairstyles on it. My software would do that, but for the full body. Anyone want to collaborate on it? I'll provide the fashion and you bring the programming skills!

Monday, December 22, 2008

Your Personal Style Profile

What's your style? Do you know? Can it be described in a few sentences, or even a few words?

Mine used to be "Whatever I can find that fits." That's a lousy way to define one's style. When I was younger, I would probably have gone "Skater chick" (even though I didn't skate) because those clothes had a tough, cute appeal. I couldn't usually find them in my size unless they were boys though.

My style now is more classic. I like clean lines, somewhat traditional shapes, and I tend toward neutrals with a pop of color or pattern. I figured this out by doing what I've been doing for years...clipping and ripping from magazines. I read a couple of fashion mags (my faves right now are Lucky and People StyleWatch. Elle's ok too. InStyle is nice as well) and I tear anything out that grabs my fancy. I "scrapbook" the things I tear out - not in the embellished, stylistic scrapbooking style that's popular with the crafty set, but just pasting or taping them into a notebook.

I separate my scrapbook pages into sections for shoes, dresses, accessories, etc. I recommend this for anyone who is for looking to develop or hone their personal style. When you've got a few months worth of accumulation, you'll start to see trends in the things you gravitate toward.

Example: I'm picky about bags. I have the darndest time finding just the right one. But if I take a stroll through my scrapbooks in the "Purses I Crave" section, I find I LOVE two toned bags. I know that large bags suit my large frames best. And almost every picture I've clipped is a tailored, clean shape.
Voila, my Purse-onality! Next time I go shopping, I'll be looking for a two-toned, very structured, large-size bag.