via mirror.co.uk
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
Marie Claire Adds Plus Size Writer To Fashion Roster - Big Girl in ...
The fashion world is not ready for Ashley Falcon. In the new Marie Claire column "Big Girl in a Skinny World," Falcon doles out fashion advice for those of us who are far beyond sample sizes.
Making her debut with a full-length picture looking all kinds of fierce, Falcon's column immediately earned points with me for daring to call out designers for equating larger sizes to shapeless, non flattering cuts and for embracing "ass-hugging" as necessary quality for the perfect jeans.
As much as I love, love, love Falcon's column (I'm already rethinking my stance on my now-canceled subscription) there were a couple of lines in the article that immediately jumped out at me.
Now, maybe I'm a little too accustomed to the fashion blogs I read which cater to a variety of sizes without apology (Clutch, The Fashion Bomb, Fatshionista/LJ holla!) But I couldn't decide if Falcon was keeping it real about her experiences or starting to pander a bit to a smaller audience who expects a more self-depreciating big girl:
Of course, it surprised no one that I decided to pursue a career as a fashion stylist-though at 5'2" and 220 pounds, I'd need an elaborate pulley system and a can of Crisco to shimmy into the clothes I dress models in.
Big girls love accessories-they always fit, no size tags required.
Let's face it, it's a maddening task for girls even half my size, but I go through at least a few pairs of jeans every year, routinely wearing holes in the area where my thighs rub together.
Again, I'm not sure where to fall on these. After all, that last bit about wearing holes in jeans is something that happens to me as well, all the time. And the jeans she recommends are cute. But some of the big girl platitudes don't jive with my experiences . For one, accessories don't always fit which is why I have to trek to Torrid for bangles, and live in slouch styles since most other boots never make it up my calves. Purses too - large arms means I always need to check the strap. In addition, glamming up a basic outfit with luxury accessories is a bit beyond my reach - but I'll chalk that up to the priorities of the fashionable. It's clear that Falcon has made piece with her body (after all, she dresses beautifully) but her column seems more practical than celebratory when it comes to the transformative power of fashion.
But that's a minor quibble - I'm excited to see a size eighteen woman like myself seen as an expert on fashion and selecting clothes and outfits that would actually work for women my size. I'm excited that she's bringing more than size diversity to the fashion glossies.
And most of all, I'm excited to see next month's recommendations on cocktail chic.
(Image Credit: Marie Claire)Big Girl In A Skinny World [Marie Claire]
Official Site [Clutch Magazine]
Official Site [The Fashion Bomb]
Official Site [Fatshionista]
Live Journal Community [Fatshionista]
Send an email to Latoya, the author of this post, at latoya@racialicious.com.
via jezebel.com
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Is plus size the new normal ?
Is this change in view to body shape simply transitioning fashion or is there a real change in the zeitgeist?
Now if the garments are supposed to give a woman an idea of how she will look in clothes, then for the majority a skinny model will not give an accurate picture. At the end of the day , the goal of the fashion houses is to shift product and people will not purchase if they're not sold to.
All creatures have a hard-wired instinctive decision making process that allows us to judge, assess accordingly to situations within seconds . It's a survival tactic. Humans are the only species that will judge, assess and respond inappropriately. We talk ourselves out of and into decisions regularly.
What doe this have to do fashion you ask? When designers send ultra-skinny models down the runway or use these models in ad campaigns , catalogs, fashion shoots, they give a very loud message. designers understand that despite the fact these women don’t represent the average woman, most likely a large percentage of their customer base, they'll always be in a position to sell to you.. I have often seen girls displaying such body inappropriate fashion that it embarrasses my own womanhood. Of course some of this boils down to poor taste, lack of style, misperception even, but not entirely.
lingerie and fashion in general is witnessing a move towards mainstream as views change. Have you ever watched the male species shop ? He will walk into a clothing store, scan the store in no more than 30 seconds usually , and decide whether he has any intention to buy there.
If a man has made up his mind that he wants to purchase from this store, he'll most likely do whatever it takes to purchaseoff the rack, most times avoiding the hassle of trying the clothes on. Most men have their own notion of what suits them before they've entered the store and are merely buying clothes out of necessity.
Women will try it on, um-and uh , question her boyfriend if her rear looks big, her girlfriends if she looks hot, store assistants what they think and so-on. Now sure this isn't always the scenario. Some women are very decisive about lingerie styles they like and don't ask anyone else for an opinion. But the point is that men are precise when it comes to how they dress and women are a emotional creatures and emotion based about their how they look. Women rely on our clothes and make-up and lingerie to make us feel a certain way.
We look to the experts to inform us what it is we should be feeling. When these 'style makers' bombard us with images of rake-thin , size zero models ; we get confused signals about how we need to look that leave us confused without us even noticing.
I'm not saying we should start expecting the fashion industry to use fat models. That would serve to every one's detriment. I'm just proposing that a size 12 or 14 girl can be just as beautiful, sexy and desirable as what we're told a size 0 girl is. Imagine how perception might shift if women got used to walking into boutiques where images of the garments were presented on healthy looking, plus-size models. Imagine if you went corsets shopping with or for your man and walked in to a shop that used pictures of the beautiful Crystal Renan or Kim Kardashian wearing gorgeous . These women aren't fat . They're normal , proportionate women. Picture if that's what you were used to seeing when you went into that shop . Picture if across the road there was another apparel store selling similar items but displayed on size 0 models. In which store would you feel more likely to succumb to those negative voices in your head that make you feel judged? Which store would you feel more comfortable going to? In which store would you feel like a more proud, beautiful, empowered woman?
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