Plus Size Model Competition 2011

Style369.com in association with Evans have launched their 2011 plus size modelling competition to find a curvy girl size 14 or over the become the UK's next Plus size supermodel.

The lucky winner will receive;

A photo shoot as the new face of Style369.com or feature in Evans Spring 2012 campaign.

£1000 shopping spree with Style369 and Evans.

Consultation with Models1.

Tickets to a Models1 Event.

So if you are a UK resident aged over 16 and a size 14 or above and think you have what it takes to be a Plus sized model then apply now for your chance to win these fabulous prizes.

Enter Plus Size Model Competition Here >>>>>

The Perfect Plus Size Autumn Jacket

I have been looking for the perfect lightweight jacket to wear in the Autumn, nothing too heavy, thick or too short as I want to cover up my bum.

I wanted something casual that I could wear at the end of the Summer and all through Autumn until its time for a big warm woolly winter coat.

I ordered this ELLOS parker from One Stop Plus and am so pleased with it I had to blog about my best buy in ages.

One Stop Plus delivered very fast so it arrived just in time for my holiday and was perfect to wear on cooler summer nights. I wore it well with almost anything during the day and evening and it looks great with jeans, leggings or over a dress.

The jacket is very well made and was reasonably priced at £45.00. It is hooded too so great for those drizzly morning walks to school and just to wear out shopping. The pockets are massive which is a bonus for me so I can stash money, keys, ciggies, doggy sacks and all my other bits and bobs therefore not having to take a bag out if I'm popping to the shop or walking the dog.

Ive had lots of compliments on the jacket too and my friend has even ordered herself one in another colour!

If you havent visited One Stop Plus yet then take a look, they are offering 20% off your first order - type in Order Code: 6042 at the checkout (Expires 01/01/2012)

Plus Size Summer Wedding Guest Outfit

Well I have a wedding to go to on the 30th July and am hoping it will be a glorious summers day. The last time I went to a wedding I was a size 14 and had my pick of any high street store to pick an outfit but obviously this time being a plus size 20 I wont have as much choice and as always I will need to style my outfit to flatter my curves.

Due to the time of year I really want to avoid black and of course white is a no-no unless I want to try and upstage the gorgeous bride.

I having been looking for something floral and feminine, due to the unpredictable English weather I will need a cardigan/jacket or wrap of some sort too and of course ANOTHER new pair of shoes. I am also dying to wear a fascinator as I have never had one or possibly a hat to complete the outfit.

My budget is approximately £100.

Here are a few outfits I have my eye on. I will be setting up a voting poll so that you can help me decide which one is the best PLUS SIZE OUTFIT FOR A WEDDING.

Evans have an entire summery and understated outfit I love including the accessories. Sleeveless Floral Print Prom Dress teamed up with Crinkle Effect Cream Cardigan by Sienna Couture worn with Ivory Slingback Court Shoes and the outfit is completed with summers essential Straw Trilby.

Total Cost of outfit £81.50.

Coral Butterfly Burnout Skirt and White Frill Neck Vest Top and Corsage Trim sandals all from Dorothy Perkins. Ben De Lisi Chiffon Pleat Ivory Opera Bag from Debenhams.

Total Cost of Outfit £98.00.

Yours Clothing have this romantic and elegant Floral Frill Chiffon Maxi Dress for only £35 leaving me more money to spend on accessories. I love these Blue Crossover Platform Shoes from Dorothy Perkins and will still have change out of £100 for a Pink Feather Fascinator from Debenhams.

Total Cost of Outfit £85.00

For a more formal outfit this simple Marks & Spencer Block Shift Dress teamed with a Black Pearl Trim Boater Hat from Debenhams and these stunning Pink Satin Bow Platform Shoes from Dorothy Perkins would make for a smart and classy outfit.

Total Cost of outfit £123.00.

Pay Day Treat - Free Delivery on Evans Clothing website

Limited Offer - Free delivery at Evans when you spend over £50 and as they have a sale on of up to 50% off everything you can grab somegreat plus sized summer wardrobe bargains and get them delivered to your door absolutely FREE.

Plus Size Festival Fashion

Whether you're off to V-Festival, Glastonbury, Bestival or the local park festival, get set for summer music and fun with these great plus size festival fashion ideas from top plus size stores Evans, Yours and Style369.

Evans have in my opnion the best and widest range of plus size festival style clothes. Available in sizes 16-32 choose from T-shirts, Jeans, Maxi dresses, maxi skirts plus great accessories such as trilbys, scarves, feather jewellery, gladiator sandals, boho style bags and funky wellington boots.

Punky Fish Rock N Roll T-shirt Was £29.00 Now £15.00 

Multistitch Boyfit Jeans Was £32.00 Now £20.00

 Silver Butterfly Hooded Rain Mac £29.50

Yours Clothing have a brilliant selection of flowing maxi dresses and 70's boho plus size outfits perfect for festival chic. All available in sizes 16-32.

Multi Floral Print Jewel Detail Maxi Dress £30.00

Orange Peacock Feather Print Maxi Dress £35.00

Turquoise Floral Maxi Dress £30.00

Style369 has a great festival range with items going up to size 26. Choose from maxi dresses, maxi skirts, plaid shirts, knee length jeans and a great range of accessories.

Orange Tie Dye Crinkle Top £27.00

Denim Knee Length Shorts Was £27.00 Now £15.00

Straw Trilby Hat Was £12.00 Now £7.00

DONT FORGET YOUR WELLIES - Choose bright trendy wellies, an essential piece of your festival kit.

Coral Ditsy Wellies and Blue Heart Wellies £25.00 Both from Evans

Full Figured Fashion Week Is Back

On the heels of last years massive success, the third annual Full Figured Fashion Week, hosted by Shanda Freeman is returning to New York on June 16.  

International designers specialising in sizes 12+ will debut their designs in a whirlwind of presentations spanning 3 days. This event is so popular that tickets for the events have already been sold out. 

Gwen Devoe of DeVoe Signature Events, the organisers of the event, expects over 1,000 people to attend the finale of Full Figured Fashion Week.  

As the mainstream fashion world mostly ignores the needs and styles of woman over 12.  That is what Full Figured Fashion Week is all about; showing the fashion world that just because a woman has curves does not mean she cannot own good quality, designer clothing at great prices.

Most plus size women either have to pay extra for trendy clothing in their size or just settle for just plain ugly clothes that do not even flatter their figure.  

Full Figured Fashion Week features sexy plus size swimsuits, figure hugging skirts, outsize cocktail dresses, wide fitting shoes and high end evening wear that make any plus size woman feel like a goddess. 

Plus size Designer clothing brands such as Lane Bryant, Plush and Vikki Vi will showcase colourful and trendy clothing for womens sizes 12 to 30.  

15% off at Evans Holiday Shop

Online Exclusive - Get 15% off everything in Evans Holiday Shop for a limited time only.

Plus Size Beachwear bottoms, beachwear tops, summer dresses, flipflops, sandals, swimwear and accessories.

Ruby Rocks Black Floral Printed Dress £40.00

Turquiose and White Print Top £27.00

Khaki Linen Blend Crop Trousers £27.00

Fan Print Tankini And Skirted Bikini Brief £40.00

Paprika Flower T Bar Sandals £27.00

RIP Mia Amber Davis

Road Trip actress Mia Amber Davis has died at the age of 36 after routine knee surgery led to a fatal blood clot.

Davis who was also a plus-size model famously played Rhonda, the curvy lady who seduced geeky Kyle (DJ Qualls) in the 2000 film.

She was also well known for her work with clothing outlet Ashley Stewart and for being the face of Jill Scott's Butterfly Bra and this year she became the creative editor for Plus Model magazine.

The actress who stood at over 6ft tall and reportedly weighed over 300 pounds was said to have had a personality and passion for helping others and was said to be larger than life.

Such a sad loss of a young life.

Italian Vogue Features Plus Size Models

Following other publications such as French Elle, US Glamour or V Magazine, Italian Vogue has dedicated a month to curvaceous women.

Plus size supermodels Candice Huffine, Tara-Lynn and Robyn Lawley feature in a fetish inspired lingerie shoot snapped by photographer Steven Meisel.

The 'Belle Vere' (the cover's title, translating to 'True Beauties') features the models lounging around a baroque-inspired apartment, wearing boudoir-esque ensembles by Alberta Ferretti, Dolce & Gabbana, and Agent Provocateur - all styled by Edward Enninful.

You can see more photos from the shoot on Vogue Curvy website (www.vogue.it/en/vogue-curvy).

Or watch the behind the scenes video of the shoot below;

Tara Lynn stars in new H&M campaign

H&M's last campaign starred ultra-thin supermodel Gisele Bundchen. So it's refreshing to see the fashion chain challenging stereotypes by hiring a plus-size model for their new ads.

Their fashion-conscious collection comes in sizes 16-30 and is also aimed at younger customers

Recognising the growing demand for more fashion conscious designs when it comes to their larger sizes, the High Street chain is hoping to tap into the younger market.

BiB designer Lisa Hajian said: 'This season a more trend conscious collection has been designed to offer customers a wider range of fashion in sizes 16-30'.

'We have gone for a higher fashion content with this collection, which will appeal to younger customers too.'

Changing the shape of things: Tara joins a growing list of plus-size models who are being chosen to star in big-brand campaigns.

Tara Lynn proudly displays her curves in a bathing suit for the latest Big is Beautiful collection.

As waistlines grow, sales of women's clothes size 18 or larger are booming

The market for large sizes in women’s clothes is booming as obesity levels soar, bringing radical changes to average body shapes.

The demand is so huge that one in four of all women’s fashions sold this year will be a plus size – counted as size 18 and over.

Retail analysts Verdict suggest the market for large sizes, particularly for clothes aimed at young women and teenagers, is the fastest-growing on the high street.

Recent research suggests UK women and young girls are the biggest in Western Europe.

Successful pop artists such as plus-sized Adele have become icons for a new generation of large teens and young women.

And both leading catwalk designers and high street chains are trying to tap into the reality of modern women’s larger shapes with collections for bigger sizes.

Designer Mark Fast caused waves when he used size 12 and 14 models during London Fashion Week.
Last autumn, the billionaire retailer behind Topshop, Sir Philip Green, launched a fashion website for teen girls and young women up to size 26 called STYLE369.com.

Verdict analyst Carly Syme said: ‘Retailers are looking to expand their niche collections such as plus size, petites and maternity to ensure growth.

‘Our research has revealed it is the plus-size market that offers the biggest opportunities.‘There is an increasing need for more fashionable plus-size items for younger shoppers, who are under-served.’ She added: ‘While the weakened economy will have an impact, drivers such as obesity levels and an ageing population in a society where women tend to get bigger as they get older will more than offset this.’

Researchers at Imperial College, London, found that British women were the most overweight in Western Europe, with the highest Body Mass Index of 19 countries surveyed.

The good news is - they finally realise the need for more fashionable plus size clothing to suit all age groups in the British retail market which is great news for all us plus-sized fashionistas.

Jordin Sparks dumps plus-size modeling after 30 pound weight loss

Singer Jordin Sparks shows off her new body after losing 30 pounds using a special portion control diet to get Hollywood skinny.

The former American Idol star disregarded past preachings on being proud and plus-size and was proud, instead, of her new slimmed-down body wearing a (US) size 6 dress and weighing an estimated 142 lbs.

In 2007 when she won American Idol at 17 years old Sparks weighed in 190 pounds, after the show, Sparks says she scaled up to 209 pounds, wearing her highest dress size 13 (US), and eventually settled in a size 12 dress at the end of the year.

At the time, Sparks said she loved her curves. She also said she appreciated being able to fulfill the role of being a plus-size role model for young girls and plus-size fashion model for retailer, Torrid. In several interviews over the next couple of years, Jordin also expressed regret for Hollywood's negligence in portraying plus-size figures, and a variety of body shapes, in media.

Moving forward in her career, Sparks' weight loss was becoming a noticeably hot topic. Jordin claimed her diet wasn't "really different" and she wasn't trying to lose weight, but pictures of an obviously smaller Sparks led to questioning about what was behind Jordin Sparks' diet and weight loss.

In an interview with OK! magazine, she later revealed she'd been working out with a personal trainer while on tour and using portion control to manage diet indulgences. Completing workout sessions filled with running, "throw-downs", stairs and lunges, Sparks began to distance herself from the role of plus-size mentor.
In 2009) Sparks was quoted as saying:

"I love food and I love my curves. I'm very strong-willed and I'm stubborn in that sense to where I'm just like 'No, I won't be that way,'" she said. "I definitely do like exercise. I like to eat right. It's all about being healthy. The stick-thin thing, I'm kind of just like 'Not gonna do it' and 'I couldn't.'"

Debuting her new body on Saturday night, the singer who said she'd hoped to "find herself in her 20's," found the cameras snapping her new weight loss and size.
Since mid-2009, Sparks has shed 30 pounds in weight and chopped her dress size in half.
While she was once proud of being plus-size, Sparks is equally as proud of her newly shaped and slimmer figure, too.

Jordin Sparks Before and After Weight Loss Photos

Evans Spring 2011 Catalogue Now Online

Evans New Spring 2011 Collection is now online and I'm loving the look and style of their new collection which is full of fresh, floaty and floral tops and tunics, flowing maxi dresses, stunning evening wear, cropped jeans and denim shorts plus comfy summer pumps.

Clothes are available in plus sizes 14 -32 whilst Evans shoe range is available up to a size 10 with extra wide fit in most styles.

If your looking to update your Spring wardrobe then check out my favourite pick of Evans Spring collection.

You can view the entire catalogue here Evans Spring 2011 Catalogue

Embellished neck top £29.50

Gorgeous green printed top with embellished neckline and dipped back frill hem

Lovedrobe Floral Dress Price: £32.00

Coral asymmetric ditsy floral print dress with button loop detail 3/4 length sleeves

Praslin Maxi Dress £35.00

Tiered maxi dress with crochet straps featuring sequin detail neckline

Sienna Couture Balloon Sleeve Print Tunic

Price: £38.00 Sizes 16-22
balloon sleeve floral printed tunic with ruched cuff detail

Floral Printed Top £39.50

Flared split long sleeved multi coloured floral top with a scooped round neck.Fully lined body

Team up this seasons gorgeous tops with a pair of cropped jeans or denim short for a great Spring trend.

Indigo Denim Shorts Price: £16.00

Sizes 14-32
Denim shorts with, gold button and rivet detail and turn up at knee.

Put a Spring in your step by finishing off your new Spring outfit with these lovely comfy pumps

Stripe Floral Pumps Price: £22.00

Pastel colour stripe floral pumps with espadrille and bow detail.padded sole for extra comfort.
Available in wide and extra wide fit.

Denim Espadrille Pumps £19.50

Blue denim espadrille pumps with bow detail.

Available up to size 10 in standard fit (D) and extra wide fit (EEE)

Floral Ballerina Pumps £22.00

Multi coloured floral ballerinas with patent toecap and ribbon bow detail

Available in extra wide and wide fit

Up to 30% off at Dorothy Perkins - Exclusive Online Deal

A great opportunity to update your summer wardrobe at a discounted price!

Dorothy Perkins are currently offering up to 30% off their new season fashion tops to online customers.

Tops for every occasion, ranging from casual womens tops to stylish tops for a night out and as they go up to a size 22 its perfect for us plus size fashionistas.

My favourites;

Blue Floral Border Tunic

Was £29.50 Now £26.00
Blue floral print sleeveless tunic with crossover v-neck and border detail

 

Orange Square Flower Tunic

Was £30.00 Now £25.00
Orange square and flower print tunic, with pintuck neck detail and belt

Multi Paisley Border Shell Top

Was £24.50 Now £22.00
Bright multi paisley/stripe border print cotton shell top

Green Frill Sleeve Ponte Tunic

Was £26.00 Now £23.00

 

Rust Hanky Hem Tunic

Was £26.00 Now £17.00
Rust vintage georgette hanky hem tunic with cami underlayer

 

Blush Chandelier Tunic

Was £45.00 Now £31.00
Blush georgette tunic, with embellished detail on hem.