Alice in Wonderland Tees & Accessories
Alice, Mad Hatter, and Red Queen mania is abound since the release of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. Part of the fever is movie tie-in merchandise. While I don’t think it will be as crazy as Twilight fever there are some really cute tees and accessories at Torrid that celebrate the uniqueness of this film. All pieces are by the authentic Disney brand.
I absolutely love the Red Queen Handbag with it’s black hearts and red background. The inside lining is so pretty with Gold satin lining printed with hearts, spades, clubs and diamonds. It is $40.
Of the plus size t-shirts I’m especially fond of the Red Queen Hearts Tee V-neck tee. It comes in sizes 0 to 5 for $28.
And finally, this Purple Face Flower Ring for $15. The face also reminds me of the red queen.
As you might have guessed I have a favorite character — The Red Queen. I’ve never been a fan of Helena Bonham-Carter but she rocks the role! So? Who’s your favorite?
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Topic Links
* Visit Torrid for plus size Alice in Wonderland memorabilia
Plus Size Designers – Kim Camarella-Khanbeigi
Continuing on with another week of plus size clothing designers! This week I’ll start off with another longtime personal favorite — Kim Camarella-Khanbeigi has been dressing women size 0x to 5x since 1996. Her boutique styles are sophisticated and trendy but accessible to the everyday woman. In other words, it will still be fashionable next year. The main focus is the well dressed professional but they have added a great plus size denim line. Kim’s designs can be found at the official Kiyonna website and in specialty boutiques. Recently Kiyonna has transformed their price points to become more accessible during the current economic state.
Here are a few of my current favorites (the pieces shown here range in price from $58 to $88):
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Topic Links
* Visit Kiyonna for plus size designs by Kim Camarella-Khanbeigi
* Other plus size clothing designers
Plus Size Designers
There’s this myth that plus size fashion designers are few and far between — this is far from the truth. Over the last decade plus size fashion has made great strides all over the world. Over the next few weeks I’ll share some of my favorites to keep an eye out for.
- Anna Scholz
- Jacqueline Floro
- Biya Ramar
- Melissa Masse
- Jasmine Elder
- Niehla Ollie
- Kim Camarella-Khanbeigi
- Monif Clarke
- Qristyl Frazier
- Yuliya Zeltzer
More coming in a few days!
Threadless Tee Giveaway
Last year I made a point of getting two of these so I would have one on hand for a giveaway. This month one lucky winner will win a Beauty Before Death Threadless tee designed by Alice X. Zhang and Enkel Dika. This is one of my favorite designs! This is a new t-shirt and this giveaway is sponsored by me. The t-shirt is valued at $18 and is a size 3x – so if you are not a 3x it will be a little baggy. This t-shirt design is currently sold out at Threadless.
Prize Details:
- One new Beauty Before Death Threadless t-shirt
- Size 3x
How to Enter:
To enter this giveaway please visit the Threadless website then come back here and leave a comment for this post telling us which design (title is fine) is one of your favorites.
Stipulations:
One entry per person — suspicious entries with the same IP address (you know who you are) will be deleted. The lucky winner will be chosen from the comments at random, using random.org, on March 3, 2010 at 3 pm EST (Note: Extended one day due to site being down so the new deadline is–March 4, 2010 at 3 am EST. This giveaway is sponsored by Five Favorite Things and I will mail the winner the gift after the email and mailing address of the winner have been confirmed by myself (so make sure you enter the right email). This giveaway is open to person 18 years and older living in the United States and Canada. Void where prohibited by law. The winner will have one week to claim the prize; after which time it will be rewarded to someone else.
UPDATE: The winners were announced in the comments below. Congratulations to Silvana Moscato.
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Topic Links
* Get your own Threadless Tee
My Turn
This novelty tee from Threadless speaks to me on so many levels. First, it’s so damn cute. Second, it features an elephant — they are right up there with hippos — love them. 
But mostly this t-shirt screams an important message that I think every average, skinny, curvy, plus-size, fat chick should take to heart no matter what they feel about their body. That their turn is just as important as anyone else’s and they deserve to have fun now and not when the lose whatever amount of weight they or society demands from them.
This t-shirt is actually titled “Higher Higher” and was designed by The Boy Fitz Hammond. It is selling for $18. I’m not sure why but it is only available in sizes up to 2x (down one from the usual).
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Topic Links
* Get your own My Turn t-shirt from Threadless
Plus Size Plaid Shirts
It’s been a formal week so far. Now for something a little casual. I was reading that plaid shirts are a style trend for the new year and I’ve definitely been seeing them every where I turn. They are a great layering piece over camis and if you get a extra long one they can be worn well with tights or skinny jeans. Here are a few of my favorite plus size plaid shirts from three of my fave shops:
Nordstrom
The ruffle shirt on the left is $68 and the tunic on the right is $78. Both are great with jeans but the tunic is perfect for tights and boots but I’d open up a few more buttons on the tunic to expose a cami and maybe add a nice belt.
Torrid
The one on the left is $38 and has cinching detail at back, above breasts and on arms to remove the traditional box look. Love it! Almost as much as I love this plaid shirt dress for $48. All she’s just missing are the tights (I’d like to see red or grey)!
Lane Bryant
The Santeen shirt on the left is on sale for $17.80 and perfect for under a blazer. On the right, yes that is a flannel shirt. I love the look with leggings for lounging. The buffalo plaid sleep shirt is $36.50.
Tip 1: Don’t go crazy with the plaid shirts. Adding one or two to your wardrobe is all you need. Find a favorite but don’t buy one in ever shade. I’m just saying.
Tip 2: Enter “plaid” in the search box of your favorite store to see what they offer. Of the three above, Torrid seemed to have the most choices.
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Topic Links
* Get your own plaid plus size shirt from Nordstrom
* Get your own plaid plus size shirt from Torrid
* Get your own plaid plus size shirts from Lane Bryant
Suit It Up
Black suits are reliable and they go with pretty much everything but some times you need a suit that goes beyond black. Like say blue, or camel or brown or ivory! I love this ivory suit from Jones New York. The pieces are sold individually and at the moment Jones New York (which has sizes up to 16) has suiting up to 60% off on select separates plus free shipping on orders $75.
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Topic Links
* Get your own suiting separates from Jones New York
Cute Tops from Lane Bryant
Cute, colorful, and a hint of play are the rules for today’s tops I found at plus size retailer, Lane Bryant. There were so many great picks in their new arrivals. Here are five of my favorite (I couldn’t help adding the black). All shirts are available in sizes 14 to 28 and are all under $55.
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Topic Links
* Get your own cute tops from Lane Byrant
Just My Size Clothing Review
“Great fitting, lifestyle apparel designed to flatter the plus size woman.”
Over the holidays I was pleased to received a box of clothing samples from the people at Just My Size, specifically for review on this blog. JMS main focus over the last few years has been bras and basics. This winter they introduced a new line of every day and career wear. All pieces are in sizes 16 to 28 for $22 or less. Yes, that is right $22 or less. I still can’t wrap my brain around it. Most of the clothing is available at Walmart stores in the U.S. and online. Here is some video footage of the New York premiere of the JMS collection:
JMS sent the following samples for review:
Venice Blue Sweater with Scarf (relaxed fit), $18 — I love the rich color and softness of this 100% acrylic sweater. The wide sleeves are on trend and the included removable scarf is a nice touch giving two completely different looks. This sweater was made in China and is machine washable.
Beet Red Cardi Vest Sweater (relaxed fit), $18 — I love the color, length and look of this 100% acrylic sweater. The long cardi length with slightly asymmetrical front and cables are right on trend. There was a thread loose in the shoulder that I cut free with no issues. This vest was made in China and are machine washable.
Snow White Ruffle Shirt (shaped fit), $16 — This blouse is less forgiving than the sweaters in the arm area. I also found the 100% polyester not very strong near the stitching even on a stress free place like the shoulders when I placed mild tension them. If you really need a blouse it is a nice addition under a sweater style-wise with the delicate ruffles, in a size up for roominess. This shirt was made in Bangladesh and is machine washable.
Ebony Pork Chop Pocket Pant (shaped fit), $16 — Plus size pants for $16! That blows my mind. They are nicely cut and stitched but the zipper is coarse and makes me leery of long term wear. These 98% cotton / 2% spandex pant seem to be a low level cord but unfortunately they are still too noisy for my liking. I don’t like to be heard coming! Would love to try them in another fabric like a brushed cotton or khaki with a longer leg. At 5′ 9″ I find them shorter than I would like. These pants were made in Bangladesh and are machine washable.
Steel Heather Long Cardigan (relaxed fit), $20 — This is one of my favorite pieces and totally on trend for 2010. It is soft and comfortable 100% acrylic. Love the length and how the buttons end midway instead of at the bottom of garment. You can see this one in the above video worn with leggings and boots. This sweater was made in China and is machine washable.
The wash test: Everything seemed to wash fine. I put everything in the washer and used a drying rack for the sweaters. There were a few knitting knots that popped out front of the sweaters but they were easily tucked to the underside. I didn’t notice any fading to the dark pants which were washed inside out. The blouse needed minor touch ups with the iron.
Overall experience: I’m quite impressed with JMS new plus size clothing line both in price, workmanship, and style. But like any other brand attention must be paid to each piece to determine if it is appropriate for your body, needs, time, and money. From this sampling I would definitely recommend JMS for any fashionista who is tired of paying too much for plus size clothing.
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Topic Links
* Check out Just My Size’s new clothing collection online
* Check out Walmart’s plus size clothing collection online
The Cardi Shawl
If you haven’t picked up one of the asymmetrical cardigans there’s still time. Penningtons has their Cardi Shawl on $39.99. It is available in black, purple, and silver in limited sizes from 1x to 3x. They ship within Canada and to the United States.
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Topic Links
* Get your own plus size Cardi Shawl from Penningtons
* More asymmetrical cardigans and ideas on how to wear them
