Full-Figured Fashion Week?! Finally!

“People think every plus-size woman is yearning to lose weight. We have body imperfections the same way other women do, but we feel great about ourselves.” -New York-based designer Monif Clarke.

Although my personal life has been a bit muddy lately, my cousin Tweeted me a link that got my adrenaline pumping and my cheesy smile widening. It is a beautiful day today because good news has come:

THERE WILL BE A FULL-FIGURED FASHION SHOW DURING NEW YORK FASHION WEEK!!!!!

Leave it to me to get overly excited! You see, the world has finally come one step closer to embracing curves. I’ve been waiting years for this and our beautiful mothers, sisters, aunts and grandmas have been waiting decades. And I have a feeling that the men have been waiting too. *wink*

This is the beginning of something huge! Many stores and designers are expanding their size selection or are in the process of coming out with plus-size lines.

No more fishing through tens of stores looking for ONE pair of pants that fit right! No more going shopping with your thinner friends and not being able to buy anything! And most of all, no more having to go to exclusive stores that are over-priced for your size! Just because we have extra pounds, does not mean we have extra cash, people.

My only hope is that one day, fashion shows will have thin and plus models walk the runway together, one after another. What a beautiful, breath-taking show that would be! Sometimes I have to remind myself during my “thick-girls-represent” rants that skinny women are awesome too. We can’t just push them aside. Well…we physically could…but we won’t.

The light bulb went off when companies realized that 62% of American women are full-figured…cha-ching! Think about the money these clothing lines have NOT been making! Sure, for businesses it’s all about money, but for society it is a newfound beauty!

Some stores that I love, who carry  hot pieces:

• Torrid
• Dots
• DEB Plus
• Forever 21 (in the works now)
• Lane Bryant
• One Stop Plus (will be showcased on the runway)

No matter what size, gender or race you are, whenever an opportunity to create equality is there, support it with all you’ve got. Not only do we benefit by being more comfortable in our skin as adults, but our youth benefits; our young girls benefit.

To close out my immense excitement, I wanted to share some BEAUTIFUL plus-size favorites of mine (from the famous to the simply fabulous):

1. Jennifer Hudson My all-time favorite…until she lost a bunch of weight. But she is still plus-size, and beyond beauty. Not to mention, she has the BEST singing voice ever!
   
   2. Roseanne Barr Funny girls are always my favorite (surprise). Roseanne has broken many molds. One that I’d like to have done myself. Roseanne’s sitcom was truly rare, as it starred a plus-size wife AND husband who the world fell in love with.
   
   3. Toccara Jones Who will be on the runway in New York! I still think she should’ve been America’s Next Top Model, but she doesn’t need it now!

4. Queen Latifah She truly becomes more elegant and stunning each year. And nothing compliments that better than her sense of humor.

5. Mia Tyler She looks good in anything!!!  My favorite: photos of her profile.

6. Tati-Ana A good friend of mine from college. She has always defined her own style and rocked it every second of every day.

7. Khrystyne My favorite bubbly friend who’s not only gorgeous, but a smart-ass like me, too. Khrystyne is always put-together and utilizes layering in clothing perfectly!

Aren’t they beautiful!?! And stay tuned because I’ll be having a little photo shoot of my own this month–obviously there was one girl missing from the list—ME! Yes, my ego is still intact.

Quick Fall Fashion Do’s:

• winter whites
• black, grey, white combos
• jewel tones
• thick knit sweaters
• LOTS of boots, booties, and shooties.
• warm accessories; big scarves, bold necklaces, etc

Keep an eye out for the year of the big girl! And many of those years to follow. For other related posts, check out BIG=Cool and my most popular, Big Bras to Fill. A title with ‘bra’ in it got the most hits–figures.

Love,

Your plus-size blogger who’s eating a doughnut as we speak,

Alessandra