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Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Summer Fun!

Next week is the official start of summer, and for some of us summer has been here for a while already!



These are my favorite things for summer.



One thing that every girl should have is an amazing bathing suit.
I know, I know, to some Big Girls bathing suits are a HUGE no-no.
We all have parts that jiggle, and parts that bulge. And I can not stand being hot in the summer time. I refuse to wear a long sleeve shirt or anything else that will result in me sweating my ass off because I was embarrassed to put on something cooler.



It's a process that you have to go through, and sometimes it's not easy, but when you finally get there and you finally feel comfortable being in a bathing suit in front of other people, it makes things so much easier.



Anyways, whether you wear a one piece, tankini, or a bikini, finding one that you love is the most important part.
Recently, I was in Lane Bryant and I saw this one piece that was absolutely adorable.
I tried it on, and it looked fabulous. A big plus is that it has molded cups, with underwire!
This type of bathing suit will work for any shape, and I will tell you why.
It's shirred fabric along the sides and stomach. It acts like a minimizer and gives you the appearance of being smaller. It is, by far, my favorite bathing suit I have ever owned.
There are also the ones who swear by tankinis.
When I was much bigger we always used to go down to the beach for the summer, and my staple bathing suit was a tankini. I loved them.
I am a big fan of the boyshorts with the tankini, and the bikini.
When you're getting a tankini or bikini, make sure your tatas fit in the cups!
It's not always easy trying to find one that fits every person. If they are too big, your boobs slide around all over the place, if they are too small, somebody may get a free peek.
When you are buying two piece bathing suits, look for wider straps, both on the arms, or that tie around the neck, and around the sides.



Resources: lanebryant.com, torrid.com, swimsuitsforall.com, alwaysforme.com, oldnavy.com



Those are just a few, but remember this when you are finding a bathing suit: be yourself, and if you're not comfortable in it, don't buy it! You will always be beautiful!



Now let's move on to cover-ups.
The things I hate most about cover-ups are that some people use a large t-shirt. And then they get in the water with it on!
Maybe it's for sun protection (Which doesn't even help. I read an article a few weeks ago that said clothing is not a form of sunscreen!), or maybe it's because they don't want stuff all out there.
Either or, if you have a great bathing suit no need to hide it!
But as for cover-ups, go by body shape.
If you're an apple, go for a short, robe type cover up.
Hourglass and pears should find a sarong wrap.
Rectangles can wear a robe or sarong, but make sure the robe or sarong is tied so that it gives you a great shape!



Remember Big Girls, you are amazing!



Be Fabulous,
- Pauline

 PS: Questions/comments? Have a fashion emergency? Email Us! We'd love to hear from you!
 Email us at prtali@yahoo.com  

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Thursday, June 9, 2011

We have a bone to pick...Part Two

Here we are again, Big Girls!

Finding solutions to the everyday fashion problems, so you can be fabulous!

Today we tackle five more issues that drive us all insane.

1. Width vs. Length. Someone thought one day, "Well, if I make this wider, then we can skimp on the length, right?" WRONG! We have stomachs, we want them to be covered, and be comfortable. Just by making something wider doesn't make it look any better. The width doesn't create any shape, and it makes you look bigger! We pay out the nose for our clothes to begin with, they should put enough fabric in each shirt/blouse/sweater that we buy.
There are a few ways to combat the width issue. Get a cami, or a long tank top and layer it. This works especially well if the top is just a little too short. Another way to combat it, is to try it on!!! If it looks too wide, try the next size smaller. If it still looks funny, walk away from it.
Recently, I have noticed that Lane Bryant, Torrid, and also Target have been making their tops a little bit longer without the width. At Lane Bryant you have to watch though, because some of their tops look fabulous on the shelf, but when you put it on it's just not all there. At Target, I have fallen in love with their "Long & Lean" tank tops, perfect for layering, or wearing by itself.

2. What the Sleeve? Cap sleeves, puffy sleeves, any sleeve that pulls the emphasis to our arms.
I for one hate cap sleeves. I think they should be left to the 3 year-old girls on their Easter dresses.
We are grown women, and we should be able to dress like we are. There are a lot of us Big Girls that Like just regular sleeves, a 3/4 length sleeve, or elbow length. Conversely, sleeves that are huge don't make anything look good. That fad fell flat years, and years ago. A normal sleeve can be such a good thing!
My suggestion for sleeves are, sometimes (and I stress sometimes!!) you can take a shirt to an alteration shop and see if they can put a different sleeve on the shirt. That is not always as easy as it seems though. Also, just like in the width, it it doesn't look right, walk away from it. Or if everything else looks absolutely fabulous, but you're just worried about the arms, deal with it. I have the cutest argyle sweater top, and it has cap sleeves, but it was so perfect I bought it anyway.

3. Animal print/Neon leggins and jeans.
Some people love it, some people hate it. And I am here to say that if you love it, don't wear so much of it. Head to toe outfits of animal print do not work. Ever. I am also not a fan of the animal print t-shirts, or the animal print leggins/jeans/pants in any combination.
It is incredibly hard to wear animal print. Especially if you don't know how to wear it. If you have an animal print top, you could wear it with a plain jacket, or if it is warm, layer on a plain tank top underneath. Also, wear them with plain pants or jeans.
Never wear animal print pants. They don't look good on anyone.
Neon bottoms are also grouped into this category. Unless there is a specific reason as to why you are wearing neon bottoms, the general rule is to stay away from them.
If you are in love with neon, accessorize with it instead. Try a neon headband, or jewelry.

4. Fit in the bust. A lot of times the fit in the bust is too small, while the rest of the shirt is too large.
This either results in getting a smaller size, which then stretches your shirts, and draws extra attention to your bust.
The only thing that I can think of with this, is to measure yourself (or have someone else help out) and know you're bust size, especially is shopping online, or if buying in-store, try it on.
Some shirts allow for a bigger bust, some don't. If the problem is with a button up shirt staying buttoned, get some fashion tape and put it on the shirt where it bunches between buttons. It will hold it closed all day and peels right off.

Since we are talking bust, let's talk bras. If you have larger boobs, finding a hot bra is probably one of the hardest things to do. I am a stickler for trying on a new bra before I buy it, so I can check for the fit, and how it shapes me. Because I don't want to look like Madonna, or a grandma. But the amount of online resources for bras doesn't go unnoticed by me. Some of these websites are hipsandcurves.com, divabras.com, and bitsoflace.com.
In-store, my mainstay is Cacique at Lane Bryant. But even Victoria's Secret goes up to a band size of 42, in store.

5. I am not 90. I don't want to wear something that looks even remotely like I am 90.
So many styles of clothing for us Big Girls are so age inappropriate. The multi-colored florals, wrong fits, out-dated prints, the list goes on and on.
The fat fashion industry has started to catch on to current trends and give us more options.
Some of those options are fabulous, like better prints, current styles, and a more shapely fit.
You just have to watch out for something your grandmother, or even your great grandmother would wear. If all else fails, ask someone. Ask another person in the dressing room, or the sales associate. Ask us! Shoot us an email with a picture. We'd love to help you out!

Watch for the next few blogs! Part 3 is coming up, and after that is Summer Style!

Be Fabulous, Big Girls!
- Pauline

PS: Questions/comments? Have a fashion emergency? Email Us! We'd love to hear from you!
 Email us at prtali@yahoo.com  

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