Here’s an interesting piece of news and how innovative today’s fashion design students are! We hope that these students take their careers into designing for plus size women once they graduate!

Apparel design students in a Product Development Class at Cornell University, wanted to create clothing for plus size women.  But first, they had to find a plus size mannequin.

As we know, there are very few “true” plus size mannequins on the market.  Most are a Size 14.  At Black Cat Plus, we are very fortunate to have one plus size mannequin who is a size 18.

Sophomores Brandon Wen and Laura Zwanziger decided to build their own plus size dress form with the help of a professor in the fiber science and apparel design.

They did not want to size up their clothes from a regular size mannequin so that the garment would fit appropriately.

Laura Zwanziger said, “A lot of the clothes for plus-size women are really just sized up from smaller proportions, which fit really strangely.  Plus-size women feel alienated from the fashion industry.”

Image: Cornell.edu

Their collection named Rubens’ Women,  features four jackets and a skirt and pants all tailored to complement the curves of larger women.

We applaud these innovative students and hope that they enter the plus size market.

Jenni Runk gives an accounting to the BBC News and talks about what it was like as an adolescent growing up plus size and what she thinks of her new found popularity with her modeling career.

The H& M model who posed in a bikini and swimwear believes we should all stop obsessing about size!  She says, “I’m the quiet type who reads books, plays video games, and might be a little too obsessed with her cat.  So, suddenly having a large amount of publicity was an awkward surprise at first. I found it strange that people made such a fuss about how my body looks in a bikini, since I don’t usually give it much thought.”

She was pleased to know that others were inspired enough by a picture of her modeling in a bikini made them want to wear one, too!

A US Size 14, she began her modeling career in 2001 and wants the message clear for women of all ages and sizes: it is ok to be different.   She says, “People assume “plus” equates to fat, which in turn equates to ugly. This is completely absurd because many women who are considered plus-sized are actually in line with the American national average, or a US size 12/14 (somewhere between a UK size 14-18).”

We admire Jenni for her beauty, intelligence and for sharing her wisdom openly and honestly and wish her much success!

Fashion Flash from the Best of Everything! Check it out!

This week our guest blogger AJ has some great tips on how to keep your hands looking young!

Introduction

With age, gradually all the parts of your body start giving away, showing you that you in the process of aging. The parts which are first in the line are your neck, forehead, arms and your hands. Hands are great one of the parts that shows you that you have aged.   However if you take a little care of your hands, you might be able to hide the signs of aging. There are various anti wrinkle creams that are available in the market. Along with using those, one can also polish their nails to distract people from looking at hands. Research has proved that women’s hands look younger if they are properly painted and manicured. How can you paint your hands well so that you can hide the signs of aging? Here are some anti wrinkle manicure tips for the same.

Photo Credit: ADiamondFellfromthesky. Foter.com CC-BY-NC

File your nails regularly

File your nails to keep them in shape. Filing also helps to protect nails from chipping off from the edge. Use a good crystal glass file to file your nails and produce a clean and chip free nail. File the nail fully so that the edged are rounded off and there are no sharp edges to be seen.

Wash the nail properly

People who regularly work in the garden or in the kitchen have dust and sticky grits in their nails. It is necessary that one cleans nails properly with soap and brush. The best way to do so is apply some shampoo in a mug of Luke warm water and then gently rub the nails with a soft brush. The sticky grit will gradually vanish.

Groom the nails

Do not clip cuticles of the nails.  The cuticle helps to protect the nails and the center of its growth.  Cutting the cuticles may result in thinning of nails and turning them brittle. The best way to take care of the cuticles is by moisturizing them and then pushing them back.

Let your nail breathe

Sometimes one feel see their nails turning yellowish. This often happens because of frequent use of nail polish and nail polish remover which contains harsh chemicals. Let your nail remain free form polishes for some time and let them breathe freely. If your nails have already turned yellow, use a lemon to remove the yellowish stains. After that, apply a transparent coating or a nail base. This helps the nails to strengthen and stops it from breaking.

Photo Credit: Krol Foter.com CC-BY-NC

Paint your nails

Paint your nail with pale colors like metallic pink, baby pink or white. These colors help to reflect more light and make your nail shine and shimmer. Use nail polishes which do not contain chemicals like toulene, formaldehyde and dibutyl phthalate. They pose harm to your nails. Use nail polishes which protects nail from UV rays of the sun.

Strengthen

Vitamin B complex is very good for protecting your nails. Have a capsule of Vitamin B along with calcium for protecting your nails by strengthening them. This is also useful for swimmers who stay in water for long hours. Daily consumption of the same augments nail thickness by 25%, making it strong.

Remove nail polish with a remover which is nonacetone. This helps is keeping the nails moist and healthy. One can also try organic removers made with lavender and soya beans.

Conclusion

Following these simple tips would help in protecting your nails from aging. Along with the anti wrinkle products, homemade remedies also work wonders for nails. Try them out and see the difference in your looks.

About the Author:

The above article is written by AJ who specializes with anti wrinkle skin care products and runs her own small salon. She loves to advise people with beauty and health care tips via her articles.

Did you know that Abercrombie & Fitch does not carry XL or XXL sizes of women’s clothing because they don’t  want overweight people wearing their brand!

Photo: Abercrombie & Fitch Facebook page

Aparently this attitude towards plus-sized women derives from CEO Mike Jeffries.  Jeffries told Salon Magazine in an interview,

“In every school there are the cool and popular kids, and then there are the not-so-cool kids,” he told the site. “Candidly, we go after the cool kids. We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don’t belong [in our clothes], and they can’t belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely. Those companies that are in trouble are trying to target everybody: young, old, fat, skinny. But then you become totally vanilla. You don’t alienate anybody, but you don’t excite anybody, either,” he told Salon.

So is that acceptable? No ugly, fat or kids who are not popular need not even bother to go into the store and buy clothes?

Is that acceptable in 2013 when plus size make up almost 70% of the market?  From a major retailer?   Here’s what MSN said and I agree,

“As other brands like H&M begin using plus-size models in its campaigns and new lines, Abercrombie could be left back in 2008, when it was reportedly last relevant.”

What do you think?

Also, check out No nonsense Beauty for this week’s Fashion Flash.

Brittany Gibbons, blogger of BrittanyHerself.com,  each year, wears a bathing suit in public.  This year, however, Gibbons upped her challenge by wearing a bikini.   How great is that?  For more info, go to Good Morning America.

Photo: BrittanyHerself.com

After trying on dozens of suits, Gibbons, founder of the Curvy Girl Guide, shared two options with her readers.  The responses were immediate. Most were positive, some not so much…

What really impressed me was how she summarized her bikini search.

Brittany says, “To some this may not be beauty or strength.  To some this may be gossiped about or pitied. Maybe even labeled gross or pinned as motivation as to what not to be. ”

She adds, “To them I say get your own mountain, this one’s mine.”

Well said.    Retailers are figuring out that every woman wants to look sexy, have fun, and be in style, regardless of size.

Mainly, because women like Brittany are showing them the way!

Check out this week’s Fashion Flash from Fabulous After 40.

CBS Houston polls readers as to whether they think this Houston Cheerleader is too chunky.

What?  She is beautiful?

Kelsey is a dancer for the OKC Thunder Girls and whose business is it exactly?

The CBS Affiliate did take down their poll, by the way.  Good idea.

Check out this week’s Fashion Flash from Jackie at Aging Backwards.

I have just read the Power of Style by Bobbie Thomas, Style Editor for the Today Show.

This book makes an excellent reference book and serves as a reminder for women of all shapes and sizes, that they can wear color. The key: the shade of color that you choose is important.

To determine whether you are “cool”  ”warm” or a combination, take a look at your wrist on the inside of your veins.  If they are more blue than yellow tone, that tells you, you are a cool.

Cool colors have more blues and jewel tones, like the ocean such as this Simply Silk Aqua Burnout Tunic.

Warm colors have tones more like a sunset such as this textured print kimono jacket, also from Simply Silk.

To help you determine your color palette, you can also take white and ivory scarves and see which color “pops” and makes your features stand out more.

As Bobbie says, “It is all about the power of attraction.”

To find out more info from color to body type and determining which styles look best and the proportion between your shoulders and hips, check out this excerpt from The Power of Style.

Fashion Model Saffi Karina has started the UK’s first plus size model workshop called, Curve Project London.   Karina has been able to transition in her modeling  career by embracing her more mature figure and wants to teach other women how to become models for plus size brands.  Her clients have included Speedo and Bravissimo.

Photo: Saffi Karina

Karina’s monthly class will include in-depth coaching, teaching participants with hair and makeup sessions, getting experience working with stylists, advice on photo shoots, taking runway lessons and casting tips.

Given that there is a sentiment in our culture for ‘normal’ sized women, Karina’s goal is to,” endorse a positive body image and act as a role model to young women who previously thought ‘thin’ was the only way to get a foot over the fashion threshold.”

Great idea! This looks like one woman who is taking matters into her own hands!

Check out this week’s Fashion Flash from Fab Over Fifty.

Tara Lynn (recently off of the H & M photo shoot), Candice Huffine (Nogue Germany, W Magazine) and Robyn Lawley (Australian Cosmopolitan) are featured on Vogue Italia’s June 2013 cover with Marquita Pring (Jean Paul Gaultier’s model) featured inside.  Quite the resume’s don’t you think?

Vogue Italia’s Editor-in-Chief Franca Sozzani who launched a petition against pro anorexia websites, was quoted in Fashion Trade  Magazine, Women’s Wear Daily,

“We help [plus-size women] dress fashionably. We say: It’s pointless for you to buy leggings, take this because this will look good on you. We help them choose. We don’t talk about diets because they don’t want to be on a diet, but it’s not a ghetto. Why should these women slim down? Many of the women who have a few extra kilos are especially beautiful and also more feminine.”

Enough said!!

Check out this week’s Fashion Flash from Moving Free with Mirabai.

Fashion Model Crystal Renn is looking at her future plans. With a successful ad campaigns for Jimmy Choo and most recently, Agent Provocateur, she is keeping her options open and has said that she is interested in designing a clothing line ‘with body diversity in mind’.

photo: Net-a-porter.

For her Net-a-Porter digital fashion spread, Renn wears black ensembles from Alessandra Rich, Saint Laurent by Hedi Slimane, Nina Ricci, Emilio Pucci, Gucci, Giuseppe Zanotti and Stella McCartney.  She was photographed by Laura Sciacovelli.

As the former anorexic, turned-plus-size-model, Renn has been outspoken from her criticism of the fashion industry to her own personal struggles in her book, Hungry.  Her size has fluctuated and ranged from a size 0 to a size 16. However, now a size 8, Crystal  insists that she is happy with her appearance and says,  ” I don’t let my body dictate whether I’m happy or not. The goal is to go live, and worry about the rest later.”

It will be interesting to see if Crystal will really design her own line. Definitely worth a look if she does!