We are pleased to bring you the latest news for Spring from my favorite gal pal bloggers!   From beauty and hair, to wardrobe and travel we’ve got you covered! Take a peek!

First Up!

Get a sneak peek of the latest in beauty for the season. Jackie Silver from Aging Backwards shows you a colorful array straight from New York City.

Fab Over Forty helps break down bangs – should we get them and what kind of bangs should we get.

What should you wear to look sexy and stylish (but not too young!) at a party?  Check out what the Glam Gals have to say over at Fabulous After 40.

Deb of No-Nonsense Beauty  Blog explores the link between spring allergies and aging.

Do you have a formula for putting together your travel wardrobe?  Une femme shares hers, and the magic number is 12!

Female Fat Loss Expert, Shawna K, has a strategy to discover how to test if a diet will work for you.

The brilliant style scouts at Faboverfifty find the 5 best t-shirts for FOFs!  (Plus, win one of their top picks.)

And over at Black Cat Plus, we are pleased to have new plus size items in from Ezze Wear, Neon Buddha and Simply Silk!

I was reading an article recently from the U.K. that talked about plus size models and that a larger-size model shows other plus size women that it is possible to maintain a positive body image and look good.   The controversy centered around whether having models that are too large sends the wrong message.

Photo: V Magazine

So, here are the key questions?

1. How large should a plus size model be and can models be too large?

What do you think?

By the way, check out this week’s Fashion Flash from The No Nonsense Beauty Blog!

Full Figured Fashion Week™ (FFFWeek) is going to be in New York City for its fourth year!

Events include a fashion showcase, panel discussions, fitness classes and sample and boutique sales.

The event is produced by DeVoe Signature Events (DSE), a boutique events management company with an extensive background in the production of fashion related events and a strong and effective mix of proven plus industry experience and success.

With over 15 years experience in fashion show production, Gwen DeVoe, CEO of DSE, Creator and Executive Producer of FFFWeek says, “It is time for designers, retailers, boutique owners and businesses with an interest in the plus size market to combine their resources and talents and partner with a plus fashion event that will rival other Fashion Weeks and Full Figured Fashion Week™ IS that event.”

Stay tuned for more information on FFFW!

The National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA) has announced its plans to hold its annual Plus-Size Fashion Design Scholarship competition.

Students can design and submit drawings of three plus-size (Women’s 16 – 32) fashions along with a short essay (750 words or less) explaining the thought behind their design and why it is unique, along with the designer’s approach and interest in designing for the plus-size fashion industry.

This is such a positive and encouraging step  to inspire young designers to join the ranks of Diane Kennedy, Sue Halevy of Sienna Rose, Shannon Passero of Neon Buddha, and others to design for plus size fashion.

The winning submission will receive a $1,000 scholarship, to be awarded at the NAAFA Conference being held in San Francisco on August 4, 2012.

Founded in 1969, the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA) is a non-profit civil rights organization dedicated to ending size discrimination in all of its forms. NAAFA’s goal is to help build a society in which people of every size are accepted with dignity and equality in all aspects of life. NAAFA will pursue this goal through advocacy, public education, and support.

Interested applicants must sign up and submit one PDF document that includes their three designs, proof of enrollment, and the brief essay.  The application deadline is July 1, 2012.

We’ll be watching!

Also, it’s Fashion Flash Monday! Check and see what the Glam Gals have in store today!   And, don’t forget to check out our contest with Fab Over Forty!  $200 Give-a-Way!

I love the NBC Television Show Community.  Check out Community it airs on Thursday nights at 8pm.

Maybe it is because I teach at a community college or because she is from my other adopted state, Ohio and from Cleveland, but I think Yvette Nicole Brown just lights up the screen in her portrayal of Shirley, the sassy divorcee.

I was reading an interview that Ms. Brown did with Nikeya Young, a most talented columnist for the Chicago Plus Size Fashion Examiner and did I ever agree with something Ms. Brown said in her interview about mainstream retailers and plus size fashion,

“They don’t get it. I think because the perception is that if you’re overweight, you did it to yourself so if you want to be in cute clothes, you would diet and exercise and get into cute clothes.”

There it is! There must be something wrong with us!

Oh if it was only that easy! And it is a mindset we really need to fight with our pocketbooks and opinions!

Here’s to a really smart, funny, vivacious actress in Yvette Nicole Brown! Keep on making us think!

Very rarely do I go off topic, but having just recently turned 50, I have been paying extra special attention to women who are in their 50′s and 60′s.

And, as a plus size woman, I want to feel and look my best not only at any size but every age!

I have noticed most recently that there is evidence of women who are aging  gracefully.   As the baby boomers move through the population, I think we will see more and more positive examples what ageless, timeless beauty looks like and see examples of those who gracefully age and strive to look their best without plastic surgery.

The past three Oscar winners Meryl Streep, Helen Mirren and Sandra Bullock have shown us that age, achievement and beauty are simply stunning!   At 62, Meryl Streep was the oldest woman ever to grace the cover of a recent Vogue Magazine!

I was most impressed when I heard Model and Author Valerie Ramsay talk about how life is a series of beginnings and that you can look and feel your best at any age!

The message: Let’s get real.  Plastic surgery isn’t all that it is cracked up to be.  We can and must allow ourselves to age beautifully and we can be real, confident, involved and excited about what’s ahead!

More as it happens! Jodell

Are we ever excited to have a March Madness Contest with Fabulous After 40!

If you have not checked out this site yet, it is a must! Great fashion, beauty and style tips for women 40+! The Glam Gals give great advice, fun contests and interesting topics!

You don’t want to miss out on this truly awesome contest!

We’ll be giving away $200 to one lucky person! So sign up today!

By the way, check out Faboverfifty they are hosting the Fashion Flash for this week!

Congratulations to Kaela Humphries, the former sister-in-law of Kim K.

She is now a star in her own right! Kaela is Ford Modeling Agency’s newest Plus Size Model.    I love her photos, don’t you? What a great addition to the plus size modeling community!

Kaela made her NY Fashion week debut in February and also is appearing in CW’s show Remodeled.

This 29 year-old, blue-eyed beauty signed with the plus size division of the Ford Modeling Agency on March 5.

Kaela tweeted, ”So excited to be working with the team @fordmodels!”  ”This is going to be a great 2012! Stay tuned:)”

We are excited too! Best of Luck Kaela and for showing the world that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes!

We are so pleased to have Art of Cloth for its second season. Over the next several weeks, you will be seeing our new selections from this Art-to-wear collection!

Take a look at our interview with Rose Corrick, Owner and Head Designer of Art of Cloth.

Also, Check out this week’s Fashion Flash from Susan at Une Femme!

This season’s go-to item remains the ever popular tunic.  We are finding tunics in all sorts of lengths that begins at the shoulders and ends somewhere between the hips and ankles and patterns that range from solids with embellishment to color blocking and multi-colored such as this Mara Tunic from Art of Cloth.

Here’s David Wolfe Creative Director of Doneger Group, talking with me about how great tunics are for plus size women.

I agree! The tunic is the perfect on trend piece for the plus size woman because it conceals any figure flaws and allows her to play up the areas she wants to show off.