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.

Congratulations to the women who were crowned Miss, Ms., Mrs., and Teen Plus America!

Great job and congratulations to all of the participants and for putting plus size in the news!

More as it happens

Jodell

It is beach season and a time when some plus size girls and women tend to hide their bodies in cover ups at the beach. I watched with interest as plus size blogger, Gabi Gregg was interviewed on the Today Show about posting photos of plus size women in bikinis.

Image: xoJane

Gabi posted an image of herself in a bikini when she was on vacation and was amazed by the outpouring of positive and even some negative comments on wearing a bikini, which she calls, Fatkini.  Gabi encouraged other plus size women to send their vacation images to xoJane because she wanted to show more people that all women, regardless of weight or size, can be happy heading to the beach.

Gregg said it was important for women of all shapes and sizes to embrace their bodies. She encouraged her readers to embrace what they have. “Don’t let body shame keep you from having a good time!” She wrote on her blog.

Great idea! What do you think?

Also, check out our newest Fashion Flash contributor, Cindy, at Prime Beauty Blog!

This Spring, you will love, love love the array of colors! We are looking at bright colors that pop!  This Spring is the perfect time to incorporate color into your wardrobe!

Royal blue, Violet, Yellow, Green and Coral are the go-to colors this season.

Take a look at this Crossroads Blazer in  Turquoise and Coral from Neon Buddha. With the wonderful color and jeweled buttons, this is the perfect blazer to take you from daytime to after-hour festivities.  A great example of the colorful brights we are seeing this season!

So, don’t be self-conscious to wear color! For the next few seasons, colorful separates and dresses are all you will see!  I compare wearing colorful clothing to getting used to wearing a RED lipstick shade. Most of us who wear make up, started off by wearing more subtle lipstick shades and as we got used to having some color on our lips we were able to deepen the color and perhaps back off the intensity of color on our eyes and cheeks so that we can play up one feature!

The same principle applies to your wardrobe! Start off with perhaps with an accessory or two and move to a colorful tunic and then, perhaps bottoms, like the ever popular colored denim we are seeing out now.

Remember, plus size women do not have to be banished to wearing dark colors anymore. It is a myth and it is outdated thinking and we need to stop it. If you have worn basic, neutral colors start with my suggestion to focus on accessories and then move to clothing pieces.

Spring is the perfect time to start!

Happy Shopping!

Are You Fabulous Over Forty?  We are!

We love our new blogging buddy, Kari at Fabulous Over Forty!

Kari offers tips and suggestions based on in-depth product research and expert interviews.  You’ll lover reading her expert tips and advice.  Recently featured in Redbook Magazine’s 2011 Most Valuable Beauty Products, Kari is one of the beauty experts for testing and ratings.

Bookmark her site as one of your favorites!  Keep up on the latest in fashion and beauty for 40+!  You’ll be glad you did!

Happy Monday! Jodell

Ok, Ready to Give Drop Dead Diva another shot! All of my friends liked it and told me it was a START to viewing plus size women in a different, positive light and that it became a commentary on how society views women. Rewind tape.

Last season, I just could not get past the stereotypical behavior–eating donuts–I cringed. And the show started to evolve around society’s expectations for women rather than a fat vs. thin face-off.  That theme will be interesting to see if it develops even more this season. And Jane and the actress Brooke Elliot really grew on me.  I like Brooke Elliot’s work a lot!  Gotta tune in to see–what about Jane’s hubby returning and what happens to current boyfriend. Ah, the plot thickens!

I will be there with my pen in hand taking notes today–Sunday, June 6 at 9pm EST.  Let’s see what happens this season to our gal, Jane!   Just became a Fan on Facebook!  More as it happens. Jodell

Is it a revolution, cost cutting measure, publicity stunt or just good common marketing sense to more accurately reflect the audience you serve?

Recently Glamour Magazine made headlines when it announced that it was featuring a pictorial of normal to plus size nude models in its November issue. Debuting the image last week on the Ellen DeGeneres show, Glamour Editor-in-Chief Cynthia Leive, commented about Glamour’s decision to include women of all shapes and sizes in their ads and said how Glamour was inspired by reader comments about model Lizzie Miller and how women reacted to that ad because they finally saw a part of themselves reflected in a magazine advertisement.

Photo: Matthias Vriens-McGrath for Glamour

And now, Brigitte Magazine, one of the more popular magazines from Germany announced that starting in 2010 it would only use women with “normal figures.” Brigitte sells 700,000 copies and offers readers  fitness, lifestyle, recipes and sex related articles which appeals to an upwardly mobile, younger career women demographic. Editor-in-Chief Andreas Lebert, said the change was, “in response to complaints by readers who said they had no connection with the women depicted in fashion features and no longer wanted to see protruding bones.”   How exciting! Two magazines! Who is next?

Hats off to Michelle Cantrell, owner of  VenusVision.com a Blog that promotes self-acceptance among women. Michelle wrote to the Editors of Glamour to let them know what it means to have an image of a woman that is authentic and represents so many of the women in society.

If you are as inspired as I am, write your own letter to the Editors of Glamour to let them know how much we appreciate their desire to reach out to all women.

The best gift we can give to ourselves is to be ourselves and the best gift others, especially advertisers and members of the media, can give us, is to recognize that fact.

Thank you Michelle for having the courage to bring self acceptance out in the open and thank you Glamour Magazine for having the courage to go outside the boundaries society places upon women.

Now, I am off to go and re-new my subscription to Glamour Magazine!   More as it happens! Jodell