Well, I give up. Plus size clothing is so god-awful, I am going to stop trying to find interesting garments and stick to super-duper simple, tailored looks and make accessories my WORLD.
Right now I am totally obsessed with BaubleBar, an on-line purveyor of statement jewelry, which is just fashion-talk for huge. I had found the whole Statement Necklace thing to be pretty much done to death but then I found Baublebar and fell in love with some of their designs. I ordered a necklace (photos soon) and it came quickly, beautifully packaged and well-made. I got lots and lots of love for it and felt wonderful wearing it, so there you go. Materialistic, yes. But a girl has to get through these blizzardy weeks SOMEhow, kiddies!
Here’s the necklace I got.
It’s a little Deco, a little WonderWoman. I love it.
BaubleBar wins my heart because it actually posts photos of its pieces on models so you can see how the thing works — and how big it actually is (if other sites did this, they might get some of my business). And BaubleBar has an added bonus of including customer selfies on the site so you can see how real women style the pieces. I have gotten a lot of inspiration from these gals. I have felt for a long time that it’s possible to wear big bling with everyday outfits, and I’m going to start doing just that. Because the world needs more shiny fun.
In case you were wondering, I don’t get a red cent or discounts or anything for mentioning on-line retailers. Zulily is another great site, much as I hate to admit it, because they sell deeply hideous clothing. But they have fantastic sales on shoes, home goods and accessories, and they also seem to have cute kids’ clothes.
By the time the spring rolls around — and I do mean ROLLS, have you seen me eat my way through one of these snow days yet? — I will be 300 lbs. and have a full closet of huge, shiny necklaces and earrings. The more it snows, the bigger my bling gets.
Coping.
MWAH!
You simply MUST check out Lavender Branch http://lavenderbranch.com/, a company that specializes in gorgeous hand-made statement jewelry. It is of the highest quality. I am always stopped by strangers who want to know where I got my jewelry whenever I wear one of pieces. Worth every penny. [Oh my gosh, those are GORGEOUS! Thank God they’re not my style or I would out serious dough. There’s one necklace with fan-shaped danglies with pearls that I am salivating over, but it would look wrong on me so I will have to simply admire it as lovely art. – PB]
Thanks for these posts. I was experiencing withdrawal.
We don’t have snow to endure here in England, but rain! Everlasting rain until an ark actually stops being a joke and starts becoming a good idea.
I just got a couple of colourful cardigans to keep me going. Here’s to getting through…
We haven’t had nearly as much snow as Boston, but the cold has definitely limited outfit cuteness around here.
I am sure there is a course offered in fashion design school where the syllabus includes “Designing for Plus Sized Women” with assignments in “Bigger Women Love Bling and Gaudy”, “Horizontal and Wide: Stripes, Stripes, and More Stripes”, “Cut Corners Not Darts”, and “Elastic Waist Means Never Have to Know Your Waist Size”. **bwa ha ha!**
I’m with you, PB. I’ve focused on well-made basics in solid colors and add interest and variety with accessories. I collect jewelry and scarves when I travel. I’ve found some wonderful basic cardigans at Lands End and Dress Barn. Once in a while I’ve scored some great pieces from Jones New York and Talbots at a local thrift shop. I am starting to find Coldwater Creek to be hit and miss with sizing and quality; a real disappointment, since years ago, they were my go-to for well-made pieces.