Valentines Day is one of the holidays that goes to the foundation of Full Figure Plus.  This blog was created because I was looking for lingerie and bras for my wife.  Continuing the tradition v-day is right around the corner which makes it a perfect holiday to both give and get lingerie.  Plus size lingerie has come light years today from what it has been in years past giving curvy ladies a great selection.  Simply Yours has a stunning Valentines collection of  lingerie from bras and lingerie sets to nightwear and wraps. There’s something to suit all moods from pretty in pink and on trend florals and saucy red and flattering chemises.

Simply Yours Valentine’s Collection

Eve Floral Plunge Underwired Bra
£22.00
Eve Floral Briefs

£10

Gossard Passion Plunge Bra 
£32
Gossard Passion Shorts

£16

Joanna Hope Chemise L38
£30 – £34

Eve Underwired Lace Mesh Bra
£16

Eve Spot Mesh Lace Briefs

£9

Don’t be discouraged by the photos.  Many of the bra sizes especially in the Gok Wan collection go up to G and H cup sizes with bands up to a 48.  Most panties go up to a size 2x. Remember Simply Yours is a UK company so the sizes are different.  For US and other countries be sure you do the proper conversions be for you order.

Full Figure Plus - Plus Size Fashion For Today's Active Women

Via a post on Twitter yesterday about the Plus Size Beauty of The Week Hall of Fame on Full Figure Plus @CurvyExchange commented which lead me to a community online for plus size women to meet and sell clothes online.  Established in 2002, the community is dedicated to plus size women rotating there closets with other ladies with similar interests.  Long time readers know one of the style tips I have written about on occassion is going shopping in other people closet to freshen up your closet.  The Curvy Exchange Live Journal community allows you to do just that.

Merchants featured on the site include:

• Torrid
• Ashley Stewart
• Lane Bryant
• Mossimo
• Old Navy
• Faith 21
• Cacique
• Betsey Johnson
• and more…

Surfing through the posts it appears that the community is extremely vibrant with lots of items going to other live journal members or going for sale on eBay.  If you are a person who likes the “never know what you are going to find” type of shopping you should bookmark the Curvy Exchange and get involved.  Spying in on the comments it does not look like anyone will bite your head of for asking any quesitons and all you have to do is follow the rules.

A snippet of the community guidelines:

Curvy Exchange is a community that promotes delicious curves and fashion! This is a place to post ebay auctions, sales, and give-a-ways for plus size clothing & accessories [sizes 14+]. 

Feel free to trade clothes, put up coupons and links for curve friendly websites, pics of items that you want [lj cut please!], plus size items that you’ve made, auction information, clothes you want to give away, styling tips for us curvy girls, clothes you want to sell, accessory items you want to buy/sell/trade, and anything plus size fashion related.

There needs to be more communities like this in which lovers of fashion are free to exchange clothes and have fun at the same time.  If you are a person who has taken advantage of some of the deals on the community would you be so kind as to share your experience with the readers of this blog?

Keep up the good work ladies.  This plus size fashion blogger salutes you.

Full Figure Plus - Plus Size Fashion For Today's Active Women

The new season White Label collection “Colour Voyage” is now live at Anna Scholz. This fabulous collection was inspired by Morocco’s intricate mosaics and sumptuous rugs, which you can see reflected in Anna’s geo tribal and pink marble prints on whisper soft silk. Prints of inky palm trees conjure images of the countries shimmering dunes, and sheer tie-dyed pieces with shimmering mirror embellishments add a touch of poolside glamour.

Double Silk Corset Strap Maxi Dress. If you invest in one dress this season for weddings, galas or just for feeling gorgeous, it should be this amazing piece! Anna’s dramatic print of inky palms and sunset hues adds an unexpected punch to the flowing lines of this sumptuous silk dress. The seamed, shaped corset-style bust is a major head-turner and the dress subtly nips your figure in at the empire line. Pair it with heels and a flower in your hair for a formal occasion or funk it up with strappy sandals and chunky jewellery for a more luxe-boho look.

Full Figure Plus - Plus Size Fashion For Today's Active Women

International company Littlewoods is making a big play into the plus size fashion arena but in a strange way.  With two lines of clothes available across three websites it sounds like a great idea but it is honestly a bit confusing for the consumer.

Our continental customers tell us that plus size fashion is very difficult to find in many European countries, so we at Littlewoods Europe have now have our largest range of women’s plus size clothing available online with over 1,500 lines available in sizes up to 32.

Our Confident Curves range, launched in autumn 2010, has proven very popular and due to huge customer demand, our confident curves collection has been extended this season with even more pieces. Lines in our Confident Curves range now include dresses, jeans, trousers and skirts.

Littlewoods Europe’s exclusive So Fabulous collection features this season’s key pieces, like plus size maxi dresses among over 300 lines in sizes 14 to 32. So Fabulous is designed and created to flatter curves, rather than simply creating a larger version of standard clothing ranges. -Press Release

Though I was confused I was not discouraged so I kept looking through the websites.  See what I do for you guys?

Below are some of the items I found on the different websites listed under different names from what was listed in the press release.  Unfortunately, most are not available in the United States but then Full Figure Plus represents plus size women worldwide.

Honestly, I found it rather difficult to find items from the Confident Curves collection.  I had more luck finding items from the So Fabulous collection.  If you are looking for different items and have friends in other countries you US divas can get your hands on some of these items.

The prices are good though the selection seems to be a bit less than the 300 lines talked about in the press release.  They may be there but the poor site navigation makes it difficult to find because everything is lumped under the ubiquitous category of Womens 16 plus or Size 16 plus.

FYI to US shoppers:  Europe and UK sizes are different from our system so if you do make a purchase be sure you do the proper conversion to ensure you get the proper size.

Littlewoods websites that need to have better navigation:

Littlewoods

Very

LittlewoodsEurope

About Littlewoods Europe:

Littlewoods Europe launched on 27th August 2009 and is aimed at women looking for the convenience of home delivery from one of their favourite British online retailers. The delivery cost is EUR5 regardless of size of order. Delivery is within 10 working days, with 28 days home approval guarantee. Littlewoods Europe currently delivers to 25 European countries including Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain and Sweden.

The Littlewoods Europe site features over 15000 product lines, from core categories of clothing, footwear, toys, kidswear & homeware.

Full Figure Plus - Plus Size Fashion For Today's Active Women

Recently I was given the opportunity to review a pair of jeans from Maurices.  Choosing the Hydraulic® Dark Wash Contrast Stitch Jeans was actually difficult because there are many great styles to choose from.  With my plus diva as with many plus size ladies jeans tend to be their arch enemy.  I went into this review with that in mind knowing that my wife complains more about jeans than any other item in her closet.  After singing “Taps” to the last pair of jeans she reluctantly tried on the jeans from Maurice’s after saying, “I did not know that Maurice’s carried plus sizes.”

The Good

The huge smile that came across her face when trying on the size 22 jeans said it all.  The fit was perfect, the length was on point, she liked the color and best of all she asked me the million dollar question, “Are you checking me out?”  The answer was of course yes which is why the jeans were chose in the first place. The description of this particular pair of jeans states: “These trendy jeans have chunky contrast stitching for an edgy vibe. The dark wash is slimming. You’ll love the style and value you get with this pair of jeans. Dress up or down.” I will have to say that we, me in that I am checking her out more and her in that she has some jeans she loves would agree with the aforementioned statement.  Two thumbs up with a finger snap.

The Not So Good

The only bad thing about these jeans was trying to decide what type of shoe to wear with them.  Originally she put a pair of leopard print flats, then knee length riding boots, then finally settling on a mary jane pump with a two inch heel.  Though the pocket embellishment is not at the top of her list she was willing to ignore the cosmetic features because of the superior fit of the jeans. From a construction stand point of view at 3% the spandex blend is a bit high.  In the past this meant the shape would unravel giving the pants a permanent wrinkled look.  Only time will tell if this is the case with these jeans.

Overall

I give Maurice’s two thumbs up when it comes to their jeans mainly because of the jeans finder that allows you to shop according to your individual tastes from several different brands.  In addition to the selection of denim there are tops, dresses, shoes, and accessories.  Even though the selection is not as big as the jeans section it still has enough to allow you to round out an outfit.  Additionally, they have a model search going on right now.  Who knows you may be the next face of the company.

Full Figure Plus - Plus Size Fashion For Today's Active Women

There is no hard fast rule that state you must wear red for Valentine’s day, but if you decide to why not try out some of the new items from IGIGI. As usual this plus size merchant hits it out of the park with great just in time fashions in which you will look good no matter the day!

Award-winning American plus-size designer brand IGIGI by Yuliya Raquel, www.igigi.com, has launched The Art of Fashion in Motion campaign, a trailblazer montage of color, movement, and art inspired by the great revolutionary abstract expressionists like Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollock, and Lee Krasner. The Art of Fashion in Motion is a strong visual extension of the company’s more-than-a-decade long mission to transform the world’s view of beauty. The Art of Fashion in Motion is to the plus-size fashion world what the contribution of these revolutionaries has been to the art world; a groundbreaking, exciting and out-of-this-world approach to the way we perceive plus-size women and fashion.

In a visual feast that tells the story of wearable art designs, plus-size model Kailee O’Sullivan appears as a woman of multiples facades. She is a canvas of seductively moving curves where fashion and art merge as one to create a truly eye-opening campaign for an industry that is still believed to be stuck in the time of the muumuus. The Art of Fashion in Motion campaign also features IGIGI by Yuliya Raquel’s new Valentine’s Day Collection of flowy, waist accentuating dresses and separates draped in signature IGIGI by Yuliya Raquel style and embellished with trendy sequins, lace and color blocks available now at www.igigi.com. Prices range from $90 to $180.

“I have always been inspired by the abstract expressionistic work and the way these artists made a change and influenced the world. My intent is to create wearable art designs that are timeless yet very modern. They inspire the wearer to express herself with confidence and empower her to communicate her uniqueness, beauty and intelligence regardless of her size. We women have multitudes of ways of expressing ourselves. The play with the idea of different looks for just one woman in the campaign is to remind the world that who we are is not defined by our current physical attributes but by who we choose to express ourselves onto the world as,” said Yuliya Raquel, Founder, Designer and Creative Director.

Much like Abstract Expressionism revolutionized the world of art, IGIGI by Yuliya Raquel has been a pioneer in the way fashion is created for the modern fuller-figured woman opening a path and leading the way for many brands that followed. February 2000 marked the arrival of designer label IGIGI by Yuliya Raquel on the fashion scene with a groundbreaking mission and culture that celebrated curvaceous and voluptuous women with sensual, daring and on-trend designs that were unprecedented in the world of plus-size fashion. Most of the selection at the time was designed to hide the curvaceous body behind shapeless garments with conservative silhouettes, poor quality, and ill-fitting styles. A private couturier with a mostly plus-size client base, Yuliya Raquel, decided to break the rules of traditional plus-size fashion and bring her couturier experience to the masses with designs that flatter, accentuate and celebrate full-figured women with a message of self empowerment, acceptance, and love.

Shop for your Valentine’s Day outfit in plus from IGIGI by Yuliya Raquel!

Full Figure Plus - Plus Size Fashion For Today's Active Women