There is nothing like a cool crisp Winter day to inspire staying inside and doing some shopping from the computer.  I am working on some changes for Full Figure Plus that newsletter subscribers got a peek into this morning.  Additionally, I am hanging out more on Google+.  If you are over there add me Glen L Johnson, MBA to your circle.

Things that have caught my attention this morning include:

• TechCrunch | Why Every Entrepreneur Should Self-Publish a Book
• Leading Plus Size Retailer Sonsi.com Adds Exciting New Apparel and Accessories …
• Curves win big at the 2012 SAG Awards
• Brazilian bikinis burgeon to fit the fat
• Get 20% off orders of $150 or more when you use code: STYLE2012 at Kiyonna.com! Offer Expires March 2, 2012. Not valid on body shapers, wedding dresses and gift certificates. Cannot be combined with any other coupons.
  
• ‘Feeling Beautiful is Empowering!’
  Ulla Popken promotions running right now:
  Friday, Feb 03 – extra 20% off Clearance – C21K0203
  Monday, Feb 06 – 10% off entire order – C21K0206
  Wednesday, Feb 15 – $5 shipping – C21K0215
  ullapopken.com
  
• Media misquotes - Octavia Spencer: I’m Not at a Healthy Weight Facebook response: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=371396182886483&id=149279818431455

Contestant Barbara Monteiro, from Brazil’s Mato Grosso do Sul state, gestures after winning the Miss Brazil Plus Size Beauty Pageant in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Monday, Jan. 30, 2012. A growing number of bikini and swimming suits manufacturers have woken up to Brazil’s thickening waistline and are reaching out to the ever-expanding ranks of heavy women with new plus-size lines. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Contestant Ariana Costa, from Brazil’s Minas Gerais state, performs during the Miss Brazil Plus Size Beauty Pageant in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Monday, Jan. 30, 2012. A growing number of bikini and swimming suits manufacturers have woken up to Brazil’s thickening waistline and are reaching out to the ever-expanding ranks of heavy women with new plus-size lines. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Contestant Adriana Santos, from Brazil’s Bahia state, performs during the Miss Brazil Plus Size Beauty Pageant in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. A growing number of bikini and swimming suits manufacturers have woken up to Brazil’s thickening waistline and are reaching out to the ever-expanding ranks of heavy women with new plus-size lines. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

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

In the world of plus size 2011 has been an interesting year.  There have been a few ups and and few downs on this blog as well as in the plus size community as a whole.  With 2011 coming to a close its that time of the year for me to review the noteworthy events that happened in the plus size community in 2011.

January

Chubby Vs. Plus Size – I think this debate will continue forever – LOL. Plus Size Fashion Designers vs. Knock-off Fashion Designers. There was also the debate that Oprah was rooting for the plus size community.  We see how far that went now didn’t we?

February

10 Reasons Plus Size Modeling is Gaining Momentum. There was lots of talk during the month that merchants were taking the plus size community for granted which was the inspiration behind  Has the ASOS Curve Bubble Finally Burst?  February was also the month that I finished graduate school and started my journey into blogging full-time with few distractions.

March

Tennille White’s Spring 2011 Plus-Size Collection To Appear on BET’s Rip the Runway. Fullfigureplus.mobi goes online with the surge of mobile traffic in the plus community thanks to Twitter and Facebook and the sale of Tablet computers. Lane Bryant gets a new look and Full Figured Fashion Week announces its industry awards.

April

The major talk of the month was the giveaway of the Spring 2011 Lane Bryant clothing.  During this time the surge of plus size clothing companies from overseas started opening up websites targeting US customers.  The size acceptance debate continued with Sick Looking Runway Models Are Great Role Models.

May

The biggest story of this month was the loss of plus size model extrodinare Mia Amber Davis.  Her loss showed just how much influence she had on the entire plus size community.  The maxi dress showed that it would be around for another season.  Personally this month was great for me with me being named one of the featured bloggers by Black Enterprise and being interviewed by my local newspaper.

June

Full Figured Fashion Week™ was of course the highlight of this month.  Vogue Italia placed three plus size models on the cover continuing the trend of plus size models finding plenty of work internationally but not so much in the US. UK plus size fashion company Simply Be added big and tall menswear to their US website.  The question was also asked Should Retailers Do A Better Job Promoting Fashion to Big & Tall Men?

July

Plus size model Fluvia Lacerda makes a splash internationally which will increase her popularity through the end of the year.  With the rise of social media there were a few incidents on Twitter that were business killers.  Full Figured Exclusives was launched from this blog and turned out to be a massive failure – can’t win them all.  Reality turns plus size with the debut of Big Sexy.  I was not high on this one but it turned out great.

August

The debate surrounding designer knockoffs continues with Is Forever 21 Duping the Plus Size Fashion Community?  With the enonomy down during the normal back to school effort Etsy.com became more relevant than ever.  The question was also asked Is The Plus Size Community Guilty of Group Think?

September

Clothing company American Apparel showed the dark side of fashion by denying plus model Nancy Upton the win of their model search contest.  Lane Bryant celebrated the 3rd Annual Fashion Night out.  Australia added its hat to the ring of international sites targeting the United States plus size consumers.

October

With models like Fluvia Lacerda and Rosie Mercado I posed the question Why Is Crystal Renn Still Talked About As A Plus Size Model? Queen Latifah debuted the Queen Collection but did not want it associated with plus fashion.  With its popularity growing it was time to ask the question Why Plus Size Fashion? Forever 21 is in the news again when a plus size fashion blogger takes them on.

November

Do You Wear Socks With Your Heels? When it comes to 2011 shoe trends that question had to be answered.  Full Figure Plus turns seven years old.  I still can’t believe it.  With the help of blogger Gabi Gregg Eloquii introduces its brand of plus size fashions.  Additionally, AdoraOm debuts great looking activewear.

December

Evans continues the trend of international companies targeting plus size consumers in the US. Making sense of  US Vs. International Size Charts For Plus Sizes became a bit easier.  Japan passed a law making it illegal for its citizens to be fat.  Additional talk is going around the Internet with Mariah Carey endorsing Jenny Craig, Jennifer Hudson - Weight Watchers and Janet Jackson – Nutrisystem

Three hundred and twenty-seven posts, hundreds of comments and lots of discussions on the state of the plus size community.  I am not sure what 2012 is going to hold for the world of plus size, but if 2011 was any indicator it is going to be one heck of a ride!

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

When thinking about plus size fashion, plus size women and teens in general there have been a few things to come about in which I wonder if the market is doing a good job of addressing the concern or is it just another part of the problem.

Sure blogs like Full Figure Plus do the best job we can in terms of spreading the message of the industry but when it comes to questions like the ones below how are we doing?  Additionally, are these questions factors in plus size fashion being mostly ignored even though we are screaming from the rafters about our accomplishments?  In other words, are we helping or harming the overall effort with what we do?

  If we ignore the fat people they will go away

• Is the obesity rate driving sales in fashion?
• How are plus size brands and retailers meeting the consumers demand for better more fashion forward clothes?
• Are mass merchandisers undercutting boutiques by increasing their selection and lowering their price points?
• What is the strategy of leading plus size companies?
• Why is the nature of plus size advertising mainly on the Internet?

If the majority of plus size women in this country are a size 14 and above why is it that it took the plus size blog community to push brands out to the forefront instead of regular consumer demand as it is with straight size retailers?

 It is common to ignore someone if you do not like that person

Part of the problem is discrimination but the other part comes from within because the plus size community is notoriously silent.  Sure there are a few outspoken individuals and companies but the industry is in my opinion a – If we ignore the fat people they will go away – frame of mind.

In seven years of observing the movement there have been great strides with many plus size brands or plus size extensions of existing brands to hit the market.  The down side of the great strides is they lose steam quickly after the initial rush and eventually get pushed to online only.

Examples of poor or defunct plus size brands include:

• Old Navy – Online Only – Poor advertising
• Forever 21 + – Mostly online – Poor advertising
• ASOS Curve – Poor advertising – Bad location on website
• Liz Claiborne – Shut down and went to HSN – Poor advertising

The bottom line when it comes to the plus size fashion community is that if there is no passion behind the brand like I have personally witnessed from IGIGI, Monif C. Plus Sizes, K-Mart, and Just My Size then that brand will soon fade into nothingness because the people you are looking to serve will abandon what you are trying to do.  What do you think about these points and what would you tell these merchants?

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

The majority of this series will talk about clothing but expect sections on shoes, social media, shopping, accessories, size acceptance and more! Some tips will be repeated in several sections which mean they are VERY important. Enjoy!

Clothing

Dark, solid colors are slimming. Any plus size gal will recognize that black is the ultimate color to help in minimizing those curves. In addition to classic black, navy blue can also help to instantly provide the look of a slimmer physique. FYI: Black does not need to be the only color in your closet!

Princess seams. These are ideal for plus size wear because of their slimming design. Princess seams are those that curve in, on both sides, to form a very lazy ‘C’ stitch.

Longer sleeves help to minimize the appearance of full-figured arms or wrists. It happens to everyone. One day we wake up and our arms are no longer the tight shape that they once were, but that’s what long sleeves are for. The length will minimize a larger wrist or forearm and draw attention to any unwanted thickness in either area.

Shorts may show off thicker thighs or legs, but capris pants with an ankle bracelet will draw the eye to the ankle and will decrease attention to areas you don’t want eyes to focus on.
Most plus size ladies want to wear baggy clothes, which give the appearance of being frumpy instead of fashionable.

Always go for a more figure flattering approach. This doesn’t mean to wear tight clothes; it does mean wearing something that accentuates your figure.

If you have love handles, don’t wear extremely snug shirts with jeans. Can you say muffin-top? Instead, wear your favorite jeans with an a-line or flutter shirt. This will hide any problem areas and maximize your sense of style.

DO NOT WEAR CLOTHES THAT ARE TO TIGHT! This is simply bad taste. Enough said.

A monochromatic look, meaning clothing that is all one color, can give the wearer a taller and slimmer appearance. And, after all, what woman wouldn’t want either of those characteristics in an outfit? Consider a black figure flattering top with a black pant in soft material. For a special touch, add a trendy belt, but take a look at the new you with an instantly slimmer look.

Control top pantyhose or a tummy control panty can help to eliminate belly bulge. Any woman, whether plus size or not, has a stomach. If you want to slim up your tummy area, either of these will help to minimize any bulge.

If pantyhose are not your thing try Spanx, Shapeez, or other shapers out.

Simple shapes and patterns are easier to incorporate into your wardrobe

Vertical lines are more slimming than horizontal ones

Vertical lines in jackets will elongate your frame

Wear clothes that fit properly

Voluminous garments will give the illusion you are bigger than you actually are

Embrace patterned colors for your daily wear

There are other colors in the rainbow besides black.

As this series continues be sure to bookmark the posts and feel free to add your own gems in the comment section

WordPress for BlackBerry.

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

There is no shortage of controversy that surrounds fashion merchant Forever 21.  Doing a Google News search will reveal the latest round of critics whining about the supposed pushing of Christianity with there latest t-shirt collection.  While my belief system says these people probably need to buy a shirt or two that says “pray” or “Jesus” on it that is not the point of my concern with this company and the plus community.

What brought this company to my attention this time was a petition on Change.org by an eco-friendly company demanding the company remove copies of their designs from the stores and website. Looking across the plus fashion blogsphere you will find dozens of outfit of the day posts that have a piece from Forever 21+ included which brings to mind how many of these designs are copies of original work by plus size designers?

Why is this?  Forever 21+ carries fast fashion which means they are low cost and in many cases low quality items that may or may not last a full season. The basis for my claim has to do with the allegations that Forever 21 and equally it plus fashion division Forever 21+ routinely copy designers and make cheap knock offs without the permission of the designer.

As a small business owner who has talked to many plus size fashion designers I am sure not a single one would appreciate their designs being copied and mass produced without their permission and they are not compensated for their hard work.  In writing Plus Size Fashion Designers vs. Knock Off Fashion Designers I learned that Forever 21 does a few things and does them extremely well.  They rotate stock between stores almost daily and they introduce new designs weekly.  If you combine that with a low price point and trendy hot designs you get a winning combination in which not only does the customer loses but the designer loses.

Because of the company is based in California they can get away with most of what they do and lets face it if they are changing their inventory as often as they do then they will sell out of a design and have something new before the typical plus size fashion designer who is barely keeping their head above water even notices they were ripped off.

It also makes it harder for quality designers like the teams from Monif C, Igigi, and others to make a living when the fast food versions of designers are showing up everywhere.  This is another reason you will not see Forever 21+ promoted on this blog.

With more and more plus size fashion designers being featured on blogs, reality television, and runway shows this gives the powers that be at this company more of a chance to copy designs make a load of cash and move to the next victim.  Plus size fashion is one of the few areas in the fashion world that is profitable and growing.

With billions of dollars at stake and a model in place to take advantage of the growth and no laws in place to stop them why should they stop?  The question remains though “Is Forever 21 Duping the Plus Size Fashion Community?”  What do you think?  Is it just good business and you love the low cost finds or they are raping independent fashion designers and taking advantage of the plus size fashion community?

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

Do you spend several hours a day checking your Facebook and Twitter feed?  Are you connected to social media on every electronic device that you own?

If you spend more time on social media on your smartphone than you do serving your clients are you really being a smart business person?

In the past I have written about the pros and cons of social media and after reading some Twitter and Facebook updates I have come up with a few ways this mega popular platform can actually hurt you as a business owner.

Do you really need to check Facebook on your television?

Productivity Killers

1. Spending more time on social media than you do actually working
2. Mixing too much personal business with actual business
3. Thousands of photos that have very little to do with your business
4. Distracted driving – this is a HUGE problem
5. Increased anti-social behavior due to social media addiction
6. Increased company expense used to purchase social media related tools

43 in every 100 internet users visit Facebook.com daily

Try turning all social media off on your cell phone

I want to state again that all social media is not bad.  I have made some solid contacts online and still think it is a great communication tool.  Instead of dwelling on ways it can kill your business productivity lets now focus on how it can help.

Solutions

1. It can introduce your brand to other countries – I am working with people in the Philippines as a result of a tweet
2. Tweets and status updates are cheaper than traditional mail
3. Social media can give you instant feedback to your product or service
4. Social media can help you understand how to promote my blog in a more efficient manner
5. Because updates are limited in content they have to be more focused

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