One of the City Chic designers has taken the hard work out of picking the hot clothes of the season by choosing eight combinations from clothes to swimewar for you so all you have to do is say yes and continue shopping.

What I like about the looks the designers chose is the emphasis on lingerie and swimwear.  I am not sure if it is just the time of the year in which these items are promoted more or what but when you have been covering plus size shopping world as long as I have you may remember a time in which promotion of plus size anything connected to lingerie and swimwear just did not happen.

My favorite look of the eight is Siren Corset which will not be available on the website until this Friday which gives you time to make up your mind or stock up on some of the other items.  Though the looks below are from the new collection be sure to pay close attention to the sale items for end of season closeouts.  It is your chance to grab some great stuff for next to nothing.  Stay tuned for more on City Chic.  I am looking to see big things from this retailer in the future.

Enjoy FREE SHIPPING AND RETURNS – US and Canada only

The City Chic Woman
Not only is the city chic woman bold, sexy glam and chic, but she is fun, fashionable, and fearless.  With a hectic lifestyle and a passion for fashion she is not defined by the way she looks but the way she feels and embraces her curves. She need not feel left out as we are here to show you that “fashion” is not only for the “skinny”.

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

Shope Lane Bryant…Buy One Get One Free Sitewide

As a blogger in the world of plus size fashion paying attention to things becomes second nature so when something becomes popular we tend not to make a big deal about it because we can honestly talk about the times before something became popular.

I was having a conversation about a few things with some people about the plus fashion world and it occurred to me there have been some changes that I really did not give a lot of thought to that are actually big things and should be celebrated.

Plus Size Model Fluvia Lacerda Modeling IGIGI Gown

1. Plus size lingerie has come leaps and bounds from where it used to be
2. There is actually a such thing as plus size swimwear that does not look hideous
3. Plus size modeling is close to hitting the main stream
4. Plus size models are making a name for themselves on the big stage (No I am not talking about Crystal R)
5. International companies are targeting plus size consumers in the US
6. Plus size mannequins are starting to show up in places other than just Lane Bryant
7. Pintrest has done a lot to showcase the beauty of plus sizes in a positive way
8. I think companies that sell plus size clothing are starting to actually use plus size fit models (Ladies that are 5’5″ and at least a size 16 or larger)
9. Critics like Karl Lagerfeld and Meme Roth so don’t matter
10. More plus size designers are breaking out

There are more to talk about such as the explosion of blogs in the plus size niche to the number of personalities that are too numerous to mention.  If you had told me a few years ago I would be looking at advertising for the typical plus size fashion merchant that I would know the store owner as well as the model I would that laughed.

The great part about these revelations is there is no sign of them slowing down.  Sure there will always be critics both within and outside of the community, but as long as we as a group keep moving forward then there is nothing that can stop us and there is no telling what things will look like in the future.

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

This is a guest post by Jodi Lawler from Cafe La Moda,

Blogs are our go-to for a big dosage of fash-spiration. Here’s our rundown some of the best plus-sized fashion blogs on the web that will have you feeling huge pangs of fashion lust. Don’t say we didn’t warn you…

Cupcakesclothes.com

We totally adore 21-year old Georgina’s personal style blog. It’s like a haven for our inner princess, with lots of dreamy photography and a big dose of girly, loveliness in the form of a moodboard of tulle skirts, prom dresses and the most jealousy-inducing accessories collection, ever! Her fashion is like a ray of sunshine – think Lolita meets kitsch meets candyfloss and you’ll get the picture of why we love to live vicariously through her wardrobe. Plus, this lady has the best hair in the bizz! And she ain’t just style without substance; Georgina is a talented artist to boot. We would tell you to log on simply for the drawings but we guarantee you will get distracted by the dresses…and the shoes, and the bags, and the jewelry, and the hair, and the….(you get the picture!)

Fattyunbound.blogspot.com

Oh, how we love Kirsty Lou’s thrifty fashion blog for “big bums and tums”. It features ‘what I wore today’ photos alongside tips and tutorials and a peppering of perspectives and histories. Her style is eclectic and we love her color combos and mash-up of print and layering. Her love of a Peter-pan collar is en par with ours and she’s so on-trend with her bargain buys it actually hurts! Her vintage and DIY references add major cool-and-edgy points to her look and she has a shoe collection Imelda Marcos would be jealous of. Warning: will induce major wardrobe envy.

Manfattan.com

We have Scott Schuman and the wonderful The Sartorialist to thank for our obsession with street style blogs. Our new number 1 street style haunt is the fabulous Manfattan Project, which celebrates the sartorially-savvy plus sized ladies and men of New York. Images capture different sizes, races and styles and is a celebration of the amazingly diverse fashions found on the streets of the fashion capital. Expect lots of color and a serious case of Iwanttogoshoppingrightnow-itus.

Plumpupthevolume.tumblr.com

What was originally started by 25-year old Jenn as a personal blog to track her weight loss and gain quickly became an inspirational space for her, and her followers, to celebrate happy, healthy ladies (and men!) who are comfortable in their own skin. A polar opposite of the ‘thinspiration’ trend, Plump up the Volume loves bodies of all shapes and sizes and is full to the brim of gorgeous images that will guarantee to leave you with a smile on your face – if rainbow cake came in blog form this is what it would look like! PUTV gets our award for the feel-good factor and we can guarantee you will log off with some major new girl crushes (and if anything is going to make you want to get a tattoo and dye your hair a cornucopia of colors then this is it!)

Guest Post contributed by Jodi Lawler from Cafe La Moda, the social space for beauty and fashion. Visit us for more inspirational ideas to leave you looking and feeling fabulous.

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

Evans Mink Border Print Top

It is official there is now a new trend among fashion that you have never heard of!  It is called plus size and it is the hottest NEW trend since the invention of breathing! Now that you have scratched your head and wondered were I am going with this read the quote from an article I just read:

“Designers and stores are gradually realizing that plus-size women want the same kind of fashion-forward clothes as their “standard-size” counterparts. The Limited launched new plus-size brand Eloquii online in October and New York hosted its third Full-Figured Fashion Week in June.” -Soucre

The toungue and cheek title to this post is more for those outside of the plus size fashion world than for those on the inside.  For years mainstream fashion has ignored larger men and women which is part of the reason Full Figure Plus and other blogs in this niche were born.

The trend is more about dollars than it is about the fashion world taking plus size seriously.  Yes I said it.  In the article that prompted this post the numbers don’t lie.  Lane Bryant – $978 million Ann Taylor – $476 million.  Even my bad math can see that retailers, designers, and buyers are going to start warming up to a niche that is bringing in money regardless as to what they actually think about fat people.

Back to my point that plus size is a trending topic in the fashion world.  I have been only saying for the last few years that plus size is hot. It is hot without having to say the obvious - the average woman in america is size blah blah blah. Think about it like this if plus size was not already the hottest niche on the block these events, websites, models, and resources would not exist:

• Full Figured Fashion Week™ - event
• Plus Model Magazine - modeling resource
• Evans(uk) US website - plus size fashion
• City Chic(au) US website - plus size fashion
• Simply By(uk) US website - plus size fashion
• Fluvia Lacerda - plus size model

The point is yes the inspirational article made some great points about plus size women wanting the same things as their straight size counterparts but I must add again this is not a new phenomenon.  There are plus size consumers turned business owners, like Monif C Plus sizes, who looked to fill the need of the plus size fashion community that has been ignored for decades.

While its is great that designers and stores are jumping on the bandwagon hoping to make money of the fat people they secretly despise I hope they do not think those established community institutions are going to back down.

Now that I really think about it plus size is taking the world by storm but we are doing it on our own terms in our own way.  Mainstream outlets are scrambling to catch up to what we are doing and though there are a few people who are buying into the games from the outside.  One suggestion I have for mainstream fashion is to make sure you know your audience before you step into this arena.

The past is littered with companies who thought they could solve the plus size problem by throwing money at the community only to be run out of town.  Come to think of it if plus size is a storm then unless you are in the eye everything around you is in chaos.  Tread lightly mainstream fashion world.

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

As we come to the end of the year reflecting on the state of plus size fashion is something I have been doing since 2004. As 2011 comes to a close the annual this is the year for plus size, large size, fatshion, or whatever buzz word is in place states that fat women around the web are sick and tired and won’t take it anymore.

When I read this BBC article, “‘Fatshion’ blogs defiantly celebrate plus-size couture,” I must say that I laughed a bit.  The reason behind my laughter has more to do with the absurdity of the defiance in the plus size fashion community as if it is new.  I know you guys are probably tired of hearing me talk about the days of the past, but I feel that I much set the record straight because I was there to witness and can attest as to how the things the media is considering new has been in place for years.

The only thing that is new in regards to plus size fashion is the media coverage.  Plus Model Magazine, Full Figure Plus, Full Figured Fashion Week, The Curvy Fashionista, Love Your Body Day, and other plus size fashion blogs, & events have been celebrating fat fashion for years without the luxury of big time media coverage.

What we are seeing today is the media covering plus size fashion like they should have been doing all along but would not because of the size critics that exist in every corner of the fashion world saying that plus size fashion does not matter.  Off the top of my head this is the reason plus size fashion is in the spotlight today:

• Plus size fashion is a multi-billion dollar industry – Money is a great motivator
• Plus size women worldwide will no longer hide in the shadows
• The plus size fashion blog community is vast and showcases plus size designers and merchants more
• Plus size fashion events are making headlines WITHOUT the help of traditional media sources

No disrespect to those who are new to the plus size fashion band wagon but all of the trends that you are trumpeting as new could have been found with a simple Google search.  A search for the term “plus size fashion” brings back over 13 million results in the blog category alone.  What does that mean?  It means there are a lot of people talking about plus size fashion and have been doing so for quite sometime.

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