When I reported on the Ms Curvaceous UK contest originally my plan was to showcase curves from around the world with the readers of Full Figure Plus.

I must say I was surprised to be contacted by the organizers of the event thanking me for the coverage as well as updating me on the winner of the contest.

15 curvaceous aspiring models were selected from regional heats all over the UK and given an intense training program with a leading fashion choreographer and runway coach, Reuben P Joseph.

After a lot of deliberation from the judges the finalists were whittled down to the final 5 who answered questions from the 6 judges in front of the audience.

When it was decision time emotions ranged from disbelief, happiness and ultimately glory which struck the face of Simone Charles when Abi from Hughes Models Announced her as Ms Curvaceous UK. Natasha was announced 2nd place and Zizania 3rd.

Streamline Empire, a youth led organisation consisting of mainly 18 – 23 year olds exceeded all expectations with the biggest youth led event of 2012 the ‘Ms Curvaceous UK’. This annual competition promotes girls from size 12 and above who are unfairly phased out of the modelling world due to its unrealistic size restrictions.

Ms Curvaceuos UK Simone Charles(Sitting Down)

What I can gather from the photos of the entrants they represented a good slice of ladies of all sizes and shapes and for that I must take my hats off to the UK plus size community for an accurate presentation of curves.  Here is crossing my fingers to it taking a hold here in the US, but let me get back to the contest.

Streamline Empire strives to provide a platform that encourages diversity in the modelling industry, as well as create experiences and opportunities for individuals who need that encouragement to get started. They believe that big is beautiful and now they are bringing their vision to the UK for the word to see.

The aim was to empower women of size and it was clear that after holding Ms Curvaceous UK 2012 Streamline Empire will achieve this! Empowerment is something the worldwide plus size community needs to see more of.  Hopefully this contest will be around for decades to come.

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

Lane Bryant will party with a purpose during Fashion’s Night Out 

Lane Bryant®, the nation’s leading women’s curvy apparel retailer, will help celebrate the third annual Fashion’s Night Out (FNO) sponsored by VOGUE, the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and the City of New York.

On Thursday, September 8, Lane Bryant will join the party as the leading full figured clothing retailer at FNO by hosting a special event kicking off the “Technology Just Got Sexy™” marketing campaign, showcasing Lane Bryant’s new line of slimming denim jeans and debuting its classic fit trousers featuring exclusive T3 Tighter Tummy Technology ™.

It is events like Fashion’s Night Out that makes me wish that I lived on the East coast.  I would love to be able to talk with not only the organizers but the attendees to get the inside scoop on what is happening not only with the introduction by Lane Bryant of the T3 trousers but anything else I can find out.

According to a recent study 24% of ladies age 18-34 shop at Lane Bryant

Shoppers are invited to Lane Bryant’s Fulton Street store in Brooklyn, NY from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. to learn about the benefits of T3 from Lane Bryant Technical Design Director, Richard Zielinski, enjoy a special soundtrack from DJ Mario & Co., try one of Lane Bryant’s signature “Lanetini” cocktails, and mingle with the ladies of BIG SEXY, the hit new reality show on TLC documenting the lives of five curvaceous Manhattan women as they aim to make plus-size sexiness more mainstream. BIG SEXY premiered Tuesday, August 30 on TLC.

In partnership with Plus Model Magazine, Lane Bryant will give away a $500 Lane Bryant gift card to one lucky winner in honor of FNO and the T3 trouser debut. The winner will also receive a day of consultation with personal stylist, Reah Norman, and will be featured in a photo shoot for an upcoming issue of Plus Model Magazine. The Lane Bryant Fulton Street store will have exclusive FNO-branded t-shirts* available in sizes 14-28 for $25 beginning Tuesday, September 6.

Shop Lane Bryant from your cell phone to take advantage of the ongoing 40% off Sale!

Lane Bryant introduces Chantilly Lace to the Cacique Collection

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

Even though Full Figure Plus is a plus size fashion blog located in the United States one of the 158 countries that visit this blog is Australia.  Australia did you know department store Meyer recently was a part of fashion show in your country featuring plus size fashion?  If you did not your probably not alone.  Plus Size models appeared on the catwalk during the Myer “Big is Beautiful” fashion show during the Mercedes Benz Sydney Fashion show a few days ago. I only found out about it yesterday and I usually pride myself on keeping on top of as much as possible to give you readers as much information as possible.

Did Myer Drop the Ball in Introducing Plus Size Fashion to Australia?

The question of “Did Myer Drop the Ball in Introducing Plus Size Fashion to Australia?” comes to my mind.  From one perspective the answer is yes when stores like Myer bury plus size fashion so deep within their websites.  It is equivalent to being in the corner of the basement in the US.  This is what I had to and what probably the 64 out of 100 ladies to attend the show in Australia. Go to the Myer main website>>>Click MYER one>>>Click Buy Gifts Online>>>Click Women>>>Click Plus Size. On the other hand maybe the reporter who stated the media is more fascinated by plus size fashion than consumers are is right.

Fashion in Australia apparently is driven by the same vanity factors as those in the United States 

If you are confused at the amount of clicking then I was to.  I was going to leave the website without even bothering to find the fashions seen in the photos but in the name of helping plus size shoppers everywhere I plunged into the website to quickly realize many of the fashions featured including those modeled by Robin Lawley who made headlines when she was featured with other plus models on the cover of VOUGE Australia have not made it to the website yet.

Not being able to get items on the website after a fashion show is nothing new but I still wonder if Myer was afraid of the blowback from the press in Australia so they created a fashion show which mirrored their website in which only a few people attended.

Australia What do you think about the clothes from Myer?

When reading quotes by press in Australia like this what do you think?

The show has sparked an online debate as The Australian journalist Damian Woolbough branded the choice of models ‘irresponsible.’

Damian wrote: ‘There is a place for women of all sizes in the fashion media, as seen by the positive response to a plus-size shoot with Lawley in this month’s Vogue Australia, but obese models send just as irresponsible a message about the need for healthy eating and exercise as models with protruding clavicles and ribcages.’ Read more…

 For the purpose of this post which is to talk about plus size fashion in Australia getting into the obesity debate would be pointless, but does shed a bit of light on how this fashion show which featured a diverse amount of models was promoted.

If you are looking for similar fashions to the ones featured in the Myer fashion show I would suggest Jones New York, IGIGI, Kiyonna, or alight.com.

Knowing what I know about fashion shows there is no doubt all of those involved in the show worked hard but my final conclusion is Myer dropped the ball when it comes to the opportunity to showcase plus size fashion to the people of Australia.

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

I had the pleasure of meeting two of the members to this fantastic singing group while I was in New York for Full Figured Fashion Week™ this Summer.  If you have never heard of the Glamazons you are truly missing out on talent from plus size beauties performing on behalf of the plus size community.

The Glamazons were finalists on “America’s Got Talent” Season 2. Their fiery personalities and witty banter have been celebrated by audiences across the country. Last summer they appeared at Gay Prides in Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and opened for Joan Rivers in Milwaukee. As a quartet, they toured all over the world, including stops in Italy, Key West, Los Angeles, New York and Branson, MO. They were also featured in Torrid’s Spring 2008 advertising campaign, appearing in
Seventeen, Glamour and Bust magazines.

They recently lost 2 members to wedding bells and babies! After a competition at Therapy Lounge called “America’s Next Top Glamazon”, they have added 3 buxom beauties to their song and dance troupe! Sugar Cones, Honey Bun and Red Velvet are the lucky lasses!

Megan “Sugar Cones” Allen is a sultry songstress from California. She moved to NYC to study at American Musical Dramatic Academy (AMDA) and wowed The Glamazons with her booming voice and sharp, sexy moves. Megan’s background is Native American and Irish, boasting big brown eyes, chocolate brown hair, pouty red lips and a great set of cones!

Katie “Honey Bun” Cass is a true Mid-Western girl, born and raised in Madison, WI. Katie has been a performer since the age of 5. Her favorite is performing the “Star Spangled Banner” for a number of special events and ballparks including Miller Park for MLB’s Milwaukee Brewers.

Shanna “Red Velvet” Sharp came from her sweet home Alabama to pursue her dream as a performer in NYC. A singer/songwriter as well, Shanna has traveled with her original music throughout the US and Europe.

The group is currently recording a single entitled “Speakers Blown” and putting together a 2011 tour.

For interviews, press photos, mp3s, etc. please contact Stephen@SASiPublicRelations.com or 212.675.4690.

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

At the end of this month history will happen again for the first time. The group that brought you Full Figured Fashion Week™ in New York for the past two years is heading to Los Angeles.  Most of the events previously associated with this ground breaking event will be in place, but as always FFFWeek(end)™ will raise the bar during the opening reception with a silent auction to raise money for the L.A. Komen for a Cure Foundation.

Tickets went on sale a few weeks ago.  As a participant and observer in the last two years events I can tell you that you do not want to wait until the last minute to get your tickets.  Most of the events WILL sell out and you will miss out on not only a great networking opportunity but a chance to witness history in the plus community firsthand.

October 28-30, 2010

Hyatt Regency Century Plaza
2025 Avenue of the Stars
Los Angeles, CA

EVENT SCHEDULE

Thursday, October 28 – 6:00 PM- 10:00 PM
Full Figured Fashion Week(end)™ Opening Reception and Silent Auction Fundraiser
Proceeds from the Silent Auction will be donated to the L.A. Komen for A Cure Foundation

Friday, October 29 – 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
The Voluptuous Woman Company, Inc® presents “The PLUS Side of Business” – Featuring Successful Businesses that cater to the Plus Size Community

Friday, October 29 – 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
“New and Aspiring Models Panel Discussion/Seminar”

Friday, October 29 – 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
“The State of the Curvy Community Panel Discussion”

Friday, October 29 – 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Designer Trunk Sale and Shopping Event

NOTE: FREE entry with proof of ticket purchase to the finale on Saturday, October 30th
(you MUST print your receipt and bring it to the sale). If you have not purchased a ticket to
the finale event, please purchase a ticket from the menu above.

Saturday, October 30- 6:00 PM Doors Open/Showtime – 7:00 PM

Semi Formal Finale Runway Event
Saturday, October 30 – 10:00 PM
Masquerade After Party at the X Bar at the Hyatt Regency
(The X Bar at the Hyatt Regency)

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

Redcats USA launched the Intimate Promise catalog last week featuring lingerie, casual sleepwear, seamless daywear and embroidered and lace bras for plus-size women.

“We noticed that some customers that are good buyers were not systematically buying intimate apparel from us,” Christophe Gaigneux, executive vice president of Redcats USA’s special size group, said of the decision to start an intimate apparel book.

The company already offers a limited selection of lingerie for plus-size women in its Roaman’s catalog and a line of functional intimate apparel in its Lane Bryant catalog.

After conducting focus groups with customers, Redcats discovered a void in the marketplace for fashionable yet functional intimate apparel for plus-size women that is comfortable, comes in a range of colors and is reasonably priced, Gaigneux said.

Intimate Promise will try to meet this demand with more than 50 exclusive designs in the first catalog and prices for most items that are under $30. Prices start at $19.99. The book’s tagline is “Feel the Comfort.”

The new catalog is positioned as a Roaman’s line extension, with the name Roaman’s appearing on the bottom of the catalog. Starting next month, consumers can reach the Intimate Promise e-commerce platform through the Roaman’s Web site, Roaman’s, or by a dedicated URL, intimatepromise.com.

The 72-page premiere issue mails in February to Redcats’ house file in an attempt to gain more of its customers’ intimate apparel dollars, as well as to prospects.

Select items from the new title were included in the Roaman’s January mailing. The company also will send an e-mail telling Roaman’s customers to look for the arrival of the Intimate Promise catalog.

The first issue will include photos of plus-size models wearing the clothing. The catalog also will offer dresses, suits, sportswear and swimwear from the Roaman’s catalog. Half of the book will be dedicated to intimate apparel with the focus on bras.

Another feature of the book will be tips on which items should be worn underneath specific apparel items.

Redcats USA said it expects to mail six Intimate Promise catalogs this year.

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