Full Figured Fashion Week™ Wrapup Part One

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Thinking about the 2nd Annual Full Figured Fashion Week™ I have come to the conclusion that it really does not matter what the critics think there is no stopping what Gwen Devoe and those involved have set in motion.  Think of it like this there has be somewhat of a ministry (blog coverage) and motion (Full Figured Fashion Week™ growth) which translate into a movement.  Last year was history in the making and there was little to no mainstream media coverage. This year the activities were covered by the New York Times, Essence magazine,Vougue Italia, Glamour.com, Aquila – Asia, The Huffingtion Post, The Winnepeg Sun, and I am sure others.  Remember ministry plus motion equals movement.

The point is simple full figured fashion is on front street and it was brought there on the back of people like Gwen.  It was my pleasure to be able to meet here and talk with her and all the volunteers, participants, models, bloggers, and admirers of Full Figured Fashion Week™.  On to the juicy stuff.

Day 1

Unfortunately I missed this days events that included media and runway activities, but you can read all about it on my fellow blogger and Curvy Collective member The Curvy Fashionista. (Side Note: I will talk about why I missed day one in a post coming soon)

Day 2

The Full Figured & Fabulous™ Runway Model Competition was hosted by New York Television Anchor Ruschell Boone and a panel of celebrity judges including Yuliya Racquel from IGIGI gave ladies who did not make the cut to model in the other activities the chance to shine and compete for $1000 in cash and the title of Ms. Full Figured & Fabulous™.  Of the seven contestants MariJo Monteiro took the top prize.  While the runway show was great the highlight for me was finally being able to see the Glamazons in person.  If you have not had the opportunity to see them I suggest you make a point to make it happen.  All of the fashions the ladies wore on the runway were great and if these ladies are the ones that did not make the cut can you imagine what those that did look like.  Richard Lew was the in house photographer you can see more pics on his website. Ministry plus motion equals movement.

Day 3

I already talked about the business panel I spoke on yesterday, to read more about it check out Full Figured Fashion Week™: The PLUS Side of Business Afterthoughts. After I talked on the business panel it was time to switch to blogger and Curvy collective member to report on the New and Aspiring Models Panel Discussion/Seminar (hosted by Sharon Quinn).  Just like the business panel the model panel was packed to hear from panelist Aminah Benjamin (Producer – Rip The Runway) and others talk about modeling on the underground circuit and making sure your photo book represents who you are today.  Additionally, there was talk about knowing your measurements, and what you think looks good on you may not be good for you.  It was refreshing to hear new models being given the advice to treat their career as a business, not fall to scams from bogus modeling agencies, and to not give up when it comes to perusing your dream.  After a short Q&A session in which the participants were called at random to introduce themselves in the best possible way the panel members answered questions and then it was photo time in which as you can see I was hard at work but still found the time to take a picture with Tali Giat from the reality show More to Love, and attendee Latonya Mann.  Ministry plus motion equals movement.

After the modeling panel came The State of the Curvy Community Panel Discussion.  This is the same panel I spoke on last year and featured people like Golda Poretsky – Founder of Body Love Wellness and  Plus Size comedienne Erica Watson.  This years panel was free flowing with more questions from the audience and lots of great feedback from the panelists.  What struck me as odd was when Erica Watson and Rosie Mercado spoke on how they have literally received death threats for perusing their individual activities.  Even my wife got into the conversation when the topic turned to discrimination within the plus community.  Plus Model Magazine Maddy Jones once again hit it out of the park by touching on the plus community has created its own media wing because of the discrimination from traditional sources.  I predict this panel will continue to grow and evolve in the future.  I was introduced to Fashion Fit Formula in which my wife was precisely measured and told what clothes she should wear for her specific body type.   I will talk more about the Fashion Fit Formula in a separate post. Additionally, it was after this panel that it was discovered that the New York times blog had wrote about what was going on. Ministry plus motion equals movement.

Day 4
Marie Denee hosted a shopping trip for 23 lucky ladies and a gentleman during the Full Figured Fashion – The Shopping Excursion. I did not attend this event but you can read about it on the Curvy Fashionista blog as well as see the photos on Facebook.  One of the great stories of this event was that Pam Shainhouse founder of Allistyle.com in Toronto, Ontario won a VIP ticket to the runway finale.  It was great to talk with Pam during the business panel and even better to hear that she would also be at the finale.

Though I could go on talking about different things during Full Figured Fashion Week™ I am saving the coverage of the finale for another post to give you a glimpse of each of those who showcased clothes.  If you could not make it to New York you missed a lot if you were there you learned alot.  Stay tune for coverage of the finale. Remember to see more photos check out Richard Lew‘s website.  Ministry plus motion equals movement.