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The dust has settled from my latest trip to New York for Full Figured Fashion Week™. When I think about the events I witnessed a few things come to mind.  Before I begin I want to once again thanks Gwen Devoe for allowing me to be a part of the events even though in the big scheme of things my roll was small I still want to thank her for allowing bloggers like myself to be a part of history.

After witnessing three events in New York and one in Los Angeles I must say there were plenty of things that I loved and would love to see more of in the future in particular the diversity in the runway models for the finale.  As for social media for Full Figured Fashion Week™ if you followed @fullfigureplus on Twitter then you were able to read almost a blow by blow from a daily average of 40 tweets per day of the best parts of the events I was involved with.

FYI: Long Post Warning.  Grab something to drink and absorb it all!

For all the updates from Full Figured Fashion Week™ type #sonsifffweek into Google

Wendsday

The first day I was in town it was the media reception.  The great part of this event was it gave media a chance to see the designers that would be showcasing in the finale and sponsors of  Full Figured Fashion Week™.  Models for the designers were walking around in some of the pieces of their new collections.  Additionally, video interviews were done with several of the sponsors and attendees with Gwen Devoe. Call this even the “unofficial” first day of the event.  As with all of the events the highlight was meeting people I had not seen in a year and meeting new people that I hope to work with in the future.

Thursday

The day started off with the Lane Bryant Blogger Conference.  Fifty bloggers gathered to talk with the design, marketing, technical, and trend directors for Lane Bryant.  This event was a first for Full Figured Fashion Week™ with bloggers and our influence on the industry being recognized.  We were given the opportunity to see the Fall 2011 collection of clothes, lingerie and jeans including the new T3 – Tummy Tightening Technology.  Could you tell by looking at the photos below all of the ladies are a size 20?  Cacique wear got a makeover with lots of stripes and colors added.   Maddy Jones from Plus Model Magazine posed the question why are not models the size of the late Mia Amber, Fluvia Lacerda, and Rosie Mercado used in their advertising.  Personally, I do not feel like the question was answered until the runway finale, but more on that later.  From a media standpoint I think that Lane Bryant gets it and I am thankful that an event like this was a part of Full Figured Fashion Week™.

A size 20 is a 20 is a 20….and size is just a number @lanebryant technical director

A quick change at the hotel and it was time for the most unique part of Full Figured Fashion Week™, the White on White cruise. What made it unique is it made everyone including yours truly who does not like to wear white represent.  The cruise on the Hudson brought out the best in plus size fashion everything from cocktail dresses, skirts, pants, and even shorts from me!  The food was excellent the entertainment was extraordinary as the dance floor was packed.  During one of the breaks Gwen Devoe gave a bit of history behind Full Figured Fashion Week™ reflecting that this historic event was inspired in part by her attending NY fashion week loving the clothes but knowing that she nor ladies like her COULD NOT wear anything seen on the runway.  Sonsitini’s were flowing, the dance floor was packed, overall it was a great time for all.  On a side note I got the chance to see the statue of liberty for the first time up close.  All I can say is that even from the distance I was at it was a moment of reflection that made me proud to be an American.

#sonsifffweek gwen devoe speaking during the opening night cruise! http://yfrog.com/h4m5whsj

Check out more pictures from the Full Figured Fashion Week™runway finale here!

Friday

It would not be Full Figured Fashion Week™ with out the Pulse of the Plus Community panel discussion.  Hosted by the Fashion Front(formerly the Curvy Collective) of which Full Figure Plus is a part of and moderated by comedienne Erica Watson who lead a fantastic discussion.

Topics that came out in the discussion included:

• Support plus size companies that support you @Plusmodelmag
• Why is there such a divide in terms of color when it comes to plus size models
• @CURVESandCHAOS started a petition to get retailers to include larger models
• Were are the vendors at to support the needs of plus size fashion boutiques?

Individuals were in the room from France, England, Canada, Africa, Sweden, and Scandinavia which tells me that the issues in the plus community are global and when we in the United States think that we have it bad all we have to do is look at what plus women in other countries are facing to realize though it is not the best we have it better than most.

The night ended with the Full Figured and fabulous runway competition and runway event.  Moderated by the original runway diva Sharon Quinn 21 ladies competed for the top prize with Naiemah Haskins taking the top prize.  Highlights of the event included attendees wearing six inch heels and contestant Latonya “bubbles the Model” Mann gracing the runway with actual and actual bubble dress!

Saturday

Two events happened on Saturday.  First it was the Kmart Blogger Brunch.  This was yet another first for Full Figured Fashion Week™ in which bloggers were given a peak into current plus size fashion offerings from Kmart.  For example blue ruffle dress shown below is available at Kmart right now via the Kmart website.  Though the company is not known for plus size fashion this push into the world of plus size fashion thanks to the vision of the directors is fantastic.  The company was very receptive to the questions from the bloggers while showing the clothes from the current collection and discussing plans for the Fall.  I would like to see more mainstream companies taking the steps that Kmart is taking.

For many the runway finale is the best part of the event. Hosted by Shanda Freeman let me tell you from the spoken word to open things up to hearing the history behind how Lane Bryant got started to the standing ovation when Mia Amber Davis Yard was presented with the runway model of the year award.  When her husband accepted there was not a dry eye in the house.  I am not going to even try to post pictures from each of the collections you will have to go to one of the official websites to see every thing but here is a list of who showcased.

Curvaceous Boutique, Sonsi®, Curvysta Boutique, The Plush Boutique, Vikki Vi, Lane Bryant, K-Mart/Love Your Style, Her Game 2, Margaux Kouture, Jill Alexander Designs, LaDan’s Closet, Queen Grace Collection, Sweetooth Couture, Ashaki Charles Designs

Two observations.  One the models on the runway were fantastic! My favorite models were LaToya Ellis and Zaynah Griffith.  They were part of the incredible diversity on the runway that included all sizes, shapes, and colors.  Though I enjoyed almost everything the one disappointing moment was the lack of runway diversity to go with the diverse collection of clothes displayed by Lane Bryant.  Can’t win them all though.  The second observation is that more boutiques were showcased showing that small businesses are thriving in the plus community.

In closing if you did not know Full Figured Fashion Week™ is the ultimate event for the plus size community. Networking combined with fashion is the center of the events. One post can’t do this event justice.  To get your total fill of the event including the events that I was not able to attend check Facebook, Twitter, as well as points of view from my fellow Fashion Front members as they come in via the links in the sidebar of Full Figure Plus.

Photos came from my camera as well as several facebook pages, blogs, and photographers.