Plus Size Fashion

Just because you are a plus size woman does not mean you cannot wear fashionable clothes and enjoy the summer. There are many clothes in the market now that are made for women on the larger side. These items look so good and stylish that they would look sexy and alluring when you wear them. Plus size fashion is fast becoming a hit since clothing companies realized that there are plenty of big women who want to look gorgeous and say goodbye to shapeless plus size apparel. This summer, greet the day and awe the people you meet with your summer wardrobe.

Wear Capris Pants

Cropped pants, otherwise known as capris, are longer than shorts and shorter than pants and end in between your knee and ankle. When you wear them, they perfectly fit your legs and yet they are loosely fit when it reaches your calf thus accentuating it more. Because its summer, choose cotton-made capris and pair them with a blouse or tank top made of light fabric. If you choose dark-colored capris, your top must have a lighter shade. Make sure your top does not have long sleeves or is not a sweater because these do not look fashionable when paired with capris.

Stylish Ponchos

Ponchos have made a comeback nowadays after being a fashion hit four decades ago. It is great for summer especially when you are wearing a sleeveless dress, tank top or a bathing suit. Ponchos can also nail that fun yet formal look. Choose ponchos that are crocheted, or made of light fabric such as cotton and preferably, ones in pastel colors. Ponchos are great during daytime and even in the evening when they can be elegantly worn over a dark dress without sleeves.

Casual Chic Styles

Plus size fashion for the summer can also include a short-sleeved cotton sweater paired with slacks. You can go to work with it and manage to create a look that says you are ready for summer fun even when you are working hard in the office. You can don a sleeveless blouse and wear a sweater with short sleeves over it. Go for the usual summer colors – light shades and pastels. You can add an accessory to the outfit such as a scarf or a pair of dangling earrings.

The Essential Swimsuit

Summer will never be complete without going to the beach and wearing a plus size swimsuit. Nowadays, there are stylish and beautifully designed plus size bathing suits that hide problem areas in the body. Choose a one piece bathing suit that has smaller prints or designs. Go for darker shades so to achieve the illusion of a more slender frame. Just because you are on the heavier side does not mean you cannot buy swimwear that would make you look good.

Remember that as a full-figured woman you can still wear stylish and fun plus size clothing in the warm summer months – choose clothes that will make you look confident and feel beautiful! Confidence is always key, so make sure to add that to all of your outfits to look and feel gorgeous.

What if you just cannot find the right plus size swimsuit?

I know how it feels! Sometime you simply cannot find what you’re looking for no matter how hard you try, and how deep your search. Looking for a plus size swimsuit especially can be a little daunting and difficult.

Lucky for you, over the past few years I have located a number of great online stores that specialize only in Plus Size Swimwear. This exclusive plus size shopping guide will point you to places where you can find lovely, figure flattering plus size swimsuits, to satify a variety of budgets too!

Plus Size Clothing

If you’ve ever wondered why most models are size 0-2 you may be surprised by one of the major reasons. It’s money. Yes, money. Strange as it may seem, it is the industry’s bottom line that rules the size choices. Here’s how it works. A sample is made of a new piece, and this sample is usually a size 0 or a size 2. It is cheaper for designers and fashion houses to produce a smaller size sample because it uses less fabric, takes less time to sew and takes less time to embellish. Now they want to take this sample to a runway show and have models walk with it on. Instead of making a new sample which reflects real women’s figures, they use tiny models to save even more money. Never mind that more than 15 percent of the women in Australia and the United States wear plus size clothing not size 0.

In fashion there can be many months between the concept and development of a piece of clothing and the actual manufacture of the clothing for retailers. Even then only a small lot is made to test the waters of a design. Plus size clothing designers are often on their own as far as making samples and finding models to wear their designs in shows. It is no secret that plus size clothing takes more fabric and time to produce, but women who wear plus sizes want and need samples and models that reflect how they will actually look in the designs. It is unrealistic to use money as an excuse for tiny models and tiny sample sizes. If the fashion industry would wake up to the potential market for plus sizes they would realize the money spent in development would be made back many times over.

Fashion, like all business, is controlled by the bottom line. If a product does not have the potential to make money, it is not produced. Plus size clothing samples are an example of such a product. In the minds of the fashion designers, promoters, manufacturers and marketers plus size clothing samples seem like a waste of money. But, this is just not true. Curvy women have money to spend and if they can find quality, stylish clothing that fits they will open up their purses and spend. Really great fitting plus size clothing can be hard to find, especially if you live in a rural area.

While there is a trend toward larger and healthier looking models, the road is long and slow. If you’d like to see plus size clothing sample sizes and larger models, don’t give up. Become active and voice your opinion. Remind designers and retailers of the buying power curvy women have, and they might finally take notice.

Fashion in 1950

The 1950′s spawned a wide variety of original and distinctive styles, presented with a classic new age twist. For America, recently recovering from catastrophic tragedies related to the second World War, the 1950′s brought restored hope; a chance for a new way of life whose destiny would be decided by them alone. This metamorphosis of America was heavily represented by fashion.

Women especially dramatically altered the way they dressed and presented themselves; during the evolution of an increasingly liberated society, women began to favor casual, relaxed clothing over traditional dress rules and associated formality of previous decades. Some of the most admired new trends for women in the 1950′s included button-up sweaters with simple necklines, fitted blouses, and full knee-length skirts. However, the most prevalent fashion for women during this time was dresses. Most dresses were worn casually, and were accentuated with circle skirts, halter straps, or small collars. Evening wear dresses seemed soft yet daring, coming in many pastel hues and accompanied with bold ruffles, tulle trim, and dazzling velvet bows. The fitted evening wear of this period, which was usually sleeveless or strapless, was also emphasized with sheer silk.

Growing increasingly popular, the full skirts of the 1950′s needed some sort of support in order to maximize their look. To address this problem, Nylon petticoats were created exclusively to be worn in conjunction with full skirts to create fullness. Nylon was a favorable material because of its high quality and easy care wash. This fullness it created transformed the skirt who gave nothing more than a gentle swish, into a glamorous royal-like flutter. Another significant fashion of this period is the swing coat, developed in the last 1940′s by Jacques Fath. The silhouette of the swing coat was “designed perfectly to cover full skirts, and also ideal for the post war high pregnancy rate”. Another trend in the 1950′s was the “trapeze dress: a swinging dress almost triangular in shape and designed to be worn with low shoes and bouffant hairstyles.” The trapeze dress was later modified into a shorter baby doll tent style dress, which was popular in the next decade. Perhaps one of the most classic fashion garments from the 1950′s was Christian Dior’s H-line of 1954, which consisted of a slender tunic-style suit with a slim skirt. His other popular fashions during this period were his A and Y lines. Dior has long been a dominant force in the fashion world, especially in the 1950′s. His creative and usually voluminous garments gave women a more feminine touch. Another designer, Hubert Givenchy created a Parisian style dress in 1957 which he called the Sack. The Sack began the trend of straighter-waist dresses. Initially, it developed into the “fitted darted sheath dress and later into the loose straight short shift dress.”

Coco Chanel was another major fashion designer in the 1950′s. In contrast to popular full and flouncy skirts, Chanel began creating the boxy, now classic Chanel suit jackets and skirts in trimmed and textured tweed. The materials Chanel chose were always richly textured, which contributed to the finished product’s high prices. Chanel’s silhouette of her suits was completely straight, divinely lined with silk. Her look was classic, refined, and adorned with details. Chanel also accessorized many of her designs with strings of pearls and collarless jackets, both of which were considered fashionable in the 1950′s. One of the most classic trends from the 1950′s is the empire line, which was introduced in the late 1950′s. This style was applied to dresses and shirts mostly, and was adored by teenagers who looked innocently childlike, hence the coined phrase “baby doll style”. During the 1950′s, all teenagers were expected to dress like their elders. The empire line was also a striking contrast from what most mothers wore at the time, which contributed to its high approval among teenagers in America.

Until the 1950′s, the term “teenagers” was not commonly used, and certainly not a targeted market group. But with a new range of influences, including film, television, rock music, and magazines, teenagers began to be respected and acknowledged in the community. Often nicknamed the “Space Age”, the 1950′s was an important time in history for science and development as well. So many aspects of life changed during this period, perhaps partially attributed to the recent end of World War II. America had emerged from war with prosperity and a new identity. A new consumer-based society was “forging ahead, helped by such new developments as the credit card system” (Baker, 6). These innovative conditions however produced a similar effect on the fashion industry: while so many things in the lives of Americans were changing, they stayed clear from the radical, intense fashions while preferring the normalcy of standard trends. For once, being normal felt good. Another huge change in the 1950′s was the increased ownership of television sets. Popular television programs such as I Love Lucy connected Americans on both sides of the Atlantic, bringing a sense of unity in the country. Segregation was ended in 1954, which brought together black and white students for the first time though racial tensions were still high, and also birthed the existence of civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. Constant fears of communism reaching the states held many Americans tight with fear. More changes brought forth in the 1950′s include the discovery of DNA, the launching of the first space satellite, an increase of women in the work field, and of course, rock and roll. All of these economic, social, and political changes in the world affected the American citizens, and therefore the fashion industry.

Regardless of the world’s issues, the top fashions that drove the industry were more influenced by those who were idolized by the consumers: celebrities. Some of the most popular celebrities in the 1950′s include Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Ricky Nelson, and of course, Elvis Presley. Marilyn Monroe’s sexy yet simple style was a widely imitated across America, by women of all shapes and sizes. Elvis Presley was another huge influence in the 1950′s; not only was he adored by millions of girls, but he was also an inspiration for men. In a time where men only wore traditional attire, Elvis tore down all barriers which confined men to navy suits and ties. Elvis typically wore clothes that were more popular among the African American population. His wild pegged pants and zoot suits concerned the conservative community of America, who hardly approved of such a “gender bending, race-integrating star” (SOURCE). Elvis’ bright and baggy clothes, makeup, and so called obscene dancing all acted as evidence of his single handed destruction of the morals of America’s youth. Not all men followed the examples Elvis set however. In fact, more men in this time period dressed conventionally than not.

Most men in the 1950′s maintained clothes with casual and modest colors, including dark blue, dark brown, and charcoal. The occasional daring young man would wear pastel pink to stand out; a trend that was just gaining momentum in the 1950′s. Cardigan sweaters were popular among athletes, and older men. Additionally popular were fitted vests, plaid flannels, and collared jackets. There was flexibility in men’s casual wear, and was a common sight to see shirt tails sticking out. Basic fedora-style hats were also a staple item in the 1950′s for men.

Hats were also fashionable accessory for women in the 1950′s, for the reason that they were believed to add a final touch of glamour to any woman’s outfit. The pillbox hat, first introduced by Balenciaga and later modeled by Jackie Kennedy, became one of the trendiest accessories of the decade. Several glorious hat styles existed in the 1950′s. Some hats were covered in flower petals, while others were adorned with swirls of georgette. Gloves were also worn often by women, especially those of elite social status. Some were made of cotton, which was much more affordable than leather or nylon. Though gloves came in many colors and styles, clean gloves whose color was white or cream were the most favored. Fur trimmings and adorned collars were also extremely fashionable. Brooches too, were considered a glamorous accessory.

The 1950′s was a decade in which fashion changed dramatically from previous generations. Multiple influences from political debates, to economic issues, to new age celebrities and mass media all influenced the distinct styles and trends which identify the 1950′s. Recovering from the casualties of World War II brought a lasting change to America, which was reflected in the fashions of this decade. The American women craved glamorous simplicity in their new lives, and as a new and liberated society evolved, the women of America began to liberate themselves by choosing which fashions they felt depicted them best. Not only were the 1950′s important in history, but they also greatly transformed the face of fashion in America.

Fashion Jewellery

There have been some reporting in the press and on the internet lately that cheap fashion jewellery may be harmful to ladies skin. Recently several newspapers were carrying stories that said cheap jewellery can cause rashes and other skin complaints to the wearers.

How then can you be certain that the jewellery you buy is of good quality?

If you are in a high street store you can touch and feel the jewellery to assess the quality, as well as been able to physically try it on.

When shopping online for costume jewellery, you can not do this.

As an online shopper you are extremely limited to how you can determine if the items are of good quality.

Some ways you can achieve this are, firstly check that the site uses nickel free products, as nickel is an element that has been known in the past to be a factor in causing skin irritations amongst some wearers.

Secondly look for customer reviews, if a previous customer has had problems with an item of jewellery than so will you.

Thirdly look for contact details of the site, if there are none then there is a good likely hood that they may be selling inferior products.

Lastly if you are still in doubt check the sites, returns policy, they should clearly state that if the jewellery is not fit for purpose you can return it to them for a refund.

Look at the product images, badly designed images that show the products poorly usually equates to a poor quality product.

Sadly even after doing all these checks you can not be sure that the jewellery you purchase on line will be of a good quality and not cause you any skin problems.

The best advice is to simply purchase a small quantity of items to test at home and to go with your gut instinct. If you feel comfortable purchasing from an on line retailer, because of either the quality looks good or you simply trust the site than do so.

Finally because an on line shop advertises “cheap jewellery” it does not mean that the jewellery is junk in today’s economic climate everyone is looking for a bargain and retailers are trying to get customers spending as much as possible. Remember the old saying buy cheap buy twice, and you get what you pay for.

Hopefully you can now shop on line for jewellery feeling slightly more confident that the items you buy may not cause you skin problems.

Geometric Color Blocking

While we are still way into the middle of winter, bundled up in the thickest and warmest of coats, we may be thinking about the warmth and colorful promise of spring. As we are ushered into the new year, so are the upcoming fashion trends. Here are some of the hot fashion trends for spring of 2012.

1. Geometric Color Blocking

Color blocking has been really famous in 2011, and it’s still going strong in 2012. However, we see a new twist into this trend by using different geometric patterns that make your outfits look more playful.

2. Print Overload

Prints will definitely make your outfit more interesting. Try mixing your solid colored clothes with printed pieces in order to give a more youthful and girly appearance. Remember that bigger prints make you look bigger. If you are a bit shorter in the height department (like me!), or a bit on the heavier side, going for more subtle prints is a safer alternative. If you are a bit adventurous with your style, then you can still experiment with different prints and textures.

3. Soft, Romantic Colors

Soft, pastel colors bring out the girly side in you. Soft pinks, sweet peach colors and even baby blue, these colors will definitely take its lead this spring. Choose romantic frills and ruffles if you want to go for a sweet and girly look.

4. Color Of The Year: Go Orange!

Orange is the reigning color this year. From soft orange shades to fiery neon ones, this color will set you on fire and warm you up when spring comes. Invest in a pretty little orange dress, and you are good to go.

5. Punk Look Is out, Sporty Look Is In

Spring takes on a much more playful look this year as many looks on the runway prefer the sporty silhouette. From bodycon dresses, luxurious hooded sweatshirts to track-style looking bottoms, this trend will definitely make you want to go and hit the gym.

6. A New Twist On The Peplum

This year’s twist on the peplum is a bit sleeker and smaller. Although this trend is a bit of a hit or miss, this style takes a girly spin on the usual structured and macho like elements.

So, which trend are you most excited about? Spring 2012 will certainly bring us a lot of things to anticipate for. Whatever your fashion preferences are, it’s always best to have your own style and make your own versions of these new trends.

Jeans

There are many questions about fashion clothing that occupy the minds of all women on this earth- what should I buy for casual and formal wear, what should I wear with skirts and/or jeans, which type of fashion clothing will suit my body type, what are the latest trends and whether to buy seasonal trendy clothes or not, what others will think if I wear a particular dress and many other such types of questions? But the issue is whether we need to think about only the fashion trends or also about the comfort level and other things such as personal preferences about fashion clothing, the types of cloths which suit us or just blindly follow the trends set up by some designers and big companies and brands? For this we need to analyze both the points- our taste, budget, and preference about personal style as well as the fashion norms and how far to follow them!

Essential Fashion Clothing- The Personal Style Statement!

Now what is this essential fashion clothing? Simply explained, it is all types of women’s garments that you prefer to wear day in and day out. These may include your formal shirts, tops and blouses, jeans, trousers, skirts, and even evening gowns and other dresses that you wear for formal parties. These define your personal preference because you will not go shopping everyday for essential clothing- you buy these as practical solutions. For example, you will buy many T-shirts, blouse tops, and shirts but will only a handful of jeans, trousers and skirts to wear with them. It is how you mix and match your various clothing items and how you use other accessories that will define your personal style!

Trendy Fashion Clothing- The Ramp Defined Style!

Trendy women fashion clothing is what is displayed on ramps through catwalk by models every season. These cloths are showcased by designers and apparel brands as well as other beauty products companies. They are the one who define the coming trends of the season. There is nothing wrong in it- after all it is their profession! What is important is to make a differentiation between the ramp and everyday fashion clothing. For example, the women’s fashion trends- 2011 clearly define the retro and punky fashion as the prevailing norms of this summer and spring season. However, you will definitely not go out and change whole of your wardrobe into such style of clothes. What you can do at the most is to buy some of the clothes inspired by these trends for wearing either as daily casual wear or for special occasion wearing.

Conclusion- How to Decide What to Wear?

Does it mean that we should totally ignore what trends say and go by only our personal preference about our clothes? No, not at all. We do have right to be called trendy fashionable women! So, what can be the right way of deciding what to wear is a little thought about how to complement our personal style with the ongoing trends! For example, for retro style, you can simply sort out your wardrobe to find some of the pieces that have a retro look- the ones which you have discarded years ago. You can even buy a couple of new clothes according to the trends as well as some fashion accessories (bags, footwear, hair accessories etc.) that go with your existing wardrobe. This way, you will not loose your personal style and will remain trendy too!

Hem Batik

This is a process of finishing raw edges during garment construction. The process is normally done at the lower part of a; skirt, dress, short sleeves, and at the top of a pockets. They should be as invisible as a possible unless a decorative effect wants to be achieved.

They are made up of two narrow turning of four millimeters wide and another that is wider and forms the depth of the hem line.

When the fabric is very light in weight and is transparent then a solid hem (equal in-depth), would be appropriate, and when it’s heavier a small hem length should be appropriate to reduce the bulk on the garment. They are divided into categories namely: narrow, wide, curved and the false hem. They are all made in the same procedure but of different lengths and also according to the desired outcome.

Hem Making

-For all the hems calculate the width required and turning allowance. The allowance for turning should be between 3mm – 1cm according to the weight of the fabric.

-The edge to be hemmed should be quite straight or have a smooth curve; straight edges can be made better by pulling the thread.

-Mark the position to be prepared and have the owner put it on with the shoes, to be worn with and to stand on the table.

-Mark the position of the hem line with a marker. Ensuring that an equal depth of 10cm is being maintained.

-Take off the garment and remark with tacking lines.

Hem Preparation

a. Lay the garment flat on the table with wrong side outwards.
b. Turn up the hem from the tacking line matching the seam lines and pin vertically in intervals.
c. Tack through the fold 0.6 cm up from the edge.
d. Press in readiness for fitting.

There are certain stitches that are used while holding this includes: slip hemming and the hemming stitches. Hems are very effective when it comes to garment construction, it bring out the effect desired and also gives the piece perfect finishing.

This pattern is very important in all garment constructions, this is because the hemming process gives the clothes a longer shelf life by maintaining the correct shape and no frail on the garment thread at the edges. Therefore each of the processes the hem management should be done at least in two or more places on the garment for it to have that perfect finishing.