Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Should the white go away after Labor Day?

One of the persistent questions of life, the universe, and everything is whether to continue wearing white anything after Labor Day, the official unofficial end of summer.

Well, I'm no Emily Post nor am I a fashion expert. But I do think it is acceptable to wear white after Labor Day for a number of reasons:

1. It's often freakin' hot through the month of September in most of the country. Why put those white sandals away when it's still 85 degrees? In a place like Miami, it's summer weather nearly year-round. When I lived there, I wore white all of the time.

2. The rise of "winter white." White--especially off-white or ivory--has been used more for colder weather clothing and accessories. Just as long as it is of course stuff made for that kind of weather. Once the leaves have changed and the pumpkins are out, unless you're experiencing Indian Summer weather you probably should've moved on to your fall wardrobe.

3. White's a good neutral, period. A nice white dress shirt can be transformed into season-appropriate wear with a sweater, jacket, or suit.

As fall progresses and the temps get a little cooler, then you can start to pare down on the white shoes, suits, and accessories. Go by the climate, not what's in the stores or in the magazines.

Friday, August 24, 2007

Untapped Resources: Avon

Avon has made a bazillion dollars off of its cosmetics and skincare products. But Avon addicts know that the company also sells all kinds of stuff: holiday decorations, jewelry, bags, shoes, underwear, knicknacks, lingerie, clothes, etc.. Not everything Avon sells is the height of fashion but every now and then it sells some cute outfits, tops, and skirts through its main catalogue or through its popular teen/young adult catalogue, Mark.

The regular catalogue features clothes, pajamas, and underwear in both misses and women's (plus) sizes. The misses sizes usually go up to 16 or 18. The Mark catalogue has offered tops up through juniors' size 17 or XL. Recently I noticed a top was available in XXL.

As with most Avon products, the prices are reasonable, more often than not under $35. The quality is more or less what you'd expect for the price.

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Store review: Zara

Christmastime 1995, I went with my mom and my brother for a long weekend in New York City. We were just across from Bloomingdale's flagship store in Manhattan when a lovely red midlength coat on display in a shop window caught my mom's eye. I took one look at the coat and figured it was going to be expensive. The store looked expensive to me. But on the floor next to the mannequin modeling the coat was a very small sign with the coat's price...$59. We went inside and an obsession was born.

The store was Zara, a Spanish chain famous for its crack team of designers who can knockoff runway looks and get them out to the public in a matter of *weeks.* Back in 1995, that Manhattan store was the only one in the U.S.. Now Zara has several stores in NYC and a smattering of outlets across the country, as well as in many other countries around the world. But in Spain, Zara is as ubiquitous as Starbucks. There, it's not unusual to find Zaras only a couple of blocks from each other and each store might have merchandise the others didn't have. Over the years, I have hit Zara stores in Madrid, Seville, resort towns like Torremolinos and Palma de Mallorica, Paris, Cancun, New York, Las Vegas, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco. The D.C. store opened about a year and a half before I moved from Northern Virginia. Unfortunately for me (and perhaps fortunately for my wallet), the closest Zara is in Costa Mesa, a little more than an hour away.

What rocks:

Great European style at decent prices. It's much more expensive than H&M but I think the quality is better and the overall collection is more grown-up. The clothes and accessories look different from what you'd find at other stores, but I think it is because Zara tends to borrow from very high end designers you don't typically find at your local Macys. Only a hardcore (to use an overused term) fashionista can pick out who Zara is knocking off with a particular piece.

You can find very basic things like t-shirts in a variety of colors, evening wear, casual wear, career wear, and funkier items aimed at juniors. Accessories are along the lines of hats, belts, sunglasses, and shoes. Lots of shoes! Some Zara stores also have men's clothes.

Whenever Zara has a sale, look out! We're talking about prices as low as $4.99 for t-shirts or $20 for skirts that originally sold for $90. But the good stuff tends to go fast.

Zara carries sizes up to XL/16 for its Woman line.

The meh:

Its junior line runs small. It seems like everything is either a small or a medium, which is a bummer if you see something you like.

The shoes used to be much cheaper; now they're kind of pricey even on sale.

Also, some of the tops and jackets can be too small around the arms or across the chest.

Order online?

Sadly, no.

Website: http://www.zara.com

Friday, August 17, 2007

Untapped Resources: Home Shopping TV

Aside from store reviews, I'd like to also bring to your attention other sources where you can easily find larger sizes but for whatever reason don't get a whole lot of press.

We all know how much of a hassle it can be to shop at brick and mortar stores, where everything seems to be made for sylphs and teenagers. It's even harder if you live in a small town or a rural community, where the nearest "nice" store can be a long road trip away.

Sure, you have the internet. But how do the clothes look on a real person as opposed to a skinny model? Not to mention the amount of time you have to spend looking around for stuff you actually like.

Home shopping t.v. can be your answer. Home Shopping Network (HSN) and QVC sell a LOT of clothes and accessories. They range from casual wear to the latest trends to lingerie to clothes for work. Not all of it is wonderful in my opinion, but people can find clothes to suit their taste, age, and lifestyle. Career wear can be among the trickiest and most expensive clothes to buy, but I've found plenty of stuff on QVC. Since they are selling things at high volume, the prices on home shopping t.v. are often pretty good if not downright cheap. A lot of the items are available on flex pay plans, meaning you can pay a small amount per month on the items instead of the full price. Best of all, most of the lines sold on both HSN and QVC go anywhere from 0 to 3X, maybe higher, with plenty available in between.

If you're hard to fit, you're taking almost as much of a chance with home shopping as you are with buying over the internet. But on t.v., they will often have models of different shapes and sizes wearing the clothes so you can get an idea of how it will look. And returning things to HSN and QVC is easy. The only other problem is whenever they have a very popular line, the items can go very fast and your only recourse is a long waiting list.

Who would've thought your remote control could point the way to clothes that fit and are frequently moderate in price? Check them out.

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Another premium line sizes up

While making a lunch hour run to Nordstrom, I walked past the Individualist section. You know, where you can find Not Your Daughters Jeans and sparkly tops (not that I mind NYDJ...it's actually pretty decent). Anyway, I noticed that they were carrying the East Coast premium line Salt Works and the sizes went up to 16 misses. At $88, it's one of the less expensive premium lines, so go ahead and check 'em out.

Monday, August 13, 2007

Store review: Anthropologie

So what do you do when you're too old for Urban Outfitters but still want cutting edge stuff for your closet and the rest of your home? Why, the same folks who bring you UO has the answer, Anthropologie, a chain of shabby chic housewares and feminine clothes aimed at ladies late 20s on up to whenever you start to feel like shopping at Chico's instead.

What's good about Anthro:

I don't really buy much of the housewares stuff but I love, love, love the clothes. They're a little bit European, a little bit fashion-forward and a little bit retro/vintage-looking, very feminine, and conservative enough for work without being stodgy. Generally, the quality is pretty decent, though it can vary. Many of the brands there are in fact in-house brands but they also carry stuff you can find elsewhere like Joe's Jeans or Generra. You can also find books, not-too-expensive fragrances, and some nice accessories. You can occasionally find some good deals in the sales/clearance section. In-store, it's easy to find up to size 12-14 though many of the clothes are available to size 16 online. I've had no trouble fitting into tops and have found size 12 skirts that fit.

The downside:

Lordy, it's expensive! Usually I head straight for the sales because I'm not too frequently in the mood to blow $100 on a cute skirt or $78 on a lovely top. Even the accessories can be pricey. The sheets and towels? I've found better prices even at stores like West Elm.

My other quibble is that the stores do not stock size 16s, even though it is a standard misses size. Given that it is aiming for a youngish but not teenage customer, it would make sense to carry up to 16 or even 18. Some bigger tops would be nice too.

Located: Nationwide. Look up http://www.anthropologie.com to find one nearest you.

Friday, August 10, 2007

Old Navy deals!

Yesterday, I popped into ON during lunch and found two weekly specials...trapeze tops (for early fall) on sale for $10 and t-shirt dresses in a variety of cuts on sale for $12.50. Since it's Friday, better hurry in!

Review: Paige Premium Denim (plus)

As posted last month, Paige Premium Denim is trying out the plus market at Nordstrom by introducing three of its designs for women size 14-24W. The jeans came out this past week, and soon thereafter on "curvy" message boards, people were saying that they ran small. Having pre-ordered a pair in the Mandeville Canyon (plain pocket) style through Nordstrom.com, I started to panic that my usual 16 was going to be too small. Exchanging sizes through the mail can be tricky, especially if the size you may need runs out.

So on Tuesday after work, I popped into my local Nordie's and headed for the Encore department, what they tastefully call the plus-sized department. The store had the Paiges there, so I got a 16 and an 18 Mandeville Canyon off the rack and went to go try them on. The sales lady told me the jeans were running small but that they will stretch out after an hour of wearing them.

Well, the 16 fit me just fine. Which is good news if you're a large misses. If you're a true plus, unless you have unusually skinny legs, you're going to have to size up.

What I loved about them? The Paiges are the softest, most comfy pair of jeans I have ever tried on. They feel like you've owned them for years. They feel very light, which also distinguishes them from pretty much any other jeans I've worn. I'm happy Paige didn't make a crappy, half-baked knockoff either the way Seven7 did for Lane Bryant...the look and quality is identical to its regular denim line.

The meh? Oy, the price! Paiges run about $175-$225 depending on the style, and the Mandeville Canyons were the "cheapest" at $198. The other two styles are over $200. One can buy almost two pairs of Svoboda denim (a great plus denim line) for what one of these costs. This is definitely a luxury/splurge item.

Fit wasn't an issue with me but if Paige Premium Denim wants to succeed with the plus market, it will likely have to adjust its sizing, particularly in the legs. I would also suggest that they make their back pockets bigger. Bigger pockets are more flattering on a wider rear end than small pockets. This is especially true if you are going to put some kind of design on them. The proportion of pockets was okay on me but if baby got lots of back, small pockets are going to look ridiculous.

In any case, I hope this foray is a success and that other premium brands will also give the curvy market a shot.

Review: Jeanology for Newport News

Colored denim has turned up as a trend this summer that appears it will stick around through the fall as well.

Do not be distressed by the high-priced, limited-sized colored denim you see featured in the magazines. Old Navy has them for $37.50 and I just saw some cute red skinnies at Target for 20-odd dollars.

But I found a great deal in the pages of Newport News's catalogue. For $19, or 2 for $17, you can find colored denim as part of its Jeanology line in a variety of cuts and sizes. Straight legs and flares go up to 18, while slim fits go up to 16.

I ordered a pair of the slim fit red jeans. They look really cute, fit really well, and the twill denim does a good job of holding in and shaping the legs, thighs, and tushie. Some people find stiff denim less comfortable and harder to move around in, but the advantage is that it works like Spanx, heh heh. And there's no beating the fantastic price.

Friday, August 3, 2007

Street fashion blogs ignore the non-waifish?

The Budget Fashionista linked to an entry on Dollymix about street fashion blogs (blogs that specialize in photos of what regular folks are wearing) and how they ignore anyone with a double-digit size (given the entry refers to UK sizes, this means anyone above a size 6 U.S.).

http://www.dollymix.tv/2007/07/can_nobody_over_a_size_10_dres.html

Personally, I have marginal to no interest in these types of sites because not only do they not feature anyone remotely close to how I look physically, but also because they don't seem to feature anyone of legal drinking age either. Sure, the wacky London streetwear or Harajuku girls are fun to look at, but at my age, I'd look ridiculous in full gothic lolita regalia and I haven't been to clubs in a loooong time.

But the entry makes a fair point. It seems like the amateur photogs don't have an eye for curvier, plumper figures so they just ignore them. Think of how helpful it would be for a broad-shouldered gal to see how someone like herself can pull off an outfit. Or someone who's bosomy or has more trunk space, so to speak. I think the only street fashion sites with a variety of body types are the hip-hop ones.

Perhaps the solution are streetwear blogs featuring full figures or career wear or women over 50.