Hard Times..

Somehow in these times of economic turbulence, the importance of fashion seems to pale.  Fashion is an expression of who we are - good times, bad times.  History shows that hemlines are always in direct proportion to what is happening in the world. In time of hardship, hemlines drop - think war, depression. In times of prosperity, the hemlines head north - think the deadly 80's mini - remember - "greed is good".. hmm - ok enough said...

Here's what I think.. I think fast fashion is dead or dying. Those cheap tops we keep cluttering our wardrobe with because they were - well - cheap - and yet every time we where them we feel a bit ordinary - it's time to go.  Seven cheap tops or one timeless, crisp, classic white man-shirt that will take you from the office, to dinner with friends, or the movies with denim, and last years instead of months.   A few elastic waist skirts, or one denim classic that can be worn with tights, polo neck, boots or strappy sandals and any manner of top.  

In these hard times, I have battoned down the hatches.  My days of impulse buying those reduced pieces have come to a screeching halt. It doesn't mean I can't buy beautiful things - but that is the key - beautiful, quality and timeless pieces. Can I think of more then 2 places to wear it - is it an investment or am I throwing away my money.

Buy wise, think smart and be beautiful.

xx

The Challenge inspired by SATC

Here's what I love about Sex and the City! It reminds me so much about what fashion is all about. It is about the ridiculous (a pink tu-tu in NYC Central), the fickle (the "name" necklace that become an overnight global trend), the sexy and the fun. Most of all, SATC is about saying, "To hell with it, I am wearing this ridiculous outfit, just because I can.." Now I know that fashion is also about the real world. It is the line a designer treads between being truly artistic (and ummm- maybe a little self indulgent) and commercial (someone actually being willing to pay money for it and wear it). It is also the line a woman treads between wanting to be an individual, and not wanting to stand out. See SATC amps up the "wanting to be an individual" and reduces the noise on the "don't want to stand out" - and I love that.

I love SATC because it reminds me to be bold with my own fashion signature. For so many years in the "real plus size world", I was presented only with options which un-individualised me and made me totally blend in. I totally related to this e-mail received last week:

"..I normally shop at A........and occasionally they have some good pieces, but grab them quick....they don't last long. Then hope to god that the next outing/function you go to that half of your friends aren't wearing the same thing. Now I won't have that problem. I'm sorry...but I'm going to be selfish....I'm not passing your website on to my friends, i'm keeping you for myself!!!!Thanks Sam

I can't imagine Carrie going to a function and seeing anyone wearing her outfit! And it's not the pieces - it is the boldness with which she explores her fashion sense.

I am issuing a challenge - I am challenging my fellows of fabulousness to, within the next week, put together an outfit you LOVE but would probably never wear. E-mail me if you need tips on how to make it a bit more you or a bit more wearable - I will get back to each e-mail individually, and the most fantastic look will get a $100 entitled voucher! It's on! Show me what you've got - and I want to see some drama! With your permission, we will publish the fabulous winner!!

Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to my blog so we can keep you posted!

Good luck and get bold - you will feel SO good!!!

Your designer of Fabulousness

Does my bum look big in this??

I am searching, it seems my whole life for a denim space to call my own. It is the holy grail, not unique to me or other size 18 women, but synonomous I am sure, with simply being a woman. Yes - it truly is the final frontier - the search and discovery of the ultimate jean. What is the ultimate jean? It is a slab of denim that works with my body and makes me feel totally hot right now! It is denim that will mean I never have "nothing to wear". Easier said then done.

Enter the denim section of the plus size section - it starts well - the colour looks good, hmmm - even the finish could be cool, but as I edge closer my hope turns to despondency as I realize the elastic waist quarter has not been spared for the maternity section - there is it - waiting for me - a totally fashion forward size 18! And the high waist will vacuously envelope my whole stomach, prompting the "stupid ones" to ask when I am due. It's not that I usually look pregnant - but with a meter of denim firmly and snugly embracing my gut - I'm getting there. And just when I think it can't get any worse, I look down and am greeted by a tapered leg, and I'm not talking Nudie skinny jean cool tapered leg - nay - I am talking slightly baggy to the thigh and slimming down to less baggy but nonetheless shapeless tapered leg. I tell you - it bloody criminal - how hard is it to make a jean that works!!!!

I know what works because for years, probably like you, I have been trying and resisting what doesn't work. Hmmm - designer of fabulousness - note to self - no matter what - tapered jeans with a big paunch look BAAADD - and not in the cool rock chic baaadd way! The rules for a jean that works are simple and if you can find them, get them, and you will always get comments and feel like a million bucks.

FIRSTLY a nice wide waist band is imperative, so said denim minimises MUFFIN top. It will also give you proportion - thread a gorgeous wide belt through or dangle a knee length shimmy sash and you have just given your self total proportion - a gift!! The cut is the most important thing and no matter how much you hate your tummy, trust me - it won't disappear if you cover it in denim up to your rib cage - yes even if you wear a top over it. All it will do is make you look like your paunch has big length as well as girth and is covered in a layer of 13 oz denim - doing ourselves no favours there.

SECONDLY it is important to have jeans that will sit nicely on your bum. That means they need to fit well and have a nice ass cut into them - not a sloppy baggy bum. The jeans you are looking at above are on a true size 16 and you can see they SIT without giving a wedgie and they have cool pocket detailing. Any designer that pays attention to giving your bum shape needs a medal and whether it's Entitled, Jag or Sass and Bide - you need to buy a pair if they are paying attention to getting the ass right!

Next - a leg that is fitted to the thigh and then a gentle bootleg to give you perfect proportion. Skinny jeans are hot right now, but trust me, unless you are a size 2 - tread carefully! Nod to the trend by going for gently bootleg cut, but skinny all the way - it's very, very dangerous! This season the hottest look is dark washed denim and wear it with a shiny silk satin top and your favorite heels peeping out. Dark denim can take from casual to after five if you pay attention to detail and your accesories. I have promised that this blog is not about convincing you to buy more Entitled, but the J1 jeans work because they have had all the rules correctly applied to them. They are seriously hot jeans and if you want to look hot and have your ass looking as good as it ever has in denim, you need to get a pair of them or a pair which work to similar rules.

And the most important rule fashion warriors, even when defeat seems certain and failure impending, never, never give up the search, because when you find your holy grail - you will never be the same again!!!

Go forth and get good denim!!!!

Love always Your Designer of Fabulousness xx

Elastic HITCH-AND-SQUAT - Worst move ever...

So here's me - very brave I thought. For once I am NOT going to be cramming my Christmas shopping in with the other crazy ones in the 24 hours preceding Christmas day. SO feeling very organised and, I might add, a little smug, I headed to one of the BIG shopping centres to brave the other smug crowds to begin the joyous task of my Christmas shopping - early!


So I was doing the right and smug thing when only about 20 minutes in, I thought, "Stuff it - had enough - I am going normal shopping" (read: clothes shopping). I know - so rapidly my self righteousness all but evaporated, BUT I figured I still had four weeks to do the real Christmas shopping (read: there's always those shops that stay open 24 hours before Christmas!)


So, for the first time in modern memory, I actually got to peruse the shops at leisure. I do alot of online preusing (I call it research) about the hottest looks and fashion trends - nay it is near to an obsession BUT, like many of us I'm sure, I rarely get to trawl the surburban malls to see what's shakin' in the real world as they say!


So, in the name of research and product development, I decided to check out every plus size section and every plus size shop I could find. I have to admit to being rather blissfully unaware of what is happening in the rest of plus-size land as I have my head down and tail up in my own fashion fantasy world much of the time. I have grown up trying to make an art out of my fashion. My best friend and I used to spend our holidays and weekends trawling through vintage shops before it was cool - yes - back in the days it was called Vinnies - remember? We would walk out with garbage bags full for under ten bucks with the treasured and the promises of treasures-to-come with a little nip here and alteration there. SO my obsession with making clothing work and create my own fashion signature was always present, as I think it is with most of us. It was more of a challenge to do this without the luxury of fitting into the traditional size bracket, so not having access to those clothes, but refusing to give up on my quest to find my signature by simply buying clothes that "served the purpose", I admit to being the one to avoid the "plus size" sections at all costs. SO traditional plus size shops and said sections in department stores have never been my most familiar stomping ground, so this day, I decided to really check it out.


Now I must admit I travelled both breadth and width of this MASSIVE shopping centre - into every possibility of plus size apparel. By the end, I was filled with dismay and dare I say horror, at the inability to find one pair - I kid you not - ONE PAIR of pants which did not have an elastic waist. I realised the only other place you see elastic waists are in the infant sections because:

a) You have to get a little waist to fit over a bum with a nappy on it and;

b) Most mama's have got a gazzillion other things to be doing and seriously don't have time and inclination to undo and re-do a million or even 3 buttons and zips for one or more squirming infants up to 20 times a day. So pull on - pull off Karate Kid like is excellent.

As an adult however, with no nappy, and ok about doing up my own buttons and zips, why am I ONLY able to get pants in elastic?? Ok, it can be comfy, but so are my 3/4 tights I work out in with a big tee shirt, but I won't be wearing them to the next wedding I attend, or even anywhere too public. Or maybe because if I had a big bum and small waist (the typical pear)and and had that "pants gape" above my bum, elastic would bring it all in flush. Now that is valid, but if pants are sitting in the right place - ie not the smallest part of the waist and midway between hips and waist (see pic left), this problem can be exterminated, dramatically minimised or worst case scenario, fixed with a very minor and inexpensive alteration.

Now, read on for the reasons I personally refuse to wear elastic except when excerising. Elastic is one of the least flattering situations to go on the waist because it reduces the fabric by gathering - gathering creates puckering, puckering creates volume, and on the waist that's bad news (see pic left - and that is MILd elstic in soft fabric - not denim etc!) None of us want to tuck into elastic, so we usually wear OVER elastic, and what happens? Underneath an already somewhat loose top, we have bulk. Best case scenario - we look shapeless (read: sensual-less) and bigger then our size, worst case scenario - ummm - think maternity... We may think it's flattering because it's not clinging, but it actually serves to make us look fatter because it does not FIT and does not come in where we come. AND - admit it - we spend the whole time pulling at said top to make sure it is not clinging to the millions of little tucks it can get pulled into. The immediate action preceding this is the elastic-squat-hitch. You know it - slight bend of the knees (squat) whilst hitching pants high back up to position (hitch), or if this has already been done several times - in frustration the hitch ends much higher then it should (think under bust - very, very bad) Now, the elastic pants went south because spread of bum when sitting pulled them down or simply walking caused them to loose their position because elastic has no structure - bad - very bad... In extreme cases, the elastic-squat-hitch can be mistaken for a new dance move - hmmmmm - doesn't sound too comfortable after all?? Yes even those jeans with the elastic at the back and side - same thing. Just trying to trick us into thinking , "oh - these are real jeans - they only have elastic at the back..."
Pants neeed to sit FLAT and have structure. Even if you want to wear a longer over top, you are one step ahead, because you are layering over a FLAT surface rather then a puckered, pleated, full surface (see picture left)


SO I was dismayed that after all the years of fashion evolution we are still stuck with the only option of an elastic waist. I guess as a designer for Entitled, it's good news BUT as a woman and consumer, I am annoyed that I am still being dressed for "ease". An elastic waist means that you and I - even though we may be 2 sizes difference, can wear the same pants. We require minimal service and assistance, and the sizing will require no effort at all. Now that's all good, but the end result is pants that don't maximise my finish and that, by the end of the evening - I feel dreadful in :(


I have never been a "one size fits all" kind of girl, and neither are you or wouldn't have read this far into this blog. The powers that be have given me free reign of this blog, and I am not about bashing other plus size companies, I am airing my personal frustration at the industry catering to me as a plus size woman. Why am a wearing the same jeans as a 3 year old?? I can't imagine my sister, who happens to be a very fashion-savvy size 8, would even entertain the concept - and yet, at this massive shopping centre - it was all I could find!


SO anyway, I left pretty much empty handed, bewildered, but happy that I am in my small way, making a difference in changing the perception of who women like us are and what we want. For every size 18 woman that is happy and excited about elastic, there are a million that want an alternative that maximises their shape and they feel sexy in. It's not a shameless plug. It really is my personal experience on that particular day. Unless you love it - don't compromise on the elastic. Search far and wide, spend good money, and get the pants you feel totally sexy in. If you love the elastic, wear it fabulously!!!!


So back to wear it all started - that was the fateful, I'm-so-much-more-organised-then-everyone-else-this-year day. Now I know you wouldn't know me if you fell over me, but you can take some comfort in knowing that I will NOT be the one filling you with dread and panic when I smuggly let you know that "I have finished my Christmas shopping and oh hasn't it come upon us quickly!" No - not I! I will be the one - maybe with you - on the night before Christmas running around filling my trolley with stuff they probably won't even want because I have yet again left it to the very last minute. But I will absolutely positively NOT do that next year (???) and that smug expression I started with will be firmly wiped OFF my face when we try to beat each other to the only car park left in the whole of the shopping centre - c'mon please let me have it - I bet I've got even MORE people left to buy for then you....



In it all, smile but don't smirk and have a wonderful, blessed silly season and stay fabulous in the madness!
With love!

Your designer of Fabulousness :)

WELCOME!!

So great to see you!! Lately as you may know, Entitled has undergone some pretty massive upheavals. It's been more like demolishing, gutting, excavating and rebuilding, and here we are. We have arrived at the most exciting place yet taking in the very vast view!! Now first and foremost, please don't despair - this is not another soft sell blog. I am not here to sell you product and spruik about how wondrous we are are why you need to spend your hard earned cash here! This blog is multipurpose - it is a place and a forum where hopefully, we can find a point of connection to you, and you to us. That perhaps here we can become something more then a website trying to get your business. Any of you who have had personal experience with Entitled pre-online days understand that the crux of the business has always been our personal interactions and "fashion interventions" with our wonderful women who want something more then the "blah, blah coverup-and-be-quiet-fashion" previously delivered to us by the plus size industry. SO as your head designer, I am here to assist you, in just a small way, with your fashion dilemmas as well as help you navigate the rocky a treachourous waters of being woman of fashion fabulousness!
We are going to be looking at how to wear "What not to wear" - and trrrust me, despite what Trinny and Suzannah say, all of the rules CAN be broken and when you can pull it off, you are in a new style stratosphere and you will be know to have - yes- your very own signature. Not important to some, but I am a firm believer that just as we all have our own voice, smile, song or attitude, our fashion signature is something which should be explored, developed and discovered.
For me on my own personal journey, as I started to wade through the complex and sometimes treacherous path to self acceptance, my fashion signature became stronger and more defined in direct proportion to the flexing of my "I-like-what-I-see-of-me" muscle. That muscle has gained strength over time, and now as it is worn in my signature fashion choices, it looks ok :) SO here I am. Soon we will have a situation where you can e-mail me ANY of your fashion questions and/or dilemmas and I will endeavour to answer them to the best of my ability. What to wear to a barefoot cocktail wedding (yes it has happened), how do I looks sensual without exposing my arms (yes that's another biggie), can I ever wear jeans - whatever your dilemma is! It means that you will pretty much have access to your own personal stylist. AND it won't all be about directing you to Entitled pieces - it will be answering any questions and helping you solve any fashion dilemmas or tricky spots you may have. BUT more of that next time.
In the meantime Bellas, thankyou for the read! It was but a small introduction into what is coming and I do hope that you will journey with me on your own journey of fabulousness!
Much love
Your Designer of Fabulousness (Y-DoF - hmmm maybe not the acronym.. ;)