Starting to Work Wardrobe: Size 26

I picked out a job interview outfit for a friend of a friend --well, actually a relative of a friend. It was her graduation gift, so I was told to get first, not second, market stuff and keep it under $200.

Details: Size 26ish all over, but more like 24 in the waist, somewhere between hour-glass and pear-shaped. (Haven't actually met this person, just second-hand observations, plus measurements.) Medium height. Everything must be washable, no dry cleaning, little or no ironing. She's not "into" fashion, so no piling on the groovy accessories (as I am wont to do). All blues and purples are ok; but only cool (blue) greens; black, white and gray are good, as are berry colours; but no coral, warm pink, bright red, yellow, or orange--(sigh)--no brown or tan. No scarves. No trousers. No high heels. 

I do like a challenge.

Here's what she got for her graduation gift/interview outfit (which I totally ripped off and re-accessorised for "Job Hunt!" in my earlier post):

Not earth shatteringly chic, but not dowdy either. Some may disagree with me on that one, but IMO the fit makes the difference--fit and flare, just-below-knee length with pretty shoe, plus high hip length jacket means that she shows off her shape without being squeezed into anything--no belts, no spanx needed. If her field was more artistic, the challenge would be a bit different.

Anyhow, while I love to have fun with clothes, sometimes work is just work. Having a uniform to get you through, so you can think about other things, is OK. You are allowed (provided, of course, you can find the stuff out there AND you can afford it.) One of the things I like about the UK clothing sites is that they acknowledge that sometimes people need just nice enough stuff to work in, so there are these reasonably priced, OK looking items that they label "work blouses" "work skirts" and "work court shoes," sometimes with helpful additions (if you speak British) like "smart office."

Here's a "work blouse" from yoursclothing:

Now the relative of a relative's friend has a job offer (lucky gal). And needs a working wardrobe.  No real dress code in the company except that certain things have to be covered and no jeans are allowed and the over all vibe is rather conservative. $150 to spend on additions to the interview outfit to get her through the summer.

I went over a bit, but not by much: $167 with shipping.

The fit-and-flare dress is a hit--and still on sale, so another two of those, plus a skirt, plus inexpensive cami's and some lightweight cardi's that can either be buttoned up as a top, worn on their own or under a jacket, or layered over the cami's.

I'll spare you the details, but you could make at least 18 different outfits from this stuff plus the interview suit--more, actually, if you don't mind looking like an Easter egg from time to time. 

(Personally, this Borg-asmorg of cool brights would drive me nuts in a matter of days, but the recipient is, I hear, delighted, in fact, tickled, um, fuchsia.) 

You work it, girl.

Lemons and Lemonade

. . . that's what plus size style is about about, 90% of the time.

A simple A-line dress, in silky/crinkle rayon (eg. GOOD fabric, relatively speaking, with nice drape, no ironing, plus I personally appreciate its retro vibe), under $50 in sizes up to 6X, in multiple colours is an item so potentially useful to fat women in hot climates that it is practically a public service. AND it comes in petite sizes, so those princess seams hit in the right place if like me you are 5'4" or under. (Woman Within, One Stop Plus, $49.99)

Unfortunately it is also pretty much presented in the mode of public service by WW (as if to point out how pathetic you are for needing it in the first place.) 

(Without getting into the territory better--more thoroughly and amusingly--covered by WTF, Plus Size Clothing Manufacturers?, can I just say that perhaps WW shouldn't have hired grads from the Walker Evans School of Fashion to style their shoot?)

Anyhow, my first thought was "blech," but my second thought was, what could I do with this?

I’d start with a snip. Maxi’s are great for standing by the pool sipping cocktails, but for the rest of the week when there is work to be done and busses to be caught, I prefer knee or just below knee length, esp. in a-line frocks. Hemming adds about $15-20 to the cost of the dress if you don’t sew.

 Then style. Some plus sized glasses of lemonade coming up.

1. "Orange You Glad You Like Purple?"

Shown with Sun-brella from Hinky Imports (no,really), $15, Amazon.com; Ashley Stewart Signature Cropped Shrug $25(available up to US26, rayon/cotton--good for when you've got to go from steam heat to a/c and waist length adds nice shape);Blue Q "Encyclopaedia" Messenger Bag, $20; Ollio faux suede flats, $17, Amazon.com. total= $127 (sans shipping or alterations).

2. "Black is the Warmest Colour"

Black and purple floral is shown with black crop leggings, yoursclothing and ASOS black flats (both a staple of my imaginary wardrobe--likewise my real life one) plus yet another pair of ASOS sunnies, $12; Etsy vintage midcentury "town and country" straw purse, OverHomePA, $26, sun parasol, RajasthanRoyals,$40 (sunblock makes my eyes sting and sun  parasols are groovy) total with dress $128.


It's cold down under, so here's a fall/winter version:

3. "Olive in the Past"

Etsy vintage western ankle boots, tinyvictoriesvintage, $33, vintage leather bag, crazygoodbananas, $28, and handmade corrugated wool hat from selectknits, $32 (maureen o'hara's face not included), vintage ukrainian wool scarf,bestluba, $19; yoursclothing black brushed jersey biker style jacket, $17.50 and black tights, $11. With WW dress is well over budget at $190 (nostalgia--and keeping warm in style--ain't cheap).

So, whaddyaknow? Turns out the woman within is a funky, stylish fat girl!

One Dress 10 Ways: Part II

Behind this blog is a childhood spent poring--lusting!--over those hot pink plastic shell encased packs of Barbie clothes. (Which one would I choose for my birthday?! Which one for Christmas?!) So it only seems right that Part II starts with Pinkity-Pink (And how cool would it be if all these shiny bits were available in miniature, for your very own plus size Barbie?!?)

(Eh, don't worry, it gets funkier as I go along. Lust though I did for the pristine goodies of pak fashion, my Barbies all ended up with tats [free-form ones, mostly as a consequence of my poor management of art supplies], pierced ears, and weird haircuts. They lived in all-female inter-generational communes created from upcycled shoeboxes decorated by yours truly, where the older, harder gals always looked sidelong at bronze beauties with popping knees. There were wild flings with GI-Joe.)

6. "Pinkety-Pink-Pink-Pink."

ASOS jackson espadrilles, $20 and Warehouse sunglasses $24; Etsy vintage straw bag, weezys, $10, flower power earrings,fruitdebois, $15, and lucitebangle, prairierosejewels, $20. 

7. "Perfect Day"

Etsy, vintage 1960s JC Penney “Sanitised” sneakers, krispyfringe, $25; Blue Q origami red shoulder tote, $7.99; Yoursclothing denim jacket, $55; ASOS sunnies $17.

8. "Renaissance Mime Time"

Etsy, handmade plus size jacket/coat,dare2Bstylish, $79 and earrings,instylecollections, $10.50; Yoursclothing tights, $11. 

9. "Vested Interest"

 

Lands End sweater vest $43; Etsy vintage two tone heels, generation collective, $26 and vintage handbag, frenchvintagedream, $30 ; ASOS Pelerine Ankle Socks $6.

 

10. "Factory Settings"

Yoursclothing biker jacket $90; ASOS clear frame sunnies $17; Andy Warhol Banana badge, Etsy, $1. 

 

 

 

One Dress Ten Ways: Part I

Every so often you find a piece of clothing whose possibilities are just about limitless. And when it comes in sizes up to 40, well, then you've REALLY found something: Jessica London's "Classic Boatneck Dress" sizes 12-40 comes in various solid colours and also navy and green stripe, but the black white stripe is a chameleon: funky and classic, contemporary and retro, ladylike and tomboyish (hello, sailor), absolutely conservative but also avant-garde (RIP Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol). 

1. "Graphic Content"

Shown with Etsy vintage spectators Sweetnancyvintage $30, 1960s tote Syeceevintage $20,handmade perspex bangles, Sheynedesign $18; ASOS chunky oval sunnies $14.

 

2. "It's a Cinch!"

ASOS black leather obi belt $39; One Stop Plus denim shirt $20; Zappos Romantic Soles boots, $47.99; Etsy vintage brown suede hobo bag, plattermatter $24. (hey, good thing this dress is already in my "wardrobe" or I'd be way over my $150 limit!)

3. "French Dressing" 

ASOS black flats $23.48; Etsy vintage straw shopper, Angeltreasures, $30 and fine wool souvenir de Paris scarf, Chicdevintage1, $38. Et voila!

 4. "Nautical-But-Nice"

Yoursclothing military style cotton jacket $56; Etsy 1960s red leather and suede purse,Redlightvintageshop, $32; New Look sunnies, ASOS, $12; Michael Antonio Alaric shoes, Zappos $40.

5. "Earthy Kit"

Etsy vintage Oaxaca necklace, Anteeka,$46, MMS clutch,vincentandtheo, $9, and handmade leather/rope bracelet,mooli, $3; New Look sandals, $48, and sunnies, ASOS. 

Virtual outfits by a virtual shopper

Love to shop, but don't love debt. So I am diverting myself with virtual shopping: curating the cute, cool, and covetable in the sometimes sad and lonely polyester (AKA "breathable woven fabric") world of plus size and seeing what can be achieved with the rather ordinary, affordable plus size clothing via strategic deployment of new and vintage accessories.

The blog is inspired by a recent  wtf, plus size clothing manufacturers? contest (to create an outfit in size 28 and under $150 for Roxy--see site for details).

My cutesy names are clearly a rip-off of Mod Cloth--but they are ripping off--um, inspired by-- 1960s Barbie fashion, so it is all OK and cool in a retro, inter-textual, girl culture sort of way. And having the chance to play with presentation--however crudely*--is why I'm not just listing stuff on pinterest.

(* FYI, it's called "bricolage" a French term with a long history in the arts which literally translates as "I can't be bothered using photoshop to make this stuff look perfect.")

This is me having fun. (I used to paint and go thrifting in my spare time, but oil paints are expensive and messy, ditto thrifting, at least when you go at it with Olympic level intensity and live in a house with no closets as I also do.) But if you want to give me a particular challenge like put together a starting-to-work wardrobe for under $200 in plus size whatever, let me know and I'll give it a go.

Here are the outfits I put together for Roxy (who specified no heels, a preference for boatnecks and wide scoop necks, horizontal stripes and poofy sleeves, plus anything with animals). A lot of them incorporate ASOS items which officially go up to US22, but many bloggers who wear 24+ have found items to fit on this cool and useful UK site.


 
1. "Opposites Attract" 

2. "On a French New Wavelength"

3. "Deco Dame"

4. "Job Hunt!"

(I should add that the brooch is from MODaccessoiries--and doesn't it look like it needs a third rhinestone, maybe in pink?)

 5. "Obi Cute"

(I should add that the bag is from VIVALASVINTAGE on Etsy.)


 6. "Green Thoughts in Green Shades"

7.  "The Girl in the Jellyfish Bangle"

(FAB jellyfish bangle is from buymycrap and the lovely clutch is from lighthousebags on Etsy.)