Originally posted on: Full Figure Plus

Plus Size Vintage Blow Out Sale at Re/Dress NYC

If you have not been to Re/Dress NYC yet or are new to the scene and have not hear of this cool vintage store for plus sizes then you must attend their 1st VINTAGE BLOW OUT SALE on Saturday July 18th.  Unfortunately I didn’t get to spend a lot of time in the shop when I was in town for Full Figured Fashion Week but what time I was there I can tell you that this sale is just the thing for any curvy diva looking to spice up her wardrobe.

According to the details of the sale they will be moving a ton of gorgeous vintage dresses, tops & bottoms for $20 and under.

Sizes start at a modern 8/10 and up to a 4x, so bring your smaller sisters to shop with you and make a day of it. DJ Shomi Noise will be spinning sweet tunes all day and more surprises are forthcoming.

Re/Dress NYC is also now open on Mondays from noon til 7pm. They will NOT be buying clothing on these days, please only bring in clothing for sale or trade Thursday through Sunday.

If you are not in New York you can still take advantage of these great bargains by stopping by the ebay version of the store.  They are kicking things off online with some Abby Z pieces with plans to expand to select Vintage styles in the near future.  Congratulations to Deb and everyone at Re/Dress.  I have been told by my wife that the next time I am in town we will make a day out of shopping at your fantastic store.

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Originally posted on: Full Figure Plus

Full Figured Fashion Week Featured Designers

When it comes to the designers featured during last weeks runway show I must say that I was amazed at the creativity and passion poured into every garment.  The fit on the ladies was perfect in every way.  It would not only be impossible but unfair to say which designer was my favorite.  All I can say is they opened my eyes up to the possibilities of plus size fashion on a couture level as well as everyday wear meaning there are definitely options out there for curvy women REGARDLESS of size.

Ashely Stewart

Agape Goddess Wear

Big Girls United (BGU)

Monif C

Candi Apple Couture

LaMaica Fashions

Osun Designs

Sealed with a Kisss(SWAK)

Qristyl Frazier Designs

Robert E. Knight

Jewel Shannon Designs

The best part of the show for me was the ending.  Seeing curvy women strutting their stuff in swimwear did my heart joy.  All of the amazing photos that you see are courtesy of Richard Lew Photography.  Check out his website to see all of the photos taken that night as well as his other work.

Hats off to all of the designers for showing that regardless of size you can look great in your clothes.  Every garment that I saw looked great on the ladies in every way which is what I would expect to come from a designer catering to women of size.  Be sure to check out the websites of each of the designers and be sure to tell them when you make a purchase that you were referred by Full Figure Plus.

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Originally posted on: Full Figure Plus

Critics of Full Figured Fashion Week Completely Missed The Point

I was in the middle of writing a post to show off the fabulous fashions featured at Full Figured Fashion Week, but I find myself addressing a troublesome issue that has popped up.  Honestly, I am somewhat surprised by the critics of Full Figured Fashion Week coming from within the plus size community.  If some who is smaller spewed the same fat this or obese that then I would have brushed it off and carried on.  But to hear similar biting words from within is quite frankly unacceptable.

As it was stated by Sharon Quinn at the State of the Curvy Community discussion panel if the members of the community do not come out in force to support efforts like Full Figured Fashion Week or bash the events that they do attend then anything gained will be lost.  I don’t know about anyone else but I find it impossible to fight a battle on two fronts which is exactly what is happening.  The usual critics are going to say why should they support the efforts of plus size fashion when even their own members don’t like what they see.

Don’t get me wrong I think that everyone is entitled to their opinion, but even when you disagree with something it should be presented in such a way that it does not stab someone in the back.  I was not even a part of the organization of Full Figured Fashion Week and I feel a trembling in the pit of my stomach at the events I have seen unfold over the last few hours across blogs and other social media.  As a blogger trying to be taken seriously these events are the same as a slap in the face and a kick in the teeth.  Additionally, as the elder statesman among bloggers in attendance at Full Figured Fashion Week how in the world can bloggers be taken seriously as a voice for change when bloggers in attendance tarnish the events?

What makes me even more upset is the fact that Kate Dailey someone outside of the curvy community who is a self professed size 8 completely captured the essence that critics seemed to miss in regard to the events when she stated:

“Strolling through Re/Dress, the vintage plus-size clothing store in Brooklyn, last week, I learned an important lesson in perspective. I was surrounded by cute clothes—frilly lace aprons, sexy leather trenches, pencil skirts, and sailor dresses—and could tell just by looking that not a stitch would fit my size-8 ass. “

I mean common it is not that hard to see that last weeks activities were about WAY more than clothes.  My comment to her blog post was an example of my feelings of the significance of the events. Not only for the clothes but for the discrimination that made Full Figured Fashion Week necessary in the first place.

As the voice of the one male blogger that attended Full Figured Fashion Week I was not only deeply impressed by everything that I saw but honored to be witnessing a part of history.  All of the organizers and participants did a fantastic job of expressing their “voice” to the world that the events were about serving a severely undeserved demographic that makes up the majority in this country today.

Those critics that are not happy about what happened do not see or understand the big picture which in my opinion is letting the world know that larger women want the same shopping opportunities as a smaller woman.  Additionally, she wants to do so without being criticized for who and what she is.  Kate if more people came to the realization that you did when you browsed through Re/Dress then there would be no need for a special event like Full Figured Fashion Week because on every runway around the world there would be representation of all sizes in regard to fashion.

After reading some your article I am saddened that this did not come from someone in the curvy community but encouraged that someone outside of the community saw the events for what they were, which was a call to all women of size that clothes are nice but what is inside is way more important and until the curvy community unites behind events like this there will never be any change.

These examples of divisive behavior within the plus size community must come to an end.  When everyone is fighting for the same cause if all the members do not proceed as a cohesive unit then the entire movement will suffer.  To Gwen Devoe and all of those involved with the planning and execution of Full Figured Fashion Week know that regardless as to what the critics say you will rise above petty jabs.  Please do not let the words of a few bloggers taint the message of the rest of us that truly understand who you are and what you are trying to accomplish.  To the critics, to echo the words of the ladies on Facebook, if you do not like what you saw and how it was done then feel free to put on your own event.

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Originally posted on: Full Figure Plus

Plus Size Business Tele-Summit: Plus Size Blogging

If you missed it last night I had the pleasure and privilege of being involved in the 1st ever Plus Size Business Tele-Summit. The goal of the telesummit is to give those looking to start a business in the plus size industry some insight into what it takes to transform a full time hobby into a serious business.

My part in the series that will spread out over the next month was to explain some of the ins and outs of being a full-time or professional blogger.  Topics included the look and feel of a blog, free versus paid web hosting, overall commitment to your blog, traffic, and voice.

I must say when I was preparing for the call I had no idea that there were so many people out there hungry for information to get their blogs up and running.  Though I do not consider myself an expert in all of the technical aspects of running a blog  I have learned a lot over the years and it felt great being able to share that knowledge with others.

Kimmoy did a great job of keeping me on point, because I have a tendency to ramble.  She was an outstanding moderator and did an excellent job of putting my industry lingo into words that could be understood by  by callers from as far away as Toronto, Canada!  The caller questions were great covering many different aspects of blogging and finding your inner blogging “voice”.  The call lasted for over an hour and let me tell you I was worn out, but I had a great time and would do it all over again knowing that I was helping someone fulfill their dream of breaking into the plus size blogging industry.

Don’t quote me, but I think there will be a recording of the tele-summit calls available soon which means you have no excuse not to be a part of this ground breaking series specially tailored for plus size business owners.

The line up for the rest of the tele-summit calls can be found here.  I encourage everyone to sign up for these calls.  The information that has and will be shared goes for thousands of dollars in some circles.  The call is free the information is priceless.  As I stated on the call if you have any question feel free to drop me an email via the contact form on this blog.  I will answer any and all questions to the best of my ability.  Thanks again Kimmoy for letting me speak!

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