I loved…Gabourey Sidibe’s Marchesa!  The color is fabulous and the ruching and criss-cross styling were so flattering.  I would sooooo sell this dress if Marchesa would actually manufacture it in plus sizes.

Gabourey Sidibe's Marchesa

I liked (but didn’t love)…Queen Latifah’s look.  It was, nice, but the front was a touch wrinkled and I think she has looked better.

Queen Latifah

Mo'nique was thisclose...

Hair and makeup?  Flawless.  Color?  Stunning!  Fit…not so much.  I would have loved to see Mo’nique in this very same Tadashi dress, just a size bigger and possibly tailored in to accentuate her figure.  I think this particular dress smoshed her bust in and just didn’t quite do her stunning figure justice.

And, just for fun, a couple of styles that made me laugh, and/or cringe…

Diane Kruger in Chanel…

What Would Coco Say?

Zoe Saldana in Givenchy

I am speechless…

And…to end on a happy note, I would have gotten married in Miley’s dress (but girl, stand up straight)

Perfection

www.lushusa.com Their products are all home made and have an expiration date on
them. They are completely luxurious and eco-friendly. Those are all words that we
all like to hear in this world of late. If you sign up for their emails, they run
some amazing promotions! I am going to list a few of my favorite goodies here for
you.

If you love a good aromatherapy bath, try to the Avo Bath! It’s a clean green
smelling and slightly invigorating bath bomb. Sex Bomb is sultry and sensual.
Butterball and Waving Not Drowning are two great bombs to help you sleep! Vanilla
Fountain is so delicious smelling, I would love to have a fresh plate of cookies
next to me while I bathe.

If you want a true bubble bath, you have to get yourself a bubble bar! My three
favorites are the Karma bar, the Comforter Bar and the French Kiss!

These bars can be broken up and they go way longer than the bomb does. Try them out and let me
know your thoughts!

XooX
-Fanny
Mazierose.com/Method

My goal with La Grande Dame is to bring you beautiful, trendy, figure flattering styles that are actually made for our plus sized bodies.  And, not to toot my own horn or anything, but, I think we do a pretty good job of it.  The hard part now is figuring out what to wear under things.

I am exceptionally curvy and my 40Fs occasionally need a little “reining in”, especially under low cut tops and dresses.  I love to wear beautiful camis to provide just a little bit of extra coverage in the cleavage region, plus, they give me a nice smooth body line under my clothes.  Unfotunately, it is really hard to find these basics – I am forever seeking out camisoles, plain t-shirts and the ever elusive bra that is sexy, comfortable and supportive.

I spent all evening yesterday searching for pretty camis to wear under my dresses.  Have any of you had success in that area?  My Ideal camisole would have lace at the bust, be extra long so it doesn’t roll up on my tummy and it would come in a multitude of colors, not just the basic black, white and nude.

I did find one on J.Jill’s website:

J Jill Perfect Cami

What camis are you wearing?

Once we get moved in we want to have you over for a shopping and cocktails event. Are you in the Bay Area and interested? Please send me an email with days/times that work for you.

So here I am sitting with a beautiful Anna Scholz dress, which, of course you can purchase at LaGrandedame.com and I am thinking about how to accessorize it. With my new subscription to Polyvore, I decided to put two looks together. This dress is such a beauty that you can wear it to a brunch, for work or to accentuate your inner rocker chick!

I am dying for some new accessories and the ones that I would love are below. These are all in my dream world, of course, where I have an American Express Black card

I’d love to know if you could pick one item from this set, which would it be and why?

XooX
-Fanny

ROCKER CHICK

Biker Jackets – Plus Size Coats & Jackets
$82 – www.evans.co.uk

Studded Belt | Lane Bryant
$40 – lanebryant.com

Shimmer Ballet Flat
$150 – coach.com

Street Level 77973 studded bag
$70 – piperlime.gap.com

Plus Size Textured Bangle Set at Avenue.com
$9.90 – avenue.com

Harley silver plated cuff
$300 $210 – net-a-porter.com

TOYWATCH ‘Plasteramic Collection’ Watch
$225 – nordstrom.com

Vintage Deco Star Sapphire and Diamond Ring – Lang Antiques
$11,950 – langantiques.com

Fashion Rose Pin Fashion Jewelry
$15 – lanebryant.com

Sunday Brunch!

Rose Pin
$15 – lanebryant.com

Design History Floral Appliqué Cardigan (Plus) – Cardigans – Nordstrom
$58 – nordstrom.com

INC Strappy Sandals
$89 – macys.com

Longchamp handbag
$120 – Nordstrom.com

Rose Gold Blue Sapphire Heart Ring, Jordan Askill
$285 – liberty.co.uk

18-karat gold rose quartz and pink tourmaline earrings
$3,675 - net-a-porter.com

Ippolita ‘Rock Candy Cameo’ Smoky Quartz Rose Bracelet
$1,400 – nordstrom.com

Bronze Belt
$15 – lanebryant.com

Hermes Small Cape Cod Leather Strap Watch
hermes.com

Bow Button Dress at La Grande Dame, $305

I have just started trying to wear glasses again with the hopes that they will prevent computer induced migraines.  Rumor has it if I can actually see my monitor I won’t have to strain my eyes so hard…we will see.  Usually my vanity wins out but throw me some of these Prada stunners just might make me a four eyed convert.

I love this whole look, beehive, glasses, dress and shoes!!

Yum

Prada 10 Glasses

Check out the whole collection, curvy models and all, at style.com. What do you think?  Please let me know in the comments.

I absolutely love the way my nails look when they are freshly done.  I will go out of my way and change my plans to have my nails looking good.  I will search for the perfect nail polish color.  I have a collection that is numbering around 50 bottles these days.  I search E-bay when a color is no longer in stock or rotation and I get a bottle or two there.

O.P.I. Is my favorite brand and they have partnered up with Sephora (www.sephora.com) to bring you colors that are delicious and right at our finger tips.  If my penchant for shopping Designer Labels wasn’t bad enough, I stumbled upon a color there called Sample Sale.  I laughed and bought it immediately.  It is a sparkly candy apple red, my perfect red.  It makes me feel like a 1940’s pinup every time I have it polished in my nails.  Curvy and Sassy!

XooX
-Fanny
Mazierose.com/method

The best part of her shoe collection is that if you save enough of your pennies you can get these shoes also at Neiman Marcus.  I snagged the legendary Mary Janes off of Ebay from a very reputable seller and let me tell you, they were worth every penny.  They are as comfortable as heels can possibly be and I am no every day heel girl.  I wear these babies at every chance I get.  They go with jeans and gowns alike.

Enjoy browsing and let me know if you get any for yourself!
XooX
-Fanny
Mazierose.com/Method

At La Grande Dame, our buying method is part science, part art and lust.

Part One, The Science (AKA, the non-creative part) – we take a look at what sold in the last couple seasons. Was there a designer that sold particularly well? Was there a designer that had a very high return rate? Were there styles that were universally loved? This step involves sales records and statistics (fun!!). It also involves figuring out how much we sold of each style/designer/color/etc and then forecasting what we think will happen this season.

Part Two, The Art – This is where buying gets really fun. We go to NY and LA and have sales reps come to us to look at everything the designers are offering for the upcoming season. We get to touch the fabrics, see the styles and really interact with the designer (or rep) to decide what our customers will love. In this step we are looking at:

1) Style!! Is this a beautiful, flattering, fashionable piece that women will love? Is it on trend? Is it a classic “must have”? Is this something I would want in MY closet?

2) Fabric: Will the fabric lay nicely on the body? Will it hold up well? Will it wrinkle as soon as you sit down? Will it be horribly uncomfortable? Sometimes this step involves saying no to items we love because they just won’t lay properly on the body. Fabrics that don’t lay smooth on a manequin will never look right on a living, breathing, curvy body.

3) Fit: We know not every woman is going to look good in the same items but there are some things that no matter how cute, won’t flatter the majority of our customers bodies. Oversized 80’s t-shirts? They might be cute in principle but they are not going to flatter our customers curves and no one will buy them. If they don’t look awesome on our models you won’t buy it.

4) Price: Based on previous experience, is this item priced at what customers will pay? We are looking at designer name, quality of construction, quality of fabric as well as style and cut. If an item is priced incorrectly you let us know by not taking out your credit card.

5) Will the quality of the fabric and design translate to online shoppers? Since we are an online store you can’t touch and try on our clothing. Therefore, we have to rely on photographs and product descriptions to get across the quality of the fabric. Sometimes expensive, sumptuous, luxury fabrics do not translate well into sales on an online store because photos just can’t capture the beauty of the item.

There are no good formulas for figuring out the “art” of buying so it is mostly based on experience and gut.

Part 3 – LUST: Sometimes the art and science fly out the window when we see an item we absolutely can’t live without. It must be in our collection NOW! These are the items we dream about until they arrive and then wear until they fall apart.  This step is how we introduce new designers, fun trends or just something a little bit different.  We just plain love fashion and clothes and sometimes can’t say no!!

Are there particular styles or designers that you would love to see us carry? Is there a particular area that you think we are missing? We would love your input. Please make recommendations in the comments!!