Time Travel is an intrinsic component of many of Francesca’s favorite books. Interestingly, most of her favorite Time Travel adventures are not known as science fiction stories. See below, sometimes traveling through time is simply a plot device used to set the stage for a romance story or historical fiction. Francesca just loves an engrossing story!

The Time Traveler’s Wife is one of Francesca’s favorite novels of all time. It is the only book I’ve ever read which inspired me to write to the author to thank her for writing such a great story (and Francesca received a charming note in return!) The Time Traveler’s Wife is the story of a powerfully-drawn couple, Henry and Claire. Henry has a gene mutation which makes him spontaneously travel back and forth in time. He cannot control when or where he goes. After he marries Claire, he starts travelling back to her childhood. Since Claire is travelling through time normally, this means that she has grown up knowing Henry, but when they meet later, he has never seen her before. This is an incredibly moving story of deep love, patience, and togetherness. A real tear-jerker.

Time and Again puts the main character, Si Morley, in a scientific experiment to move him from 1970′s Manhattan to 1880′s Manhattan. There is a mystery element, and a romantic element, and an ethical-dilemna element, but the main joy of this book, for me, is the chance to “live” for a while in the Big Apple of long ago, when it was not so big. One thing I appreciate about Time and Again is that it does not completely romanticize the past: while the 1880′s were simpler and nicer in some ways, the author also demonstrates that much in the world has improved since then.

And, if you have any interest in time travel at all, you must read the classic work by H.G. Wells, The Time Machine! What will the world be like in the year 802,701? Not like this, I hope . . .

Happy reading!

xoxo, Francesca

Shoes aren’t like vacuum cleaners or children, you can’t just put them in the closet when you’re done with them; they need special attention in order to be their best. For the fat-footed girl whose firm understanding of the ground sometimes leads to a painful situation in re: the little piggies, this is doubly true.

So here, from my closet to yours, are the indispensable tools that will make your Pradas less painful.

High Heel Shoe Stretcher

Shoe stretchers are like martinis, you can never have too many. I have two for heels and two for flats. The ones for heels are especially nice, with two you can pop these bad boys in a pair of pumps before for work in the morning and they’ll be prêt-à-party by the time you get home. Use with Shoe Stretcher Spray and they’ll work wonders.

Footpetals Stiletto Survival Kit

The Swiss Army knife of DIY shoe-doctoring, these are far and away the best cushions and pads I’ve ever used. A little spendy, but in my experience each kit usually pads two or three pairs of shoes. Besides, a flawless shoe is just an expensive paperweight unless you can actually wear them.

Extra Long Shoe Horn

Sure, the short ones work, but sometimes –especially for us tall gals– it’s a looong way down. These stop mashed-in heels just as well and are much more fun.

Duster Bags

Most high-end shoes come with dusters already but at less than two dollars each from Amazon, there is no reason you shouldn’t have a bag for each pair of shoes. It keeps your pretties protected and take up less room than boxes.

So there you have it, those are the tricks to the trade. If you have any hints or tips to make your heels less horrific, let me know!

Dear Freshwomen (or, as they are known at Francesca’s all-women alma mater, “first-year students”),

Soon you will be leaving for college. Packing for your new dormroom, wondering whether your roommate will be friendly or catatonic . . . it is all very exciting! You of course would like to bring shoes that can carry you through the September weeks of orientation and classes, shoes which are comfortable enough to walk around campus, shoes that can be easily slipped off when you go to the quad lawn to study, shoes which will look stylish with your jeans during the day and sophisticated enough for dates with the college guys at night.

Behold the Tahlia by Brighton!

Happy shopping – for shoes and for classes!

Xoxo, Francesca

Our internet friend Kim wrote to Francesca:

I have found out recently that I am pregnant, and being the shopaholic that I am I’ve starting shopping around the web for maternity wear. Unfortunately, I’ve only been finding up to sizes 18, and I am a 20. Do you have some places to recommend?

Regarding the impending birth of your child, Francesca says: Congratulations! May your baby be healthy and happy and bring out the very best in you. And let you sleep sometimes. Francesca wishes you all the best! xoxo!

Regarding your search for size 20 maternity wear, Francesca says: Ayyyy! Kim has set for Francesca a most difficult quest indeed!

Francesca has never been pregnant, but for her friend Kim she spent a goodly amount of time researching the fashion choices of the plus-size woman with a bun in the oven.

Slim pickin’s, ladies. It is slim pickin’s. (No pun intended.)

First of all, Francesca will not recommend any place that offers plus-size maternity wear. It must be superfantastic maternity wear. And here is where we immediately hit a terrible, terrible obstacle. The internet is rife — rife, I say — with online vendors who do not understand that a pregnant plus-size woman does not need to look like a flowery cow draped with a polyester blanket. More than once, Francesca turned her head from the computer, pulling at her hair and shouting “my eyes! my eyes!”

And then there is the additional challenge of finding clothes which indeed go up to size 20, rather than just size 16 or 18. From Kim, the new baby will surely learn the values of resourcefulness, persistence, and creative problem-solving!

There are two sites which Francesca deems to offer a large selection of super-fantastic choices for the plus-size pregnant lady. By “superfantastic” Francesca means, in this context, that the clothes have some shape, and not all of them are made of polyester, and that there is a good likelihood of finding items appropriate for work or for a date with one’s partner at a fancy restaurant to celebrate the success in getting knocked up. Finding clothes for staying home folding laundry is easy. Finding clothes for a meeting with a new client is the challenge for Francesca!

One of these worthy-of-Manolo sites is Maternity Clothing Fashions, which has some items available in Size 20. Kim should note that the sizing scale is different for each item (there is a chart on each page), and so some size 20 clothing corresponds to 3X, and some to 4X. Finding the size 20 takes some searching, but it is there if you look hard enough. Luckily, the pregnancy lasts only 9 months, and a few well-chosen pieces, taken care of, will go a long way.

Here is an attractive and versatile off-the-shoulder maternity top which goes up to size 20:

And this skirt is available in white or taupe, through size 20:

Francesca further recommends that Kim read this helpful article at BabyCenter.com, with tips for finding maternity wear in plus sizes, links to vendors (buyer beware! Take care of your eyes!) and tips for making your own clothes.

For those who can wear a 16 or 18 (or lower), Francesca also gives her stamp of approval to BabyStyle.com. She is fond of this black flutter wrap dress, which is on sale from $88 down to $30!

Finally, for the convenience of our internet friends, Francesca will share with you the short list of vendors which, while not quite as superfantastic as the two above, did not make Francesca want to make like Oedipus. The materials here are not as likely to be high quality, but if one is careful, one can find many useful and perhaps even superfantastic styles for the pregnancy, especially if one searches for “work,” “business casual,” and “evening” clothes:

JCPenny (Women’s sizes are included in the regular category. Tall sizes have their own section)

Plus Mom Maternity

Maternity 4 Less

Lane Bryant (through size 44 for the Kim!)

Happy pregnancy, take care of your feets, and happy shopping!

xoxo, Francesca

An internet friend from the Northwest wrote to us:

I’m a law student in need of a suit for upcoming September interviews for next year’s summer positions . . . the law is one of the most conservative professions, so I need a conservative suit. . . . Any suggestions as to cut? Colour? Fabric? Pants or skirt? Shoes? I’m a tall size 18 and while well-endowed in the chest and shoulders department, my large hips tend rather to eclipse my upper half. I’m pale, with brown hair. My good body points are my chest, hands, and long legs. Please advise.

Francesca is well-versed in the need for ultra-conservative interview clothing. She once had an interview at a large advertising company in New York — one would think that an advertising firm in New York would welcome a tad more creativity than, say, a law office in Washington DC — and received feedback that Francesca had done a nice job on the interview, but the extremely conservative navy blue dress she was wearing was not conservative enough, because it was a dress and not a suit.

Francesca said: Whatever! I will become a freelance writer and travel the world, always meeting new and fascinating people and writing about interesting things that make for terrific, sparkling conversation at cocktail parties. You can take your advertising job and keep it in your little cubicles while you yearn to move into a corner office! I, meanwhile, the great Francesca, will be paid to blog about fashion from the comfort of cute little bistros!

Ahem, Francesca has gone on a tangent. Our internet friend wishes to become a lawyer, and so we must return to the topic at hand: conservative suits.

First, the law job interview suit must be navy blue or black, and, it goes without saying, made of the finest materials you can afford. Detailing such as narrow pinstripes and buttons should be simple and tasteful. This is not the time to take risks or try to make a bold statement with your fashion choices. The goal is to make a bold statement with your intelligence and professionalism instead. The focus will be on your talents, not on your fashion sense. We do not want to distract your interviewers the way Francesca has become distracted.

Skirt or pants? What do you think Francesca will say? (Hemlines should be at or beyond the knee, not above it, especially as one does not want to show thigh while sitting for an interview! And a just-below-the-knee hem will highlight your pretty calves.)

Since our internet friend is pale, Francesca recommends navy blue (over black) so that contrast between skin and clothing will not be too severe or make our friend look pale under the office lighting.

Pair the suit with an ivory or off-white shell or simple (not frilly) blouse. Silk is always a good choice. I recommend against white in your case because the light reflecting from the blouse may make you look more pale. Remember to wear a bra which matches your skin tone, so it does not show through the blouse!

As for style, indeed it is difficult, as a Big Girl, to find suits which are appropriately conservative without making us look boxy. Francesca has conducted a search and found many example of suits which are either cheaply made (horror!), or box-shaped (yuck), or available in black but not navy. Francesca very much wishes to find a navy suit for her friend. Behold! I have found this perfect example of well-made, conservative suit with attractive but non-distracting details, from our friends at Talbot’s!
The jacket (here in Women’s):

And the matching skirt:

And here are the links for this suit and skirt in Women’s Petite sizes! And in regular sizes through 20!

As for shoes, here are the ultra-ultra-conservative pumps by Vigotti:

If you can get away with some detailing, and would like to save a little money while you live on a student income, you might choose these very pretty and more affordable shoes by Ros Hommerson:

Either way, wear pantyhose which match your skin tone! Navy blue hose are too “matchy” and white will make you look like a nurse instead of a lawyer.

Best of luck on your interviews! Please tell us how it goes!

xoxo, Francesca

Here are some links, from our fellow plus-size bloggers, which will entertain or enlighten (or both)!

Plus Size Clothing Scoop has the pictures to prove that “There must be some kind of love affair going on between Nikki and IGIGI.” Indeed, Nikki Blonsky is quite fond of Igigi clothing. Francesca says: If you find something that works for you, then stick with it! I, myself, have bought ¾ of my wardrobe at the Women’s Petite section of Talbots. Work it girl!

Big Fat Deal tells us that “You can lose weight by talking to your fat cells. It’s just like growing a philodendron!”

In a post lauding the work of Barry Glassner’s The Gospel of Food , Kate Harding asks: “WHO THE HELL CAN USE 50 HANDFULS OF CILANTRO BEFORE IT GOES BAD?” Indeed, not Francesca.

The online magazineVenus Diva has an article about how not to feel self-conscious at a gym, and touches on Francesca’s idea of self-ocentricism! “Most gym members are very focused on their own workouts and rarely notice when new members join, which means we are creating the situation in our minds due to lack of self-esteem and inner confidence.”

Too Fat for Fashion extols the virtues of the new Anna Scholz collection.

And, Full Figure Plus posts her own very useful list of speedlinks here.

Happy internet surfing!

xoxo, Francesca

Francesca and Plumcake want to know:

I would rather _______ than hear my mom/grandmother/”concerned” female relative eye my body, sigh dramatically  and wistfully say “…but you have such a pretty face.”

(Plumcake for example would rather hot oil wrestle a particularly unfriendly badger…naked.)