Manolo for the Big Girl

Look, the simple and versatile pump by the name of Nanico, which usually sells for $235 or more, is on 40% sale at both Zappos and Shoes.com, at a savings of 94 American dollars!  (Francesca frets that the American dollar is not worth as much as it used to be, but such is life. We who earn our income in dollars and spend much of it abroad console ourselves with the beautiful, well-made shoes.)

Happy weekend!

xoxo,

Francesca

Francesca simply adores the relatable, homespun, theologically honest works of Anne Bradstreet, who moved to the Massachusetts colony from England as a newly-married teenager and vented her frustrations and faith into wonderful verse.

Here is  a collection of Bradstreet’s complete works.

And here are  two  biographies of Mistress Bradstreet. Francesca has not read them yet but looks forward to it!

Happy reading!

xoxo, Francesca

A reader from Portland, Oregon writes:

Dear Francesca,

 I am a poor working girl who saves her money to buy nice clothes. My wardrobe is not very big, but what it is in my closet is carefully chosen and sometimes hard-earned. Unfortunately, even the best-quality clothes wear out eventually. I have beautiful skirts whose hems are fraying after several years, a jacket with fraying wrists, and a few items with missing buttons  (which went missing after I’d already used the extra buttons that came with the shirts, to replace other buttons which had gone missing). And let’s not talk about the zippers, which I seem to abuse more than normal. Is there any way to hide these flaws? I hate to get rid of clothes that cost so much and which I used to wear constantly, until the constant wear started to show. Help!

 Frayed at the Edges

 Dear Frayed,

 Good for you for picking a few items from which you get much use! That is, ultimately, the best use of your money. It is far better to buy a $100 skirt which you will wear 50 times (at $2 per wearing) than a $30 skirt which you will wear twice (at $15 per wearing). Francesca does wonder what you are doing to those buttons and zippers – perhaps you need a cup of coffee in the morning before you get dressed? — But, as you say, even the best purchases eventually will show their age, even if you are very gentle and careful.

 Francesca cannot repeat often enough: Make friends with a seamstress! All of the clothing you mentioned can be saved.

 First, the buttons: Get thee to a store which sells pretty buttons, and replace ALL the buttons on those shirts. Francesca once did this, replacing plain black velvet buttons on a wool winter coat with fancy gold ones, and many of her friends asked where she had purchased her new coat. Remember to buy extra buttons for future emergencies!

 Second, the hems. There are two possibilities here. First, a seamstress may be able to “roll” the hem without too much deleterious effect. It will make the skirts a little shorter, but if they are not already very short, this may not matter.  Second, is the possibility of hiding the flaws in the hems. Depending on the design, you may be able to replace the material (for example, if the jacket has a decorated wrist which can be removed and replaced with other fabric) or with ribbons or lace. Get thee to your nearest fabric store and have fun!

Third, zippers are quite easy to replace; bring the item to the fabric store and ask for replacement zippers. If you are handy with a sewing machine you can replace them yourself, or your seamstress can do it for not too much money – certainly less than the cost of  replacing the skirt!

 It is worthwhile to spend a little money at the fabric store than to spend much, much more money at the fancy clothing boutique.

Happy mending!

Xoxo,

Francesca

Francesca loves the wide-width Stewies! Especially when they are 20% off!

Stitchup” in Charcoal (for kicking some corporate posteriors) or Scarlet (for kicking any posteriors).

Happy shopping and happy weekend!

xoxo,

Francesca

Mmm, Francesca loves a good sale at Nordstrom.

She cannot wait to wear this gorgeous single-button jacket, which is marked down 70%, from $432 to $129!

And a trench coat which Francesca has previously recommended is marked down 40%, from $188 to $110.

Happy shopping!

xoxo,

Francesca

Last evening, Francesca crossed off the last item on her to-do list, scrubbed the kitchen counters as she does every night, took a bubble bath, and got into bed with Rhett Butler.

Life just does not get any better than this.

Monif C. has introduced a line of swimsuits, and they are very, very pricey and very, very sexy. Francesca likes!

This swimsuit makes Francesca want to become an Angel of the Charlie. Apparently, there are ties at the legs which allow you to adjust it so you can show more thigh, or less. Francesca does not understand how that works, exactly, but is intrigued by the idea.

Wow!

Happy shopping!

xoxo, Francesca

One of the trials of being a Big Girl is in the search for nightgowns, pajamas, and robes.

You want a Size 24 ball gown? Check. Size 32 flounce skirt? Check. Size 56F bra? Check.

You want Size 5x pajamas? Um, not so much.

But here! PajamaGram has an extensive line of yummy, comfy pajamas and robes, up to size 3x!

Thank you to internet friend Ripley for telling us about this site! Francesca likes!

Sleep tight . . . .

xoxo

Francesca has been greatly enjoying a wonderful, informative, and thought-provoking blog by a nurse, Junkfood Science.

Here is the “subheading” of the blog, which will help you see why it is so superfantastic:

Critical examinations of studies and news on food, weight, health and healthcare that mainstream media misses. Debunks popular myths, explains science and exposes fraud that affects your health. Plus some fun food for thought. For readers not afraid to question and think critically to get to the truth.

Before reading this blog, Francesca knew that newspapers and magazines and television often gets science wrong — because most people are just not very good at interpreting scientific studies — but she had no idea how often.  It is truly unbelievable how often a newspaper will tell us something along the lines of “study shows that fat people keel over and die ten horrible deaths before they are 28!” when in fact the study cited just says that “people whose BMI’s are over 45,000 are more likely to have a stroke by the time they are 72 than people whose BMI’s are 44,999.” (Francesca exaggerates, but you catch her drift.)

Anyway, to educate yourself, dear Manolo reader, about how to spot mathematical and scientific fallacies in your mainstream media, Francesca suggests you begin with the superfantastic, easy-to-read, and short-and-to-the-point book, Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics: The Manipulation of Public Opinion in America.

Francesca hath spoken.

Francesca tries to remember that “Big Girl” can refer not only to the woman of generous tummy or hips, but also to the Girl of Great Height.

Our friend Genevieve has turned our attention to LongLegs.ca, a boutique store in Canada for the Tall Girl, which has an online catalogue!  And they have extra-special security and extra-special personal attention; Genevieve writes:

A friend of mine ordered something from the site. They don’t take credit cards over the Internet. You place your order, and then they call you, talk to you about what you bought, help you make sure you bought the right sizes (it’s a small boutique, and they just started selling online…the people who you talk to also do the ordering for the actual store), and then take your credit card info over the phone. She said they were very helpful, particularly with sizing.

Happy shopping!

xoxo