Check out the latest “From Francesca’s Inbox,” two posts down. It was supposed to go live on the site hours ago, but for some reason WordPress only deigned to activate it now. Read Plumcake’s post about the Little Black Dress, and then keep scrolling!

xoxo,

Francesca

Many of you have given feedback on an earlier post, telling us that you want more information on this site about clothing for the office.

Igigi almost immediately sent us an email about  their workwear (though Francesca feels that some of these looks can be appropriate for the office only when paired with a cami. Cleavage is NOT office-appropriate! Also, what is with all the grey? Yet, if you look good in this grey (spotlight on our dark-skinned sisters), the styles are terrific). ALSO they are having an event in San Francisco on August 13. ALSO , today, you can get free ground shipping, or $10 2-day air shipping, of orders over $150.

Torrid, too, seems to read MftBG, because they, also, sent us  a link to their workwear. Francesca recommends their pencil skirts. Otherwise, the collection is great for casual Friday, or for non-corporate work environments (and see above, re: cleavage). ALSO they are having a sale. ALSO check out their new arrivals.

Kiyonna has announced new arrivals. (Francesca’s pick, pictured.) Kiyonna, too, offers free shipping on orders over $100.

Lane Bryant is giving away another gift cheque to use in their stores. Or, get the same savings when you shop online by entering code 050002214 at checkout. You’ll get $25 off purchases of $75, or $50 off orders of $150, or $75 off orders of $225.

Just My Size is having a contest, through which you can win a $200 gift certificate. Details here.

Swimsuits for All will take an additional 20% off select items if you enter code TOP20 at checkout. Francesca does  not know when this expires. Also, sale on new arrivals. Buy now for next summer.

Avenue has a new collection of white shirts and blouses. The white shirt is a wardrobe staple!

Silhouettes will take 20% off your order of 4 or more items, through Tuesday, with code S9PEQ. Click here for new arrivalsand Shop here for sale items. Francesca’s Pick (pictured) can be worn with black pants to the office, or dressed down with jeans, or dressed up for a date.

So many price reductions, so little time. Click below to be taken straight to plus size items on sale (or as near to them as Francesca could get).

Alight

Always for Me

Athleta

Bluefly (Shoes, Accessories)

Chadwicks

JC Penney (and use code 49DAYS for free shipping on orders of $49 or more)

One Stop Plus

Roaman’s (and use code RDEXTRA20 for another 20% off clearance items)

Spiegel

Talbots

Torrid.com

Francesca recently received this meme on Facebook, with a list of 100 books which the BBC supposedly recommends. Wherever the list may have originated, it is interesting, and Francesca found that she has read 62 books from the list.

Her favorites (in terms of light-to-medium weekend reading, be it fun or thought-provoking):

Pride and Prejudice

Little Women

The Time Traveler’s Wife

Gone With the Wind

Alice in Wonderland

The Handmaid’s Tale

Brave New World

Of Mice and Men

The Color Purple

The Five People You Meet in Heaven (Francesca admits to crying over this book)

Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Watership Down (really. Do not judge a book by its summary.)

How many have you read? And which do you most recommend, for weekend reading or for the improvement of the self?What would you add to the list?

(And, come to think of it, if Francesca made a Facebook page under her Big Girl name, would you friend her? This is an idea.)

Francesca asks:

Have you danced since this post appeared?

No?

We must remedy the situation. Every body dance!

(Click on the little square-within-a-square in the lower right corner to watch full-screen. Best to turn down the sound if you are at work.)

By the way: if your bra straps are falling down a lot, it probably means they are too short. Try lengthening them, or use a strap-mate to hold them in place. Dance your pants off, not your bra! :-)

Plumcake, Twistie and I would like to thank all our dear readers who have been with us since the beginning: We recently passed our 2,000th post!

At this milestone, we take a moment to pause and reflect, and to ask our wonderful internet friends:

What do you love about this blog? What would you change? What keeps you coming back?

Bluefly is having a huge sale, ending tomorrow, with deep markdowns on designer items. Click here for handbags and accessories, or here for shoes. Stuart Weitzman, Charles David, Rafe New York, Kenneth Cole, all under $100. The satin peep-toes by Kenneth Cole with criss-cross leather trim, pictured,  are under $63 (also in black).

Old Navy will give you free shipping on any order of $75 or more, through tomorrow, with code FREE75. Click here to go straight to Plus Size women’s apparel(and, again, pay no attention to the creepy mannequins. The point is the clothes).

Soma Intimates is having a sale.

Igigi does something very smart. They roll out their collection one item at a time, so that there is always something new to look at . . . and announce at Manolo for the Big Girl. Today we tell you about the new Fortuna dress, available in turquoise or orange (pictured).

Evans has a nice line of faux-Macintosh raincoats (not true Macs because they are not made of rubber, but still, Francesca says: it is always a good idea to buy one’s raincoats from England).

Always for Me has a large selection of newly-marked-down items.

Happy shopping! xoxo