Today we are pricing down, to Fashion Bug, which  sells Misses and Plus size casual-wear and lingerie. At the top of the home page, you can opt to shop according to size, including 16-34, 16-32 short (they couldn’t call it petite? Whatever.), and 16-32 long. (Warning: Short and Long selections are limited.) (Misses sizes start at 6). Their sale page is here.

Today they are having the Thanksgiving Day sale, online only, on all their Fall clothing here.

YES

Francesca had a hard time with the “Yesses” and “Maybes” because her personal idea of “casual” is “suede jacket with boot-cut jeans.” So let us get it out of the way: If you are looking for your basic turtlenecks (on sale today for $6 apiece), polo shirts, jeans, panties, and the like, this is a good place to go. It is a good value for the price.

And now for the slightly more Francesca-esque items. Click for outfit suggestions and/or purchase info:

NO

MAYBE

a) it’s awesome

b) I’m about to go on vacation so I’m not even trying to come up with my own material.

All Walks Beyond the Catwalk from ALL WALKS BEYOND THE CATWALK on Vimeo.

On one hand, YAY! On the other, uh, not to look a gift cat in the mouth, but is this really all walks?

Because it kinda looks to me like it’s “mostly the same walk, but some have bigger shoes and oh there’s a black girl too“.

It’s like you can have ONE thing working “against” you: you can be plus-size if you’re tall and young and gorgeous. You can be black as long as you’ve got processed hair and fit all other standard model requirements. You can be old as long as you’ve got the bone structure of a patrician flamingo. And you can be tall if you’re…well, you kinda have to be tall.

Don’t get me wrong, I still really like this video and the concept behind it.

Maybe they didn’t include women who are more than just a hair out of the mainstream because they didn’t want to seem like it was a gimmick.

I mean Jackie Robinson was a great ball player, but he wasn’t the best the Negro Leagues had to offer by a long shot, but the reason you know Jackie Robinson instead of Ray Dandridge –widely considered one of the best ever to have played the game– is that Mr Robinson was far more palatable to white working class America than Mr Dandridge. Maybe they wanted to make sure the women were still palatable enough for fashion consumption: thus the being tall and beautiful and mostly slender.

Clothes as they’re designed now look better on tall women and on thin women.

They just do. Being tall means you can carry off a lot of stuff short chicks can’t, and that’s just the way it is (you pocket people get all the men, so let the tall girls have this one) but just because tall girls have an easier time of things doesn’t mean designers should be expected to design only for tall women. But they do.

I believe the average fit model is about 5’9″ which is fine for me, I’m just an inch taller, but the average American woman is just under 5’4″ oh, and petite models? Generally between 5’6″ – 5’8″.

So should we be glad that in an industry so totally skewed and screwed that designers are getting and embracing SOME change and take what we can get or do the All Walks people get a “close, but no style cigar”?

Did I buy any dresses? No. Skirts? No. Tops? No.

Do you wish to know why?

Because nowhere in all of Manhattan — neither in the summer sales nor in the fall collections — did Francesca find plus-size clothing that works for her 5’1″, apple-shaped frame and desire for sleeves.

If you are tall, you are in luck. If you regularly wear sleeveless clothing, fine. If you are pear-shaped, all the better.

But if you are none of those things, as Francesca is not, then just stay home for the next few weeks, under the covers. Do not bother shopping for new clothes. Crossword puzzles are more tempting right now.

Perhaps the winter collections will have more to offer us.

Francesca is put out, and hath spoken.

Let Francesca tell you about this dress.

The magic of Igigi is that although their clothes do not come in petite sizes, and do not always appear to be suitable for the Apple, they always fit Francesca perfectly.

Francesca is 5’1″ and very Appley. On taller folk, the dress is designed to come to just below the knee and have 3/4 sleeves (as pictured). On Francesca, the sleeves came down, quite attractively, to the wrists, and the hem fell just below the wide part of the calf. The shoulders fit perfectly. The plunging neckline ended exactly at the point just above Francesca’s bra.

And, though wrap dresses are generally an iffy proposition for Apples, this one draped perfectly. She does not know how Igigi does it.

Francesca’s mother was in the room, and said “Francesca, the dress looks like it was made for you.” The emerald green color was beautiful with Francesca’s light-red hair. (The dress also comes in black.)

The only criticism I have is that the dress should really be lined. One certainly needs to wear a good slip underneath the skirt.

It just goes to show that Apples CAN wear wrap dresses, and petites CAN sometimes wear regular sizes. Do not be afraid to experiment (especially when the dress is on sale, as this one is)!

xoxo,

Francesca

Saks Fifth Avenue – Designer sale. Designer plus-size sale here. Free shipping on orders over $200 with code SAKSFS

Igigi – Up to 75% off everything. Ends tomorrow.

Liz Claiborne Woman – Tremendous discounts, ends tonight!! Additionally, you’ll automatically get $25 off purchases of $100 or more, or $50 off purchases of $150 or more, or $125 off purchases of $300 or more.

Avenue – Shop The Ten Dollar Event!

Monif C - Up to 80% off everything at the site.

Nordstrom – Sales for women and men. Plus sizes are here.

Svoboda – “Preview” sale ending tomorrow: take 35% off anything you want with code PREVIEW09.

Land’s End- Semi-annual sale. Plus sizes here. Tall sizes here.

Lane Bryant – Up to 60% off everything on the site, and semi-annual lingerie sale.

Silhouettes – Lots of end-of-season The sale items, and take 20% off your order of $50 or more with code S8W908.

Old Navy – Clearance sale! Plus sizes here.

JC Penney- After-Christmas clearance. Plus sizes here. Tall sizes here.

Talbots – End-of-season sale. Plus sizes here. Petite-plus sizes here.

Kiyonna - After-Christmas savings deal: Through December 31, use code GIFT20 ($20 off purchases of $100 or more), GIFT50 ($50 off purchases of $200 or more) or GIFT100 ($100 off purchases of $350 or more).

Coldwater Creek - 50% off the whole website. Use code SAVEBIG at checkout. Plus sizes here.

Bloomingdales - Sale on selected items ends December 31. Plus sizes are here.

Always for Me – Swimwear sale. Use code freeship100 and get free shipping on orders over $100 in continental US.

Roaman’s- After-Christmas sale.

One Stop Plus – site-wide sale.

Chico’s – Winter Sale on select items. Use code 6380 to receive $10 off your purchase of $50 or more. (Also, at their affiliated Soma Intimates store, there is a lingerie sale going on, AND you get a free panty with any purchase at the Soma store with code 7126.)

J.Jill- up to 70% off. Ends January 5. Plus sizes here. Tall sizes here.

Woman Within-Clearance sale.

Evans (British sizes) – Up to 70% off

Torrid- Holiday through January 4th. Also through the 4th: an additional 50% off clearance items.

New arrivals and new sale items at J.Jill. Francesca’s pick (pictured at left).

Get a pair of pants at Avenue for just $10, while supplies last. (Pants for Petites and Talls also available at this price!)
Many new items have been moved to the sale department of Talbot’s Woman and Woman Petite. Also, get free shipping on their newly-arrived shoes and boots through September 20 (or skip that and just buy these slingbacks on sale at 50% off). Francesca’s pick.

Nordstrom announces that their shoe department offers extended sizes and widths! Look, shoes in size 14! Extra-wide shoes! Francesca’s pick.

Through September 30, get $20 off any pair of pants or jeans at Coldwater Creek. Francesca’s pick.

Until September 16, get 30% off your highest-price item at Woman Within by entering code WW26354 at checkout. Remember, as always, their merchandise runs long – petites beware! Francesca’s pick.

Make Your Own Jeans has revamped its website and added new fabrics and new embroidery patterns for the pockets. Custom-made jeans and pants, shipped worldwide!

Through September 15, get 35% off your highest-price item at Roaman’s by entering code  RD15712 at checkout. Francesca’s pick (pictured at left).

Get your sexy plus-size Halloween costume (or just the fairy wings, or mask, or hair extensions, or whatever) at Torrid!

Kiyonna announces their new La Bella Vita collection. Francesca’s pick.

Happy shopping!

xoxo,

Francesca

To the fantastic Francesca!My mom, who is superfantastic on the inside but sometimes a little over-functional on the outside, is going with my dad to his Naval Academy class reunion dinner dance.  The dinner! The dancing! The men formerly in uniform! What is not to love? Yet she is not so excited, because she must now pick out the dress.  She is a petite 14/16 “apple with a waist” (her description) who finds that dresses are almost never large enough in the bust. She is much fun but not much into frills, and has skin that carries off bright colors and black and white equally well; usually not yellow, but she loves green.  In fact I will just attach her photographs. (one is all of our family women but she is the one with the cute butt in the middle, the other is us being very cute together even if I did forget to wear makeup that day)  She has been encouraged by my dad to spend more on a dress than she usually would, which I think she still thinks means less than $100 but he thinks is less than $200.Mostly I just want to help her feel great in the room full of the souped-up trophy wives, since I already know she is pretty foxy but she maybe does not.  I was hoping you might be able to help?? Everyone’s petite sections have vanished and the world of internet shopping is scary and without measurement references, but living in a fairly small town in the south there are not a lot of in-person options.

Thank you so much for any help/inspiration you can offer!!

Much love,

Leah

Francesca loves that Leah sent the photos, and gave us permission to post them! Indeed all the ladies of Leah’s family are beautiful and superfantastic. (And her mom indeed has the “cute butt,” if she doesn’t mind Francesca saying so.)

As soon as Leah said “green” and “petite” and “Apple,” Francesca’s thoughts turned straight to Igigi.

Yes, yes, Francesca is constantly recommending them for formal occasions. This is because the clothes are beautiful, and because, somehow, magically, even items that look like they would be ill-suited for an Apple, or for a petite girl, manage to look like they were made for just such a woman!

Francesca does not know how this works. She only knows that, as an Apple, she will sometimes try Igigi clothes under the assumption that they will probably have to be returned, and voila! They look amazing.

And their green dresses are such a gorgeous shade of emerald.

“Summer Breeze” Cocktail Dress

“Delicate Lace” Cocktail Dress with Shrug

If your mother would prefer a floor-length gown, the “Dreamy Nights” dress may come to the floor on the Petite woman, and there is the gorgeous “Enchanted Nights” dress, which can be shortened as necessary. From Sydney’s Closet, “Intoxicating” is on sale but there are no returns. It is a mock two-piece, can be shortened, and would lovely on many the Apple.

Leah should remind her mother that the well-endowed chest can be not a liability, but a great asset, one to show off!

Good luck, and please tell us how the dinner goes!

xoxo

Dear Francesca, I have been reading your column for several months now.  I am a petite bigger girl; 5’2″ and around a size 18-ish, with an hourglass figure.  My daughter once told me I was not allowed to call myself “fat” when she was about 4 years old; “Mama, I just call you soft.”  *melt*  Such a sweet girl!

I have a bit of a dilemna.  My father is remarrying in early October. My statuesque stepmother-to-be will wear a beautiful Dessy nu-georgette strapless gown in aubergine, and the “wedding party” (my stepsister-to-be and daughter, the maid of honor and flower girl, respectively) will wear Jim Hjelm chiffon gowns in a beautiful shade of purple (“tranquil”).  I would like my siblings and our spouses to fit in with the general color palette.  (Won’t the family pictures look stunning?)  My husband and brothers will be
wearing black suits and shopping for purple tie (and/or shirts), and my sister-in-law will likely shop for a new dress.

I would like to find an attractive tea-length dress, elegant, not too casual, preferably classic in style — able to be worn again.  I’m having trouble figuring out where to look in places that won’t break the bank.  I work full-time and live in a smaller town without many bridal shops.  I am expecting to mail order a dress, hopefully with enough time for alterations.  

If I can find the right dress, I can reuse a pair of beaded black shoes from my brother’s wedding 2 years ago along with a darling black beaded purse I’ve got.

Can you help me find something lovely and flattering?  Am I asking for too much?  I’m worried I won’t find anything reasonable in time.

Thank you for any assistance you can provide!
-Becky 

Dear Becky,

Indeed, the wedding photos will look stunning as you say. Francesca loves purple! She also loves when brides eschew the tradition of wearing a white dress, and instead embrace the colors which make them (and, one hopes, their bridal party) look and feel superfantastic!

Francesca wishes to point out to Becky and her sister-in-law that since the bride has chosen to wear a deep purple, it would be best to avoid similar shades such as eggplant. Just as it is gauche to wear an all-white dress to a white-clad-bride-wedding, so too it would behoove one to allow one’s new stepmother to look unique in the wedding photos.

Francesca will assume that it is OK with the bride for family members who are not technically in the “wedding party” to wear colors in the same palette. It seems reasonable to Francesca for children of the bride and groom to be color-coordinated, but it is always best to check with those are doing the marrying.

So, we are searching for an elegant, tea-length dress, available in size 18, which will work with the “tranquil” dresses without clashing with the aubergine. Francesca is relieved to see that the Becky expects to have to make alterations, as it is probable that any dress we find will have to be shortened. Them’s the breaks.

Here is a lovely cocktail dress in lilac which would work beautifully with Becky’s hourglass figure, and whose black trim would make the black shoes and purse less jarring against the pastel dress:

Here, a similar dress in black and ivory would complement the purple bridal party quite beautifully.

Here, too, is a sweet dress at — believe it or not — Home Shopping Network. With the hourglass figure, it could be worn to great effect with a pretty black belt, and may hit the tea length on the woman who is 5’2.”

At HSN, Francesca also found this fetching number, which, in silver will once again complement the wedding party without trying to matchy-match it. The beaded accessories and elegant earrings and necklace would bring the outfit to an appropriate level of wedding fanciness.

Francesca wishes Becky a good time at her father’s wedding!

xoxo

While rushing to an appointment on Manhattan’s Upper West Side,  Francesca noticed a little boutique with clothing for the Big Girl, but was too rushed to write down its name for further research, and now forgets . . . are there any UWS readers who can help? It was on Broadway, some place between 97th and 100th, on the East side of the street. Any details in the comments would be appreciated by all readers in New York, Francesca is sure.

Oh, my, Francesca got so much wonderful shopping done. Francesca loves sales and clearance racks! She found an adorable pink cotton top at Saks Fifth Avenue’s Salon Z department for $32, a cotton-and-gingham polo at Lane Bryant for $5 (count ‘em, five dollars), a sweet nightgown and multiple tops and skirts at Talbots Woman Petites, and a gorgeous office-appropriate skirt at Macy’s for just $35. With the money she saved, Francesca has splurged on the slightly outrageous Mozart shoes by Stuart Weitzman, which she will probably wear twice in her life, but which are so much fun to own. It has been a wonderful trip.

Grand-mere was no beauty queen, but she was a strong woman, and an intelligent woman, and a she used to sing me to sleep, and she used to make me delicious crepes every time I came to visit, and I loved her. She died about a year and a half ago, and my eyes mist, still, whenever I think of her, because I miss her so.

One could do worse, than to look like my Grand-mere.