Francesca recently received a press release from Igigi, announcing that our favorite young Big Girl, the superfantastic Nikki Blonsky, wore an Igigi dress, the “Marianna,” when she received her Best Young Actress award at the Critic’s Choice ceremony:

Does not Miss Blonsky indeed look superfantastic and superfantastically happy? Francesca was glad to hear of her award, and acknowledged kudos to Igigi for their continued success in dressing her.

But you can trust Francesca always to dig one level deeper! How is it, Francesca wondered, that the height-challenged Miss Blonsky can wear the Marianna and that the sleeves fit her and the dress does not come to the floor? It would not be fair to suggest that the petite womens can wear the Marianna if in fact the sleeves and hem were specially made for her diminutive height.

So Francesca inquired of the Igigi, and they insist that the dress has not been altered, though Miss Blonskly is only about 4’9.”

Francesca admits that the best way to confirm this would be to contact the representatives of the Nikki, but after all, this blogging gig is only a part-time job.

However, a hint that perhaps this information is for real was found by Francesca the very next day, when she pulled her Igigi blouse (a model no longer available) from her closet to wear for the first time and realized that indeed the full-length sleeves fit perfectly, even though Francesca is hardly taller than Miss Blonsky and has quite stubby arms.

Francesca does not understand why these sleeves fit her. Igigi does not have a Petite line, and when it comes to hems Francesca has already found that their long dresses are very, very, very long for someone still short enough to enjoy some kiddie rides at Great Adventure. But for some reason the sleeves work.

Does this mean that the sleeves are too short for a woman of greater stature?  How can sleeves be appropriate for both regular sizes and petite womens? If the dress was not altered in that photo, why is it not dragging on the floor? Is it meant to be the mini-dress on the woman who is 5’8″?

It is a mystery!

Ach, perhaps Francesca will contact the Blonsky reps after all. She will report back when she gets an answer.

Women’s apparel, including plus-sizes, X-large petite sizes, and their couple of plus-size petite and Large size Tall selections, are at least 33% off at Nordstrom. And shipping is $5 for your entire order. Ooh, ooh, where to begin?

Hooded coat through3X, 33% off.

White blouse – a staple, and great for Apples – through size 24, 33% off.

Crinkle taffeta wrap top. Buy now on sale at 60% off for next New Year’s! Through size 24.

Silk pajamas, through size 3X, 33% off.

Avenue.com is having a stock-up sale on bras, panties, and shapewear, plus they’ve dropped the prices of some online items up to 50% off. And, Francesca has a coupon code for you: Now through January 5, enter code 71321 at checkout and get 20% off your online purchase, even from things already on sale and new items!

Lace applique corset (through size 32) is 20% off, and get an additional 20% off with Francesca’s code!

Reversible jacket is available through size 32 and is 50% off, plus 20% more with Francesca’s code!

Today and tomorrow, get 60% (SIXTY PERCENT) off your purchase at Coldwater Creek by entering code WLH4175 at checkout.

Jacket available through 3x, or petite 18. Now 60% off!

Velveteen Beatles-retro jacket, available in size 3x only, now 60% off!

Major sale at Lane Bryant, with most items marked down 50-80%.

Hoodie, available in several colors through size 28, is 50% off.

Chelsea pants, available through 24, 24 Tall, and 22 Petite, are excellent for the Big Girl of Height and are 50% off!

Major clearance sale at Woman Within, with coats up to 60% off, shoes and boots up to 50% off, and other items up to 80% off. Low prices while supplies last. Remember to enter code WWDEFER, and you won’t be charged for your purchases until March.

Cotton stretch pants, available in an off-white up to size 4X, at 63% off!

For your workouts, cute bike shorts for under $6, and matching shirt (available in red only) here. Buy the shirt, get the shorts for free.

Not on sale, but of interest: Igigi has brought back a lace top which had previously sold out. It is pretty, no? Sizes 12-32.

Happy shopping!

xoxo,

Francesca

At the recommendation of a dear internet friend, Francesca recently purchased 2 items from HolyClothing.com, the purveyors of lusciously-designed and crafted plus-size clothing in the spirit of the Renaissance or Bohemian woman.

Indeed the clothing were every bit as gorgeously constructed as the website says. The fabric and detailing were exactly as described and pictured on the site. They also arrived quickly.

Francesca’s lone gripe against HolyClothing is that they do not offer petite sizes. This in addition to the fact that their skirts are incredibly long and designed, it appears, to drag on the floor (which Francesca does not allow!) So, when choosing skirts, Francesca did the math and realized that fully one quarter of each item would have to be chopped off. Not knowing whether the skirts were made such that Francesca’s seamstress could shorten them from the top, Francesca felt limited to this one style which could be chopped from the bottom without losing all the prettiness:

She felt that ordering something like this

would not be a good idea, since cutting off the bottom would remove most of what makes the skirt special.

It turns out, though, that in fact the skirts can be brought up from the top. So, petite women should feel free to order from this site, provided that you have a good seamstress.

However, this gorgeous blouse, which Francesca adores, must be sent back:

Do you see that it is a lace-up blouse? Do you see the heavenly, romantic sleeves and exquisite embroidery? Do you see how perfect this blouse is for the Apple-shaped woman?

And do you see how, on a woman who is 5-foot-1, the neckline would come to, oh, about mid-chest? How the sleeves cannot be shortened without ruining their look? How it is impossible to shorten the blouse because the corset holes are spaced so that there would no longer be room for a pretty hem?

So, Francesca is keeping the skirt and sending back the blouse. Her advice to other petite ladies is to check out the site, but be circumspect in your purchases.

But if you are a woman of height who enjoys the styles of eras past, this vendor is indeed superfantastic.

And, now through December 15, get free shipping if you fulfill the following requirements at holyclothing.com!

USA Customers: Free Shipping when you spend over $49.99. Select Registered Standard Post 10-12 Workdays w/ Insurance and enter coupon code 6969.

UK & German Customers: Free Shipping when you spend over $59.99. Select Registered Standard Airmail 10-12 Workdays w/ Insurance and enter coupon code 6968.

International Customers: Free Shipping when you purchase 5 garments or more. Select Registered Expedited Airmail 8-9 Workdays w/ Insurance and enter coupon code 7776.

Happy shopping!
Xoxo,
Francesca

 UPDATE IN RESPONSE TO COMMENTS:

Francesca says: heh heh, indeed the second skirt does look like a piece of furniture. The readers are correct.

However, for the Big Girl who enjoys this style, it is not hard to carry off at all. The trick is first to make sure it is altered so that lengthwise it is the perfect fit. And second to pair it with an exceedingly simple blouse (NOT such a one as pictured), so that the top does not compete with the skirt. Add some pretty, dangly earrings to balance the vertical line. And third, one must have the slightly laissez-faire attitude. This is not the skirt to wear to a job interview at Goldman Sachs. It is the skirt to wear on a Sunday while shopping at Quincy Market in Boston.

Take 25% off your purchase at Avenue.com (sizes 14-32) by entering code 71298 at checkout. This code is good until Thursday.

Look, for those of you who remember fondly the days when pants started at one’s waist, Avenue offers pants with different cuts, those that sit above, at, and below the waist. Francesca knows that some of you have been yearning for pants like this, and is so very happy to find them for you.

See, from their “Classic Fit” collection, which sits at the waist, are these cuffed pants, very nice for work and available in sizes 14-26 – including Petite and Tall versions!

Happy shopping!

xoxo, Francesca

Now until December 3 you can get 40% off purchases at LizClaiborne.com, by entering the code FRIEND40 at checkout!

The plus-size selection (sizes 14-24 W) is not very large (no pun intended), but what they do have is very nice. Also, note that their Petite sizes run through size 16! (Though only 2 items, alas, are Women’s Petite. At some point Francesca must write a post about the difference between a 16 Petite and a 16 Women’s Petite. They are not the same!)

Francesca especially loves their outerwear and this wonderful cable-knit vest, which is already on sale (available, alas again, only in size 1X). If you use the coupon code, you will be buying it for less than half the original price!

Thank you to our internet friend Rach for alerting us to the special promotion.

Happy shopping!

xoxo,

Francesca

Just yesterday Francesca recommended items from Woman Within, and now she has a sale code for you!

And, if you enter code WW16736 at checkout, you can take 30 percent off the most expensive item in your cart! The code will work through November 28.

Francesca likes their faux-shearling cape

And also she has been searching for just such pants as these for exercising, which are available not just in plus-size but also in plus-petite and plus-tall, and is already in the clearance section! Woo hoo!

Also see their “Holiday Webalog,” which frankly is annoying to use, but has many deeply-discounted items.

Happy shopping!

xoxo,

Francesca

An internet friend asks:

I am fairly recently married to a guy who grew up with one brother.
One of my favorite things to do now is to get nice girly presents for
his mom, who is 81 and either a 1x petite or a 2x petite. Imagine my
horror when I first tried to shop for her! I had no idea!
Fortunately, there is a Talbots store close to me, and I’ve been
pretty lucky there.

My question is this: Where can I find nice age-appropriate nightgowns
and robes for her? Hanukkah and her birthday arrive soon. Thank you
so much.

Francesca finds this question, and the context surrounding it, very sweet.

However, as difficult as it is to find petite plus-size clothing, finding petite plus-size nightgowns and robes is even more difficult, which is why Francesca admits to sleeping often in her college t-shirt and 10-year-old sweatpants.

And here we have the additional factor that we are looking for attractive and comfortable nightgowns for an elderly woman, not lacy, frothy underthings for the plus-size pop tart.

So we turn to Woman Within, which sells clothing in sizes 12W-44W. Among their offerings in robes and loungewear are a few petite items which may meet the taste of our internet friend’s mother-in-law, such as this fleece lounger with plaid trim

or for something more girly, there is this satin robe, which is lined with fleece inside. It is not a petite size, but at 50″ long it will come to our friend’s mother-in-law’s ankles, if she is over 5′ tall, which is OK, Francesca thinks. Just be sure the belt is removable so that it can be tied at the waist, rather than the hips of the petite girl!

Happy Chanukah and Happy Birthday and Happy Shopping!

xoxo,

Francesca