Manolo for the Big Girl

Tomorrow night, Thursday June 12, from 5-9, the Monif C. boutique in New York City is having a cocktail party at the store. Get personal shopping advice, treats, open bar, music, etc, and 25% off the clothes! Address: 325 West 38th Street (between 8th and 9th Avenues) Suite 1007. Phone number: 212-842-1641.

Lots happening at Lane Bryant:

1) Make a purchase before July 1, and get a $100 coupon and entries into their $100,000 sweepstakes!

2) Cacique bras are “buy 2, get 2 free” and Cacique panties are 5 for $25, through June 28

3) Summer sale on tops, tanks, tees, and capris.

Be sure to click through the button at the right of our site for more savings!

June clearance sale at Nordstrom! (Though it seems you all have bought out the Plus Sizes. Not much left!) AND, if you order $200 or more from the online store, you get free shipping within the USA. Francesca, herself, has ordered this flap bag by L.A.M.B. to use in lieu of a briefcase, at 40% off,

and the bold 4″ heel snakeskin slingback by Linea Paolo, also 40% off!

Holy Clothing has brought back their lovely “Riona” corset dress, so pretty for Apple shapes! They are selling on ebay, for example here, and are available in many colors!

Summer sale at J.Crew going on (x-large and tall sizes available), and if you enter code SEASHELL today at checkout, you get free shipping within the US and Canada.

Francesca is known, she hopes, for her classic and classy style, so it may surprise you to know that she avails herself, sometimes, of plus-size lingerie offerings at Fredericks.com. Yes, they have plus sizes, and not all of their merchandise is best suited for a college spring break scene on a souped-up set of CSI: Miami. At the moment they have many nice items for the classy woman who wishes to let her hair down, at reasonable prices, such as this satin-and-lace chemise which Francesca recently ordered in the “hibiscus” color. And now through Sunday, there is free shipping on orders of $95 or more within the continental USA.

Another promotion code for you! Buy swimwear at Junonia by the end of the day on Friday, enter code 06118, and save 25 percent! For the Size 14+ woman who spends much time in the pool or at the beach, Junonia offers swimsuits in categories like “chlorine resistant,” “water sports,” and “full coverage.” Pretty colors, too!

Finally, two more important announcements for the Poor Girl:

Summer clearance at the Coldwater Creek Outlet! Major deals, here, and many clothes available in plus sizes. Excellent for the poor girl! (And yes, they have items appropriate for the younger womens. Just look carefully and you will find!)

And, through Friday, enter code RD13899 upon checkout at Roamans.com, and save 25% on your highest-priced item. Look! Now you can have this pretty blouse, very nice for Apples, for under 19 of the American dollars.

Happy shopping!

xoxo,

Francesca

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

Internet friend Jennifer wrote:

I was wondering if any of your readers had any experience with using Mystic Tan as a big girl.  Regular tanning beds work fine, but for those of us that want a little color without the damaging UV rays I was wondering if there was any advice.

Francesca had never heard of Mystic Tan before receiving this letter, and she is of two minds about it.

As the ultra-fair girl in a high risk category for the unsuperfantastic skin cancer, Francesca is quite intrigued by the possibility of an even, non-UV tan.

On the other hand, Francesca thinks it is somewhat ridiculous that tans are considered, somehow, more attractive than the clean, soft, untanned skin.  Why should those of us whose skin burns like sweet-potato french fries be pressured to have anything other than the creamy, porcelain skin we were born with?

On the third hand, if you want a tan, who is Francesca to stop you?

So, if you have any experience with this Mystic Tan establishment, please share your thoughts.

And, Francesca wants to know: Is a girl with a tummy roll meant to lift it for the spray? Or does she tan on the outside and have a white line under the tummy? Inquiring minds want to know.

Francesca says: Spring is upon us!

She knows because the New Arrivals and Bright Colors at Avenue (home of Sizes 14-32) tell her so! And she has a coupon code for you!

Lookie!

Orchids on your tshirt (without being cloying), and matching crop pants:

This tunic has been seen in Glamour:

Pretty springy bracelets!

Swimsuits!

This belt is available in 53″ or 56″!

And now through Wednesday, March 19, enter code AV81104 and get 20% off your online purchase at Avenue, or 25% off if you order $100 or more of merchandise! Mmm mmm mmm!

Happy shopping and happy happy colors!

xoxo, Francesca

The holidays, when we treated ourselves to new clothes, were oh-so-many weeks ago, and the drudgery has set back in and now, to boot (no pun intended) you might be sitting alone at home on Valentine’s day.

Do not despair! A little indulgence, a little online shopping is just what Francesca ordered! The superfantastic addition to the closet means the superfantastic feelings of confidence and flirtatiousness are not far behind!

So, here is the recent news in Plus-Size shopping:

If you are planning on buying anything at Kiyonna, now is the time: until midnight tonight, buy at least $150 of stuff and you get free second-day air shipping within the USA — so your stuff will arrive quickly. They just moved many cute items to the Sale section, too. If you are a Pear, Francesca likes this sweet and versatile dress, which is on sale at 50% off and this sexy satin shell in black and ruby, 30% off! At those prices you can buy three items before you reach the minimum for the free quick ship!

Avenue.com coupon code of the week: Now until the 20th, enter AV81066 at checkout and get 20% off. Spend $100 or more and get 25% off! They recently added many new items to their inventory so it’s a good time to check them out. Francesca lurves some of the new items in their swimsuit section, such as this yummy “support and control” number available in black, red, and –Francesca’s favorite — this lovely, warm brown:

For our Ren-Faire fans, this just in: HolyClothing.com now has free shipping, to anywhere in the world! No minimum purchase! Woo hoo!

Talbots is now selling a line of pants which are machine-washable, made out of a fabric called “Dina.” Francesca has no idea what this is, but reminds that Talbots has an amazing return policy so trying is low-risk . . . and asks that anyone who tries it please write in and tell us what you think. The pants are available in Woman and Woman Petite sizes.

Prefer to shop in stores? Here is a coupon you can use at Avenue stores until Feb. 18!

More coupons and news to come soon . . . Francesca is busily trying to catch up after her absence!

xoxo!

Francesca says: To save money on the beautiful clothing, it is always best to think off-season.

It is now October, the best time of year to prowl the internet for great deals on swimsuits. Stock up for next summer, so that when the hot weather returns, you will not be invited to the swanky Nantucket beachhouse of your best friend’s Auntie Effigene, only to remember in the last minute that the only swimsuit in your possession is a ratty, stretched-out, cheapy number you bought at Target in 1997.

Swimsuits for All has been having many deals lately, such as 10 percent or 20 percent off sales on various items, coupons, etc. They are clearly keen to offload their wares during the winter months. Now, they have items in 16W-24W (and also 8-16) which are 40-70 percent off! Hello!

Look how pretty! Half price!

Pretty in Pink.

Whoa. Sexy.

Remember to click through from the ad on the right, and enter coupon code CM5, for an extra $5 off.

Happy shopping!

xoxo, Francesca

Swimsuits for All is having a great clearance sale. See here their plus-size fashions (16W-34W) at 40-70% off.

Two of my personal favorites:

The oh-so-cliched presence of florals on this two-piece tankini is offset by the hot colors, placement of the print, and the fact that it’s a two-piece. This ain’t your grandma’s floral swimsuit! (Under $50)

Oh my goodness, it’s a Little Black (Beach) Dress! Perfect for strolling barefoot in the surf at sunset, a glass of champagne in one hand, and the arm of your very handsome, very built, very rich Italian boyfriend in the other. And it’s under $40!

Happy shopping!

xoxo, Francesca

Francesca cannot argue with success!

In response to this post about swimsuits in plus sizes, several readers recommended the Land’s End Tugless Tank, along with other Land’s End swimwear.

Look! Pages and pages of swimsuits in plus sizes! Thanks, Land’s End!

See here! This is the tugless tank in a plus size in a gorgeous purple, Francesca’s favorite color!

It is under $50 and our readers say it is superfantastic.

Happy shopping!

xoxo, Francesca

One of our many internet friends wrote to us with an impassioned plea:

Could you or Plumcake take on the arduous challenge of swimsuits for big girls? I love the beach, and once I get there I’ve learned to sort of forget that I am in fact wearing one, but I don’t think there’s a single thing that makes me feel unattractive and very un-fabulous than trying on swimsuit after swimsuit, especially if there is someone else in the dressing room shaped so as to remind me that all of these garments were certainly not designed with someone like me in mind. I’d love any insight you may have into what I am sure is a problem for lots of us.

The first thing that Francesca wants to say in response is good for you for putting aside your self-consciousness at the beach itself. As Nancy Sinatra would say, the beach is made for walkin’ . . . right into the sand and surf, with nary a care about our lumpy-squishies. When God created the beach, it was his (her?) gift to ALL of us. The beach is the great leveler, with salty air for us all. Especially when we are there with people who love us and want us to have a great time. And you don’t know anyone else there, so who gives a darn what they might be thinking?

Which brings me to an important point about being self-conscious, such as in a dressing room where one might feel ashamed to undress. I would like to introduce you to the concept of “self-ocentricism.” This is the belief that each person in the world is way more wrapped up in their own concerns than in yours. Just as you are, perhaps, obsessing over your own imperfect parts and feeling embarrassed, the other lady in the dressing room is thinking about her issues, and really not paying any attention to you. When we women obsess over whether our hair or makeup or fat is all in the right place, we forget that no one else cares about our looks as they do about their own, just as we are obsessing about our own looks, not someone else’s.

Understanding self-ocentricism takes a lot of the pressure off.

However! We still want to look superfantastic, for ourselves. And so I turn you over to our friends at Swimsuits for All, who have created a “shop by shape” feature for swimsuits (click here and scroll down), similar to the “myShape” feature at Igigi.

For Pears, I love this one-piece with the pretty sash showing just in the front:

SwimSuitsforAll has many wonderful designs for many wonderful shapes, through size 34W.

Happy shopping!

xoxo, Francesca