I want to do so many things with this dress.

I want to take off the belt and wear it with three strands of pearls or a scatter brooch to my grandma’s three-mimosa brunch.

I want to replace the “leather-like” belt with something of higher quality (you know, something that once had a mom and a dream) and wear it with seamed stockings and a 50′s handbag for a night of flirting with Inappropriate Men at a local rockabilly show.

I want to wake up at noon the next morning and sit in the dark eating greasy tacos and watching that scene in Pride and Prejudice where Colin Firth’s Mr. Darcy jumps into and subsequently comes out of the water over and over again until we faint from sheer Regency-era hotness with it only to regain conciousness three hours later and start the whole thing over again. (woo, is it warm in here?)

I think you get the picture.

The neckline and pencil skirt make it sexy without turning the world your mammographer or putting you in direct danger of any sort of tabloid-style unpleasantless when getting out of a car. It isn’t an investment piece, but it’s well worth the price tag.

These subtle slingies from Pedro Garcia on the other hand, are an investment and would be perfect for with this and many other dresses (don’t you dare ruin the line of this skirt with ankle wraps or a t-strap). On supersale for under $150– over 60% retail– there’s no reason they shouldn’t sleep in your closet tonight!

Sizes are limited but the 41 (American 10/11) is still available!

Ladies! Before we talk about clothes, we must talk about bras. When was the last time you bought a new one? When was the last time you were measured properly to make sure you are wearing the correct size? A better bra will make anything you wear look better. You cannot look 100 percent superfantastic if your “girls” are sagging onto your belly, or if you are constantly pulling up stretched-out straps! So, what I want you to do, right now, is schedule a time to measure yourself, or be measured, and buy yourself a new brassiere that holds you up (underwire required!), proud and strong, and has enough lace in it to tickle the fancy of anyone who sees it (even if that person is just you). And please, no pointies!

If it is in your favorite color, all the better. But remember! The best color for making sure your bra is not visible through your clothes is not white. It is whatever color most closely matches your skin tone. For me, that color is a light beige or ivory. For you, it is perhaps coffee or a gorgeous chocolate brown.

Getting the measurements for a correct fit is not difficult – you can do it yourself, or have a friend help you – but unfortunately, the sites that offer instructions often have conflicting information. For example, according to this site (where I found bras in sizes through 56F), I wear size 48B. But according to the fabulous Bigger Bras, I would wear size 46C. Very confusing. But the point is, I now know to look for a 46 or 48 band in B or C, and to try different styles until I find what works best.

Remember, superfantasticness starts from within, with one’s attitude. It emanates outward, to the lingerie. Only then is it expressed through the clothes that everyone else can see and appreciate. So treat your boobs to a beautiful new bra, and let the superfantasticness begin!

Greetings to my Big Sisters! It is with awe, trepidation, and great excitement that I help to inaugurate this blog for the Large (r than life?) Woman.

There is much to discuss.

And, oh boy, will we.

But first, a few introductions. I was born 6 weeks premature in the summer of 1972, and the doctors told my parents that I’d have to stay in the hospital for at least two weeks. One week later, they called and said “she’s eating so much that she can go home now.” I’ve had trouble finding well-fitting clothes ever since.

In my application for this job, I told Manolo that

[m]y vision for Manolo for the Big Girl is a site where women of all shapes can ooh and aah over the beautiful clothes that are made in Women’s and Women’s Petite sizes, share tips and secrets for looking superfantastic, applaud Big Girl celebrities (there are few, but they exist), and poke gentle fun at designers and media outlets who do not appreciate women who have more to love. It would be a place where I (and the occasional guest blogger with more expertise in various areas) would show myself to be confident and fun, while being open to suggestions and tips from the readers as well as honest about the days that feeling confident and fun is difficult . . .

What the site would not be: angry, spiteful, or a place where it is OK to make fun of skinny women. It would not be a Fat Fetish site, as I believe that it is acceptable to admit that big girls, like any women, are sometimes ashamed of our bodies. Nor would it be a site where dieting or exercise are encouraged or discouraged, as I believe that Manolo’s readers are intelligent enough to decide for themselves how to take care of their bodies and how much time or effort to invest in losing weight, and when or if to do so. The site would be about honesty, fun, and great clothes, that’s it.

Like Plumcake, I have come to terms with being fat, and no longer see that word as a value judgement (though I know that many people do, when applying it to me, but that’s their mistake, not mine). However, I personally prefer the adjective “cushiony,” which not only implies what my body looks like but also that it is something to be experienced. Being cushiony feels more like an invitation, no?

So, welcome!

On behalf of The Manolo, Francesca and I would like to welcome you to this particularly fierce corner of the internet, we are glad you are here to help us make the world a little more super fantastic.

First let’s talk attitude. The great thing about being the biggest gal in the room is that you can be the BIGGEST gal in the room: the fiercest, the most fabulous, the most confident. With a big attitude you can work looks that would overwhelm our slender sisters and make drag queens want to pull your hair from sheer glam envy. That being said, there is a fine line between looking divine and looking LIKE Divine, who while a heck of a broad, probably shouldn’t be your everyday sartorial role model.

( This Is Not What We’re Going For)

About The F Word. I use the word fat. It’s an adjective, not a moral judgement, and it fits me. I am tall. I am brunette. I am terrifying behind a .38 or a low-interest charge card and I am fat. So help the next person who refers to me as “fluffy.” I live in Texas y’all. I have hounds and am NOT afraid to release them.

About the Clothes: Y’all know the quality and style of clothes available in the smaller sizes aren’t often available to us. As such I am a huge (ahem) proponent of the little black dress for day and night. A lower quality material always looks better in black and it allows us to look bon chic, bon genre in any situation. Anything that gets posted on this site will be available in the traditional plus sizes. If it’s junior plus, I’ll note that, too.

About the Shoes: Cheap shoes are for people who Do Not Know. I am all about the clearance sale or buying last season for a huge discount, but no good can come from a cheap shoe. Not only are they a false economy, but as big girls we put more pressure on our feet than our smaller sisters and owe it to our tootsies to take as good care of them as possible. Plus there’s nothing that makes up for the necessary evil of a less-than-couture dress than a pair of kick-you-in-the-face fabulous heels. All the shoes I show on this site will be available in a size 10 larger at the time of posting. If they come in a size 12 like these kooky little morsels perfect for the fall on crazy clearance at Neiman Marcus, I’ll note that too.

About The Media: Comedian/Actress Dawn French –gorgeous and ample creature that she is– once said if she ever met an alien she would hope to have Kate Moss with her to show that women come in all different configurations. I’m with her. Yeah, big girls have been put upon by the fashion industry and a thin-obsessed society, we all know that. Thankfully we don’t need to contribute to the ugliness. After all, it takes time away from thinking about important things, like our hair and whether we can live one more minute without those delicious sling backs we saw at Neiman’s last week (answer: no). Remember y’all: big can be beautiful; bitter never is.

Manolo says, welcome to the Manolo for the Big Girl!

The Manolo wishes to introduce you to the two bloggers who will be writing in this place, Plumcake and Francesca,

Not only are they wonderfully entertaining bloggers, possessed of powerful and funny voices, but they are also women who understand the peculiar challenges and rewards of being the big girl in the modern world.

Of the course, the Manolo would not have asked the Plumcake and the Francesca to blog for him if they did not share the Manolo’s attitude of intelligent, fun-loving, open-hearted joie de vivire. Nor would he have asked them to help if they did not sincerely believe that it is possible for anyone to achieve super fantasticness.

And this is what the Manolo hopes you will learn here over the coming months, the not-so-secret, secrets of super fantasticness, of how to be happy and look good when the wider world seems to conspire to keep you otherwise.

And now, let the Big Girl Blogging begin!