Manolo for the Big Girl

November 14, 2011

Marc Jacobs to the Rescue (I hope)

Filed under: Accessories — Miss Plumcake @ 4:03 pm

I am a woman in crisis.

Okay, backstory:

I am next to useless when it comes to handbags. Historically I’ve only ever carried vintage clutches which fit my needs and my style but are increasingly difficult to come by and deploy without looking costumey. I’ve got the Birkin which is great and all, but it’s about a mazillion pounds and it’s so damn dark and cavernous inside every time I look for something it’s like I’m diving elbow-deep into Michelle Duggar’s…handbag.

Recently I’ve just been using a silver Civil War-era repousse calling card case and tucking my cellphone and keys into my bra, because it’s nothing but elegance here at Villa Plumcake, still, the siren song of a not-tiny bag has been seducing me with its promise of a rack that doesn’t ring at inopportune moments, and a car alarm that doesn’t go off when it gets cold enough to need a sweater.

Top contender right now is the 70’s-influenced quasi-reticule “Regine” from Marc by Marc Jacobs.

I’ve had a mixed opinion of the Marc Jacobs bag as a species for a while, but he always gets me with his Fassbinder fetish and this is casual and boho enough to fit my new more laid-back Latin American lifestyle without being dumpy.

I’m picturing it with a pair of dark jeans, a chocolate cashmere sweater, my grandfather’s old olive Jaeger cardigan he got when he was a Fulbright scholar in the ’50s, sparkly earrings, a silk scarf or tie as a belt and a pair of military-inspired python heels. Sigh.

Is there an accessory or piece of clothing that absolutely eludes you? Put it in the comments so I don’t feel so alone!

Comments (19)

November 13, 2011

Pie Crust 101

Filed under: Food,Holidays — Twistie @ 1:01 pm

“Easy as pie” has long struck me as an ironic colloquialism. Oh, not for me. When I pulled my very first pie from the oven as a small child, it was pretty much perfect, and in more than forty years, I’ve still never turned out a bad one. Don’t hate me because I make perfect pie crust.

But it took about two minutes once that golden, flaky crust emerged from the oven to realize that mine was not the common experience. I think that’s about how long it took me to look up from my creation to see my mother banging her head against a wall in frustration because she had never in her life ever made a pie crust that nice. Over the remaining twenty years of her life, she never would, either. My mother was an amazing cook, but pie crust eluded her entirely. From that day forward, pie crust was my bailiwick and mine alone. If Mom wanted a pie, I was the one deputized to bake it.

For Thanksgiving each year, it was my task to bake the pumpkin pies. I loved doing it. To this day I love doing it. And to this day, my crusts turn out perfect. I don’t know why this is so, but they do. Still, over the years I’ve read up on the subject and learned a few tricks and tips that I can pass on to those who don’t have the same natural affinity for pie crust that I apparently was born with. And so I shall.

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November 12, 2011

The Perfect Thanksgiving Menu: How to Create It

Filed under: Be Super Fantastic,Food,Holidays — Twistie @ 1:41 pm

There were some fabulous comments to my article last week about Thanksgiving dishes we love and loathe. It’s a meal most people have wildly strong opinions about, in large part because of our histories with the holiday.

So I’m not going to even attempt to tell you what you have to have on your table or what you must needs avoid for fear of winding up in Food Hell. Where one person adores green bean casserole, another hates it. Where one can only eat homemade stuffing straight from the bird, another will only eat Stove Top cooked on, well, the stove top. Where one thinks sweet potatoes are naked sans miniature marshmallows, another holds any sweetening of sweet potatoes as an abomination. Where one wants a Jell-o mold, another longs for green salad. Pitched battles can be fought over pumpkin pie vs pecan.

In the end, I’m not too exercised about which dishes make it Thanksgiving for you and which you hold in contempt. I’m curious, but not worried too much about your individual decisions.

I do, however, have a few tips if you’re floundering about wondering what to cook for this Important Meal.

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November 11, 2011

Lest We Forget

Filed under: Holidays — Miss Plumcake @ 6:16 pm

A humble and grateful thank you to the men and women who have served in the armed forces. You are not forgotten.

Comments (2)

November 10, 2011

Extra Pas(s)ion. Or at least not body hate!

Filed under: Media — Miss Plumcake @ 3:42 pm

Okay, so this is the offensive Kellogg’s “Special K Santa” commercial. See? Because if you don’t look like Popeye’s paramour at all times, you are at constant risk of being followed by surprisingly easily-confused magical reindeer.

And THIS is the Kellogg’s cereal I saw (and admittedly bought) at the grocery store closest to Villa Plumcake:

First of all, I have no idea if it’s disgusting or not. I had the remains of last night’s street vendor mulita for breakfast and lunch is going to be some pineapple yogurt and last night’s glass of chenin blanc, but I love the idea that in Latin America, instead of punitive flakes of disapproval, you get extra passion first thing in the morning…and then you can have cereal (HIYO!)

What’s most interesting is the commercial:

In the States, a chubby neighbor vamping and flirting would’ve been given the clown treatment, she would obviously be the object of ridicule, but in this spot, although it’s funny, it’s more of a cute funny than a cruel one. It’s cute, SHE’S cute. Sure she’s in a bathrobe and her hair is wrecked, but she’s treated as an ordinary woman, not a fat joke punchline and that’s refreshing. Besides, it’s way too hot to have reindeer down here. No matter HOW easily-confused.

Comments (5)

November 9, 2011

It must be Jell-O Salad

Filed under: Food,Holidays — Miss Plumcake @ 5:39 pm

Unlike the esteemed and older-than-I-thought Twistie, Thanksgiving isn’t my favorite holiday.

In fact, until I checked the comments here, I had no idea it was just a few weeks away. I am, at the moment, sitting on the terraza of Villa Plumcake overlooking the Pacific, drinking pineapple juice and watching the solitary surfer in ~~hopes~~ case he gets attacked by a shark (what? Shark Week was months ago and now I’m bored. That doesn’t make me a bad person.) which makes it difficult to think of turkeys and casseroles and poorly-dressed yankees who couldn’t find their way to a proper place like Virginia and probably weren’t even Episcopalians to begin with.

However, this upcoming Thanksgiving will be my last one in the US for at least a few years so I am getting uncharacteristically sentimental, especially because it’s my first Thanksgiving without my grandparents who raised me, as they both died in December of last year.

That brings us to Moldy Salad.

Moldy salad made its appearance twice a year: Christmas and Thanksgiving. It was a…festive…gelatin-based creation, consisting of layers of a white Cool Whip/gelatin/cream cheese concoction and a red-flavored Jell-O one into which canned cherries had been lovingly incorporated. My grandmother set this in an avocado green aluminum bundt mold that will probably give us all early-onset Alzheimer’s, and served it sliced on a single leaf of–you guessed it– iceberg lettuce. The overall effect was as if someone served us a bisected wedge of the Wicked Witch leg, and I’m not sure it tasted much better.

So now here’s the question:

My grandmother, whose qualities were otherwise countless (depending on how high you could count) could not cook to save her life. She didn’t like food, she didn’t like cooking and she didn’t like eating. Still, if there was a dish for which she was familially famous, it was Moldy Salad.

I am now in possession of the old bundt mold and am halfway tempted to try to recreate the recipe as a sort of homage to my grandmother for my last Thanksgiving with my relatives.

Do I try to recreate her authentic recipe? Make a more posh (as in, actually made of food recognized as such in nature or at least by the FDA) version? Skip it altogether and let its memory stay jiggly but unsullied? I don’t eat Jell-O in any shape or form (long stay in the hospital when I was but a wee bairn) but it might be nice to do for the fam.

Suggestions? Recipes? Hideous family dishes you’ve known and loved? Put it in the comments!

Comments (18)

November 7, 2011

Interview with Lucie Lu!

Filed under: Review Revue — Miss Plumcake @ 1:50 pm

Hello campers!

Today we have an interview with Miss Lucie Lu, designer and owner of the lovely Lucielu.com whose party dress I reviewed a few weeks ago and who was gracious enough to answer a few emailed questions.

What I find so interesting about LucieLu is she designs American-made goods for an under-served section of the plus size population: the Young Apple.

It’s comparatively easy to design clothes that look good on pears –you have more luck just sizing up a straight-sized pattern, which is what many designers do– but for apples, it’s a whole different fruit salad. Enjoy the interview and if you have any follow-up questions, just let me know and I’ll be sure to ask!

You’re a straight sized independent designer who makes clothes exclusively for big girls. Tell me a little about your history, what lured you into designing for plus size gals?

I was always interested in fashion & designing & plus just seemed like the perfect under-served market to get into. When I started over 12 years ago–there wasn’t much out there. Remember those days!?

Vividly. Is LucieLu related to BandLu? If so, which of you is the evil twin?

Hmmm… this is a tricky one. LucieLu & BandLu are completely separate companies, but I was the “Lu” and one of the original founding sisters of BandLu for over 10 years. I did all the designing & buying there, which is why some people find my line reminiscent of BandLu a couple years back. I sold my half of the company in 2009 to move to a new city & pursue my very own vision and my now husband (barf, right?)

Hmm. I notice you didn’t answer the evil twin question. It leaves me to assume you’ve got B tied to a train track somewhere and are, at this very moment, twirling a stage moustache in wicked glee. I heartily approve. Most retailers choose to have their garments produced overseas but LucieLu clothes are made in America. Did you struggle with that decision?

This was a no-brainer! More control, working hands on with people I know & adore & the ability to produce goods relatively quickly made this decision easy. To this day I work with the same manufacturers I have for years.

Okay, now for the meaty question: Seriously now, why don’t more plus size designers make clothes with actual (i.e., non-cap) sleeves? Is it cost? Fit? Do you want to sell us a shrug too? I hate that ^%$#!

I didn’t realize the market was lacking sleeves! Speaking from my experience, it definitely isn’t price. There is little to no difference in cost. I guess I try to produce for the season (minimal to no sleeves in summer) & for example during holiday I tend to make more sleeveless. I think it’s hard to pull off a dressy attitude with sleeves. It’s not impossible, but I feel it can turn dowdy quickly. I will say that I am working on some great holiday dresses & I can think of 3 that are fabulous & have much more than a cap!

I’m asking this one for the big girls on the Facebook page: what’s the deal with plus size designers and the ubiquity of ruffles?

Ahhh… ruffles. Again, I’m glad someone has pointed this out. I tend to like the feminine & I guess maybe that too often means ruffles. But I also like bows & lace. I’ll have to keep this in mind designing forward!

What’s your desert island piece from your current collection? How do you style it for your own personal use?

It might be a little toasty for a desert island, but I’m loving my Adair Sweaters. This time of year I layer like crazy & this piece is just to easy to throw on with leggings and flat boots and get out the door.

I get a ton of email from beleaguered apple girls who can’t find cute things to flatter their shape. Many of your pieces seem geared to flatter apples more than the easier-to-fit pears, a real rarity in plus-size design. Was that a conscious decision?

I guess subconsciously I’m fitting my own body first, which happens to be more on the apple side. It is easier to fit a pear body type, so I guess if you design for the apple body type, it’s going to make the pear look good as well. Make me your queen because this won’t be changing anytime soon!

Your clothes suit the 20-something big girl perfectly, any advice on how to style your pieces for a woman in her 30’s and beyond?

There’s no doubt that not EVERYTHING I design & sell is meant for all ages. With that said, I feel like the majority of my line does work for 20s, 30s and up… As you get older I think it’s important to go with less is more. Take it easy on the accessories–you don’t need big jewelry, hats, scarves, printed tights, et cetera… all competing. Pick one item you love & let it stand out.

Finally, you are stranded on a desert island for a week with David Beckham. Tell me what happens in no more than ten words.

me + David Beckham for one week = round the clock spooning.