Hell Bunny Plus Size Sweaters or How I Learned to Love Spiders!

* Hell Bunny lgest LGSo I have always been kind of prissy about gore and spiders and the macabre (fiction is fine but at the movies I might have to cover my eyes). And then I met this amazing group of people that includes artists, scientists and creatives in general, who love that world. In particular I met Jennybird Alcantara, whose work is sometimes defined as morbidly romantic, and science educator Melissa Alexander, who has a love of all things science and art, and I started seeing the beauty in that world. So when my fellow Ahead of the Curve (see below) blogger, Stina Scott, started blogging about Hell Bunny Plus Sizes and calling her Sugar Skull cardigan spooktacular, and I ran across these amazing Hello Kitty Spider Panties, I could see my point of view had changed, and I had to have them.  AND THEN, I fell in love with this Hell Bunny Spider Cardigan, but be forewarned, I might have bought the last 4X anywhere, after many phone calls!

hell bunny spider sweater LG1This 4X sweater is a tiny bit snug and as you can see does not close easily if left unbuttoned. It feels soft on my body and the design is beautifully crafted. It is a little warm for California but would be perfect for most points East and North. I think it might have looked cute with a white cami for contrast.

FYI: I suspect that the Hell Bunny Dresses would be too small for me in the waist, but if you have a more hourglass shape they might work for you. But I am always thrilled to find a new brand and love their alternative street wear, that encompasses the macabre, retro and a little punk edge.

GLOVES: You can find my discussion about finding gloves HERE.

* Hell Bunny lgest skirt LGSKIRT: This is aASOS Curve skirt, Size 22, that i added a little felt spider appliqué ribbon to, which I may remove.  It came with a belt, which was way too small, and the waist just barely buttons on my 53″ waist.  In order to wear ASOS Curve in the waist, I really need a little stretch since I am barrel shaped, and the widest place on my body is my waist. But I really wear a size 24, which they do not have, so it is really my fault it does not fit.  And by the way, I had to IRON it to get the wrinkles out.  I don’t know about you, but most days I can just spray something and let it hang and get out any wrinkles, but that did not work with this skirt.

You can see my measurements HERE if you want to know how these clothes might fit YOU.

BOOTS: Please see my review of my Torrid Studded Boots HERE.halloween ahead of the curve

Happy Halloween, See my fellow bloggers below in Ahead of the Curve! We are a collective of plus size bloggers coming together to post on the same subject. This month we each have a post on “Halloween” so check them out by clicking on each link.

Trick or Treat Halloween Vintage Pin Up Skirt
Happy Halloween
Halloween Costume Flashback
Halloween: The Fat Girl’s History

I’m a Ballerina!  Plus Size Halloween Costume for the Girly Girl!

Peace…affinity

photo: Leori Gill Photography

Plus size 4X Gloves That Fit ME! for Halloween Costumes or Everyday

spider armwamerI bought spider undies (and yes, today they still have the 4X) and had thought I might build a costume around them with tights and a little cami or tank with some decoration added to it,  and I wanted some gloves to wear with it. I wear gloves a lot and I think gloves add a lot to a costume or dressing up, and are an inexpensive way to fill a costume out.  Especially if I am wearing something sleeveless people always mention it when I wear long gloves. It just fills in that gap.  The widest part of my wrist is 7 1/4″ and the widest part below my elbow is 11 1/4″, not the biggest arms ever for a 4X so use my advice with caution.

So here are some spidery/boney/starry and checkered gloves that have worked for me and I think would arrive before Halloween if you ordered them today.

armwamers4x PUNK GOTH EMO SKELETON BONES/PLAID/STARS/SPIDER WEB FINGERLESS GLOVES ARMWARMERS
Ordered 9/28 – delivered from China 10/7. These cost $10.49 shipped, they fit perfectly and might stretch another 1 and 1/2 inch or 2 inches, they come in a variety of designs and they are not toooooo warm. They are a poly knit of some type, like a light decorated sock might feel.

work gloves spider
New GOTHIC 80s Metal Black White Spider Web Mens Black Work Gloves Goth PUNK
Ordered on 9/28 – Arrived 10/2  Would fit a larger hand than mine. These feel like real work gloves, they are heavy and have a rubber sole on the inside.  The decoration is some kind of liquid plastic that would come off after awhile if you worked in them, but I think will last pretty well for street wear. I ended up buying a spider sweater so I think I am going to make these fingerless and wear them, unless it is hot in San Francisco that day (which it sometimes is in October).

woven spider glove 4xFine Webs Black Fingerless Gloves, arm warmers, New with tags, Costume, Claire’s
I bought these first.  They will not be hot and I knew they would fit, because almost all fishnet gloves fit me. These are truly One Size Fits All, they would stretch forever. I paid $6.55 shipped.   These are much more generous than most fishnet gloves, which is what I often wear, but they will not wear very well.  These are from Claire’s originally so you might watch for this sort of thing at those stores. If I decide to wear them I will add a spider decoration, which is now sold out.

I could see myself wearing all three of these sets of gloves on different occasions since they are different lengths, so I am going to keep them.  But usually if I have decided I am not going to wear something I would carry it with me to give to someone I come across that admires my gloves or is unhappy they have not done anything to dress up.

Here are a couple more that I considered, but did not order so I cannot speak to delivery times or fitability, or the nature of the fabric, but I liked them.

High Elastic Antislip Spider Web Wristbands Elbow Guard Protective Gear Sport
These also come in red/orange and look like they are made of finer material, but they might or might not fit.

Spiderweb web arm warmer stockings black white pattern black widow opaque nylon
I liked these too, and they look way too big for the mannequin, so they MIGHT work.

More Halloween news to come, watch this space, and do not forget to check my Size 4X Plus Size Costume Post which I have been updating.

Update 10/15/2013:

opera glovesThis just in, these Opera Length Gloves fit plus size Plus… I have been looking for a pair, they are on my list.

Peace…affinity

Plus Size Hello Kitty Halloween Panties

hello kitty spider pantiesI am not going to model these fabulous Hello Kitty Spider Panties, but I will tell you that I will be wearing these Torrid Size 4X for Halloween, because what do you know, they fit. They are true to size, I am a true 4X, but they are snugish on me, so I do not think they would fit anyone larger. How cute are these?  I am telling you now, just in case you have to have a pair… I am so amused I can hardly stand it.

More Halloween news to come, watch this space, and do not forget to check my Size 4X Plus Size Costume Post which I have been updating.

Peace…affinity

Update: One of my readers says: I have them also in Size 3 and they are too small on me.  I wear a pant size 22/24 , should of gotten the 4.

Have YOU Tried customPlus T-shirts?

affat tshirt leoriI had wanted an AffatshionistA t-shirt for awhile, but the custom design sites did not have my size, and then I happened upon customPLUS last year and here is my t-shirt and I love it.  How fun is it to have a t-shirt with my logo on it, in my size?

IMG_8951See the red logo t-shirt above? I have t-shirts made for our theme camp at Burning Man every year.  To get one to fit ME I have to find a t-shirt the same color, cut out the logo from one of the men’s t-shirts, and then sew it onto the t-shirt I have in the same color.  I know there are places I could have a 4X t-shirt made but they don’t really fit me. They are not usually “women’s” in shape, and they are bulky in all the wrong places. So this is what I have been doing for several years to have a Burning Man t-shirt like my campmates.

That said, YAY, you can make your own, you can buy one of their graphic tees, you can even buy a Wonder Woman t-shirt and use it as the basis of your Halloween costume with a couple of accessories (if you are a DIY kind of girl), that I tell you how to make right here.

The customPLUS 4X Tank that you can design is $25.99, with free shipping to the U.S., runs quite large, and they are great to interact with, so go out there and design an outrageous t-shirt for YOU to wear.

Peace…affinity

photo: AffatshionistA tee – Leori Gill

Review – ASOS Curve Pinafore Denim Dress

asos denimI know you have been reading a lot about ASOS Curve on my blog lately. They are not sending me clothes (I wish they were) but I am just finding so much fun interesting clothing, AND ASOS Curve has just recently gone from carrying a U.S. size 20 to a generously sized U.S. 24.  I wear a Size 26 -28, or even a Size 30 in a tight fitting jean.  I am way larger in the waist than the average size 26-28 because I am apple shaped and I am 64.  So being able to wear a Size 24, with a fitted waist feels like a gift.  One of the things I love is that ASOS Curve defines the shape of the clothing, “fit and flare” or “body con”.

This pinafore also comes in a tartan plaid, with a collar, precious.

ASOS Curve Denim Pinafore: U.S. Size 24
Torrid Twist Tee from FatToo Grand: Size 4X
Bob’s Belts: Black Stretch Belt Size 3X (50-52) I have been wearing these belts for years with my work dress pants.
Sock Dreams: I found these Pink, Over the Knee Socks, by searching for plus size, Over the Thigh, but I wear them as knee highs. Sock Dreams is the best I have found for a variety of socks, BUT, read descriptions carefully, many of the plus sized items do not fit my 18″ calf.
Avenue Elsa Boot: Size 9.5W

ahead of the curve sept 2013We are a collective of plus size bloggers coming together to post on the same subject. This month we each have a post on Denim so check them out by clicking on each link.

Denim With Edge
White Trash Couture?
Denim and Lace
Definitely Denim
Chambray Blue: Some Colorful History

Peace…affinity

Photo: Leori Gill

Review of Sparkle Skirt from ASOS Curve

sparkle skirt leori croppedI just had to have this ASOS sparkle skirt. It is short and cute and sparkly. Of course I did not have anywhere to wear it, nor anything to wear it with, but I just had to have it.  After it hung in my closet for FOUR months I came across this little sparkly, silvery, leopard embellished top on FatToo Grand, an on-line plus size 4X thrift store on Facebook.  I still have not worn it out but I am going to two BBQs this weekend and I might just have to wear this.

sparkle skirt leori3ASOS Curve Skirt: U.S. Size 22 (this style in other fabrics) I usually wear Size 26-28
Torrid Twist Tee from FatToo Grand: Size 4X
Bob’s Belts: Black Stretch Belt Size 3X (50-52) I have been wearing these belts for years with my work dress pants.

Peace…affinity

photo: Leori Gill Photography

Where Can I Find Plus Size 4x Costumes? – 2013

IMG_0926aff wonder woman   leori  463900_1598090432_o-1Last year I wrote a post “Where Can You Find 4X Plus Size Costumes?” and I want to update it because some things have changed. In addition to retail 4X costumes, I am going to include my year of DIY costumes. Just for reference I am size 26-28, weigh 280 lbs, have a 53″ waist and tiny ankles. My experience is that costumes run small so buyer beware.

Tabitha was kind enough to let me publish this photo of her in her fabulous costume from HalloweenCostumes.com The makeup is from a tutorial on You Tube. Well done Tabitha, and thank you!

Tabitha was kind enough to let me publish this photo of her in her fabulous costume from HalloweenCostumes.com (The link is to their 5X+ costumes)
The makeup is from a tutorial on You Tube.
Well done Tabitha, and thank you!

Halloween Costumes carries 29 different Size 5X costumes, priced between $24 – $104. They even have 3 Size 8X costumes. This is where I would start my search. That is quite a bit of variety and I think it is worth the effort to check out what they are offering.

Torrid is back in the costume business.  But my experience is that there 3X/4X runs really small, so I cannot really suggest them to people my size or larger.  But they continue to have parts to costumes, like a Wonder Woman t-shirt in a 4X, and some Pop-Art Leggings which I am sure would fit me.

BigGals Lingerie will custom make your costume up to a size 12X.  They are also VERY expensive, but it is good to know what your options are.  I do not know how late you can order a costume to guarantee delivery before Halloween, I could not actually get them to give me a date on the phone, but I would say beyond October 10th you might be pushing.  They told me on September 19th last year, that if I ordered a costume on that date it would arrive on October 20th.  They generally have a six week delivery time, but that seems to be compressed for Halloween.

Sanctuarie has costumes that run to a 9X that are very cute, and some moderate pricing, as well as quite a few accessories and make-up. They also have some Halloween T-Shirts that you might want to consider, including a sparkly skull t-shirt that looks pretty cool.

BIGcostumes also has a variety of custom made costumes at varying prices.  They even have a few bargains that are pre-made.  Please read their BIGcostume Return Policies carefully.

Plus-Size Costume Shop carries handmade costumes up to a 7X.  They are pricey but quite lovely and lean toward renaissance costumes and witches. At this time they do not suggest a specific date that you should by which you should place your order, but that might change in the next few weeks.

Etsy seems to have fewer Size 4X options this year and what I found was expensive and I had seen elsewhere. My favorite is a Snow White costume Size 3X – 5X, $135 custom made.  Each seller will have a different policy so be sure check that out.

eBay of course has a variety of choices in both quality and fit.  This is what I came up with when I searched for Costume 5X. It seemed to me that most of the costumes were also being sold on the other sites I have mentioned.

Sonsi reached out to me while I was writing this post and was kind enough to do a little research and they feel like the Dreamgirl Brand is most likely to fit larger plus sizes. The 3x/4x would fit  me in the bust but not in the waist, but if you are more of a hourglass or pear shape with a full skirt, they might work very well.

dreamgirl costume size chart

Sonsi also has a few others that I thought might work: I have the Maleficent Costume and I know it fits me because I own it and have worn it several years. (UPDATE: One of my readers purchased the Maleficent costume and she thinks it could fit to a 6X.)  Just FYI. I also like the Ombre Hooded Cape, which could make any black outfit into a costume.

Lady Strange Erotic Lingerie (toward the bottom of the page) carries costumes to an 8X.

Bustiers: Here is a great bog post, Plus Size and Proud, about Corset Boulevard Global and how they fit and how they look. Great information, and there are a couple of great photos.

If you are looking for costumes through a 1/2X 3/4X or 1X – 3X, there are many options.  Almost all of the plus size stores carry some costumes, and most Halloween Costume vendors, like Halloween Express often carry up to a 3X, the list is quite long and you only have to Google “plus size costumes” to see the list of choices. Some plus size stores are not carrying any costumes this year, like Lane Bryant, at least not as of today this date.

Most costumes tend to run a little smaller than standard sizes so check the size charts carefully when you are ordering.

Making Your Own Costume: And last but not least, there is making your own costume.  Go through your closet and see if there is anything that would work as the base of the outfit. Is there a black outfit that could be witch-like, or something gauzy for a princess or large sleeved for a pirate wench, the list is endless.  There are a ton of tutorials out there on how to make a headband or accessory to fill out the illusion.  Or you can purchase some accessories to wear with a leopard top, like leopard ears, as you can see in my last year’s post on costumes. In my experience everyone wants to believe in your costume and it only takes a little sleight of hand to make it fun and festive for Halloween. Here are some costumes/DIY tips from last year.

DIY Wonder Woman Plus Size Costume
DIY VooDoo Doll Plus Size Costume
DIY Steampunk or Edwardian Plus Size Costume
VERY casual Bee Costume (good for a child)
DIY Mrs. Claus Plus Size Costume

I hope you find this useful and as always if you have additional suggestions please comment.  In addition, I would love to see some photos if you do decide to dress up for Halloween, or any time.

Peace…affinity

photos: Taken at Peralta Junction
Bottom photo: Leori Gill Photography

OMG eShakti Makes a Tulle Skirt in MY Size!

eshakti crinolineAs you probably know if you have visited my blog before, I go to Burning Man and I am the Social Media Coordinator for Burning Man Project, so you might expect that I would love a tutu. I have a couple and wear them as costumes.  But I have been yearning for a tulle skirt for several years.

jane by design hot 2013-08-15 at 11.32.36 PMAnd then I watched Jane By Design, because I love all things fashion, and the first skirt Jane wears in the credits is a burgandy tulle skirt, and it made me want one even more. Not a black one, not a white one, but some lovely color that would be fun and feminine, and yes, a little funky.

Then I was introduced to eShakti, and lo and behold they had crinolines, and on occasion, the Dahlia Crinoline, in burgundy. I could choose the length and the very best part, IT COMES IN MY SIZE.  They custom make their clothing to a size 6X and I am wearing a 4X. I love it and I hope you will too.

Peace…affinity

photo: Leori Gill

Plus Size Clothing at the Burning Man Global Leadership Conference

Gloria Lamb

Gloria Lamb

We had been in our new condo for two days when it was time for the Burning Man Global Leadership Conference.  Since we had volunteered for all five previous conferences to be the registrars, we set aside our unpacking and off we went.  I had a chance to take a couple of shots of the attendees and I wanted to share them with you, since I love their style.  Gloria Lamb, aka LaLa, is the Burning Man Regional Contact for Los Angeles. Love the scarf and boots.

RealGirl

RealGirl

This shot of Debbie ‘RealGirl’ von Huene, the Regional Contact for the South Bay, is fun.  She happens to be wearing the Leg Avenue bustle that I featured in my DIY Steampunk post and you can see how well it works with a jacket and matching purple sweater or t-shirt.

Jalapeña, Michelle Ochoa

Jalapeña, Michelle Ochoa

Jalapeña aka Michelle Ochoa, is the Operations Manager for Black Rock Solar which is part of a network of non-profit groups working to grow the Burning Man cultural movement. She’s wearing horizontal stripes, one of my favorite looks this year, and I love the cut-out in the back.

aff BWB tshirt glcAnd in a very casual look for me, no jewelry or accessories, (since everything was packed), I am wearing a cami, size 26-28 from avenue, to which I had appliquéd a logo from a man’s t-shirt, bordering it with some trim and including a couple of rhinestones. The pants are TrippNYC, size 30, from Torrid, which I do not see in a size 30 much these days.

BWB tshirtHere is a close up of the cami.  Why do I have this logo on a cami? When Hurricane Katrina devastated the New Orleans area in 2005, a group of “Burners” banded together their collective skills, and over the next eight months gifted over $1 million worth of reconstruction and debris removal to the residents of Mississippi, and Burners Without Borders was born.  When the leader of the crew showed up with t-shirts at a Burning Man staff meeting, as a fundraising tool to keep the crew fed, I just had to have one. So I cut up the t-shirt and put them on a cami that I had in my drawer.  The first of many DIY projects to bring Burning Man schwag into my life.

Peace…affinity

Review Plus Size Pleather Skater Skirt – Asos Curve – New Look

IMG_0906You know how sometimes you have something hanging around that somehow you never get to.  Well, I have this photo in this fun pleather skirt. I never posted because I bought the skirt in the photo above on a Facebook Thrift Store and I did not have anyplace to send you to buy one. But now I do and I love this fun, funky look.

asos curve new look pleatherThis skirt in the photo is not the skirt I am wearing in my photo.  This skirt from Asos Curve, is much shorter than the skirt I am wearing in my photo. It comes to a US Size 24 and and the brand is New Look from Asos Curve. I have a very large waist and generally wear a size 28 and sometimes a 30 in a tight jean. I just bought a similar skirt in a different material but this brand and US size 24 and because of the elastic waist it fits just fine, BUT it is short, so it is a leggings sort of skirt. The description of the skirt on the Asos Curve web site does not indicate how long it is.

Black Sheer Striped Top: Cult of California, Size 5X – runs a little small
Tshirt: avenue Size 26-28  – To a size 30-32 and runs true to size.
Skirt: Asos Curve US Size 24  – see above for size information – This is not the skirt I am wearing in my photo.
Belt: Custom – Ebay
Leggings: Torrid – footless, Size 2.  Torrid Size 3/4X are too small for me but the footless version seems to run larger.
Boots: avenue, Size 9.5, for more information click here.

Peace…affinity