5 Great Gifts to Give Your Plus Size Friend!

holiday gifts 2Do you have a mother, sister, cousin, friend, gift exchange recipient or neighbor that is plus size, chubby, fat, curvy, heavy, whichever term you prefer, for whom you would like to buy a gift? You know that this year you do not want to buy them a cookbook or placemats or something that does not relate to them. I promise they will find these gifts useful, and you know I do not make promises easily.

Friends and family who are not plus size are often stymied by what gift they can buy that will be loved and appreciated, and most of all, fit. So I have put together a few of my favorite gifts.

1. Floral Statement Necklace: $31.19. I love this necklace, and yes, that is my neck in the photo. It comes in many colors and some other styles (see the bottom of the Amazon page). It instantly dresses up an all black outfit or it can be the finishing touch to an already fun outfit. I have several posts about necklaces, they can be found HERE and HERE and HERE. Watch this space for one more post about beautiful jewelry in the next week or two.

2. The Raven by Poe Book Infinity Scarf: $42. I highlighted this scarf because it was so unusual, but you can buy an infinity scarf anywhere. An infinity scarf is a continuous loop. Everyone is wearing them this year. Warm ones for cold weather, and lightweight ones in more temperate weather. They add interest and depth to an outfit. I often like to start shopping at One Stop Plus, because they carry such a range of retailers in plus sizes. But you can buy infinity scarves from a street vendor for around $10, an exhaustive array on Google, or a Biblical Quote Book Scarf or a whole array on Etsy. This one is monogrammed for $16. And of course for the seamstress there are free “do it yourself” instructions.

3. Get Jane Patient/Hospital Gown: $49.95. They are one size fits all, and that is me in a post I did last year about mine. I love it. I am so much more comfortable having a mammogram or going to the doctor’s office, knowing that I will be well covered. They are a little pricey, but I promise it is well worth the expense to have this level of physical and psychological well being, in an already stressful situation. And I think most women would not buy this for themselves, so it makes a particularly fine gift. To see my measurements, click HERE.

4. SWAK Perfect Leggings: $19.90. These are my favorite. “Where to get leggings that will fit” is the number one question I get on my blog. These fit the best of ANY I have ever purchased. They fit in the crotch, something about the material makes them hug me and never gap, and the ankles fit perfectly, often an issue in my life. They come in four neutral colors. The sizing chart says they fit 1X – 4X, up to a 52″ waist. My waist is easily 53″ or 54″ and I am a 4X, and they are more than comfortable, and I suspect they would fit the next size up.
Length 35″,  Waist 28″ – 52″, Hips 32″ – 60″, and Inseam 22″

5. Heavy Duty Velvet Hangers: $16.99 for 25 hangers. I often hear of plus size women struggling with keeping their clothes on the hanger. These do the trick.

I hope you enjoy them. And feel free to add to the list in your comments.

Peace…affinity

This is not a sponsored post.

Torrid CrossBack Dress Review

18083_10151330547716280_1498661911_nI went to my fabulous tailor this week, Barbra Hume, who is also a designer. She was altering a dress for me to wear to the Hot Couture: A Fusion of Fashion and Fire, fashion show I was going to and we discussed why I feel like I need to wear one dress or another for a particular occasion!  That turned out to be very interesting because that afternoon this Torrid dress arrived in the mail and I knew I had to wear it rather than the fabulous Simply Be dress that I am going to save for The Bay Lights Opening Ceremony on March 5th.  Why, because I could not wear this strappy, too revealing, form fitting and short for an old fat lady, to an event the Mayor of San Francisco and the Lt. Governor of California are going to attend. But I love it, so I wore it to an evening of boundary stretching fashion.

The photos of me in this dress are not very good.  I promise to reshoot and post them soon.  It is the best fitting strappy dress I have ever tried on. The straps fit perfectly, the waist is long enough and it is just fun. I was sure it would be too small but just that little bit of spandex made it work in the waist and yet not tug anywhere. But, I cannot seem to get a great photo of me in it to share with you. I am so happy I took a chance on it after looking at it for a couple of weeks before I took the risk, rarely does anything this fun last that long on Fattoo Grand, the Facebook online resale page.  I love it.

Here are the deets:

Dress: Torrid – Size 5X – purchased thru Fattoo Grand

Coat: Lane Bryant – Size 24 – Double Breasted and pulls a little if I try to button all the buttons  Here is a similar version  I cannot tell you how many compliments I got on this coat!   Purchased from Jessica Kane on Fattoo. How fun is that?  Sometimes you are in the right place at the right time.

Tights with studs (glued on): Lane Bryant – Size 26-28 – Way too large – purchased through Fattoo

Regarding Leggings: I tried on some Avenue Size E leggings that I had but I could not even get them up my skinny legs.  Since I am 5’5″ and weigh 275 lbs. I was very disappointed when they did not fit. I guess I will buy some Size EE while they are on sale.

Avenue Size Chart

Avenue Size Chart

Shoes: Lane Bryant – Size 10W – my most comfortable flat

photo: Gary J. Wilson

photo: Gary J. Wilson

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I thought you might like to see some photos of the show:

This was my favorite dress of the evening with the windowpane design

This was my favorite dress of the evening with the windowpane design

photo: Brittany Schell

photo: Brittany Schell

photo: Will Bucquoy WB Photography

photo: Will Bucquoy WB Photography

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photo: Ed Jay

photo: Ed Jay

photo: Will Bucquoy WB Photography

photo: Will Bucquoy WB Photography

A stained glass gown and a dress bejeweled with images displayed in LED lights are just a few of the pieces of evening wear made from steel, wire, leather and other industrial materials that will be paraded down the runway this weekend at The Crucible in West Oakland for the Hot Couture fashion show.  Brittany Schell

And Rose Nisker Aerialist did a beautiful performance with a live violin accompaniment

740999_10151337756677591_1596841012_oAll in all a very exciting evening.

01/18/2013 Update: An Oakland Local Blog review of the event.

Peace…affinity

Torrid! Torrid! Torrid! and a little ASOS Curve

I am not really a floral kind of girl, but I just had to try this sweater because it came out in spring and I thought it might be really light, and guess what, it is.  Is is half the weight of similar sweaters I own like this and this.  It was 68° here in San Francisco so I wanted a little something to cover up with and to brighten up my dress. I love the silver sparkle, floral leggings except that the size is weird.  They are a 2X and a 1X would actually fit better and the are from Torrid, where I wear a 5X dress.  And you may have noticed that these big bracelets are my staple this month.  Just liking the weight and fun on my wrist. Here are the deets…affinity

Sweater: Torrid Size 4X
Footless leggings: Torrid Size 2X
Bangle Bracelets: Torrid
Balloon Skater Dress: ASOS Curve Size 22
Elyse Boots: Avenue Size 9.5W