Hot off the Press... Beth Ditto's collection goes live

I'm not really around, but I had to pop in to give you the heads up. Beth Ditto's collection for Evans is available online now, and in stores when they open!

Hot off the Press - Simply Yours spring collection

Simply Yours has launched its spring summer collection of plus size shapewear and swimwear - and it's looking pretty hot!

According to the press release 'the range is designed for sophisticated women who like to express their confidence through stunningly beautiful underwear'.

The launch is being supported by a national TV advertising campaign. A stylish new ad, which evokes 1940s glamour, is available to see online as well as on television.

The collection covers the entire spectrum of plus size shapewear, including bras, corsets, slips and knickers, as well as plus size swimwear and nightwear. Sizes range from 30-50 with cups A-JJ and up to 56 and K and L in selected sizes.

To coincide with the launch of the spring summer collection, Simply Yours has also released a series of videos including advice on choosing the right bra. The videos, which are available to see online at the Simply Yours website, include sections on 'How to find your correct bra size', 'Telltale signs of a poorly fitting bra' plus a 'Bra style guide'.

Hot off the Press - Anna Scholz gets new website

The completely revamped website for Anna Schulz has just launched!

Visit www.annascholz.com to take advantage of the site’s fabulous new features, such as 'Complete the Look' and 'Related Items'. There is also a new fun and personal 'About Anna' page where you can learn more about the designer's life, her design inspirations, and favourite pieces in the new collection, which by the way, is gorgeous!

Hot off the Press - Goodie Bag Winner

In this week's Goodie Bag, I asked who you think was the biggest fashion icon of the 80's. Unsurprisingly, Madonna was hailed as the queen of 80's style by most of you. But there were also votes for other kick-ass girls who were leading the way where it came to fashion way back when. Personally I think it was specifically the girls in rock that provide inspiration that has hugely affected fashion throughout the years up until today. Just take a look at these examples from Madonna, Pat Benatar, Debbie Harry, Cyndi Lauper and Joan Jett. Everything that's on the high streets today, from wet look leggings, to coloured skinnies, harem pants, baggy tees, bangles, off the shoulder tops and big earrings can be seen here.



As usual, the winner of this week's Goodie Bag was drawn randomly, and this time lady luck smiled on Evita! Congratulations! :) (p.s. Can you please email me your address so I can post your goodies to you.)

Hot off the Press - Hello Kitty for Mac

MAC have collaborated with the Queen of Cute Hello Kitty! These limited edition pieces of makeup include blushes, lipstick, glosses, hi-lighters. They have the cutest designs and are definately collectors items! So Hurry up before they sell out!

Hot off the Press - Goodie Bag Winner

In this week's Goodie Bag, I asked what's your favourite thing about spring. The warm weather of the previous week had gotten me quite excited about the prospect of spring having arrived, but the temperature plummeting again this week sent me back to earth! But yes, it's quite clear after this setback that what I'm looking forward to the most is the warmth. And of course the light and the longer days. *Sigh* Soon, please can we have it soon.

Thanks so much to all of you who took part! It's always so nice to hear from you. :) I urge you to join the DLB flickr group, so we can share daily outfit pics and use the forum for everything from discussions on trends to clothes swap shops. Hopefully it will evolve into a fun place!

As usual, the winner of this week's Goodie Bag was drawn randomly, and this time lady luck smiled on Salla! Congratulations! :) (p.s. Can you please email me your address so I can post your goodies to you.)

Hot off the Press - Get the Look at Simply Be

On Friday 6 March, Simply Be will launch their latest ‘Get the look’ catwalk-inspired collections on-line. There are three new trends to choose from: the pretty prairie chic of Homespun, the sexy señorita style of Mexican Sunset and the eclectic edginess of Bohemian Boutique. You will also be able to see each outfit from all three collections in action on catwalk videos.

Homespun

Prairie chic meets English rose in this folksy fashion trend. Pretty prints, lace and crochet pick up a delicate colour palette of soft blue and oatmeal sweetened with a splash of cherry red. Shapes are feminine with frills, smocking and beautifully billowy sleeves.

Mexican Sunset

Inca and Aztec ethnic accents influence maxi-dress and tunic shapes in scorched earth shades of orange, terracotta and black. Prints are big and bold, from butterflies to florals. Don’t forget the bronzer for a sexy sun-kissed glow.

Bohemian Boutique

Get to the forefront of fashion with this riot of free spirited romanticism and edgy eclecticism. Cobalt and magenta go into the melting pot with pleats, tiers and frills. Mix feminine with fierce in a celebration of the offbeat and original.

The Simply Be ‘Get the Look’ fashion collections will be available on-line next Friday!

Hot off the Press - Goodie Bag Winner

I hope you all had a lovely Valentine's Day. I got swept off to a mini break on the Dorset coast. It was a bit windy but lovely! Thanks so much to those of you who shared their romantic moments in this week's Goodie Bag contest! It's nice to read slushy stories from time to time. :D

As usual, the winner of this week's Goodie Bag was drawn randomly, and this time lady luck smiled on Alegra! Congratulations! :) (p.s. Can you please email me your address so I can post your goodies to you.)

Hot off the Press - Beth Ditto for Evans

Such exciting news! According to Vogue, after a lot of speculation, Evans stores will be home to Beth Ditto's new collection: Beth Ditto for Evans. 'Promising to add a touch of glam rock to the brand's conservative appeal, the capsule collection has a strong Eighties feel and will consist of clothing, accessories and shoes,' reports Vogue. The collection will hit the stores in July. I can't wait!!

Edit: As Layla pointed out in the comments, Beth is also the cover girl of the inaugural issue of Love magazine, which will launch on 19 February. I just had to change the picture to show you the gorgeous cover image!

Psst... Plus Model Magazine

Check out the latest issue of PLUS Model Magazine, out now.

Hot off the Press - Layla♥Loves

I've often been asked for a feature related to skincare and makeup, but as I don't feel like any sort of expert in that area, I've been a bit hesitant to write much on the subject myself. But now there's a new kid in town and she knows everything worth knowing about beauty.

Please give a very warm welcome to the newest member of the DLB team, Layla! Her new feature, Layla♥Loves, will be kicking off soon, and in it you will find advice on skincare and make-up. Plus you'll get to peek into Layla's make-up bag and hear all about the latest and most coveted products. I for one, can't wait!

Hot off the Press - Twilight Fever

With the movie adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight making huge waves in cinemas across the world, and with Robert Pattinson fever taking hold of more and more ladies out there, you can now show your support and dress like a true fan with the new Twilight collection at Torrid.

Hot off the Press - PLUS Model Magazine

Go check out the December issue of PLUS Model Magazine, out now. It's packed with fresh features and curvy girls.

Hot off the Press - Goodie Bag Winner

First of all, sorry that the results of this week's Goodie Bag contest are a bit late! I had such hectic days yesterday and the day before, and didn't get to put my feet up until 11pm last night, that I didn't have time to draw the winner until now.

This week I asked what you as readers like about DLB. It was nice to read all the feedback, and there were definite themes to be found in the answers. As features go, DIVA of the Week seems to be the favourite of many of you. It certainly was one of the first ideas I had when starting out with this blog, to showcase cute curvy girls putting beautiful outfits together. At the beginning I had these lofty ideas about going out on the streets and scouting new girls every week, and I did try to keep that up for a while. It just turned out to be way too time-consuming and stressful trying to fit in diva looking time around my other commitments, so I eventually opened DIVA of the Week up for everyone to send their pics in if they wanted. So far it's worked fine, and it's actually interesting to see how girls dress all over the world, not just in London.

Another thing that a lot of people requested, was to see more of me and my personality on DLB. That's an issue I can't quite get my head around yet. Originally, it was a conscious decision to not force my personality on this blog. My idea was to have a neutral, magazine-like, environment where plus size girls could find inspiration, share tips and have fun with clothes. I never really wanted it to be about me. I have my own personal blog, where I post daily outfit pics from time to time, and I'm still not sure how they would really fit in here... Opinions are welcomed though, should I move, or maybe cross-post, my daily outfit pictures on DLB as well?

Well then, now for the winner! As always, the winner of this week's Goodie Bag was drawn randomly, and this time lady luck smiled on Abigail! Congratulations! :) (p.s. Can you please email me your address so I can post your goodies to you.)

Hot off the Press - Confessions of a Shopaholic

The wait is almost over! Confessions of a Shopaholic will hit theatres in February 2009. The movie will be based on two books from the very popular shopaholic series written by Sophie Kinsella, Confessions of a Shopaholic and Shopaholic Abroad (alternatively titled Shopaholic Takes Manhattan). Watching the trailer, it's weird to take in the american setting of the movie. Rebecca Bloomwood is a long way from her original stomping ground of Fulham, and since the character is loved by so many, I wonder how the americanisation of her will go down with the fans. Then again, what else could be expected from a Hollywood film. Well, at least gorgeous clothes galore will be guaranteed!


P.S. Props for the fact that for the first time ever, a joke involving a Finnish character (happens more often that you would think!), has an actual Finn speaking Finnish and not gobbledegook. :D

Elena Mirò S/S 09 runway video

In September I wrote about Elena Mirò opening the Milan fashion week with her Spring/Summer 09 plus size collection. At the time it was very hard to find any pictures or footage of the collection, but now a DLB reader has kindly shared a link to videos where you can see the show yourself, thanks so much Camilla!



You can watch more videos of the show here.

Hot off the Press - Goodie Bag Winner

Thank you for taking part in this week's Goodie Bag contest, and sharing your funniest 'Bridget Jones moments'. I've had a good giggle reading through the various underwear malfunction stories. :D I will try to get back to the comments later on, but for now, I know you're probably dying to find out who the winner is.

As you know, this week's awesome prize was sponsored by Simply Yours, which was very nice of them! I'm afraid next week we're back to the more humble goodies of old.

As always, the winner of this week's Goodie Bag was drawn randomly, and this time lady luck smiled on Take it easy pumpkin! Congratulations! :) (p.s. Can you please email me your address so I can post your goodies to you.)

Hot off the Press - Goodie Bag Winner

Wow, I can't believe how many people took part in this week's Goodie Bag contest, where I asked about your favourite fashion mags. Thanks for that! I'm not going to answer all the comments individually as majority of you seemed to have the same favourites. You seem to draw most of your inspiration from mainstream fashion mags like Elle and Marie Claire, with a bit of Glamour thrown in. Trendi and Olivia were also clear favourites among the Finns. There certainly seems to be a distinctive gap in the market though, as none of you knew of any plus size fashion magazines being published at the moment. I tried to have a bit of a nosey around the internet to see whether I could locate any at all. The pickings were slim. And the ones I did come across, all seem to be based in the US. Here are a few I found:

AmaZe - possibly the most promising one of my finds
Scorch - not sure if this just an online magazine, but I like the design
FigureMagazine - this one looks the most established, but I don't know if it is really about fashion
PLUS Model Magazine - this one gives me so many ideas on how I'd like to develop DLB
Radiance - if the cover and the design of the website is anything to go by, possibly the least inspiring of all of these...

It seems quite clear that we need a plus size fashion magazine catering for the European market, something that would have an edge and be inspirational and make everyone one of us feel like there's no reason we can't take part in the big dressing up game!

As always, the winner of this week's Goodie Bag was drawn randomly, and this time lady luck (on who's behalf the lovely Jen, who's here visiting at the moment, did the honours) smiled on Eltsi! Congratulations! :) (p.s. Can you please email me your address so I can post your goodies to you.)

Hot off the Press - Wesfield opens today

The wait is finally over. After five years in the making, Westfield London finally opened this morning in London's Shepherd's Bush. Westfield boasts to be the largest in-town shopping and leisure destination in Europe, and there definitely seems to be something for everyone judging by the list of stores. During weekdays, Westfield is open until 10pm, so you can even pop in for a spot of shopping after work, what with new transport links making Westfield London the best connected shopping destination in the UK.

Westfield is running a promotion with Grazia magazine for a chance to win a £5,000 shopping spree, with bonuses like a chauffer and a personal shopper thrown in. To be in for a chance to win this shopping experience, fill in your details here.

Hot off the Press - Goodie Bag Winner

Uhh what a busy week it's been! And the weekend is not looking much slower. But anyway, thank you once more for taking part in this week's Goodie Bag contest, where I was asking about your comfort clothes. It was fun reading the replies and I could so relate to all of them! In fact, I'm wearing my pyjamas as we speak (but have lip gloss on, not because I'm that glamorous but because I'm testing out a new long lasting lip gloss. It seems to be working pretty well, at least if you were to look at my hand, it's still speckled with all the colours I tested - I just can't get them to budge! :D), and am pretty ready to fall into bed soon.

But first I'd probably better announce the winner, as I won't be around tomorrow. :)

As always, the winner of this week's Goodie Bag was drawn randomly, and this time lady luck smiled on Pandora! Congratulations! :) (p.s. Can you please email me your address so I can post your goodies to you.)

Hot off the Press - Goodie Bag Winner

Thanks so much for taking part in this week's Goodie Bag contest and sharing your 'fashion weaknesses' with me. Again there were a lot of things I could relate to, like buying the wrong sized clothes, getting stuck on wearing comfortable shoes or a particular colour.

As mentioned before, my own biggest weaknesses by far are bright colours and childish patterns. I've got plenty of dizzyingly patterned tops and cutesy handbags no adult would normally want to be seen with. Despite never seeing much action, these things do cheer me up though! :D

As always, the winner of this week's Goodie Bag was drawn randomly, and this time lady luck smiled on Missu! Congratulations! :) (p.s. Can you please email me your address so I can post your goodies to you.)

Hot off the Press - Goodie Bag Winner

Thanks so much for taking part in this week's Goodie Bag contest and sharing your 'style crimes' with me. There certainly were some stories that brought back vivid memories of my own youth, and it seems like over the years I've partaken in pretty much every horrendous style mishap that was mentioned. :D

Having said that, this here ensemble (from -95) must be the absolute most horrendous style crime I've ever committed. Colourful (and patterned) bicycle shorts, tie-dye tee and doc martens (with green socks no less, what is that about?). Looking at this makes me quite dizzy. There was a full frontal picture in the album as well, but that made me cringe too much, no way I'm inflicting such horrors on you!

As always, the winner of this week's Goodie Bag was drawn randomly, and this time lady luck smiled on kaka! Congratulations! :) (p.s. Can you please email me your address so I can post your goodies to you.)

Hot off the Press - Elena Mirò opens Milan Fashion Week

I've been waiting for a few days now to get my hands on some photos, or even a mention, about Elena Mirò opening the Milan Fashion Week, but alas, both style.com and Elle seem to have decided to ignore this collection altogether, despite boasting featuring all the shows. I wanted to do a great big 'Hot of the Press' feature full of gorgeous plus size models traipsing down the catwalk, but as it seems impossible to find any images to use, this mention will have to do. You can see a small slide show of some of the collection within the Telegraph article. In spite of what I think about the actual line, I think it's important to acknowledge the fact there's finally some real size women up on the catwalk - looking healthy and fabulous.

Hot off the Press - CarmaKoma

Here's something I have been waiting for a looong time, a plus size collection with an edge. A collection which offers clothes that are not only wearable, but have proper fashion credibility. I came across the Danish CarmaKoma via the lovely Tyk! blog, and was completely blown away. CarmaKoma is still in very early stages, but I've just mailed them and got a very promt reply from Heidie, who told me that the website should be completely in English, and ready to ship internationally, by the end of this month!

I for one can't wait! I've been waiting for a long time for the industry to recognise this gap in the market. I can only wish that we'll see a growing trend of plus size collections of this calibre in the future!

Hot off the Press - Goodie Bag Winner

Thanks so much for taking part in this week's Goodie Bag contest and sharing your 'style identity' with me.

Before announcing the winner, I do have to apologise though. Lately I've been suffering from serious lack of time, and it certainly shows. I promise to do better from now on, and will try to find the time to produce some proper content - more look books, more tips, more of everything!

So do stick with DLB, things can only get better! :)

As always, the winner of this week's Goodie Bag was drawn randomly, and this time lady luck smiled on the lovely mou mou! Congratulations! :) (p.s. Can you please email me your address so I can post your goodies to you.)

Hot off the Press - EveryBODY Counts Survey

FatStylist.com is sponsoring a survey called EveryBODY Counts, which, to quote them, is:

"...your chance to tell the fashion industry what you really want when it comes to sizes and styles. [The results] will be sent to stockists/buyers and apparel manufacturers so they can better understand and accommodate our style needs."

So chop chop, off you go and take part!

Hot off the Press - Goodie Bag Winner

Thanks to all of you who took part in this week's Goodie Bag contest! It was nice to see that a lot of people have subscribed to the newsletter, even more than were accounted for in the comments. Hopefully it will prove to be a useful tool in communicating with you in the future!

I am absolutely knackered from the wedding I attended yesterday (only got home today), so I will keep this short and sweet. Just writing up the raffle tickets took most of the energy I had!

As always, the winner of this week's Goodie Bag was drawn randomly, and this time lady luck smiled on tuhlaus, for which I'm really pleased, as she's the author of one of my favourite blogs! Congratulations! :) (p.s. Can you please email me your address so I can post your goodies to you.)

Hot off the Press - IGIGI's Autumn Collection

I'm loving IGIGI's new Autumn collection. Somehow especially this Jackie two-in-one wrap dress gets me all excited, and I'm not even a dress person! Perhaps it just taps into my personal hidden power fantasies or something, who knows. :D

Hot off the Press - Gok Wan's lingerie collection

Gok Wan has designed a new lingerie collection for Simply Yours. Apparently the collection offers not only maximum support, but maximum sex appeal as well. At first glance, I do like the look of the Sex Kitten Corset, gotta love that ribbon!

Hot off the Press - 90120 is back

One of the pivotal (yes, sadly) shows of my youth, Beverly Hills 90210, is coming back. Not sure if I should be excited or slightly disturbed. Do we think it will live up to the original?