(Re)Shop

Went to a great little shop in Brooklyn over the weekend called Re/Dress, where owner Deb Malkin offers vintage and modern plus-size wear in a multitude of styles. Deb invited shoppers to meet Alyssa Roberti, a senior at Parsons who is fighting to put together a plus-size line. Go Alyssa! Also managed to pick up a couple pair of jeans, a cute jacket and some earrings. Was fun to go to the shop just to check out the rockabilly/Varga style of the saleswomen there. Some of the shop talk centered around Crystal Renn’s new bikini-baring Glamour cover, which also features a very helpful piece about finding the right swimsuit for your shape. Then once you wear it…sell it! And wear sunscreen, please. Ladies were also chatting about the upcoming “Full Figured Fashion Week” in NYC this June. Runway shows, panels and shopping. Sounds fantastic and we’re going to find out more details…

Big Bras

In light of Lane Bryant Bra-gate, New York Magazine asks an interesting question this week: Why Don’t More Designers Make Plus Size Bras? Lots of designers do, of course, but they either look like they were made for Grandmama to wear among the Mennonites, or else they are ridiculously expensive. Prima Donna bras, for example, are gorgeous and really do the job of holding up a big bust…but they run well north of $100. So what’s a B.B.G. to do? Work a variety, and take very good care of les brassieres (that means they don’t go in the washer/dryer, ladies). Could also seems like lingerie designers shy away from the larger looks for that old, subtle judgmental reasoning that prevents them from designing plus size clothing in general. They must figure, what kind of girl needs that big a bra? Either a slutty one or a fat one. Not true, designers, not true! Maybe the most startling figure is that in ten years, the average American woman’s cup size has gone from a 36C to a 36DD! Of course, Heidi Montag throws off the national average for all of us, but still…why do you think that is? Implants? Extra curves? Hype?

(photo credit: Chris Weeks/Wireimage)