Sonsi.com for party clothes & more

I've just spent two hours going over a website I hope you already know about.  Sonsi.com is a one-stop shopping center for over 300 small companies that make clothing for large-size, curvy figures.  

Some are designed to make you "look thinner".  Some are an out and out celebration of lush, curvy bodies.  Whatever you need, from low cut formal wear to conservative work wear or 20s something clubbing, you'll find something to draw your interest here.

I was very disappointed in their 60 minute shopping tool that ask you questions about your likes dislikes, body shape, etc.  It kept getting stuck and  not responding to my answers.  Truly a waste of time.  Hopefully they'll fix it.  

In the meantime you can hunt with the usual tools  You can sort lowest to highest prices, by size, and have 100 dresses up at once so you can just roll past things that aren't what you're looking for at the moment.
I haven't bought anything from them, but be careful, because each of their 300 companies seems to have different return policies.  Some items have very liberal policies, others sell items that can't be returned at all!  So read the whole page and consider whether you're willing to get stuck with a dress that doesn't fit or has a flaw.

This site has the best selection of "curvy body clothes" that highlight your bustline (instead of hiding it in a flat bag) that I've found, outside of Britain's Simply Me.com. 
 (By the way, Simply Me.com's return policies are very easy to deal with.) 

Be beautiful!
Knuti

m.i.b.'s Cover Girl

Worthy of note.  Today I got a catalogue in the mail and on the cover, selling clothes to people who are my size and larger - is a photograph of a young lady who is actually larger than me and a real model.  She's self assured,  very pretty and one hundred percent plus size supermodel material.  When you look at her in these clothes, you can see how they'll look on you, not on you if you ever managed to lose 40 pounds  (or in my case, 100 pounds.) 

And I actually mean that.  If I lost 100 pounds, I'd have the same measurements as the size 12 ladies most companies use as "large size" models.  How am I supposed to guess how an unfamiliar fabric will drape over my abundant curves when it's only displayed on these very average size women?

Bearing in mind that in this country size 14 is the average dress size, what sense does it make to have size 12 as "plus"?

M.i.B usually has a selection of "models" who look like they might live on your block, ranging in size from medium to very large.  But they all dress well. 

I don't usually buy from M.i.B. because they tend to be priced on the high side and because they don't usually have any sort of tailoring.  But if you like big, loose, easy-breezy spring fashions, with nice detailing (embroidery, color blocking, beading) they've got some really nice ones in this catalogue, mostly in the true tunic lengths (30"and longer) that we depend on!

That's M.i.B. plus size, 2x to 8x.  And they have a model who deserves the title.  She's got sparkle and glamor and  sort of reminds me of Cheryl Teigs, in the early days.
You can find them online at www.MiBplussize.com

Bought EE, got D, 3 times

11/7/2012

This is a copy of a review for heels that I just sent to ShoeMall.  I appreciate them for carrying wide sizes.  I don't appreciate their disrespect for wide size customers, substituting WW shoes (usually a D width) for any order for E or above, as though we wouldn't notice? 
Do they think we're stupid?  Apparently!

Am I angry?  YES!   

Do they deserve it? YES!

Review of  Neima Sandal Heels:

Sizing:  Feels full size too small  (actually TWO full sizes, but that wasn't on the form)

Width: Feels too narrow

Pros:Cute

Cons:Uncomfortable

Best Uses:Date Night, Work

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

These are offensive. I ordered size 10 EE. This is my normal size. The shoes were listed and are still listed in 10 EE. What arrived was a full inch narrower! They weren't marked EE, they were marked WW.   WW usually means D width. I can't usually get a D width shoe on my foot.

I sent the first order back and they said they hadn't had any complaints and these were true to size. (If only SAYING that made it TRUE!)

They measured shoes they had in stock and actually (thank you!) sent me back shoes that were at least a half inch wider than the ones I'd returned, but still marked WW, not EE.
I work in very dressy venues and need dressy shoes that are comfy too. I know wide, dressy shoes are hard to find, but it would be easier if they were clearly and CORRECTLY marked.
When you wear a size B, no one thinks it's reasonable to sell you something an inch narrower, but still marked B. Why do they routinely do that to size E and above?

Cool, Comfy, CUTE Summer Bras at Simply Be (simplybe.com)

In hot weather, when no-one wants plastic next to their skin, a comfy cotton bra is Heaven-sent!  Finally, the search for the perfect large-size cotton bra (perfect fit, supportive, comfortable, pretty)  has a contender, if you fit into an "I" cup or less.
  
Simply Be, a British  company that's new to the US market, but not to curvy ladies' needs, has cotton bras!  Not orthopedic, ugly-but-practical ones, but "Oooo!  That's Cute!" bras.  And not just in full coverage.   I bought a balconnette style (wearable with tops that show moderate cleavage) and wore it, gardening, on a hot summer day, leaning over, stretching, carrying things in HEAT.  It passed with flying colors!  Comfy, cool, and my mirror loved it! 

They don't have a big selection, Usually only 1 or 2 styles at a time, but those of you who've been looking for cotton bras due to health considerations or just the love of comfort, know that most companies don't have anything  at all!

This ticks off every requirement!  It's perfect fit, supportive, comfortable, pretty and even embroidered!

I've washed this 8 times with no problems. Hand-wash, drip-dry. 
Those of us who want machine wash and dry can continue dreaming.

In the meantime, this makes a great profile and you'll feel great!

Be beautiful!
Knuti

Soft Surroundings  has some lovely clothes that, on clearance, cost the same as similar items at Roaman's do when full price. 

Still, They have some nice designs that are more upscale than most vendors.  Sometimes you find THE perfect item.

I was just talking to one of their telephone order takers and got a more straightforward answer than I'm used to.
The problem I called about was size.  I couldn't find a listing on their website to tell what measurements fit what size.  Since, depending on the store, I'm currently a 20, 22 or 24 and  occasionally, a 26, I wanted some guarantee that I wasn't wasting my time here.
The phone sales clerk assured me that while shopping online is great with their store, guessing sizes  online is very iffy, since each of their items may have different ideas of size.
You need to have your current measurements in front of you and then call and the telephone clerk can look up the actual measurements of the item you're considering and you you can compare them with your measurements.


You may save a lot of time dealing with returns! 

Promises, Promises! New Year's Reality Check

Promise me one thing.  Promise that you won't promise to lose all that weight this year.  

Why?

Because, while everyone knows how to achieve short term weight loss, NO ONE can tell you how to keep it off  while living a normal life.  

Zig zagging weight loss plans, where you lose the pounds, then gain back just as many pounds PLUS MORE, just make us fatter and fatter after each diet.

Since I stopped dieting, I stopped gaining weight.  My weight wasn't "inching up", it was jumping 12 to 40 pounds each time I gained the weight back, after each of a lifetime of diets.   

I currently weigh 272 pounds.  (Over the holidays I went up to 278, but that's taken care of itself, now that I'm not at parties.)

I've lost hundreds of pounds in my lifetime, and gained it all back, so I can't tell you how to keep weight off, either.  But I remind you  that you already know lots of ways to get healthier than you are now.  Some of them (most of them?) are difficult or even impossible.  Some aren't.  

Think about those easy things.  There are probably lots of little habits you have that could be swapped for a healthier choice THAT YOU LIKE BETTER.

You're doing the same things you've always done, because you learned to do them the way you do, and you've never even thought about changing them.

This year, Think about what you're doing.  That alone would be a great resolution.

If you decide to change one thing that will make you healthier, try it.  If that one doesn't work, try something else, until you come up with a lifetime change that you actually prefer to your old habit, you can be healthier.  Not just in three months, but for the rest of your life.

For instance, I found out that I like Splenda in my iced or hot tea.  I actually prefer it in drinks because it's not heavy or sticky.

Since I drink about a quart of tea a day, that's a lot of sugar I'm not eating any more.

I also mix Splenda into the milk I out on my cereal.  Same reason.  I get the taste without the sticky feeling.   

Now, my sister doesn't experience a "sticky feeling" in sugary drinks, but she likes anything in a "pink packet."  (To me, that stuff has an after-taste like aluminum foil, but she can't tell it from sugar.  She can't stand the taste of Splenda.)  

My point here is that what works for someone else may not work for you, even within your family, but keep trying until you find the easy fixes.  For me, using Splenda in drinks and on cereal actually tastes better than sugar.  That makes it easy to do.

What would be easy for you?  Try looking at your habits, one at a time.  For instance, do you like open face sandwiches better than  closed top (two slice) ones?    

Did you ever think about it before?  That bread is mostly empty calories.  Your body processes it as sugar, which is bad for you.  So if that top slice doesn't really taste good enough to warrant the problems it causes, why not feed it to the birds?   

Purists will point out that bread without extra-extra fiber added isn't good for birds, either, but you get my point. 

Example:

A Friend has insomnia.  She stared at the ceiling for hours every night.  One day it occurred to her that she doesn't exercise much because, contrary to her doctor says exercise makes her dead tired, not more energetic.  One night it occurred to her that she could try to do sit-ups until she got tired.  (She's never been able to do a real sit-up, but she can tense the musclher head and shoulders lift slightly.)  

 She's worked up to doing a hundred of those anytime she wakes up.  Afterward, she reports that she gets really drowsy and usually goes to sleep quickly.  Also, her waist is getting slimmer and her abs are hard.

For her, it's an easy fix.  Certainly better than being grumpy all day after yet another sleepless night.

So try things.  Let me know what works for you.  I'll be rooting for you.

Life isn't about being skinny.  It's about being happy.  And being happy is much easier if you're healthy.  And when you're healthy, you feel good and you look wonderful.

Be beautiful!

Knuti