Sparkles Sparkles Everywhere

You may have noticed that one of the most ubiquitous trends for this holiday season is sparkles. Sequins, glitter, and shiny paillettes are everywhere to be found, and fortunately, this is a trend that even us fat girls can take advantage of. Sparkles are a great option because they allow you to add a bit of pizazz to your wardrobe and give an outfit instant going out cred without having to show too much skin.

The best way to take advantage of this trend is to buy a short sleeved or sleeveless blouse and top it with a jacket or cardigan. Paired with dark denim and boots, you'll be ready for a night out on the town. Fortunately, there are many options for us larger ladies.






















Sequin Knit Top
$49.50 at Lane Bryant




















Burgundy Lace Top
$34.00 at Torrid






















Embellished Knit Top
$39.50 at Lane Bryant

If you're not quite ready to purchase sparkly apparel, test the waters with accessories - always the best way to approach a trend you aren't sure about. This sequin scarf from LOFT is sure to turn heads:

F*ck Me Boots for the Larger Calf

I love boots. Absolutely love them. However, I'm hardly ever able to buy a pair that goes higher than my upper ankle because regular boots will not fit over my calves. I've searched high and low for cute, larger-calf boots and have had little luck until recently. I stumbled upon torrid.com's shoe selection and was pleasantly surprised by their selection of boots. I've inserted some of my favorites here - but go to the site to check more out.

Where's your favorite place to shop for boots? Share the wealth!

For Inverted Triangle Body Shapes - Flatter Your Figure

IGIGI gives its tips on how to flatter an inverted triangle figure:

10 Tips to Flatter Your Figure: Inverted Triangle

Attention Inverted Triangles: Check Out These 10 Tips to Flatter Your Figure

1. Dress up without a dress: Because inverted triangle figures carry their weight disproportionately, picking different pieces for different parts of your body can be helpful. Try sporting a skirt and blouse for your next soiree instead of a dress.

2. Wearing the Right Neckline: For the inverted triangle gal, soft U necklines are the way to go. Tailored shirts and V neck wrap tops are also a great way to slenderize your upper half. Be sure to avoid halters, boat necks, gathered sleeves, and strapless tops.

3. Slimming the Shoulders: To slim your shoulders, try Raglan tops or shirts with shoulder slits. Also, soft collarless tunics are perfect for flattering the inverted triangle figure. Try leaving cardigans unbuttoned to help soften your shoulders.

4. Color Counts: Place your colors carefully! Wear lighter colors on the bottom and darker colors on the top to visually balance your figure.

5. Position Your Patterns Properly: For inverted triangles, busy patterns on top can point out your problem areas. Stick to simple and vertical patterns on the top to slim your silhouette.

6. Choosing the Right Skirt: Choose skirts that add a little flare to your figure. Knee length skirts with contoured waistbands will look great on you, as will full circle and pleated skirts. Avoid pencil skirts if you are on the busty side, as they will make you look more top heavy.

7. Picking Pants: The best part of being an inverted triangle is that your pants options are endless! Any style will work for you and you will look better in boot cuts than everyone else.

8. Outerwear and Accessories: You can wear jackets of any length as long as they are fitted at the waist. Avoid bulky necklaces.

9. Buckle That Belt: A funky belt will not only spice up your wardrobe, it will compliment your curves as well. For inverted triangle figures, belts look best buckled at the waistline.

10. Feel Fabulous: The best way to look great is to feel great. Whatever you wear, wear it with confidence and accessorize it with a smile.

Burgundy: The New Neutral

Burgundy is a color that is often overlooked in the fashion industry, put aside by whites, blacks, and beiges. These colors are great because they are neutral and can be paired with almost anything. Burgundy should be in this same class of colors because it goes well with every outfit, while adding some color at the same time. It seems that designers are finally catching on, making more products available in gorgeous shades of burgundy. Wear a burgundy handbag with jeans and a top, or pair it with a black suit to add some funk to your outfit. The great thing about this color is that you can wear it all the time! Jump on this versatile bandwagon and add a little pizazz to your wardrobe.

Check at this Marc by Marc Jacobs satchel at Neiman Marcus for a great addition to your style.

Shoes Glorious Shoes!!!

Women can never have too many shoes. They're fun, fashionable, and functional, and they allow you to express your personality and dress up an outfit. Worn right, shoes can make you appear slimmer and elongate your legs.

The best shoes to wear to make your leg appear longer is a pointy-toe high heeled shoe. The pointy toe lengthens the leg line as much as possible, making your legs appear long and beautiful. When pointy toe pumps first started to become popular, I was skeptical. I thought they looked like witches shoes, and I refused to have anything to do with them.

However over time I've come to realize the beauty of point-toed shoes. They're actually not all that uncomfortable - they are significantly longer than round-toed shoes, so your toes won't be pinched when you wear them. Plus high heels are guaranteed to make you look hot! I feel great when I walk around the office in 4-inch heels. They may take a while to get used to, but once you've worn them for a while, you'll feel on top of the world.

I love nine west for pointy-toed shoes. The Freda style is perfectly for the workplace or for going out at night. So get a pair of pointy-toe heels and feel like a million bucks!

You Deserve a Spanx-ing

In case you've been living under a rock the past few years, Spanx is a collection of bodyshapers, undergarments, intimates, and hosiery that is worn under clothing to make everything appear smoother and tighter. They can be a blessing when you're 5 pounds away from fitting into that hot dress, or your ass has decided to come down with a case of cellulite-itis. My personal favorite is the "higher power" body shaper; the material goes up all the way to the chest and can be neatly disguised under your bra for a seamless look from hips to chest. See the Spanx website or shop for Spanx at stores such as Nordstrom, Lane Bryant, or amazon.com. Expensive but worth it!!

All Good Things Must Wrap

Wrap tops and dresses are a great way to put together a stylish outfit while enhancing your better body parts and making you look slimmer. There are a number of features that make wraps a good choice for fat women. First, most wrap tops come with a V-neck, which elongates the torso. If the V is too deep or puckers slightly, simply stick a coordinating-color camisole to protect your private bits. This will also give you the opportunity to wear a slimming camisole for double the pleasure, double the fun.

Wrap tops also make you seem thinner by emphasizing the narrowest part of your waste. Tie the wrap top as tight as you feel comfortable - you'll be showing off the best part of you. Stick to darker colors or patterns for an even more attractive look.

Wraps dresses are also very popular today. A flattering wrap dress will have several elements in its construction:
1. A deep v-neck that can be worn alone or with a camisole underneath.
2. At the top of the v, a collar that will help balance you out and make things more acceptable for work.
3. Puffy sleeves: they won't make you look like a football player, but they'll elongate your torso and make your arms look attractive. This might sound a little strange, but trust me, give it a try!
4. A top that can be wrapped tightly to emphasize the narrowest part of your waste.
5. A skirt that starts at your waste, then flares out to the knee. The flare will minimize your bottom half, plus the flowiness of it is quite attractive!

Accessorize a wrap dress with large earrings and a pair of wedges or high heels, and you've got yourself a great outfit for work or play.

Faux wraps are also a good choice.

Accessories Are a Fat Girl's Best Friend

Even if your clothes are boring, drab, or somewhat uninspired, you can still put together a great outfit. Spice up your look with key accessories, such as jewelry, sunglasses, and handbags. And the best part? Accessories still fit when you've gained a few pounds!

A few basic rules when it comes to accessories:

1. Big bags balance out a big body. Small bags will make you look even bigger. Plus you can't fit anything in them.
2. Same with big earrings. Either go with sensible studs (the bigger the better), or, if you wear dangly earrings, make sure they're BIG. Small dangly earrings will look silly next to chipmunk cheeks.
3. Bags don't need to match your belt, or shoes, or outfit for that matter. Use bags to add a spice of color or to pull a whole outfit together.
4. Unless you have small fingers, NO RINGS. Nobody likes a sausage finger. The one exception: engagement rings (but remember, the bigger diamond the better).
5. Long necklaces are the fat girl's best friend. They're very much in style right now, make you look slimmer by elongating your body, and jazz up any outfit. Tip: stock up on cheap necklaces at places like H&M and Claire's until you've figured out what lengths / styles work best for your body. Then you can invest a little more in key pieces and know that you'll love them!

Lane Bryant Finally Gets It Right With New Denim Program

Trendy denim has never been easy for fat girls to find. Unfortunately, fashionable companies like Seven, Theory, and Diesel have decided not to make clothes for anyone who wears a size in the double digits. Lane Bryant has taken a step in the right direction by introducing their RIGHT FIT program, which consists of three different jean shapes: straight (yellow), moderately curvy (red), and curvy (blue).

Not only that, but sizes are on a scale of 1 - 8. Forget those high teens and twenties! Jeans come in a variety of styles, colors, and lengths, so you will definitely be able to find some denim that fits you well and makes your butt look hot.

For more information go to the RIGHT FIT homepage.

For more on plus size denim, see this month's issue of Glamour magazine, which has a special section entitled "Sexiest Jeans for Your Shape: Great Finds Endorsed by Real Women Sizes 0-26". Want a preview? Check out this video on Glamour's website that gives tips on how to wear flattering jeans.