http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog Bridging the size gap with a woman who's in between. Shopping & style for women with curves Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:40:59 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2011/02/meet-bgbs-new-girl-hollie-anne/ http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2011/02/meet-bgbs-new-girl-hollie-anne/#comments Thu, 03 Feb 2011 20:41:24 +0000 Gemma http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/?p=1420 I'm really happy today to introduce you to a new contributer to Big Girls Browse, Hollie-Anne. She'll be helping me ensure that this site continues to cater to women of all shapes and sizes. As a size 22 fit model, she has a direct line to all the dirty the secrets behind the scenes when it comes to high street fashion, and hopefully she'll be sharing a few secrets with us! Keep reading for a little intro from the new girl...]]> http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2011/02/meet-bgbs-new-girl-hollie-anne/feed/ 7 http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2010/04/gallery-evans-autumn-winter-2010-11-press-day/ http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2010/04/gallery-evans-autumn-winter-2010-11-press-day/#comments Wed, 21 Apr 2010 19:59:04 +0000 Gemma http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/?p=710 Today was press day for Phillip Green's Arcadia, which owns Topshop, Dorothy Perkins, Miss Selfridge and Evans (among others). I joined the fashionistas to take a look at what some of the high street's biggest players have in store for Autumn / Winter 2010-11, and was pleasantly surprised to see that Evans more than held its own against it's 'trendier' sister brands. From biker jeans to shearling coats, faux fur to boho dresses, all the key trends were covered. There was some brilliant footwear (put me on the list for the Victoriana-inspired lace-up calf boots) and great bags (look out for the blue one in the pics). Other key items to look out for included a Balmain-esque t-shirt with stud and chain covered shoulders, a coral dress with cut-out shoulders, and a great sheer jersey top with angel wings front and back. Right now these are all early samples, so who's to say if all of them will make it into local stores come September, but it's still worth making that shopping list now. There should also be some surprises to come - apparently the ash cloud meant some samples were stranded abroad!]]> http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2010/04/gallery-evans-autumn-winter-2010-11-press-day/feed/ 3 http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2010/02/debenhams-start-using-size-16-mannequins/ http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2010/02/debenhams-start-using-size-16-mannequins/#comments Thu, 18 Feb 2010 19:21:30 +0000 Gemma http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/?p=423 If you walk past Debenhams on London's Oxford Street in the next few days, you might spot something a bit unusual. They've just added two size 16 mannequins to the display, with a board below reading "I'm a size 16. Do you want to see more of me?" This is part of a trial by the retailer to see if customers would like to see these mannequins rolled out across more stores. Traditionally, Debenhams use size 10 models, but with 42% of sales coming from size 14 and 16 garments, these new mannequins represent the average customer far more...]]> http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2010/02/debenhams-start-using-size-16-mannequins/feed/ 10 http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2010/02/big-girl-for-evans/ http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2010/02/big-girl-for-evans/#comments Mon, 15 Feb 2010 00:26:30 +0000 Gemma http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/?p=415 No, I haven't been given my own Beth Ditto-esque fashion range (yet) but I am very honoured to be the first guest blogger on the brand new Evans blog. As the market leaders in the UK when it comes to 14+ fashion, Evans are hugely influential. But theirs is a mammoth task; as one of only a handful of brands catering for the plus size market in this country (and the only one to have a truly significant number of stand-alone stores on the high street) they have to do a bit of everything, from trends to workwear to classics to formalwear (plus shoes, lingerie and so on). I think it's great that they're adding another place for customers to interact and discuss what they like, what they want and how they want to be involved, and I'm sure the blog will be huge news as it grows...]]> http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2010/02/big-girl-for-evans/feed/ 0 http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2009/10/asos-to-launch-plus-size-range-asos-curve/ http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2009/10/asos-to-launch-plus-size-range-asos-curve/#comments Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:33:03 +0000 Gemma http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/?p=357 The wonderful girls from ASOS broke the brilliant news on Twitter today that ASOS - the folks responsible for the fab (non plus-size) items above) will soon be branching out into the plus size market with new called ASOS Curve. It'll cater for sizes 20 - 26 and they're currently looking for fit models, so if you're a Big Girl who fits the criteria, you could be one step away from ensuring an almost custom-made collection...]]> http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2009/10/asos-to-launch-plus-size-range-asos-curve/feed/ 7 http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2009/10/once-fat-karl-lagerfeld-has-another-anti-fat-rant/ http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2009/10/once-fat-karl-lagerfeld-has-another-anti-fat-rant/#comments Mon, 12 Oct 2009 22:31:38 +0000 Gemma http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/?p=326 Karl Lagerfeld has once again conveniently forgotten that he used to be fat and decided to moan about the use of normal women in magazines. "No one wants to see curvy women," said the designer, on hearing the news that Brigitte, one of Germany's top-selling magazines, was making a move to include 'real' women on its pages rather than professional models. This isn't the first time the Kaiser has whined about bigger women, either. When he created a line for H&M, he complained about his clothes being made up to a size 16, stating he designed only for slim women. Well, Karl, we seem to remember you cosying up to Beth Ditto at one of your shows not so long ago...]]> http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2009/10/once-fat-karl-lagerfeld-has-another-anti-fat-rant/feed/ 5 http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2009/10/make-a-statement-with-dorothy-perkins-luxe-footwear/ http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2009/10/make-a-statement-with-dorothy-perkins-luxe-footwear/#comments Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:55:34 +0000 Gemma http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/?p=305 Shoes are the Big Girl's secret weapon! No matter how much your weight fluctuates they'll always fit, and an amazing pair of heels can add inches, make legs look slimmer and - most importantly - make you feel like you rule the world. High Street retailers know this all too well, which is why they're continually upping the ante each season with more ostentatious offerings. Dorothy Perkins have just announced 'Luxe', a collection of premium styles named after some of the world's top jet-set destination. I'm in love, and I bet you will be too!]]> http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2009/10/make-a-statement-with-dorothy-perkins-luxe-footwear/feed/ 4 http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2009/07/beth-ditto-at-evans-buy-it-tomorrow/ http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2009/07/beth-ditto-at-evans-buy-it-tomorrow/#comments Wed, 08 Jul 2009 12:15:33 +0000 Gemma http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/?p=207 Gossip singer Beth Ditto launches her highly anticipated range of clothing for plus size retailer Evans tomorrow. The range will be available online, but we've just heard about some exciting extra stuff that'll be happening at the Marble Arch flagship store if you're in London. In a move that mimics the hysteria of Beth's mate Kate Moss's launch at Topshop, those generous folks at Arcadia will be offering up prizes, gifts with purchase and refreshments for people in the queue at 9am...]]> http://www.biggirlsbrowse.com/blog/2009/07/beth-ditto-at-evans-buy-it-tomorrow/feed/ 2