AquaMarine! That Kalyani large cup bra you told me about is on sale too!

I went back to check out Bravissimo while I was looking at Breakout Bras. Checking their Sale section, I see the nice Kalyani bra you wrote me about, and lots of other fine large cup bras and very pretty camisoles are on sale there!

The Figleaves Really big sale ends in 5 days. They also have Aviana full figure bras and large cup bras at less than $14! Sizes at this sale are getting real low. I found this Freya underwire balcony large cup bra in my size shopping the sale and putting in my bra size.


I must have gotten the last one because when I went back later in the day to get this picture to show you, my size was gone. So at this point of the sale, shopping by your size and the kind of intimate you are looking for is likely to be the best, fastest way.

For some time now I have wanted to try Frey bras. I do not recall seeing this one above before and had never considered it. I consider it a pleasant surprise at ½ its normal price. I’ll finally have a fun, rather than just practical, bra!

I put a link here for Figleaves on this page’s right column along with the Bare Necessities and Bigger Bras links. This should make it a bit easier to just come here and compare prices.

I kept going back and forth between Breakout Bras, Bravissimo and the above mentioned intimates stores comparing prices. But I kept getting distracted and came to one conclusion. Do this when everyone else is asleep!

So far I can see that both Breakout Bras and Bravissimo, especially in their sale section, have excellent prices and good selections. I will watch these stores and post great prices and styles of large cup and full figure bras here as best I can.

Thank you again AquaMarine for cueing me in on these excellent places to shop bras! I’m happy to hear you are having a fun summer! Even if it is going fast.

And I too am glad, and surprised actually, to see more styles of large cup bras. Even more surprising, as I had my first real good look around this week at the G to J bra styles, is these cup sizes in balcony style!

Where they always there and I somehow missed them?
If not, could this mean a smooth, seamless large cup bra, or several, could be just around the corner?!?!

One can hope!

Reinterpreting the Shirt Dress

Shirt dresses are the best. They are smart, sophisticated but still very feminine and daytime perfect. Tailored, clean cut, prim and pretty, they are the sisters to classic DVF wrap dresses (and can even be worn by girls less well endowed in the chest area!). These kind of shirt dresses, like the ones shown from Ralph Lauren, will never go out of style. But in a more casual atmosphere, as I almost always find myself in, sometimes these shirt dresses make me feel slightly too dressed up, even if they are designed to be perfect for the daytime- like a sore thumb who somehow landed on the streets from the country club.
Luckily for me, the newly updated shirt dress this season neatly solves my dilemma. They are less structured, more casual, with fun, youthful details. And yet they still manage to maintain the very proper and put together effect of a classic shirt dress! These two are from DVF (left) and Sass & Bide (right). I especially love how they made it into a high collar instead on the Sass & Bide dress.
Over at Paul and Joe Sister (left) and Derek Lam 3.1 (right), they turned in the buttons and switched it for laces . Usually I'm not a fan of this type of lacing up (too Pocahontas!), but I think it works here. It gives it a more casual, outdoor-sy feeling to the whole look.
Here are two of my favourite reinterpretations of the shirt dress from Top Shop (left) and Corey Lynn Calter from Nordstrom (right). The Top Shop dress barely looks like a shirt dress with its wide round collar, bubbly sleeves and scrunching. But all the crucial elements are still there. With the right accessories i.e. big colorful necklace, this dress would look so cool and now. Going in the opposite direction, the dress from Nordstrom is loose but still structured in a futuristic kind of way. The addition of the bright yellow belt is absolutely genius. It completes the look. I DEFINITELY wouldn't mind owning this dress!

Image Source: Ralph Lauren, Paul and Joe Sister, Top Shop, Nordstrom and Net a Porter

AquaMarine, I agree Bare Necessities is a fine place to shop Large Cup Bras too!

I’ve enjoyed good shopping at Bare Necessities this year my self. I also found exchanges and returns went smoothly! But for some reason Figleaves has Fantasie’s Olivia balcony style large cup bras, GG to J cup sizes at a full $19 less than Bare Necessities. That both stores at full price. Like wise the Fantasie Anna balcony large cup bra, E to GG cup sizes, is $17 less at Figleaves.

I have had a protracted wait on a bra from Figleaves years ago. They finally got it to me, then sent along a 15% discount on my next order code as an apology for my wait. This year they sent just as swiftly as Bare Necessities did! So I guess they handled that sort of problem!

Both stores are nice to shop. I’ll compare stock and prices here on their large cup, full figure bras and other intimates as best I can.

This Freya Arabella plunge bra is on sale in large cup sizes at both Bare Necessities and Figleaves in 2 colors. It’s $29 at figleaves.com, but nearly out of stock in those colors. If you click on it’s picture below you’ll find it at Bare Necessities for $41.99, a lesser savings, but still in stock in more sizes.

I notice that Figleaves full price on this bra is $2 less than Bare Necessities. Perhaps they can get full figure bras at better prices somehow?

Bare Necessities often has a Discontinued Colors section. That makes it easy to check up on bras and other intimates you might like to try, but a better prices than full. Currently you can find it by clicking on this banner. Then look to the lower left of the page it takes you to you’ll find “Discontinued Colors of Best Selling Styles”.

I’ve enjoyed excellent savings on large cup bras by doing this often.


Bare Necessities’ Clearance section is checking out too!


AquaMarine! It is nice to hear from you again! I hope you and yours are having a wonderful summer!

Large Cup Bras at great Sale Prices!

Sorry I had not noticed earlier but among the great intimates sale items at Figleaves are Fantasie large cup bras! At the moment their Belle full coverage bra that comes in GG to JJ cup sizes seems to be in the best supply. You can see it at the top of our full figure bras page. All of these full figure bras have smaller cup versions too. Just scroll down after clicking on their pictures to find them, on sale too!

These Mariette balcony large cup bras are on sale in this buttercup yellow, still in size 38H


Fantasie’s Gabrielle full coverage large cup size bras are on sale in more colors.


These above full figure bras seem to be having discontinued color sales. Fantasie’s Specialty full coverage underwire bras are a standard that comes in cup sizes H and HH in black or white. Yet these are on sale in black. They can’t be discontinuing black, can they?


I have to wear this bra a whole band size smaller than my normal size. I do not know if this is true of other Fantasie bras. This sale would have been an excellent opportunity to find out. Well it would have been if I had found out sooner. Drats!

This Fantasie Anna balcony bra comes in cup sizes D to H in band sizes 30 to 40. While not on sale it is only $43. Not bad for an H cup size bra with excellent reviews too.


Up till this AM the only Fantasie bras I knew of that came in H cup sizes and larger were the above Specialty bra and their Olivia large cup bras.
Now I’ll be looking a lot closer, especially at Figleaves.

Urban Renewal

I usually walk past the Urban Renewal section of Urban Outfitters, thinking it is vintage stuff, which is not really my thing (not unless they come from a member of my family anyway). At the back of my head, I'd always wondered exactly how they got so many vintage items of the same style in different sizes together in one place. I mean, aren't vintage items supposed to be unique? But I'd never really been interested enough to read the fine print on their website and find out how. It wasn't until my friend mentioned it the other day that I realized what it was. Apparently what they do is collect vintage clothes/fabric and put them together to form new, more updated clothes. That is how they come up with so many pieces of the same style in different sizes. You can buy it at the store or online, where they claim you can even choose colors and they'd make you a completely unique piece using different materials in the same cutting as shown. The whole idea is to re-use materials and it has been around for over 20 years (before the whole go green craze!)- I didn't even know that Urban Outfitters have been around for over 20 years, let alone this division.
One of the reasons I don't like vintage clothes is that whenever I see them they almost always look very dated, hippie and bohemian like, which is so over - thank god! And indeed they do have such stereotypical vintage clothing in this collection here (above: ugh). In fact, most of the collection is like this and I was not impressed. However, there were a few pieces that are intriguing- like this denim vest (right). The extra trimming is quite sharp and refreshing! I'm not really sure how this black blazer (left) is vintage, but I like the cutting.
The ruffled tunic shirt (left) is feminine and romantic looking. Perfect paired with that crisp cropped blazer above! And the floral skirt is cute, reminds me of the floral skirts in the Prada ads this season. Though one should be careful when wearing that in case you look like you're wearing your curtains. Paired with something smart, tailored and modern, it would look stunning.

The thing is though, I'm still not really sure how I feel about this concept of "Urban Renewal." Besides the fact that you still do not know who the previous (many!) owners are, I heard that the renewed material is very scratchy and not very comfortable. On the other hand, we do use recycled paper and bags......so why not clothes? Thoughts?

Image Source: Urban Outfitters

The season for Discount Plus Size Lingerie

I seem to remember this from last year. First the full figure bra and other intimates sales begin. Then the lingerie sales follow! I am pretty sure that last year Fredericks had their best selling plus size corsets and plus size bridal lingerie on sale. This year Henry and June is having a 40% off sale that also includes corsets, bridal and other full figure lingerie too.


All year long you can count on Always for Me plus size sexy lingerie in their clearance sale section, new arrivals and their regular stock!


But now is the time to check out Henry and June and Fredericks for their best savings of the year on lingerie.

The UV Rays Up There

So remember how I've been travelling a bit last month? Most of the flights I took were daytime flights and one thing that really irritates me about daytime flights is the amount of sunlight in the plane. This might sound weird to most people, and even my parents think I'm a total freak for applying sunscreen before a flight but here's the logic: up there in the sky, there are no shades or clouds or anything so the UV rays are naturally stronger and more direct. And it doesn't help that almost all passengers love keeping their window covers up and let the sunlight get through. I usually try to get a windows seat just to keep the blinds down!

So maybe I'm a bit overly paranoid. But while going through my magazines from this year (before throwing them away,) I noticed Elle (UK) had a "Top Tips For A Healthy Flight" editorial from a few months ago. Most of these tips are pretty much what you always read about, like make sure you hydrate by drinking lots of water and applying good moisturiser *Insert product recommendations, naturally*. So most of the time I ignore these editorials since let's face it, they basically just tell you common sense and sell you a bunch of unnecessary beauty products. But there was a 'tip' that I just have to share here since not most people seem to not know or care about:

"Wear a lotion containing sunscreens. 'Recent Studies show that UV rays can penetrate an airplane's windows. Because you're higher, the sun's rays are stronger as there's less proection from the atmosphere,' warns Dr Tom Monroe, director of research and development at Clinique."

See! It's not just me. OK, so a doctor from a major beauty company saying this obviously has commercial reasons, but it sounds logical doesn't it? I'm no dermatologist so I have no idea which sunscreen is the best, but BG and I do love Bioderma's SPF products.

Anyhow, I actually wanted to write this post to rant about people who keep their window blinds up during the flight -just because you like the sun and don't mind the UV rays damaging your skin cells doesn't mean the passenger next to you wants that! OK, rant over.

Image Credit: www.bioderma.com

White Flip Flops

For the longest time, my summer staple have been simple white flip flops. Not the rubber beach kind, but the more sophisticated and dressy type, with actual soles, made of non-rubber material. They are just awesome, because they are summery, comfortable and matches with absolutely everything- perfect for a casual summer day. Ever since my pair of Nine West white flip flops with chunky heels (just the right height!) expired a few years back however, I haven't been able to find a pair to properly replace them.
That is until I laid eyes on my friend's pair of Tory Burch white flip flops (over at their website, they call it thongs.... I have no idea what the difference is). They are just EXACTLY what I've been looking for. While the design is simple and casual, the little gold emblem and the wooden sole gives it just the right amount of sophistication that makes it elegant and classy. I LOVE it. Unfortunately, I've walked through the shop and all the usual department stores, and couldn't find them. They're also sold out online of my size! But while I was browsing, I noticed that they had this design in many different sharp colors, like this yellow one, which I think works great to match/clash with this season's bold color theme.
Another white flip flop I've looked at are these ones from Banana Republic. The patent leather strip and sole transforms this simple, classic design from the beach to the streets. This design also comes in a rainbow of sharp colors and are relatively cheaper than the Tory Burch's (more available too!). The only question now is which color? Other simple flip flops I'that also fits the bill are these ones from Nordstrom. They're basically the same as the ones from Banana Republic, except the straps are a bit wider and have a bit more elevation in the heels. These little details actually help to make these more sophisticated. But the gold shiny stuff on the soles kind of put me off even though I know it won't show when I'm wearing it.... should definitely go check them out!

Image Source: Tory Burch, Banana Republic and Nordstrom

Chasing Harry Winston

Even without the fabulous pair of Louboutins and the three gorgeously fantabulous diamond rings on the cover, the name Lauren Weisberger is enough to make me pick up the book. Not that I think she's a particularly great writer, but because I know that it will be light and fun summer read- just what I am looking for. The whole fabulous, gorgeous people living extravagant and successful, perfect lives looking for love is a bit overdone these days, but I've always felt a connection with Weisberger's books. Even though it wasn't very memorable to some (HG barely remembers it), I felt a strong connection with the character in Everyone Worth Knowing. Bette's story might as well have been the fictionalized version of my future (she went from finance to the fabulous life of party planning to realizing that her true calling was writing)!
Back to the book at hand (at this point, you should realize that there are potential spoilers here). This one is about three best friends making a pact to change their way of lives. One tries monogamy after a life of polygamy. The other goes in the opposite direction and goes on a tour de whore. And the last attempts to convince herself that her perfect life really is perfect. Over all, I thought it was pretty badly written and that Weisberger is now just publishing by reputation rather than by content (this situation sounds oddly similar to the dilemma of yet another bestseller author mentioned in the book!). A lot of times the writing was long-winded and unnecessary. She spent the majority of the first chapter, where the author is supposed to captivate the readers, talking about Leigh's need for personal space and control freak quirks with a detailed description of her apartment. It just made me want to pick up a pen and edit everything out! Only her name on the cover kept me going.

The plot was predictable and mellow. I felt like I was just cruising along the story. Nothing exciting ever happens, because she tries this technique where she just ends the chapter when something does happen and then picks up again after the event. Leigh breaks up with her fiance and we get to read about how nervous she was before the event and her reflections after the event. Adriana meets her "future husband" and we hear about them dating from talks by the other two girls. It was like a whole book of reflection, where the readers were put in the peripheral of the story instead of INSIDE the story. And the other thing is that nothing bad ever happens to the characters. They all lead a charmed, perfect life and everything just magically comes to them, with no obstacles to overcome or anything. One decides she wants to travel the world and a fabulous job miraculously appears. One wasn't even trying and simply finds her true calling in writing. And the other just decides to leave everything she's worked for behind and everything works out. I know that being realistic is not exactly the primary goal of chick lits, but this is just a bit overboard. To give her credit, the characters do each experience life changing revelations (there really wouldn't BE a story otherwise), but everything just came together a little too perfectly.

The relationship between this story and Harry Winston is not a giant rock on a ring as I'd first imagined (and the cover alluded to). The only reference to Harry Winston is a pair of diamond earrings that Salma Hayek wore to the Oscars from there, that a suitor gave to one of them. I guess they were just looking for a catchy title.

One thing Weisberger does do well however, are her characters. She paints them all in a very distinctive but relatable light. My favourite character is Leigh, who has the perfect job and the perfect boyfriend. The thing I love about her most is her control freak tendencies and need to be alone. I can totally relate to that. I LOVED it when she applied sunscreen on her body, then sprayed herself with more sunscreen in case she missed any spot and THEN applied a more expensive sunscreen on her face- rationing that the rest of them will regret it later when they need botox and laser treatment to get rid of their wrinkles and dark spots. That is MY rational as well (although I don't apply quite so thoroughly as she does). Next is Emmy, who just got dumped by her ex of five years, and her dearest dream is to get married and have lots of kids. Having never "played around," she is still very shy around guys and we get to see her get out of her shell in that respect. I feel for every step she took. Then there is Adriana, the fabulously gorgeous and wealthy Brazilian girl who leads the perfectly charmed life. However, even she feels a bit empty, lost and worried about her future. Sounds familiar?

Honestly, not a very original, engaging nor well-written book. But if you are looking for something light and brainless to past time on the beach (or just time in general).........then by all means. It's good and cheery enough to bring a smile to my lips in the end (happy endings always warms me up!).

Image Source: Amazon

Up to 75% off on Full Figure Bras and other Intimates!

Figleaves sale in now in its final stage, where you’ll find bras and intimates at up to 75% off! But sizes and styles are becoming more limited. This Bali Satin Tracings Full Figure Bra is available in a few sizes, 36C to 44D from $8.70 to $14.50.


This Pour Moi? garter belt below is now just $10 in black and $12 in ivory. It gets good reviews and comes in sizes up to 18. Also at Figleaves


I looked around a bit at the same line of Pour Moi? Lingerie and found that Figleaves measured their size 18 and found it to be equal to a US size 14.

This is how I found this Shorty available in size 18, and other sizes, now at just $11.


I could go on. But it would be much better to take any of these pictures as links to Figleaves. Then click on Full Figure, select the shop the sale banner. Then put in your size or styles you are interested in. Perhaps the fastest way to find excellent prices on bras, intimaites and other plus size lingerie in your size while they last!

Bras with Different Straps at the Back

At the end of last summer I evaluated my wardrobe (-something everyone should do at the end of a season or the beginning of a season,) and decided that I really didn't have enough young, casual clothes. Most things I owned seemed so stuffy and old -imagine really boring, plain clothes with boring, unhip cutting. So when I onlined shopped a few months ago, I made sure to reject clothes that were too plain and looked for some colour.

I really liked this tank top (by Kate Moss Top Shop) because it had a hint of colour and interesting pattern on it but it was still my style. But when I bought it, I didn't realise how low the hole at the back was and I liked the top so much I didn't return it. So then I started to look for a bra that was backless or had a ok-to-be-seen-strap.

Why not just show the back of a normal bra? Because I've seen a few people wearing tops and dresses with showy backs like these Top Shop tea dresses with their normal bras showing and believe me, they were not attractive!

Since the UK doesn't have Victoria's Secret, the first place I looked was Marks & Spencer. This bra was kind of what I was looking for. The straps at the back were thin and interesting enough to not remind me of the traditional thick back strap. Unfortunately, it only comes in black, and since the material of the tank top was pretty thin, I didn't want a black bra to be seen obviously underneath.

Then there was this bra. I admit that I've always thought transparent straps as sort of tacky-looking in most situations. (Is it just me?) But I love the idea that the back strap was transparent -an alternative style for the thick strap at the back. Alas, I forgot to buy one before leaving the UK. Now I have to figure out how to wear the tank top! (I prefer not layering with another camisole because it just doesn't look as nice and defeats the purpose of keeping cool.) Any ideas?

Btw, I didn't even consider a strapess, backless bra because I imagine they would feel very uncomfortable and insecure. If any of you have used one, what did you think of them?

Image Credits: http://www.topshop.com/, http://www.marksandspencer.com/

Chanel Paris-London 2008 Ad Campaign

OK, I know this post comes very late since this ad campaign is for Chanel's Pre-Fall collection -the images have already been out since last December and have been published in June 2008's magazines, (which we know means that they've out for years in fashion years,) but I just noticed the campaign seriously when I was in a Chanel boutique last week and saw the campaign booklet lying around. I saw the costume jewelry and I flipped through the booklet and fell in love with the campaign. It's been a long time since I've been able to honestly say I love an ad campaign but this one is absolutely stunning.

First off, I admit I simply do not know how to appreciate Amy Winehouse's music and I dislike her beehive hairstyle even more. You know how a few designers have been using that beehive hairstyle on their runway shows? Well I hated most of them. But the way the Amy Winehouse inspiration has been used in this campaign has totally changed that messy look into something very elegant and sophisticated. Coco Rocha manages to pull off an elegant, young, sophisticated girly look with a hint of dark edginess. Just look at the images above!

Usually I hate it when the models are randomly holding many bags or wearing way too many accessories in ad images, but this campaign pulls it off seamlessly. It's got a perfect balance of being gorgeously artistic and being commercial. I mean, after looking at it, I don't only think it's seriously captivating, I also really want a bunch of those accessories! This is definitely one of my favourite Karl Lagerfeld-photographed campaign!

I LOVE all the golden silver accessories -like this feather hair accessory and huge neckalce -it's so glamorous in an uncomplicated way.

Bravo to Coco and Karl for pulling off this ad perfectly!

Image Credit: http://www.chanel.com/