Me Wants It: Valerie Mayen, McQueen, Choo and more!

Did you know that Cleveland, OH holds its own Fashion Week every May?

Or that three Ohioans competed in Season 5 of Project Runway?  

Or that Seasons 3, 6 and 7 also each had one contestant from the state?

Or that at least ten different Ohio schools offer degrees in Fashion Design?

Most people don't think "fashion" when they think of Cleveland, yet fashion is an important facet of the city.

Project Runway kicked off it's 8th Season last week.  During the premiere episode we were introduced to another local contestant: Valerie Mayen.  Although she's been sworn to secrecy regarding the show, the local buzz is that she may be among the final contestants competing for top prize.

Valerie's designs, and her shop Yellowcake, are well known amongst Clevelanders who do follow fashion.  This weeks edition of "Me Wants It" includes two coats from her etsy shop that would be perfect for those chilly Cleveland days that are around the corner.

  

I love the name of this Valerie Mayen coat: The Blue Kangaroo.  How cute is that, and how great is the color?    

This white Valerie Mayen coat is also just as lust-worthy.  Great shape, excellent-looking construction.  I don't know which coat I like more.
 

 

This military-inspired Jack by BB Dakota coat is not as luxe as Mayen's pieces, but it is still on trend. 

Moving on to footwear, first up are these Frye Over the Knee Boots in distressed, pebbled leather.  I can't decide between smoke and black.  Which do you prefer?

Then we have these Jimmy Choo suede ankle boots.  I love this take on shearling - very glamorous. 

Saks Fifth Avenue NYC recently announced that it would begin carrying some designs in size 14 (and up) in (extremely) limited numbers.  In the meantime, I can pretend the two dresses come in my size.

I love the exposed lining and frayed wool in this Alexander McQueen's distressed pencil dress.  

There is a definite vintage feel to this printed silk dress by Erdem.  All it needs is a pen necklace like the one Joan wears on Mad Men!

My weekly bag pick is this Sara Berman studded slouch bag.  Check out the different sizes of the studs on the bottom of the bag.  It's a softer look than the studded bags of the past few seasons.

 
  

Finally we have this simple necklace by Gorjana.  I'm a huge fan of her line, and this piece is no exception.  

What are you coveting?  What Fall trends are you most excited about? 

All images courtesy of net-a-porter, Etsy, shopbop, and ModCloth 

Saks Fifth Avenue NYC to Carry Plus-Size Chanel, Dolce and YSL

Stop the presses.

Saks Fifth Avenue in NYC has broken the mold.  Or at least bent it a little.

The New York City location of Saks is piloting a program that will have them selling plus-sized clothing with high-end designer labels.  According to Racked, sizes from select designers will no longer stop at a size 10 (see my earlier blog post lamenting this unfortunate trend here) and instead be available up to a size 14.  Some pieces will even be available up to a size 16 or 20.

Wow.  Someone pinch me.  

Participating designers include Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Toula, Akris, Armani, Carolina Herrera, Escada, Donna Karan, St. John, Oscar de la Renta, Max Mara, Valentino, Michael Kors, Yves Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen, Fendi and Roberto Cavalli. 

Sound to good to be true?

Well, there is a catch.

Only one of each size will be stocked for most of these pieces.

One.  

Because - obviously - the demand for these pieces is small.

Righhhttttttt.

Getting your running shoes on now to beat the crowds.

Well, it's a start at least... if the initiative proves to be successful, Saks will begin to stock plus-sized clothing in stores around the country.

... I am feeling just a bit less invisible today.

Images courtesy of google images.

10 Women Who Make Being Curvy Sexy

Have you heard?  The Season 4 premiere of Mad Men is this Sunday.  Everyone I know is excited about it and Mad Man fever is seemingly everywhere.

Confession: I have never seen an episode of Mad Men.  I know, I know - how is that possible?  Everyone watches Mad Men, right?  

Nope, not me.  Mad Men has become a casualty of my efforts to avoid getting sucked into a new TV show.  Despite this, I am still very aware of the phenomenal 1960s-inspired design and fashion on the show and admire the talented cast.  I adore Christina Hendricks.  She is an unbelievably gorgeous woman who embraces her curves and carries them beautifully. Mad Men fever got me thinking about the other women who have not only embraced but also worked their curves over the years.  Here are a few of my favorites (in no particular order):

1. Christina Hendricks:  her role as the uber-curvaceous Joan on Mad Men made her a household name, but it’s her “period body” that has made her famous.  Mad Men creator Matt Weiner told the LA Times that the show looks for actors whose bodies accurately represent the silhouettes of the 1960s.  That means the women on the show have to have natural curves and normal proportions.  Christina maintains a positive self-image that is refreshing, despite running into some criticism this past Awards season.  She recently told Health magazine that back in her modeling days she gained 15 pounds when she moved to Italy.  "And I felt gorgeous!" she said.  "I would take my clothes off in front of the mirror and be like, Oh, I look like a woman. And I felt beautiful, and I never tried to lose it, ’cause I loved it."  What's not to love about a statement like that?





Esquire Russia, June 2010



2. Marilyn Monroe: It's impossible to discuss this topic without mentioning the timeless beauty of Norma Jean Mortenson (aka Marilyn Monroe).  Marilyn is the quintessential sex symbol.  She had a perfect hourglass figure, and she loved to show off that figure.  It's even been said that she liked to wear her clothing so tight that her dresses were often sewn onto her body.  To this day her actual weight and measurements are debated, and likely always will be.  Some say she would be considered "fat" by today's standards, which may very well be true if we are talking about Hollywood or fashion industry standards.  In the real world, however, Marilyn would never be considered fat.  A bombshell, yes.  Fat?  No.





Marilyn by Sam Shaw, in Amagansett, New York, 1957.



3. Beyoncé:  The word "bootylicious" is often used to describe Beyoncé Knowles.  It's actually a very accurate description.  Although there are other well-known women who are known for their "booties", it is Beyoncé that is the all around package.  Again, she has a fabulous hourglass figure that many women would love to have and many men would love to get their hands on.  She is curvaceous and proud of it.  Beyoncé told US Weekly how she feels about being curvy.  "I feel best when I’m not really thin and not really heavy – when I’m still curvy. I really believe that everyone is supposed to be different, and whatever is a natural weight for you is usually what looks best. I never want to get to that point where it’s not natural. […] I think it’s important to feel like a woman, as well as look like a woman.”  She hit the nail right on the head.  Every woman is different, and therefore every body is different. 





Sports Illustrated, Winter 2007



4. Sophia Loren: Dark.  Sultry.  Italian.  Undoubtedly one of the most beautiful women in the world, Sophia Loren is also an extremely talented actress.  Her career in film began in 1951 when she was only 16 years old.  She went on to star in over 90 films and has received much critical acclaim for her work.  At the same time, her looks and sex appeal never went unnoticed.  She knew that and she owned her curves. "Everything you see I owe to spaghetti" she said.  I wish I could eat spaghetti and look like she did!  Sophia is just as striking and voluptuous today as she was in her youth.  She even posed - at the age of 72 - in a racy spread for the Pirelli calendar, sharing the pages with Penelope Cruz and Naomi Watts among others.  Confidence is sexy, and Sophia has loads of both - innate sexiness and confidence. 





Sophia in her youth (Left), Sophia at 72 (Right)



5. Tyra Banks: Full disclosure: I am not a huge fan of Tyra.  I don't care for her talk show, and America's Top Model isn't my cup of tea.  However, I do admire the way she handled the public scrutiny that came with her own weight gain a few years ago.  She gained about 30 pounds and went from having the figure of a supermodel to having the figure of an average size 12 - 14 American woman.  She not only defended her weight gain to critics, she also stayed that size for a few more years.  Today she's slimmed down again (but remains curvy!), but I respect how she handled herself throughout the more curvaceous years.





A curvier Tyra on the runway



6. Kate Winslet: I have a girl-crush on Kate Winslet.  It started back in 1997.  There was that one scene in Titanic.  That extremely sensual, sexy scene where Leo/Jack paints her nude portrait. I watched and kept thinking "wow, she isn't a stick like most actresses.  She actually has curves.  And she is doing a nude scene!"  Simple as that, my girl-crush developed.  Like Christina Hendricks today, Kate was criticized for her size when Titanic came out.  Though she is significantly smaller today than she was in 1997, I have a ton of respect for how she handled that criticism.  She has repeatedly stated that she will not let Hollywood dictate her weight and stands by that.  She holds firm in the belief that you need to be happy with your body.  While promoting "Little Children" in 2006, Kate shared that “more than ever now, I believe it’s so important to look as real and true to life as possible, because nobody’s perfect. I seem to be on a mission, but I don’t want the next generation, your daughters and mine, growing up thinking that you have to be thin to look beautiful in certain clothes. It’s terrifying right now. It’s out of control. It’s beyond out of control.” I love her attitude.  Plus, she's beautiful and quite possibly the best actress out there today.  Yeah, girl-crush.  





Harper's BAZAAR, August 2009 (Left), Madame Figaro, January 2009 (Right)



7. Sara Ramirez:  Sara joined the cast of Grey’s Anatomy in 2005 as orthopedic surgeon Callie Torres.  In interviews she has been very open about her struggles with weightloss and low self-esteem, and shares that her weight has yo-yoed from a size 6 to size 14 over the years.  Her struggles hit close to home for me, as does her acceptance of who she is now.  "I’m not going to lie" she told Glamour magazine.  "I still have days when I walk by the mirror on my way to the shower and think, oh God, I didn’t just see that! But I’ve learned to stop myself and ask, am I being realistic? What do I love about my body? What am I grateful for? The answers to those questions remind me that I’m very blessed."  I sometimes ask myself those very same questions.





Unknown Photoshoot



8. Jane Russell: Jane was a popular American film actress of the 1940s and 1950s.  Although lesser known than her contemporary, Marilyn Monroe, Jane was actually the more voluptuous of the two.  She was signed by Howard Hughes and starred in a number of his films.  She went on to also have a musical career, but while focusing on film her cleavage caused some controversy and even censorship.  The photo below where she is lounging on a haystack was a popular pin-up with servicemen during World War II.  She was a striking beauty in her day.  Jane, like Marilyn, would likely be considered overweight by today's Hollywood and fashion industry standards.  Yet, like Marilyn, she remains a popular sex symbol to this day. 





The Outlaw, 1943 (Left),  Unknown (Right)



9. Queen Latifah:  Queen Latifah is another woman who works her curves.  In an effort to get healthier, she joined the Jenny Craig program and proceeded to lose 20 - 30 pounds.  She turned 40 this year and looks absolutely fabulous.  In 2009 she told Access Hollwood that “it’s not about losing weight or what you look like. […] it’s losing it for the purposes of being more healthy.”  Being healthy should always be the #1 priority.





2010 Academy Awards



10. Mae West: Before Marilyn.  Before Sophia.  Before Brigitte.  Before Raquel.  Before Farrah.  There was Mae.  Mae West was the original sex symbol. Born in 1893, Mae West was an American actress, playwright and screenwriter.  She was an American icon famous for her voluptuous figure, quick wit, and sexy innuendos. In a February 2000 piece for Salon Magazine, Cintra Wilson stated that "[Mae] was an unstopping font of self-approval, who could justify any passion for herself, any look, any sensation, any sin; she was, in her way, truly liberated. When the fashion of the time shifted away from her body type, she adopted a different decade; West got herself up as an 1890s good-time girl in order to make the most of her womanly mounds instead of trying to bind herself into the no-hipped, no-breasted flapper look of the '20s. When she didn't like her lines, she rewrote them. When acting roles stopped coming her way, she wrote her own. When the cops came, she laughed."  She was the first sex symbol and a rebel.  
    





Mae West, Dates Unknown

Sophia Loren once said "I think the quality of sexiness comes from within. It is something that is in you or it isn't and it really doesn't have much to do with breasts or thighs or the pout of your lips."  I agree.  Each of these women is different.  Each is sexy.  Each is beautiful.

Do you disagree with any of the names on this list?

Who would you add?

All images courtesy of Google images

Me Wants It: Rings, rings and other things...

In about 30 minutes I am leaving the house for a round of ACTUAL shopping.  I’ll be heading to Legacy Village and Beachwood Place to hit up some of my favorite stores.  In my dream world, each of the items below would be coming home with me this evening.

Let’s start with this beauty.  Talk about a statement ring!  This Kara by Kara Ross for Tory Burch ring is an absolute stunner.  I can hear it now: “is that an eye?!”  Why yes, yes it is. 

Taupe is one of my favorite neutral shades.  This See by Chloé's tassel-trimmed leather tote is perfect for the Fall. 

In my dream world, this draped aubergine silk crepe de Chine dress by Vionnet would come in a Size 14.  

Same is true for this Vanessa Bruno petrol wool-blend jersey dress.  So chic.  So not in my size.  Maybe one day.

When it comes to jewelry I tend to shy away from precious gems and look for unique stone instead.  I love these Monica Vinader's sterling-silver stacking rings with labradorite, smoky quartz and lemon quartz.

I’ve also been searching for the perfect knuckle ring.  I think I’ve found it.

These House of Harlow 1960 suede wedge boots would be my go-to footwear for the fall.  *Love*

Finally, LOOK AT HOW CUTE THIS IS!  I NEED this See by Chloé's twitter keychain.  Tweet, tweet.

Now, off to do some real-world shopping.

All images courtesy of net-a-porter and shopbop.

Size 14 Is Not Fat Either... It's Invisible

Blogging is a new thing for me.  I am learning as I go, and have just started to tell a few of my closer friends that I am doing it.

As you can probably tell, I am trying to keep my blog fairly anonymous.  That may change down the line somewhere, but the main reason for that is my identity.  My parents are both European, and although I was born in Cleveland, Ohio,  I have a very unique name as a result.  Chances are, if you Google my name, you’ll find me.  Heck, if you were to Google my first name with some key words, you’d find me.  So anonymous it is!

The few friends that are aware I have a blog have asked what the name, Beautifully Invisible, means. 

When I started this process selecting a name was actually one of the toughest things for me. 

I wanted something that would reflect the content of the blog, but also reflect me, as a person.   The name came to me one evening as I was exploring a few sample sale sites.  It seemed like every time I clicked on a skirt, pair of jeans, or dress I was interested in, the sizes stopped at 10. 

Me?  I am a pretty consistent size 14 with the occasional 12 thrown in.

At my smallest, I was a 9/10 and that was back in my college days.  And I thought I was big back then. 

Today I am confident in myself and who I am.  Could I stand to lose some weight?  Yes.  But I regularly work out and eat healthy, and it isn’t happening.  I’ve grown to accept the 14 I am now.  I know I am nice-looking, and being a size 14 doesn’t take away from that.  In fact, I am a curvy size 14, and I think that just adds to my looks if anything.  If I lose weight down the road, I won’t complain, but I am happy in the skin I am in.  Usually.

 

I haven't read this novel, but I love the title!

Back to the title of this blog.  So there I was, trying to spend my money on some gorgeous new clothes with no luck because of my measurements. 

The same thing has happened to me while checking out certain pieces on shopbop, net-a-porter, intermix and countless other sites.  

The same thing happens when I walk into certain bricks and mortar stores (especially boutiques!).   

I am out-sized of so much of the great, fashionable clothing I love. 

To make matters worse, there are some great sites out there for plus-sized woman, but my measurements are generally too small for the items they sell.  Seriously? 

So here I am, your average American size 14 wannabe-fashionista, and I can’t wear half the things I love and lust over. 

 

I love you Alexander McQueen Cashmere and Silk-Blend Sweater Dress

I am completely invisible.  How does that happen? Is this only  my imagination?

I started doing some research online and came across a great Los Angeles Times piece by Emili Vesilind that addresses this every issue:  “Fashion’s Invisible Woman.”

Turns out it’s not my imagination after all.

This quote is from the LA Times piece:

“ When Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld, who spent most of his adult life battling a serious weight problem, created a capsule collection for H&M in 2004, the newly svelte designer was incensed that the retailer manufactured the collection in larger sizes. "What I designed was fashion for slender and slim people," he said. And in an interview in the March issue of Harper's Bazaar, he sniffed, "The body has to be impeccable . . . if it's not, buy small sizes and less food."

This, my friends, seems to be the philosophy that too many of the designers out there follow today.

Yes, there are designers out there who DO have lines for us “bigger” girls.  But not enough. 

Yes, there are non-high fashion brands I absolutely adore out there that sell size 14s.

Like H&M and Ann Taylor Loft for instance.  But make sure you buy what you want ASAP because that size 14 will be out of stock very quickly.   

I love shopping at Nordstrom, but I am usually sized out of items in their high-fashion Savvy Department.    

There are some great boutiques in the Cleveland-area as well, like Banyan Tree, but again, I am often sized out of clothing because the designer simply doesn’t make the item in my size.

There are so many blogs out there that I admire, and blogger’s whose style I admire, but sometimes I am too afraid to even try to buy from a new source because of the sheer possibility I will be disappointed.  

So I stick to what I know works.  And I have mile-long lists of things I want to buy but can’t because I am invisible.

Guess I'll have to stick to spending my hard-earned cash on accessories and shoes! 

 

 





I love you Proenza Schouler PS1 medium leather satchel.

I love you Yves Saint Laurent Tribute Suede Sandals.

(All images either from google images or net-a-porter)