TLC's What Not To Wear "Carly" episode: almost as good as FoxyRoxy tips ;)

Hell yeah! I am always so excited when reality shows like "What Not to Wear" and "Say Yes to The Dress" focus on plus size girls, without treating us differently. Wanting to be stylish is universal -fat or skinny. Bravo to Clinton for telling foxy, single-mom Carly that she has a great, beautiful hourglass body that she can be proud of.  Which she can- she is gorgeous! They didn't focus on body flaws, just her style, which I grant you, was pretty misguided.

Carly, like a lot of shapely girls, struggled to find quality clothes that fit in all the right places. So many times, plus size options are either frumpy hoodies or slutty spandex - which is exactly why the TLC tagline for Carly is that she has a "split personality" for style. It's almost not her fault, since unless you spend a lot of time searching, have lots of patience and know where to look, you only find low-quality pieces that are all wrong for girls who are confident, curvy AND chic. Combatting this rut is exactly what FoxyRoxy has dedicated so many shopping hours to!

Carly - if you read this- I feel your pain shopping! It is very frustrating to comb the racks and find nothing that fits right. This is why FoxyRoxy tries to take the guesswork out of it all so you don't end up trying to cram into misses size 16 or swim in 4X sweats. (Shameless self promo: check out the vacation style guides and stay tuned for FoxyRoxy's Fifth Ave Finds from my recent trip down the block to Escada and Bergdorf Goodman)

Lee Lee's Valise, $168

They went to one of my favorite stores in the city, Lee Lee's Valise and scored a 3/4 sleeve "Lisa" wrap dress...A MUST in any color or pattern for every girl looking to flaunt her shape. FoxyRoxy believes that this may be the best silhouette for everyone!
They also guided her to well-fitting trousers and tops that show off curves and little boob without looking like tramp. FoxyRoxy is all about showing off the girls, don't get me wrong, but there is a time and a place for serious cleavage - and the office is NOT one of them. Beachwear and sexy loungewear is a different story.
I wish they would say who designed the clothes she got so I could track all the pieces down, but from the looks of the jersey v-neck top they got at Lee Lee's, it most likely is a Kiyonna style. Again, great coverage while hugging in all the right places, but I would have like to have seen a top with a little less puckering at the empire waist. Empire waists are tricky because if you have a chubby middle, a cute, flowy empire top on the rack could make you look pregnant once on.

Which brings me to my next topic...sorry "What Not To Wear" team, it's not all love from FoxyRoxy. Here is what we think went wrong: 

1. We would not have done bangs (or fringe as the UK calls it) though she ended up looking smokin'!  Bangs take a lot of work to look sexy and not cut off a full face, fall flat or look frumpy. It takes a lot of round-brushing and side sweeping for them to look right on a round face. Foxy Roxy would have done a lot of long layers to open up and elongate the face instead. 

DKNY, "Soho" Bootcuts, $89

2.  We agree with the dark denim jeans as a staple but FoxyRoxy believes that the only reason for skinny  leg jeans to exist is to tuck into boots. Alone they draw too much attention to thick calves. We would have gone with some hot bootcut jeans to balance out the width of hips. Be sure to make sure that they fit (but not too tight) in the booty and thighs so they don't look dumpy or too wide. I am in love with DKNY jeans, but Lane Bryant's "Right Fit" technology jeans are great for hard to fit shapes.

3. FoxyRoxy as always, would have loved to have seen more knee-skimming skirts. Showing a little leg is always a good move if you want your outfit to be a bit more young and flirty. Whether you like A-lines or pencils, just be sure that they are the right size. I always go a size up if I am  buying online or forgot to double-check my measurements. That way you know a skirt won't cause muffin top, show panty lines or cling to your belly.

4. I wish Clinton and Stacey would show the curvy women of the world how to navigate a few tricker style issues, like finding a strapless bra that actually stays in place or getting knee-high boots to fit wide calves. There are so many fashion staples in the world that are available to plus size women, but we sometimes just don't know where to look.

THANK YOU CLINTON AND STACY FOR SPOTLIGHTING HOW STYLE IS ABOUT DRESSING FOR YOUR SHAPE AT ANY SIZE!! AD THANK YOU CARLY FOR SHOWING US YOUR AMAZINGLY SEXY CONFIDENCE!
The average woman in the USA is over a size 12. "What Not To Wear" is a great start to educating America's female majority on what to look for and how to shop for it!

Kudos!

xoxo

Foxy Roxy