Sizing Problems for Women's Clothing in Australia

Yesterday I watched the Current Affairs about the problems women have faced when they shop for their clothes size at different shops or at department stores with different brands/designers. Not only Australian sizing is inconsistent, the problems are all over the world especially when people shop for their clothes over the internet; it would be difficult for having an international sizing standard for all countries; it's why I wrote articles, videos ( http://youtu.be/PoAHh-lpjMI ) to give plus size women some tips on how to buy a good fit swimsuit online.

Real Women in a Real World

I've just found an interesting article whilst surfing on the internet. It's about how women's body shapes have changed after having children in the real world; their bodies are far from perfect as some celibrities' post-childbirth bodies in two tiny pieces of swimwear. And then there is a link to a forum website for real women to share their pictures, stories...
If you're interested in joinning the community, here is the website:  http://theshapeofamother.com/

Choosing Swimsuits for Plus Size Women

Find out how to choose a swimsuit which flatters a plus size figure in this video:


The swimwear images on the video are from Curvysea Plus Size Swimwear collection http://www.curvysea.com

Plus Size Swimwear: Flattering One Piece Swimwear for Real Women

According to a recent survey for plus size swimwear, the majority of plus size women prefer one piece swimwear to two piece swimwear. What is the reason for a plus size woman choosing the one piece? Mary, mother of three, said: “With one piece swimsuit, I feel more secure as I have a large tummy and the suit flatters it by tucking it in”

Claudia, 45 years old, likes one piece because she is tall and she has a large and long body “It’s impossible for me to choose two-piece bathers because of my long torso, most of them don’t even reach my belly button I do not want the risk of exposing my tummy budges while wearing them”

That’s why one piece is the best choice for plus size women. One piece plus size swimwear can come in different designs: simple and practical swimsuits; fashionable one piece or swimdresses; fashionable plus size swimsuits in one piece can have a V-shape neckline, bandeau or halter neckline with large straps to support a big bust.

Plus size swimdress has become quite popular for full figured women since the last few years. A flattering swimdress, which has empire waist, would help cover your big hips and thighs; or if you have no waist curve, a swimdress with flowing skirt would camouflage your waist, taking the main emphasis off your waistline and would make you look flatter and more attractive.

Solid colours or prints on plus size swimwear will depend on your shape and skin. There are some colours that plus size women can wear such as dark purple; red; emerald green; turquoise; navy. For the prints, stay away from bold prints on area/s that you do not want to attract the eye, say, if you have large hips or tummy, you would not want to wear a swimsuit with bold pattern/ bold flowers prints on the lower part of the swimsuit, instead, the big prints should be on the top part where you want to accentuate.

Armed with the above knowledge, you will not go wrong in finding a flattering plus size swimwear which would help you look more attractive and therefore you would gain more confidence at the beach or on your holidays.  

For more swimsuit tips

, you can go to    
http://www.curvysea.com/swimsuit-advice

Online Tips For Buying Plus Size Swimwear

If you have not purchased a swimwear online then this guide will give you some tips on how to buy a flattering swimsuit and how to find a good plus size swimwear website:

Plus Size Swimwear Styles for Plus Size Women’s Shapes

Pear shape: You have larger hips & thighs than your bust and shoulders. Choose two piece plus size swimwear (Bright print on bust top and dark coloured bottom) or empire waist swimdress.

Heart shape:  Your bust and shoulders are larger than your hips and thighs.  Swimdress or skirtini would do the trick because it will hide the uneven body proportion.

Hour Glass shape: You have a curvy body. Your shoulders, bust and hips, thighs are similar in size except your waist. Tankinis with halter neck and dark coloured brief will help minimize your shape.

Boy shape:  with no waist and flat rear, broad shoulder.  Plus size swimwear in two piece (skirtinis) with halter neck will create curve and make you look more feminine.

Curvysea New Season Plus Size Swimwear Collection SS2012/2013 Images

The Curvysea® new season plus size swimwear collection is launched .  One of the swimwear images is featured on SHOP TIL YOU DROP magazine November issue.
The plus size swimwear pictures and description can be found on:
http://www.curvysea.com
http://www.curvysea.com/one-piece-swimsuit/one-piece.html
http://www.curvysea.com/two-piece-swimsuit.html
http://www.curvysea.com/swimdress.html

Curvysea New Seasoned Women's Swimwear 2013

My summer women's swimwear collection is due to hit Australia shores in October 2012 offering fashion-savvy plus sized women a lot of new swimwear style and colour choices.  The collection theme is "Me and My Beach"
Arriving just in time for warmer months, the latest swimwear collection offers trendy colours such as magenta pink; neon blue and bright Jacaranda with a touch of metallic trims; along with a variety of designs.
The new seasoned swimwear is designed to make plus size women feel beautiful, and with a design philosophy of relaxed sophistication.With bright colour blocking as a key trend for the season ahead, make a statement with the must-have Curvysea swimwear.

A Busy Week at MAFW 2012

The beginning week of May was my busy week with schedule to attend the Mercedes-Benz Australian Fashion Week designers' shows in Circular Quay,  Sydney. 

There were many beautiful and colourful designs from New Generation shows of young designers (including some Hongkongnese designers).  I like designs from Winson Tan; Chailie Ho; they're beautiful and sophisticated.  Designer Roopa Pemmaraju's beautiful Summer dressess were unique and elegant; Kooey's swimwear collection including women's swimwear and men swimwear featured bold styles and striking colours (what a pity that the swimwear collection is still mainly for a young, slim body!).
For next year 2013, the MAFW organisers plan to move the show time forward to March instead of May (31.4 to 4.5).  I think it would make more sense for designers and buyers as the timing will allow designers to prepare and for buyers to stock their shops.

Happy Holidays and a Prosperous New Year!

2011 has been a fantastic year for us and our lady customers. We wanted to simply say thank you for your continued support. It was a real pleasure to work with each and every one of you and we hope you are having the Happiest Holidays and a wonderful New Year!
Happy Swimwear Sales from Curvysea Team!

Summer Trends 2012 for Plus Size Swimwear

Trend for plus size swimwear in Australia Summer 2011/2012 seems moving toward more classic "sassy" styles with more tropical bright colours. In addition to bright coloured fabric; the classic colours such as black and white will stick around; blue hue and purple will be the hottest colours for Summer.
Bandeau and unique one-piece swimwear become more prominent than they have been in the past as the styles create a "sexy" look for plus size women. Finally, you will see attention to detail in trims, print patterns and linings across the range. Animal prints for the coming season will be seen on a lot of designers' swimwear.
Two piece swimwear for plus size such as tankinis and skirtinis are still popular because of their mix and match.
Whatever swimwear styles that you choose, make sure they suit you, make you look flatter and fashionable.

My view over RAFW designers shows

I and my best friend (a lady whose size is 20) attended RAFW 2011 designers collections in Circular Quay Sydney about two week ago. With my thought that I would be able to find some ideas for my swimwear design next year season but I was quite disappointed with most of the collections which I saw because they are designed for young girls who have flat chests and tiny bums and they're thin like sticks . Surely the new season (Spring/Summer) clothes, including beach wear and resort wear, look beautiful on them but will they look good on plus size women who have curves? I doubt that! The Fashion Industry in Australia still dominates mainly slim (or very slim) people and the reality is that there are more full figured women than thin women in the society.

above are some new resort and swimwear pictures that I took from the shows.

Swimwear Summer 2010 Trends

Designs for swimwear tend to come back to the late 70's and early 80's, styles from one-pieces, underwire one or two pieces to studding, metal rings, ruffles. Swimwear trends seem to leave out cutouts, revealing, sexy style, instead, they go back to more glamorous classic styling. Vintage swimwear designs are back with bright colours ruffles, feminine florals and unique one pieces, comfortable but sexy in fashionable cuts, become more popular than they have been in the past. Colours such as reds, greens and blues are main part of the swimwear season.
For lingerie, black lingerie including chemise or babydolls will always be trendy. Red is a perfect colour for lingerie, look for sexy lingerie sets in this color then you'll be right in style! Cobalt colour is a favourite and this coloured lingerie will look great on women in summer time. Lacy lingerie (whole or just lace on the bust) will be fashionable and seductive.

What Swimwear Styles are Suitable for Plus Size Women?

It is a challenge for a plus size woman to find a swimsuit which fits her as well as flattering her appearance. So if it is your challenge, which style or design would give you a flattering solution?

- If you have a short neck or double chin: Avoid wearing swimwear styles with high neck cuts, it will make your neck look even shorter or the chin will look more obvious, instead, a swimsuit with a deep V neck cut or deep U neck cut will drive the eye away from the neck.

- If you have large arms: A swimwear with bright or bold prints on the bust will attract the attention and shift it away from the arms. You can also camouflage them by putting on a cotton or sheer polyester tunic / kaftan with deep colour when you get out of water.

- If your hips and thighs are large: A swimdress with colourful prints on the bust and plain dark/deep colours on the rest of the swimwear will do the tricks and will take the eye attention to the bust.

It has a similar effect for 2 piece skirtinis swimwear. The skirtini top with bold and beautiful all over print will distract the eye and the deep/dark plain coloured skirt will camouflage the hips and thighs.

- Tummy sticking out: Most plus size women face this problem. Swimdress with empire waist, a high-waisted dress, gathered just under bust with a long, loose skirt would be the best solution especially if there is colourful, bright print on the bust and the rest of the dress is in plain dark color.

A big "no-no" swimwear styles/designs for large size women are:

-Bikinis: They will show all of your bulging flesh and will attract staring.

-Monokinis (An one piece swimsuit with large cut-outs at the sides, front and back, with top and bottom connected only by a thin strap). These styles are suitable for young females with a flat stomach. The style has absolutely no support and no flaw camouflage for full figures.

-Swimwear with very high leg cuts, transparent swimwear (see-through when it is wet) or horizontal striped swimsuit.

Swimsuit style is a matter of personal choice but make sure you choose a swimsuit that you feel great wearing and you will enjoy this summer in style.



A new collection of one piece or two piece swimsuit, women's plus size swimwear, tankinis, skirtinis, swimdresses and plus size lingerie are available at http://www.curvysea.com/

How To Shop Online Safely For Plus Size Swimwear

Ten years ago, when choosing a swimsuit or lingerie in plus size range was quite a difficult task and there were not many choices, especially online. Now, a plus size woman can "google" or "Yahoo" (typing in the search engines' browser) key phrases such as "plus size swimwear; plus size swimsuits; plus size lingerie" and voila, she can find her swimwear /sleepwear from browsing through websites on the net. But how would you find a website that you can trust with your details including your credit card beside having a flattering swimsuit and a great customer service?

There are few tips to shop online for plus size swimwear:

- Look for the business registration number to see if the website is legitimate through their business registration with their countries goverments. For instance, in Australia we have ABN No.(Australian Business Number), usually, the ABN is located at the top or bottom of the Home page.

- Having anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewall programs on your computer will also serve as protection from scams (e.g. McAfee anti-virus gives "safe or phishing" indication right next to websites' title on search results).

- Stay away from offers that are doubtful and suspicious. If they sound too good to be true, then they usually are.

- Ask your friends/relatives for any advice or any experience whether they have had great or terrible customer service from the company. Or simply to see if there are real testimonials from
customers' experience stated on the website.

Before purchasing swimwear or lingerie online, make sure you do your home work:

- Look at the company's refund/return for exchange policy. If they make the process difficult by questioning customers before they accept the return , then stay away.

- Know your body shape and size. It's best if you know your bust, waist, hips measurement because different manufacturers/brands/designs have different sizing system

- Double check your postal details especially your post code, on the check out system to make sure they are correct, if you mistakenly put a wrong postcode number then the delivery from the post office will be delayed or the parcel may simply go to a wrong place.

- Keep your order information email and any payment record until you have received the product.

Myer's Plus Size Cat Walk

"Plus size models will share the catwalk with glamour girl Jennifer Hawkins when Myer launches its new fashion ranges from this month"

That's great news! I always support models with real curves on catwalk. I have been at many fashion shows and all I have seen were tall, thin models who showed off most of their ribs instead of their boobs or bums. An ideal model's body size should be like Marilyn Monroe's body (Size 14) and should represent the majority of women's bodies in our society.

Curvysea will launch its new season swimwear and lingerie collection for Summer 2009/2010 soon and its theme will be "Beautiful Plus Size". The new ranges will include unique designed one piece swimsuits, two piece tankinis, skirtinis, swimdresses styles beside sexy plus size lingerie, sleepwear for plus size ladies.

Source:

http://www.news.com.au/

http://www.curvysea.com/

Retail Cuts Plus Sizing

Recently, I read an article on a news paper about many large clothing companies in the US such as Ellen Tracy, have eliminated plus size range (including swimwear, beach wear), while giant retails like Ann Taylor, Old Navy, Gap have either reduced or dropped the lines altogether, citing 'low demand'

Low demand! How in the world is that even possible? The average woman nowadays is size 14 or more, being what is considered plus size. There seems to be a perception by clothing designers/manufacturers that plus size women don't work, have no money and therefore can not afford their stylish clothes! Well, they're wrong, I have known many women in size 14 +; these ladies have good jobs and have shown great knowledge of styling through their hair, make up and clothing.
Plus size clothing costs around 10% more to produce than smaller size clothing, since it requires special cutting patterns, different fit models, more fabric and more freight costs if it's imported. This may be one of the factors together with the recession and economic downturn that cause many large well-known brands for plus size to cut their lines.
Or there may be an issue citing fashion discrimination against plus size women?

Smart Packing Tips For Travel Lovers

I have found a good article which is about how to pack smartly for travelling, especially for overseas traveller to avoid paying unnecessary excess baggage fees.
One thing I would like to add to the tips is that like many of us, we have at least one scale (a health scale) at home. We can pack and weigh our luggages using the scale a few days before going to make sure we will not excess the baggage allowance, and therefore to save us from paying high fees for the over limit kilos at the aiport check in.
Here is the article link:
http://au.travel.yahoo.com/b/danielfitzpatrick/16/packing-light
Happy holidays and do not forget to visit Curvysea Swimwear and Lingerie, you can save up to 50% on swimwear and plus size lingerie.
http://www.curvysea.com/