Silhouette’s New Holiday Line: Plus Size Glitz & Glam

DAHLINGS –

Before all of this Cintra Wilson nonsense, I had the good fortune to be invited by the lovely people at Silhouettes to take a sneak peek at what they have in store for the paying customers for the holidays. So I packed Bucky into his black Chanel carrier and off we went, into the bowels of midown Manhattan.

What first caught my eye was all of the très en vogue des chaussures! (You must know by now that I have a weakness for footwear.) And fashion-forward boots. Dozens of pairs of adorable flats, stylish heels, I could go on and on. All in double-wide sizes, which as my faithful readers know, means a great deal to moi! My only regret is that this picture of these delightful jewel-embellished flats is not in better focus. Although as usual, Bucky the Wonderdog photographs perfectly.

Here are some wonderfully on-trend riding boots, the first pair made of a combination of leather and cotton twill:

Many pieces had touches of beading, stones and glitz, such as the top of this cream blouse, trimmed in transparent stones. Chunky vintage-style jewelry was very much in evidence, as were a variety of prints from floral to abstract. There were also blouses in gold and black sequins; your faithful correspondent is a sucker for flash.

There was a great deal of rich royal purple in the collection, such as the sweater below. Also many swirling gray pieces, mainly coats and toppers. This black and white herringbone outfit with its pencil skirt and open front jacket is tres chic, (although your faithful correspondent would put a more flamboyant top underneath).

As mentioned, this Chanel-inspired ribbed cotton sweater caught my eye, detailed with high-quality metal buttons.

Again, one wishes this photo of this magnificent dark red swing coat did it justice. Not only does it have a HUGE flare from the tailored shoulders, the back is detailed with matching large buttons!

Even Cintra Wilson would be hard-put to say anything negative about this collection. Although I am certain she would. But as for yours truly, these beautiful clothes make contemplating the holiday season just a bit less unbearable.

Start your shopping here! http://www.silhouettes.com/

Ciao,

Elisa & Bucky the Wonderdog

Now Cintra Wilson Knows How It Feels To Be Fat

DAHLINGS –

Poor Cintra Wilson. Since writing her cruel, snide review of J.C. Penney for The New York Times a few days ago, the Internet has been roiling with rage. Directed at her, for the most part. (If you need more information, please read my previous entry.)

She apologized on her blog three times, first mentioning she’d interviewed Beth Ditto (“Some of my best friends are fat people!”), then telling her readers to get the knot out of their panties. When neither of those apologies assuaged anyone, the Times apparently ordered her to take a big-girl pill (pun intended) and issue a radiantly insincere apology:

Because of my personal beliefs as a Buddhist, I very much regret that my JC Penney article in the Times caused any wounded feelings whatsoever, particularly to people who already feel they take more than their share of abuse from our very shallow and ridiculous society.

Your faithful correspondent admits to her lack of knowledge about Buddhism. It’s something to do with not owning anything and staring into space while uttering profound aphorisms, I think. Because of my personal beliefs as an atheist, I very much regret that Ms. Wilson, as an abusive member of our shallow and ridiculous society, writes for The New York Times.

As does nearly everyone else with a keyboard, apparently. The blogosphere is filled with rants; everything from calling Ms. Wilson a horse-faced crack whore to calling her critics fat slobs in sweat pants who drive up the cost of health care.

One hastens to add that I have written neither of these things. I prefer civilized discourse. Although yes, I have contributed to the discussion on a number of blogs.

What fascinates me, because I am the center of my universe, is the amount of hate mail I have received since my previous entry. Since I have been dictating this blog-thing for three years or more, I have long since become inured to being called a “fat twat”, a “retard”, a “stoopid snob who dont know anthing”[sic]. Perhaps I should have published the comments I have received, since they have veered quite far from the standard insults I receive.

Two commenters are convinced I am actually a man.
One commenter said I was robbing Mr. Blackwell’s grave. I still don’t know what that means. Should I be offended or proud?
Three commenters wrote [paraphrasing] that I should shut my fat hole up/stuff my mouth with food and write about something I know something about.

In a way, I actually feel bad for Ms. Wilson. Now she’s having a double-sized portion (again, pun intended) of how most plus-sized women feel treated by society all of the time. Especially by the fashion establishment and the media.

Her mistake was to publish an article in The New York Times that was the equivalent of those signs one sees in taverns of the the more sordid sort: “No Fat Chicks”.

I promise to move on to happier topics, such as the lovely holiday line coming soon from Silhouettes!

Ciao,
Elisa & Bucky the Wonderdog

Cintra Wilson "Hates On" Normal Women In The New York Times

DAHLINGS –

Two days ago, Cintra Wilson, a writer for The New York Times, wrote a perceptive yet deeply insulting article about the opening of (gack) J.C. Penney in the Manhattan Mall. In her “Critical Shopper” column, “Playing To The Middle,” Ms. Wilson quite accurately writes about the cheap designer knock-offs the store traffics in:

Since the 1970s, J. C. Penney, like a retail Island of Dr. Moreau, has been doing a sinister experiment with various designers, turning them into something … not quite human. The plot is a fashion democratization known as “masstige,” which sounds gynecological, but is a marketing term created by a fusion of “mass” and “prestige.” It refers to a downward brand extension: designers compelled to put their good names on down-market lines of “affordable luxury.” (Read: items in cheaper materials, sold at lower prices.)

She goes on to name the various designers, some of them completely obscure, who do “masstige” lines for the store, including Kimora Lee Simmons.

However, the majority of Ms. Wilson’s article takes deadly aim at the, er, larger-sized customers that flock to J.C. Penney’s. She laments the lack of size 2s in stock, but is shocked, shocked to find clothes in 10, 12 and 16! She sees this as a stroke of diabolical marketing genius, particularly where the displays are concerned:

It has made a point of providing clothing for people of all sizes (a strategy, company officials have said, to snatch business from nearby Macy’s). To this end, it has the most obese mannequins I have ever seen. They probably need special insulin-based epoxy injections just to make their limbs stay on. It’s like a headless wax museum devoted entirely to the cast of “Roseanne.”

Purely gratuitous fat-bashing, don’t you think? This sort of unthinking “skinny superiority” absolutely enrages me, I do not mind telling you.

Ms. Wilson is a body snob of the worst kind. Of course, most fashion people are body snobs (pace Karl Lagerfeld), but to me, “Playing To The Middle” hits below the belt. It makes me want to slap Ms. Wilson and then force-feed her a giant chocolate cannoli from Veniero’s. And then not let her go to the gym to work it off.

Oh, she throws in how delighted shoppers are to vote with their money for a store not for exercise-crazed skeletons. (Of which, apparently, she is one.) But she still cannot keep herself from making more snide comments about the customers:

No matter how many Grand Slam breakfasts you’ve knocked out of the park, Penney’s has a size for you. Ladies will find kicky little numbers that fit no matter how bountiful the good Lord made them; in the men’s Big & Tall section, even Voltron could find office casuals.

The Good Lord may have made many women bountiful, but He has certainly made Ms. Wilson’s mind tiny, petty and mean.

I welcome your comments, dear readers, both pro and con.

Ciao,
Elisa & Bucky the Wonderdog

You can read the full article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/13/fashion/13CRITIC.html?_r=1&ref=style