Just Who is a Nightgown For?

Nightgown Things No Responses »
Nov 022009

Pure, butter colored silk nightgown with a halter neck and drawstring bodice.

Pure, butter colored silk nightgown with a halter neck and drawstring bodice.

A wise man once said that the UK and the USA were two nations divided by a common language – certainly as a resident of 12 months standing (just) I am struck by the many differences between life in the UK and my new life here in Florida.

Most striking is the sunshine – even with the news reports of doom and gloom it’s pretty difficult to feel depressed in all this sunshine – and it’s equally difficult to feel good about wearing all those sensible wardrobe ‘basics’. While navy, charcoal and black are pretty well the only colors you see in the UK, Florida sunshine seems to demand brighter, happier colors which would be regarded as pretty poor taste in Bond Street.

But it’s in attitudes that the differences become really apparent. While a European woman will dress for herself – understanding that much of her appeal lies in her self-confidence – women in the US still seem to dress for others. When we talk to women about the kind of nightwear they want they keep telling us what their husbands like, invariably something short, transparent and not for the shy. When pressed the same women admit that they actually fall into bed in an old, but comfortable sweatshirt.

Ladies of America! The pleasures of silk, satin and lace at bedtime are many and they ARE for YOU and not just for HIM. The fabric feels fantastic -you feel feminine – relaxed, elegant, comfortable, cool, in all senses of the word!

Posted by admin at 1:16 pm Tagged with: , , , , ,

Plus Size Trends in 2010

Nightgown Things No Responses »
Oct 302009

If youv’e seen my facebook page then you’ve already seen the picture of the torn stockings which are, apparently ‘in‘ for fall 2009 and 2010? According to who? I can’t imagine Tim Gunn telling me to go about with my stockings in tatters. Is that what they call ‘fashion forward’ these days? I was delighted to know that black is now ‘in‘ (hey guys, it’s never been out except in some cloud cuckoo land) and that designers are catering to our need for cheaper things to wear by reducing the number of items in their collections and using black and grey to denote the somber mood.

Do I need help to feel somber? No. I can manage that perfectly well for myself, thanks. And frankly from the look of Agent Provocateur latest collection I’d say they’d taken the ‘pared down’ thing a little too far. Two spots and a couple of chains for $290?

There are some trends to admire. Deep, rather than dark colors can give a wonderful feeling of warmth and luxury, deep purple’s and teals will be high on our list as we prepare for 2010 – but frankly they’re my favorites anyway. Here are some of the ‘rules’ we live by at Certain Style

  • Black is never ever ‘out‘.
  • Grey and navy always look smart
  • Torn tights and stockings may be fashionable but they look AWFUL, whether it’s called grunge or ‘distressed’
  • There are three colors in the ideal outfit, not just two
  • Business clothes require high contrast e.g. navy suit, ivory blouse, grey suit, white blouse, etc. etc.
  • As you get older brighter colors may suit you more – don’t get stuck in a rut
  • If something is ‘in‘ there is the instant implication that at some time it will be ‘out‘. If something is ‘classic‘ it’s never ‘out‘. Which makes the better wardrobe investment?
  • Red is much easier and fun to wear than people seem to think

You look best in colors that suit you Find out what these are – find out what the trends are and wear those colors from your palette which are, supposedly, ‘in‘ if that’s what makes you feel good. Otherwise, just wear what suits, as to whether it’s in, if you look and feel great, who cares?

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Posted by admin at 2:28 pm Tagged with: , , , , ,

When nothing fits - use a nightgown?

Nightgown Things No Responses »
Oct 302009
Helen - originally designed as a nightgown, makes a great evening gown!

Helen - originally designed as a nightgown, makes a great evening gown!

Sometimes invitations come at the wrong time. You need to dress in a particular way but you can’t, perhaps you’ve had a stay in hospital or recently gained (or lost) weight or for any number of reasons you find you want to go somewhere and the appropriate clothes are hanging in your closet, but they don’t fit.

There are lots of ways to react to this

Rush out and buy more – if you have time, money and a local store that sells your size of the right sort of garment.

Buy from the Web – as above, if you have the time and can wait for the delivery.

Make something yourself. Have you done this before? Do you have the time? Maybe not then.

http://www.mccallpattern.com/ , http://www.voguepatterns.com , http://www.sewingworld.co.uk/Sewing_Patterns.html?gclid=CMCYgqbFkJYCFQXGsgodaAMxEg

Order something to be made – not as silly as it may sound – there are many ‘fashion emergency’ services to be found on the internet where you can get something made to measure in under two weeks, if you have the time, the money (there is usually a rush fee) and are willing to gamble that they will get it right. (Peggy Lutz at http://www.plus-size.com usually operates a fashion emergency service for size 12 and up (her 2X is equivalent to a size 36) and of course at Certain Style we are always happy to create something custom made to your size.

Decide not to go. This is defeatist and I’m ashamed of you. Hide your light under a bushel? Really that’s a no.

Go in what you have – much better. You’ve been invited for your company (probably) and your sparkling wit can sparkle in anything, so do your best and go anyway. This is great, and probably the ‘correct’ approach psychologically, but it’s not something I find easy. Try a variation.

You have got just the right thing. You looked in the wrong place. Look in your closet again. And your daughters and your husbands and your sons (if necessary, though probably to be avoided). Now look at your lingerie. Some garments are relatively ‘easy fit’ and far more forgiving of changes in size than others.

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Do you have a wrap? Silk wraps can be pinned in place to make supersmart tops for trousers.
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Do you have a camisole? These days underwear as outerwear is not just acceptable it’s fashionable. If the whole ‘what do I do with my bra straps’ thing bothers you – you can buy decorative bra straps from several internet sites.
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Do you have a nightgown? It’s easy to ignore the possibilities of nightgowns, but depending on the fabric these can be very versatile garments. Nightgowns are rarely designed to be tight fitting, and with the right underwear and jewelry can make sophisticated evening or cocktail dresses as you can see in our picture.

Do you have a shawl or a sarong? Shawls can be pressed into service as evening stoles while throws can be used as capes or wraps in a fashion emergency. Sarongs don’t have to be kept for the beach. Tied correctly they can make fabulous dresses. http://www.sabinesarongsplus.com/

Clothes can have more than one use, think about that when you buy, and like Cinderella you can always go to the ball.

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Posted by admin at 11:32 am Tagged with: , , , ,

What is Plus Size Anyway?

Plus Size No Responses »
Oct 062009
Liz, beautiful plus size model (yes really) in our last (June) photoshoot

Liz, beautiful plus size model (yes really) in our last (June) photoshoot

Yesterday my phone rang. It was V, the very talented makeup artist who makes our models look so good in the pictures you see on the Certain Style web site. She wanted to check out the arrangements for our next shoot, on October 17th. First question, obviously, was ‘have you got a model’. Fair question, I wish I had an answer, but V told me she could solve my problem as she waS working with a modelling agency who had two new plus size models. V knows we like to use plus size models for our shoots. I was delighted – believe it or not plus size models are not easy to find – or sample size is usually a 38-40 bust. I reminded her of that – ‘Oh’, she said,’ No I don’t have anyone that large’. Pardon me. Did I not ask for plus size? I had to ask.

‘So in what way are your models plus size?’

It took some time to get an answer to that one, but in the end it turned out that the models in question were ‘curvy’ whatever that means. One a 34 inch bust, one a 36. I was, and am, lost for words. I can see what’s going to happen next. All the magazines will be claiming that they use these so called ‘plus size’ models, but they still won’t be getting anywhere near the dimensions of an average living breathing american woman. So if the sizes don’t suit we just change their definitions? Where have I heard that before? Oh yes, that’s how we got this ‘size 0′ nonsense in the first place.

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Posted by admin at 7:33 am Tagged with: ,

Should nightgowns have sparkle?

Nightgown Things No Responses »
May 302009

Our boudoir bra and skirted panties with matching chiffon wrap.

Our boudoir bra and skirted panties with matching chiffon wrap.

Here at Certain Style we’ve been having a difficult day. One of the items for our new range is a simple sleep ‘bra’ and we wanted to make a short robe to go with it, but we can’t agree on the fabric. When you’ve made something very brief and lacey do you want to cover it up? If you choose something with sparkle might it look more like a costume than regular nightwear, and if so, is that necessarily bad?

It’s probably no surprise that ‘costumey clothes’ get the vote of all the men in this organisation – I personally like a bit of sparkle on most things; after all we already have a very popular organza robe with tiny embedded crystals – but we decided not to go for it. I’ll post the picture when it’s available and you tell me if you agree, there’s plenty of room for sparkle, even in an elegant bedroom.
– Update- we’ve just added the picture of the final ensemble. What do you think? Should we have gone for the sparkle?

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Posted by admin at 12:41 pm Tagged with: , , , , , , ,

What Shape is Plus Size?

Plus Size No Responses »
Apr 282009
I’m a fan of any blog which provides useful information for what is known as the ‘plus size community’ . I try to keep up on what is going on in the ‘plus’ section of cyberspace – or as we might call it the plogosphere, but today I was genuinely fascinated to read http://blissfullydomestic.com/blissful-style/how-to-dress-a-plus-size-body-type/ which offers a video on how to dress the ‘plus size body type’.

Assorted lingerie styles
Image via Wikipedia

It’s not that I disagree with the advice – well OK, yes I did disagree with some of the advice – but what struck me most was the title – ‘How to dress a plus size body type’.  Have I been missing something? Is there only one shape that is ‘plus size’?

One thing you learn very quickly when making plus size lingerie (as we do at Certain Style) is that women come in all shapes and sizes from tiny and fragile  to statuesque. Those who fall into the plus – size bracket – and the definition of that changes regularly – are not simply one part of the market. There is no such thing as the ‘plus size body type’  – there are many many body types many of which are plus size.  I myself am a petite plus. No, that isn’t a contradiction in terms. I’m plus, but short. It happens, despite the ridiculous belief amongst clothing manufacturers that  all plus size women are amazons! There again there are many astoundingly beautiful women, among them many plus size models, who are five feet eleven and over. You cannot say that what looks good on a woman who is five foot eleven looks as good on a woman who is five feet tall, yet both can be plus size.  You can’t say ‘emphasise your neckline’ to woman with a very large bust and expect things to look the same on her as they do on someone who may be technically the same size, but carries her weight primarily around her hips.

In short plus size is just a label and it is not a particularly helpful or descriptive one.  And the fact that  our measurements are large doesn’t mean we don’t want to be noticed. ‘Wear dark colors’, we are told, because they are flattering. Rubbish. What you mean is wear dark colors because they are slimming, because your edges blur and are not distinct against the background. Wear dark colors and blend in so you won’t be noticed.

I’m as keen on tasteful dressing as the next woman, but anyone who thinks that you can dress 64 inch hips like mine in a dark color and have them go unnoticed is living in a dream world. Personally, I like to wear red.  It’s a fabulous color and since you’re going to notice my size anyway I’d like you to notice that I’m not just large I’m also cheeful! All plus size women are not the same. Please don’t generalize.

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