Curvy Girl

Enter our Plus Size model search today!!!!

2008-10-01T14:19:00.000-07:00

Enter our Plus Size model search today!!!!

Anyone else annoyed with the ARE YOU FAT CLICK HERE banners?

2008-09-28T14:57:00.000-07:00

I am sure many of my plus size My Space friends (many of whom I will never meet, but you are my kindred sister, nonetheless) have been on MySpace and noticed the below banner ad. Over the past few days, I think it is the ONLY AD that is running at the top of my screen. I own a company. I do banner ads. But, it never occurred to me - ever - hey, let's attract new business by INSULTING people. Let's call people FAT and then maybe they will say - hhhh......fat.....yes, you must be talking to me....I'm sorry, it took the word FAT to get my attention.

I clicked on the ad (I know, I shouldn't have) but I wanted to figure out who it was so I could tell each an every one of you NOT TO CLICK ON THIS AD OR BUY ANYTHING FROM THIS COMPANY. For many reasons, but primarily because I am flabbergasted at their total lack of courtesy towards their potential customers.

Now, before I go sounding like a hypocrite (a title I sometimes associate myself with)...I own a company - I sell plus size clothes. We have a MySpace page. It is important for us to constantly introduce our brand to our potential audience, so we spend a lot of time adding new friends in MySpace (and we hope our existing friends tell their friends about us). How do we find those
friends? We browse for women who have added "a little more to love" or "little extra" as that is our target demographic, not only for our clothing line, but for Curvy Girl TV, an online station launching in January 2009. I am sure this Acai Berry company paid a lot of money to advertise to that same little group with their banner ad (above). My husband, who is not overweight, does not see this ad (I checked). So, kudos, MySpace, you clutter my bannerspace with products and companies dedicated to getting me out of the plus size demographic. And believe me, I've tried. I continue to try. As many of us do for whatever reason we have. But, because I am overweight, do not assume I am stupid. Do not assume that you can insult me and that I will be eager to go buy your product, just because, gasp, god forbid I'm fat. I won't be buying your product. I will tell my friends, family, and anyone who listens - do not buy this product. I don't care if it works (most fad diets do) - I don't care if Oprah loves it (allegedly). Is this how someone would advertise to a non plus person? Would they say "Hey, skinny b!Tche$! CLICK ME!!" Maybe they would. The reasons advertisers do this is because IT WORKS. So, ladies, stop making it work. Stop clicking on the ad. Stop buying the voodoo and crazy fad diet products. Billions of dollars are spent each year on products that (for the average person) don't work or, if they do, they don't last. In my lifetime, I've probably lost (and gained) 200-300 pounds (if you count each swing of up and down) and spent thousands of dollars. It is a daily battle for many of us and a lot of us want a quick fix for a long term problem. Let's not make these companies any richer. Please. And let's not put up with their name calling any more. While the word FAT doesn't bother me, per se, it is the thought of this company questioning my intelligence that does. I will no longer pay people to insult me. Join me in this cause. When advertisers start speaking to us like our best interest (and not just our money) are part of their concern, we will start opening our wallets.

Below I have listed my version of the banner (and I'm not much of a graphic artist, I know) - please feel free to take it and put it on your site :)

As always - love your body - every curvy inch of it (and if you are in L.A. - join us at the Love Your Body Day on October 12th in West Hollywood where Chenese Lewis & Kim Coles are sure to put on one heck of an event for women of all sizes - encouraging all of us to love the body we are in...it's the only one we're gonna have)

~Lisa

Post your videos for consideration on CurvyGirl.tv - launching January 2009

2008-09-01T16:13:00.001-07:00

My Curvy Friends!

We are proud to announce that we are launching CurvyGirl.tv (not associated with curvygirl(dot)com) in January 2009! We have been working for a while on having some good segments to coincide with our scheduled launch date.

If you have ever produced a video, you may understand the length of time it takes (and cost) to produce a good segment. Since we producing these segments out of our own pocket, we have had a limited production schedule. As time passes, we hope to obtain many sponsors to assist with the cost of producing quality segments.

The good news about Curvy Girl TV is that we are also relying on our audience to provide high quality videos for posting on the site.

We are looking for YOU, to help us submit the best content related to the plus size lifestyle.

Before you decide if you want to submit...here is our mission statement:

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Curvy Girl TV and its curvy correspondents will fill a gap in today's media, reporting stories important to today's curvy woman (size 8+), with a special focus on the plus size lifestyle, a demographic almost ignored entirely in today's media outlets. Curvy Girl is committed to providing stories of depth that are equally entertaining, informative and inspiring. In addition to news and lifestyle stories, we will post funny skits as well as highlight plus size performers (singers, artists, actors, dancers, models, designers, musicians, stand up comedians, etc…).

All stories will be posted online at www.CurvyGirl.tv. In addition, they will be posted on several online sites that receive tens of thousands of hits per day, including MySpace, YouTube, CurvyGirlClothing.com.

Incorporated in 2005, Curvy Girl LLC is a lifestyle company catering to plus size women. Curvy Girl's first venture was www.curvygirlclothing.com, an online boutique taking the plus size fashion industry by storm. We offer fashion forward trendy styles, in plus sizes (12+). Our flagship store opened in Portland, OR in fall of 2007...

Curvy Girl LLC is NOT associated with curvygirl.com. To visit us, please check out www.curvygirlclothing.com. Look out for curvygirl.tv being launched in January 2009.

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Videos should be under 10 minutes in length (same as YouTube). They should be of good quality (image and sound). They should not have profanity or nudity. One exception to profanity is performance art submissions. Sometimes comedy, poetry and sketch includes profanity - just tell us ahead of time so we can warn our viewers. Nudity, on the other hand, is not acceptable. Please understand that there is a fine line with respect to profanity - if we find the video to contain so much profanity that it is vulgar and of bad taste, we will not accept the submission.

The types of videos we are looking for:

- PERFORMANCE ART which can include: Stand up comedy, Sketch comedy, Poetry, Singing, Musical performance, Rapping (MC), Belly dancing, Interpretive Dance, Unusual talents (you know if you can do something that makes people want to watch), Hip hop dancing, etc...

- SKETCHES (COMEDY). If you've seen videos by Joy Nash or Eric Schwartz on YouTube or MySpace, you know what we are talking about. Funny and original sketches are wanted.

- FUNNY VIDEOS: Think America's Funniest Home Videos (minus the grand prize)...something that will make someone giggle. Did you fall down at your wedding? Did something happen on camera that will make us laugh...share it!

- FASHION & BEAUTY ADVICE. If you have some fantastic tips for the plus size woman with respect to makeup (how to apply it, what types of products to use) or beauty (what colors are going to be hot next season or styles). Are you a serious fashionista (not a part time one, but a hard core one) - this is something you could have a lot of fun with. Please consider that you should be well groomed in the video if you plan on giving beauty advice to our watchers! Make sure you are dressed nice with your hair and makeup done if you plan on giving advice on fashion or beauty.

- EXERCISE & NUTRITION. Oh dear me...here we go! Trying to tell plus size women to lose weight. AB-SO-LU-TELY NOT! But, as plus women who want to be as healthy as possible, we want to share healthy tips on exercise and nutrition tips to our viewers as much as we want to share Fashion and beauty trends.

- RECIPES. Do you want to be Martha Stewart for the day? (maybe a bad example)...do you have a favorite recipe you want to share? Pretend you had your own cooking show and show us how to make your favorite dish. Don't forget to include the recipe and where you got it from (i.e. grandmother, Betty Crocker, etc...)

- RUNWAY VIDEOS: Plus size fashions on the runway are always very popular. If you know of a local fashion show in your area - make sure they add plus sizes to the schedule.

- VIDEO BLOG: Do you have an interesting story? Are you going through something wonderful, scary, exciting, heart wrenching (or all of the above) in your life (i.e. marriage, divorce, pregnancy, death of close one, disease, new beginning, rehab) - share it on video. We will do a background check on candidates selected for this and obtain references. Are you an actress trying to make it on broadway or in Hollywood? A dancer? A singer? A comic? A cougar? A puma (a cougar in the making) ....share your story with us...

- DECORATING TIPS: Especially on a BUDGET. Tell us where to go to find the best deals on buying cheap things to decorate our homes. Or, give us tips on how to use what we may already have

- HOW TO VIDEOS: How to paint - how to dance - how to do origami...do you know how to do something you can share with other women?

- NATURE: Introduce us to nature. Are you the next Jeff Corwin? Of course, don't go messing with dangerous animals if you don't have the experience for it...

- BOOK REVIEWS: Important here. The author has to be a female size 8+ or the protagonist has to be a female size 8+. How will you know? Oh, you'll know. Review your favorite book. Tell us why you love it (or why you don't). Hit the important issues - how does it relate to ME (me being PLUS SIZE WOMAN).

That's what we are starting with. We are producing other types of segments as well (inspirational, interviews, red carpet events, movie reviews, etc...) in the Los Angeles area, but we are looking forward to seeing submissions from across the globe for the segment ideas above.

Important considerations:

You must own the exclusive rights to the video or have written permission to allow us to use it.

The video must highlight a woman who is at least a size 8 or above (28 inch waist). Yes, this is correct. The woman must have a PRINCIPAL role in the video (i.e. not just a small role).

Please use good taste with submissions. We are a plus size community and it is unlikely we will post submissions that are insulting to plus size women (i.e. a sketch that uses a plus size person as the target of a horrible weight based joke - where that is what the person submitting considers the "funny" of the video).

The video can not be a commercial for your product or service. It cannot include website locations or other messages sending people to your site.

We understand that size 8 and 10 women (even 12) are not considered plus size to the average woman. A size 8, 10 or 12 woman would probably not consider herself plus size. They are, however, a forgotten segment in the media and rarely represented on tv. Plus size modeling agencies consider any woman a size 8+ for their plus size division. As such, Curvy Girl TV is putting that size within our demographic as well. Those women don't deserve to be shunned by our community as well.

Please note: We will not provide compensation for the videos submitted. Submissions will not be returned unless you send a self-addressed stamped envelope with your submission.

A release form must be signed by the owner of the video prior to us posting it on our site.

Not all videos will be selected. We are selecting videos based on many factors, including (but not limited to): quality, length, pertinence to the size 8+ or plus size woman/lifestyle. In the future, we may allow users to upload their own video content - at this time, all videos will be screened and selected by Curvy Girl TV staff.

We are not allowing electronic uploaded submissions at this time. You can email us a LINK to the submission for consideration. If we like what we see, we will then ask you to mail us a DVD of the video so that our techies can upload it. DO NOT EMAIL US a video as an attachment - the email will be deleted.

This is your opportunity to shine as a CURVY ARTIST/PERFORMER.

If you don't have a video but want to produce one (maybe this is motivation to go out there and make one), here are some tips:

- Lighting is important - make sure the room is well lit

- Distractions are a no-no. If you are taping something in your house, try to make sure the baby isn't crying in the background (unless it's part of the video). Try and have a clean background (i.e. if you tape in your house - clean up first) :)

- Sound is key. Let me say again...sound is key :) We aren't expecting top quality in sound - but do the best you can - try and not tape segments outside if it is windy (the camera will pick up every gush of wind) unless you have the right equipment to minimize unwanted noise distractions.

- Keep it simple. We are dealing with videos 10 minutes or less - try and make your point in as few minutes/words as possible. Let your video and images also tell part of the story - you don't have to always tell us what you are doing (or why).

- Editing. If you have an edited video - awesome. We prefer you send it fully edited. That being said, we reserve the right to take any video and let our editor edit as s/he sees fit. Since the editor isn't cheap, it is unlikely we will edit too many viewer submission videos, but we may decide to do this from time to time. You would be aware of the edit prior to us posting the video.

HOW TO SUBMIT:

Mail your submission and signed release (DVD only - we don't have a VHS player!) to:

Lisa Toton - Curvy Girl TV - 716 S Los Angeles St 303 - Los Angeles CA 90014

You must print, sign and include a copy of our release as well as a Video information sheet (which lists the information about the video and the people in it). All persons in the video must be over 18 years old. If they are not, a parent or legal guardian must sign a special talent release on behalf of the minor:

http://www.bigriggs.com/CGTV_Adult_Model_talent_Release.pdf

http://www.bigriggs.com/curvy_girl_tv_segment_information.pdf

or

EMAIL a link to your YouTube video to curvygirltv@curvygirlclothing.com with title: VIDEO SUBMISSION. We will let you know if we would like you to submit a DVD submission of your video via mail. (we will still not accept video uploads even if we authorize the video prior to you sending it).

We look forward to receiving your submissions!!!!!!!!!! Please do not call to follow up on video submissions - if we have an interest in posting your video, we will contact you once we have reviewed your video (to make sure we have the proper forms and information about you.

Please vote for Miranda in the Shirley of Hollywood model contest!

2008-09-01T13:55:00.000-07:00

To all our Curvy Friends!

Please help a curvy girl out and vote for Miranda Walz (and Curvy Girl) in the Shirley of Hollywood Sexy Model Search!

Many of you recognize Miranda as one of our models (she has been for over 3 years now), and the girls career is on fire! Since moving to Los Angeles (for college), she has been getting all kinds of work in this town! She's shattering the notion that women have to be at least 5'10"+ and a size 8-10 to get any work! At 5'7" and a size 14, this Curvy Girl is a force to be reckoned with! (and, yes, we know some women will say she doesn't look plus) but measurements don't lie! At Curvy Girl, we use all kinds of models, and Miranda is proof that the non standard model can find success! (we'd like to think we are a small part of that) :)

About the contest:

Curvy Girl Clothing sponsored Miranda in the 60 years of Sexy - Shirley of Hollywood Sexy Model contest. Shirley of Hollywood is one of the world's largest lingerie manufacturers and one of the few who have a very large plus size selection. I personally own a few pieces of Shirley lingerie and it is exquisite. Chances are, some of your own personal favorite lingerie was manufactured by Shirley of Hollywood. To celebrate their 60th year in the industry, they are sponsoring a huge model search to find the best "straight size" and plus size models out there. The models get a trip to the Bahamas, a shoot with a celebrity photographer and an appearance as a principal model in their 2009 catalog.

I am SHOCKED at the low number of plus submissions to this contest (no jab at Shirley here...but I know so many gorgeous plus size women who would rock out this contest) - so far there are only 5 plus size models posted (albeit, 5 of the sexiest women in the contest, if not THE sexiest) - so she has a great chance of a trip to the Bahamas (the top 5 plus models will go to the Bahamas where the winner is announced in September). The top 10 "straight size" women will be going to the Bahamas.

She could use your vote to help her win FAN FAVORITE (the voting that is going on right now). The actual contest voting should be up any day now.

You can vote for her as many times as you'd like - but try and go in and vote for her at least once if you can. :)

http://www.thebachelorguy.com/index.php?action=plugin&name=fullmodels&type=item&id=7

How does this help Curvy Girl? Exposure, of course! Not to mention, we receive a lingerie allowance for our store if she is chosen! (and the Shirley lingerie at our store sells FAST!!!) Have you seen their hot corsets!

XOXO,

Lisa, Laura & Mi'Lane

(and Miranda, of course!!!)

The photos represent the different types of products Shirley of Hollywood carries (corsets (their specialty), panties, costumes and stockings (including some ultra sexy body stockings)

What do you consider plus size?

2008-09-01T13:52:00.001-07:00

So, what do you consider as "plus size"?

Industry standards say it is a size 14, but some people say a size 16. A size 14 has a 34 inch waist (a true 14, that is). Coincidentally, the average woman, at 5'4", is also a size 14.

If you look at the size charts of major plus companies, most will agree that a size 18 is a 38 waist and 46 hip and goes up or down about 2 inches per size. What you get when you shop at most of these places, however, is an entirely different story, but that is a different blog (rant) altogether.

Every day we receive tons of emails from our friends, fans, supporters (and some haters). And every single day we have discussions about what is "true to size", or even a more general question of - what is plus size. Most women will say they are a size 18, for whatever reason. Owning a plus size clothing company, I can give most of these women a once over and know that there is no way they would fit in an 18, but I keep my mouth shut. But, then, they start talking about how they USED TO BE PLUS SIZE or say something offensive about plus size people. And it irks me. A lot. I still keep my mouth shut and those close to me know exactly how hard that is for me to do. I want to drag them by the ear and go store to store and demand they put on an 18 pair of jeans without lying down, the use of a fork to assist in pulling them up or some serious squat thrusts. But I don't. Lying to me is not a big deal. Lying to yourself, however, is tired and pathetic. I'm offended when people don't accept being plus size. Like something is horribly wrong with it. Meaning, something is horribly wrong with me. Or maybe you just don't know that what you measure up to is considered plus size (again, I blame a lot of the clothing manufacturers for this and I wish there was consistency and industry standards).

I'm a size 22. I have a 42 inch waist. My measurements are 53, 42, 49. I don't apologize for my size but I could never look someone in the eye and say I was a size 18 and I would never look someone in the eye and deny falling into the plus size demographic.

This past week, we dealt with three women who insisted they were size 18 with the following waist sizes: 41 (close), 46 and 53. 53!?!?! What is interesting to me is that I hear from no less than 2 women per week with 50+ inch waists who say they are a size 18. Always 18, like clockwork. And who am I to say they aren't? I just say that at my store, a size 18 is a 38 waist and if you want to have a good fit, to use the measurement chart to determine your size. You see, even if I talk to you on the phone, my size 18, 38 inch waist pants will still not fit your 53 inch waist - the measurement chart still applies.

If EVERYONE is a size 18, then what is true to size? What is really an 18? Is it a 38 waist? Is it a 42 waist? Or does it matter? My vote is for womens clothing to be like mens - sell them by inches (i.e. 36x32) and then there is no confusion.

More importantly, what do you consider plus size?

Our principal model is a size 14 (34 waist) with a true hourglass shape (42, 34, 42). She is also 5'7", 4-5" shorter than the average model in height but 5-6" larger in the waist. As stated above, the average woman is a size 14 and 5'4". A size 14 is considered plus size, therefore, by using a size 14, we are reaching the largest audience. That is, if you consider the law of averages.

She can't walk into a store like Forever 21 and buy something unless it goes on her feet or on her head. She's too big for pretty much all of the items. Can she shop at most other large name shops? Yes, but there are also tons of stores and trendy boutiques that she cannot shop at. She understands the pain and frustration of a plus size woman and she identifies with being plus size. Why is it that some larger plus women refuse to accept her as plus size? Why is it that 1 in 500 emails is from someone who is irate because our model is not the same size that she is? Why is it that if a woman is not your size or larger, that she must not be plus size? Some days I feel that size 26+ women think size 26 should be the small end of plus size and that women smaller than them are "too skinny" to be plus size.

I am curious to how many plus women look at their Roaman's catalog when they receive it. And, admit it, most of us receive it. Did you notice the size 6 women they have modeling the clothes? Did it ever disturb you to see these women modeling things up to 9x? It disturbs me. Why? They are size 6.

Did you know that agencies consider size 6 (but usually 8) the low end of the plus model spectrum? Did you know they consider a size 14/16 to be the very large end of the plus model spectrum? We are talking about the larger (and more reputable agencies here). Call a large agency looking for a size 18 or 20 and it is slim pickings.

Did you know that there are several large online companies who use models who PAD themselves with "fat suits" prior to a shoot? Yes. It's kind of unnerving because the model can't even fit in the smallest size of the clothing she is representing. Why do they use them then? I know why. They SELL the clothes. If they didn't, they wouldn't use them over and over again. But why do they sell the clothes? No one knows but the consumer. So, you tell me why you are buying clothes from a website or catalog that are using models who are wearing inches of padding. I'm guilty. I buy from sites who use size 8 models.

We use a 14 as our core model, for many reasons. But, she's a 14. A size society recognizes as plus. Another favorite model of ours is a size 18 with the hips of a size 20/22. And she's got a rockin' body (and a rockin' personality we might add).

Are we opposed to using size 22+ models? Absolutely not. If they sell the clothes. We've done our research. We've used larger models. By and large, when we put our items on larger models, the clothes sit on the shelves longer. A lot longer. We change out the photos to a size 14/16 model and the clothes sell at a much faster rate. Larger sizes first. Go figure.

Someone tell me why!?!? I can just hypothesize. I sit back, a plus woman with plus relatives and plus friends in a plus world - and I can just shake my head in disbelief. As an entrepreneur, I need to do what sells because this is how I support the people I love. After enough trial and error, you go back to what everyone else is doing because your first goal is to sell merchandise.

This is kind of a random blog and I'm trying to piece my thoughts together, and it's hard to do. I want to hear from other people, other plus size women who have the same thoughts. It's so taboo to talk about plus size stuff and even more taboo to admit to falling in the demographic.

We get some (not much) slack regarding our models and their size and so I wanted to write something about it. I will say that most correspondence regarding our models is so positive and optimistic and it makes me feel like we are making small strides in getting "normal" or average sized woman to get the attention they deserve. My personal goal (above and beyond Curvy Girl, the clothing brand) is to get as much media attention as possible for our partners, models and curvy fashionista friends. Hollywood needs to show our children more women who have double digit pant sizes. Hey, throw us a bone. Give us a size 12-14 actress and make her a superstar. You'd give me a heart attack if you let a size 18 star in a movie or her own tv show, but I'm willing to risk it. You could kill me, of course, if you gave the main character a hot husband, of course, to make up for years of "plus" husbands with hot wives, but I'll go out in style! Someone, anyone....just put a size 16 on the cover of a magazine without the words "WORST BEACH BODIES" or "DIET SECRETS" below it. There are funny comediennes and funny actresses and funny models - all wanting to do tv, music, movies and commercials. There are some woman in big bodies with huge pipes - why aren't they on my radio!?! Convince writers to write parts for curvy women. Why? It is important for my 7 year old niece (and your daughers, nieces, sisters) to identify with a woman on her tv. It is important for her to understand that most women aren't size 0-2. Women come in all shapes and sizes.

But, first, it starts with us. It starts with us accepting that we are plus size. It starts with us taking our measurements and knowing what they are even if it means we might fall into that PLUS SIZE category. Let's not lie to ourselves and let's not lie to others. Are we plus size? Yes. Fat? Perhaps. A majority? ABSOLUTELY. And majority rules....let's use that power for something productive.

Most importantly - love your body - every curvy inch of it.

~Lisa

Offensive? MadTv Plus Size Fashion

2008-09-01T13:48:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4TSn8lXf58

Yes, it's MadTV. They poke fun at everyone equally but I failed to find the humor in this one...am I being too insensitive?

Are there any positive message videos on You Tube about plus size women? (yes, we know about Joy Nash's brilliant Fat Rant). Other than that, what is out there?

When searching for the terms: Plus size or curvy girl I seem to find women shaking their booties for the camera (whether they know they on camera or not), women feeding themselves or trying on clothes that are too small (someone is obviously enjoying this) or offensive material (offensive to me at least) - I'm assuming most of the material I'm disappointed in is not even posted by a plus woman trying to be a role model for other plus size women, but who knows....

Challenge for my Curvy Sisters - start posting videos with a positive message for other Curvy women to view....can ya do it?

Earthquake Safety

2008-07-31T14:37:00.000-07:00

Usually when someone asks me, "What's shakin?", I reply, "my ass". Which is a lie. Everyone who knows me well knows that the only thing on me that does not shake is my rear. I would pay thousands of dollars to have it just shake a little.

I have lived in California for nearly a decade (in San Francisco and now in Los Angeles). In those years, I have managed to be out of town when small earthquakes hit. About 3 years ago, I was sitting at my desk and it moved (slightly). I was delighted, ecstatic in fact, when I knew it was an earthquake. I actually knew it was an earthquake and this was amusing to me. Other people in my office who have been through earthquakes in the past, however, were not as entertained as I.

So, here we sat in our Los Angeles Curvy Girl office on Tuesday, when my chair started shaking. Everything started shaking, including my backside. Then, our photo backdrop system was going crazy and starting to fall down. The building (a HUGE cement building) was shaking like nothing I have ever felt (or want to feel again). About 5 of us were in the warehouse and I was the only one who realized what was happening. I started screaming EARTHQUAKE and I told everyone to run downstairs and get out of the building. I felt that was the safest place to be.

Once we realized the 5.4 earthquake was behind us, I did some research on earthquake safety. Running out of the building during the shaking seems to have been a really bad idea.

According to and earthquake safety page, this is what you should do in case of an earthquake: I found thise information at the following web page: http://seagrant.uaf.edu/features/earthquake/index.html

Do you agree???????

What to do during an earthquake
1. If you are indoors, duck or drop down to the floor. Take cover under a sturdy desk, table or other furniture. Hold on to it and be prepared to move with it. Hold the position until the ground stops shaking and it is safe to move. Stay clear of windows, fireplaces, woodstoves, and heavy furniture or appliances that may fall over. Stay inside to avoid being injured by falling glass or building parts. If you are in a crowded area, take cover where you are. Stay calm and encourage others to do likewise.

2. If you are outside, get into the open, away from buildings and power lines.

3. If you are driving, stop if it is safe, but stay inside your car. Stay away from bridges, overpasses and tunnels. Move your car as far out of the normal traffic pattern as possible. If possible, avoid stopping under trees, light posts, power lines, or signs.

4. If you are in a mountainous area, or near unstable slopes or cliffs, be alert for falling rock and other debris that could be loosened by the earthquake.

5. If you are at the beach, move quickly to higher ground or several hundred yards inland.

Submitting your information to be a plus size model with Curvy Girl Clothing

2008-03-27T10:40:00.000-07:00

If you are interested in modeling for us, please familiarize yourself with our submission requirements.

Check out our blog at: http://curvy-girl.blogspot.com/2007/10/as-owner-of-plus-size-clothing-company.html

To make it easier on amateur models submitting photos - I will outline the requirements for submission below. Please take the time to ensure you are complying with submission requirements, otherwise you will not be considered.

- You must submit via MYSpace. Add us as a friend. (do not send emails with attachments, they will not be opened).

- Create a folder in your MySpace dedicated to your modeling pursuits. We will no longer search through people's random photos. Your main photo of the folder should be a headshot (doesn't have to be professional, but does have to show your face from the top of your head to the bottom of your neck). Alternatively, you can use a full body shot, but you must be wearing an item from Curvy Girl Clothing.

- All submissions must include you wearing a Curvy Girl Clothing item. We need to see how our items fit on your body. We need to envision you as a model for our brand, and part of that is seeing you in the types of items we sell.

- You must have a headshot photo (as listed above) and also a full body photo. We need to see your entire body. We will not accept photos of you in your wedding dress - the outfit you are wearing should be form fitting and show the silhouette of your curves. If you have a big rear, please flaunt it and let us know (it probably won't hurt you, trust us). If you are overly busty, we should see this in the photos (we prefer bottom heavy over top heavy, but with certain items, busty is preferred). Hourglass (perfectly proportioned measurements) types will always receive preferential consideration for principal work.

- Need an outfit idea? We prefer a knee length sleeveless dress that shows your arms and legs, but that is not required. The outfit should show your body (and all your curves). We sell many short dresses and sleeveless items so it is important that we see how you would look in such items. If you are not comfortable in sleeveless or knee length items, it is unlikely you would be able to model for us (or anyone else for that matter).

- You must submit an email for submission (via MySpace). The title of the email should be "Modeling submission". In this email, you should list the following information: Your name, city you are located in, age, measurements (NOT SIZE), height. We do not need your weight or shoe size (shoe size will only become important if we book you).

- If you are outside of Los Angeles or Portland, OR, it is UNLIKELY we will use you for any work. Our shoots are all completed in these cities and we use local models. If you are traveling to either of these areas, please let us know and if we are interested, we may be able to coordinate some time so we can shoot a few things while you are here. NOTE: It is very unlikely we would use a model who does not live in either of these areas - it is simply too inconvenient - but for the right model, we are willing to be somewhat flexible. Plain and simple, it takes a lot of coordination (and money) to do a shoot - so we have to make it as easy as possible. Being that Los Angeles is full of beautiful talent, photographers, great weather and locations, many of our shoots are now completed down here.

- You should indicate any modeling you have done and if you are signed or unsigned. If you are signed, your agency will have to submit your information to us (but you probably know this) :)

- Curvy Girl Clothing accepts models of all ages, races and body types. We prefer models between 5'4" and 5'8" (yes, shorter than the typical model). We also prefer women sizes 14-20 (most big agency plus models are sizes 8-12, just as an FYI). Our samples are made in size 18. We prefer models free of tattoos and body piercings (especially facial piercings). You may submit your portfolio if you have piercings or tattoos, but it is unlikely we would use you for our principal work - you would likely be used for editorial work.

- If you are under 18, your parent or legal guardian will need to sign a release on you behalf. If you are over 18, you will be required to sign a talent release.

Most work with us is paid. Some editorial work is TFP (time for print) but it all depends on the project.

While you don't have to have an expensive portfolio to submit to us, we expect a professional looking one (pay attention to our submission guidelines). We understand that everyone is busy (as are we), but when you are trying to convince us we need to use you as our model, we need to know that you took the time to prepare the right submission. Show us that you are taking it seriously. The models we use represent our brand, which we have spent years building.

If we are interested in you, we will notify you via email (or phone number). If you do not submit your information based on our guidelines, it is unlikely we will respond to your request.

We look forward to seeing your submissions!

Corset Front Tops - new ad

2008-03-14T20:50:00.000-07:00

What do you think? :) It's kind of cutting it off at the right - it says "Because it shouldn't cost a lot to look this cheap" (one of our taglines). Curvy Girl Clothing is proud to announce the launch of our plus size corset front back (shown in photo below) and corset back tops. These will be in our eBay store (http://stores.ebay.com/Curvy-Girl-Clothing) starting March 15th and our retail store in OR (starting March 20th) for the first run and our second run will show up on www.curvygirlclothing.com in early April.

Curvy Girl Clothing is in Entrepreneur Magazine

2008-03-14T20:49:00.001-07:00

http://www.entrepreneur.com/magazine/entrepreneur/2008/march/190186.html

Curvy Girl Clothing made it in Entrepreneur Magazine (again) :)

We’d like to think our mother is not the only one buying the magazine (hurry, she will buy them all before you get your hands on it) - but, this is the digital age folks - you can see it online for free!

Thank you to each and every one of our customers, our fans, our friends, our followers and those who believe in us (including those who are not our customers, but those who love and support us: our friends, our family). A heartfelt thanks to everyone who said we couldn’t do it - we just work that much harder to prove that we can, not for you, but for us (but we know it secretly makes you mad, and we secretly enjoy that). :)

This article is about our eBay business...yes, we started on eBay and we run a successful store there (in addition to our online site and our retail store, and soon, Curvy Girl TV) :) Check out my blog about eBay, it gives you insight to our humble beginnings (who am I kidding!?!?! It's still pretty darn humble around here). :)

We hope that our story and mild stepping stones towards success encourages other women, other entrepreneurs of similar humble backgrounds to take a risk - to follow their dream - to keep chugging along. After the piles of debt, the headaches, the long hours, it's worth it to work for yourself and feel like you are doing a bit of good for others - our goal is simply to give plus size women the same styles our non curvy counterparts have. With every email we receive, every photo we see of customers rockin' out our styles - we feel blessed that this is our life and we are blessed that you are a part of it.

XOXO

Laura, Lisa & Mi’Lane (your Curvy Girl Clothing team)

Curvy Girl Clothing launches our plus size tattoo inspired clothing line!

2008-02-26T11:37:00.000-08:00

Right now, we are testing the waters for our tattoo inspired line. We have both tattoo print & rhinestone/nailhead motif designs printed on just about anything including tops, camis, corsets, shrugs, hoodies, purses, hats, etc...

This is a HUGE investment for us (remember, we're just a little operation run by 3 crazy sisters, who like to yell a lot, I might add) - so we need to know plus size fashionistas are looking for these types of styles. NONE of us has a tattoo (too squeamish) - but we simply LOVE these designs. They are for women who have tons of tattoos, or none - and just simply like the style.

Your feedback is so important to us. Obviously our sales will be the best indicator to let us know if we should (or should not) move forward with this line, but we appreciate your comments & feedback! And, of course, we're always looking for some rockabilly looking plus size fashionistas who want to send in their photo (wearing one of our tattoo designs) as we may use it for various promotional needs.

Thank you so so so so so much for being a part of our success.

NOTE: These styles are slowly trickling into our Portland store starting Friday - we should have a full collection available by next weekend (unless they sell out first). We will start adding them to our www.curvygirlclothing.com website the first week of March, but for now, they are all available in our eBay store at http://stores.ebay.com/Curvy-Girl-Clothing

Below is a GIF that includes many of our tattoo styles (and some of our other non tattoo styles, but I'm too lazy to re-create another GIF) :)

Oh - PS - Entrepreneur Magazine has us in an article again, super cool, eh :)

Free Shipping

2008-01-09T17:37:00.001-08:00

I have to take a few minutes to do a write up on "free shipping". You see companies offer it all the time. It doesn't excite me. I will tell you why. I have owned a company (well, several), but I have run a clothing company for almost 3 years now. I know exactly what it costs to ship 1 lb, 2 lb, even 20 lbs, depending on the carrier and the type of service you want. It is never free.

I loathe it when customers ask me if they can get free shipping. No. Plain and simple. I'll say it again. No. Why? Is it bad customer service? NO. I am actually doing you a favor. You see, free shipping is NEVER FREE. Ever. With all of the competition out there and dwindling margins, companies are not taking money out of their pocket to send you something free. What are they doing? They are building it into the cost of the merchandise (by tacking on shipping and handling fees onto the product) and then saying that they are offering free shipping.

They do the same thing with a sale. For instance...they buy an item for $12. They mark it up to $48. It sits on the rack for a few weeks/months at $48 and a few customers (we'll refer to them as "suckers") buys it at that price. The company will then mark it down to a blowout sale at $30 and you are thinking you are getting a bargain. Wouldn't it be great if the item just started at $24 or $30 in the first place?

First of all, why wait for end of season to wear something you want to wear now. (many women are in love with sales so they will sacrifice taking on certain trends as they only buy things end of season). I personally hate going through clearance racks. Nothing is ever organized (have you been to an off price store, like Ross or Marshalls lately? Good luck finding something in your size in the place it is supposed to be). It is maddening to see that adorable dress sitting alone on the rack in the 18/20 section, calling out my name, only for me to pick up the tag and see that it is a medium. That being said, I love shopping at Ross and Marshalls. :)

At Curvy Girl Clothing, we try and give you the fairest price up front. No gimmicks. No crazy sales. We don't build shipping costs into our products because we know we don't offer free shipping. With my company, you pay a fair price for your merchandise and then a fair shipping cost (based on weight) at the end of your order. We want our curvy customers to be in style NOW. We don't want you to feel like you need to save up for weeks to buy that special item you want. Looking trendy doesn't have to cost a fortune. We also want to stress that here are stores out there (not just us) that offer affordable curvy clothing. You don't have to wait for a sale. If you do, what you want will probably be gone.

Some women ONLY buy something on sale. This is somewhat disturbing to me. That tells me they only buy something because they feel it was such a bargain that they could not pass it up. If you don't need it or don't absolutely love it, don't buy it. The fact that something is so cheap is never the right reason to make a purchase. Now, if it is "so cheap" and is exactly what you are looking for, then when you wear it and someone compliments you on it, you must tell them exactly how much (or should I say, how little) you paid. It is a rule in the female code book.

How about - FREE GIFT with your purchase? Again. Free? Not so much. Maybe it is a horrible necklace set the seller got for $1 that they include with your item. Not only do they add that $1 to the cost of the item you actually want, but those earrings will make your ears itch for days. (you know the kind I'm talking about). So, you've just paid for a cheap jewelry set that you didn't want and you're itching. Tell the seller to keep their free gift and give you a discount instead. For instance, if they say it's a $9 value - ask for $9 off and see what they say. Unlikely they'll give it to you because it only cost them a buck.

Back to shipping....and the reasons we don't offer free shipping. The biggest reason, as listed above, is the simple fact that shipping is not free (or easy) for me or my employees. Packing supplies cost money (including the poly bag your items are shipped in). USPS provides free packaging for their more expensive services (as does UPS and Fedex), but if you don't use those expensive services, you have to pay for your own envelopes, boxes and tape. An employee has to be paid to print the label (the labels cost money as does the printer and toner), pull and pack the merchandise and prepare it for the courier. This part of the task is the most time consuming. It can take a full day to ship less than 100 packages and doing nothing else. The courier company charges for the pickup (depending on the courier company, this is a daily charge or a weekly charge). If you don't get a pickup, someone has to drive it to the courier drop off facility.

You know all of this. I know. You still don't care. Here is why you should: Would you rather be charged a reasonable and fair shipping charge up front and pay a cheaper price on your clothing? Or, would you prefer to pay a lot more for that clothing item with free shipping?

The frequent returner (and she knows who she is) will buy all kinds of styles and sizes and return all of the ones she dislikes. She doesn't measure herself because she figures - who cares - I have a free return label right here in my package. Shipping cost me nothing. I hate to tell you. Shipping just cost you a fortune. Those items you just overpaid for had shipping built into each and every single one. Why? The seller doesn't know if you are going to buy 1 or 100 of an item, and to offer free shipping on all items, it means the cost of shipping has to be built into each item. We're talking $10 or more here (about the cost of shipping a 1lb package each way). Across the board.

Who suffers? The women who know their measurements and true size. The women who pay attention to details. The women who know their body type and buy the styles that will look best on them. You are overpaying for merchandise because a company has to take into consideration all of the women who aren't like you. You are overpaying because companies have to run FREE SHIPPING promotions just to gather some interest so they mark up all of their prices ahead of time (knowing they will have this type of promotion).

I share this information not just from the perspective of a clothing company owner, but as a fellow consumer. I know I will continue to sell a lot of clothes as long as I offer a good selection for a fair price with great service. I don't need the gimmicks. Cut out the middleman and offer my customer a great price. That's what I want to do. As a buyer, however, I am so frustrated because I don't want to have to wait until the end of season to buy something I want now. I want prices to come down. I don't want to spend $49.50 on a cami that should cost me no more than $23. I can't afford a $300 cocktail dress that should cost me $89 or denim jeans that cost $200 but should cost me $49.

If you were a clothing company owner and saw the true costs of things (and there are many, don't get me wrong), you would wonder why some of these clothing companies are charging so much. It's highway robbery.

What can you do? Probably nothing. If you stop buying products during the free shipping promotions, it is likely the seller will have to come up with other creative ways of moving product (ways you will probably end up paying for in the end). My advice is to seek out those sellers who are truly offering you value without crazy gimmicks. Shop with them. Kick in the few bucks for shipping and save where it really matters.

Most importantly, love you and your body, every curvy inch of it. That has nothing to do with shipping of course, but it's worth noting on a regular basis. :)
------------------------------------

About the author

Lisa Toton is co-founder of Curvy Girl Clothing. She lives in Los Angeles, CA with her husband. When she is not obsessing over plus size fashion, she is writing sketches (some for Curvy Girl Clothing) or you can see her on stage at many of the top comedy clubs in the Los Angeles area where she has been performing as a stand up comedian for a better part of the last decade.

You can contact Lisa at lisa@curvygirlclothing.com.

About Curvy Girl LLC

Incorporated in 2005, Curvy Girl LLC is a lifestyle company catering to plus size women. Curvy Girl’s first venture was http://www.curvygirlclothing.com/, an online boutique taking the plus size fashion industry by storm. We offer fashion forward trendy styles, in plus sizes (14+). Our flagship retail store opened in Portland, OR in November 2007!

NOTE: Curvy Girl LLC and Curvy Girl Clothing is not associated with curvygirl.com.

Girl Scouts of America - their new badge

2008-01-08T14:52:00.000-08:00

The Girl Scouts of America recently announced that they are adding their first new badge in 20 years. It's called the badge of delegation. Girls earn this when their parents sell at least 75% of their cookies for them.

When I was a girl scout - I had to go door to door to door to door to door. My parents REFUSED to sell cookies for my sisters and I. They said, "We are not selling your cookies for you. We'll pay for the 20 boxes of cookies you kids have eaten and that's it!!!"

(this is one of my favorite jokes to tell on stage because it's soooooooooo true).

So, uh, I don't have access a girl scout and some tagalongs would be nice :) My husband loves thin mints! And I don't want to hear about Samoas! Coconut sucks! :)

About the author

Lisa Toton is co-founder of Curvy Girl Clothing. She lives in Los Angeles, CA with her husband. When she is not obsessing over plus size fashion, she is writing sketches (some for Curvy Girl Clothing) or you can see her on stage at many of the top comedy clubs in the Los Angeles area where she has been performing as a stand up comedian for a better part of the last decade.

You can contact Lisa at:
lisa@curvygirlclothing.com

About Curvy Girl LLC

Incorporated in 2005, Curvy Girl LLC is a lifestyle company catering to plus size women. Curvy Girl’s first venture was http://www.curvygirlclothing.com/, an online boutique taking the plus size fashion industry by storm. We offer fashion forward trendy styles, in plus sizes (14+). Our flagship retail store opened in Portland, OR in November 2007!

NOTE: Curvy Girl LLC and Curvy Girl Clothing is not associated with curvygirl.com.

Annoying headline - woman who loses 20 pounds is still single...

2008-01-03T11:25:00.000-08:00

1/3/2008

Ok....I admit I read all of my news online. I am a headline watcher.
I love pictures. Give me a good picture, and I'll click on your article.
Give me a good headline, and you've got a 50/50 shot. I love MSN
(they have a great entertainment section) and often times have articles on plus
size fashion.

Today, however, they are on my sh*t list. Why? I circled the
above. What next? Help! I've lost 20 pounds but I'm still
single

ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!?! ARE YOU F'N KIDDING ME?!?!

I had to read the article. It is the Ask Lynn section...advice on love.
I am very happily married so it is not very often (i.e. never) that I read these
types of articles, and until today, I didn't even know who Lynn was.
Even when I was single, I doubt I read these articles, but I digress. I'm
sure Lynn is very capable of dispensing advice. She has her own column on
MSN after all.

The article is about a woman named Cynthia who is 45 years old and has never
had a husband (or live in boyfriend). She lost 20 pounds. BRAVO
Cynthia (I say this not sarcastically, but with encouragement. As a plus
size woman, I know the effort it takes to lose 20 pounds.) Cynthia
wants to know how she can meet the man of her dreams.

As you read through the article and advice, it really isn't a focus on the
weight - so why is the headline? Why did MSN have to focus on
the fact that this woman just lose 20 pounds but is STILL LONELY?

Now, I don't know how big this woman was to start with (before her 20 pound
loss), but I don't care. LADIES, I will say this now and I mean it.
THERE ARE TONS OF fantastic, available, attractive, successful, funny, educated,
sexy, single men in this world WHO LOVE curvy women. Yes! Tons.
I promise you. Size 12 or 32+, there are women in that size range
who are probably happy and in love at this very moment. There are women of
that size who date on a regular basis. There are women of that size who
have sex on a regular basis. Gasp. There are women of that size who have
partners in their life who love them completely and wholly and unconditionally.

I own a plus size clothing company so I speak to many plus size women on a
very regular basis. I am a plus size woman. My sisters are plus size
women. I have spoken in depths to many plus size women about the romance
department and the complexities (and wonderfulness) of dating. None of us
has struggled to find dates because of our size. Have we struggled
to find "a good man"? Yes. Who hasn't? (just as men have
struggled to find good women). Is every man attracted to plus size women?
Probably not. Who cares. Are you attracted to every man out there?
Unlikely.

I have had a lot of conversations with single women who say they will start
looking for a relationship after they have lost "x" pounds. It drives me
nuts. If a man doesn't like you now, it is unlikely he will like you "x"
pounds less. If he only likes you when you are "x" pounds less, he's
probably not worth your time. When I say this, I don't mean we shouldn't
all have goals to reach a healthy weight. We should. The men who
love us want us to be healthy, happy and live a long time. What I am
saying here is not to find the ones who only love you when you are thin.
What happens if you get pregnant? What if you gain 5 lbs? 10?
50? What if you get in an accident and another part of your body changes
drastically? Will he leave? You don't want to live your life
paranoid like that.

Not having met Cynthia, I can come up with all kinds of reasons she could be single. Does she smile? Is she a bi*ch? That is the number one reason many women stay single. In my research, I have found that men don't like women who have serious attitude problems. How does she dress? Is she wearing horrible boxy clothes that are unflattering? Does she have manicured nails? A good haircut? Does she have good skin? A little makeup never hurt anyone. How about good hygiene? (men, from what I understand, prefer good hygiene). Does she have a good personality? Is she funny? Is she ambitious? Is she kind? Does she leave the house? We all have that friend who complains that she is single, yet she doesn't go out. When she does, she looks like she's had the flu for 3 weeks straight (by this I mean the look of sweatpants paired with your hair back in a ponytail and no makeup). Newsflash, ladies: Prince Charming is not scouring your neighborhood right now with a glass slipper, about to knock on your door. If he is, it's unlikely to be a wide width shoe, and it's unlikely you'll be in your "princess dress" at that very moment. You probably have to leave your house to meet someone. Yes, there are online personals (I met my husband on matchmaker.com). Yes, there is MySpace. You still have to meet someone face to face at some point.

My advice to the Cynthias of the world is to get a mini-makeover. Find
some new and sexy flattering clothes for that new body. Get a nice
haircut. Go to local events. Ask your friends, "Am I a bi*ch?"
Ask the friend who will tell you the truth. Take a current picture and try
the online personals (and not the free ones you cheapo! Just remember you
get what you pay for). Take a class. Take a hike. Do things
that are outside of the house and make you interact with others. That is
the best way to meet someone, whether it be the man of your dreams or even just
a new friend.

Most importantly, love yourself and your body and never, ever blame your lack
of love on your weight.

About the author

Lisa Toton is co-founder of Curvy Girl Clothing. She lives in Los Angeles, CA
with her husband. When she is not obsessing over plus size fashion, she is
writing sketches (some for Curvy Girl Clothing) or you can see her on stage at
many of the top comedy clubs in the Los Angeles area where she has been
performing as a stand up comedian for a better part of the last decade.

You can contact Lisa at

lisa@curvygirlclothing.com.

About Curvy Girl LLC

Incorporated in 2005, Curvy Girl LLC is a lifestyle company catering to plus
size women. Curvy Girl’s first venture was http://www.curvygirlclothing.com/, an
online boutique taking the plus size fashion industry by storm. We offer fashion
forward trendy styles, in plus sizes (14+). Our flagship retail store opened in
Portland, OR in November 2007!

NOTE: Curvy Girl LLC and Curvy Girl Clothing is not associated with
curvygirl.com.

The Plus Size Trapeze Dress - every Curvy Girl needs one!

2008-01-01T20:46:00.000-08:00

I am in LOVE with the trapeze dress. It is so girlie and feminine and there are just so many ways you can wear this look. Not to mention the fact that it is great for so many body types, especially the bottom heavy ones. How do I know?? I have watched countless women walk out of the dressing room at Curvy Girl clothing in a trapeze dress. The same trapeze dress they didn't want to try on because it looked like a muu muu (it kind of does when it's on the hanger). The same trapeze dress that showed their arms. Gasp. Their legs. Gasp. And you know what? They LOVED IT! I have to say, that there are few items we have in our store that are sold nearly every time they are tried on. The trapeze dress is one of them. This style is hot right now (Fall/Winter 2007) and it will remain hot through the Spring/Summer 2008 season. Look for vibrant colors and prints and soft and stretchy fabrics.

If you are nervous about showing your arms, check out Curvy Girl Clothing's extensive selection of shrugs and bolero cardigans. We are famous for the amount of shrugs and cover ups we carry (ok, amongst our circle of friends, but famous nonetheless). :) Do not let sleeveless items scare you! There is a shrug for everyone, even those who have sworn them off! Does that mean we are saying that all plus women have to covering up their arms? Absolutely not! Have you seen our clothes!?!?! We LOVE curves and curvy women and we feel you should flaunt every ounce of curves on your body. If you feel comfortable and confident and sexy in your sleeveless dress, then by all means, go for it! I'm just saying....as a clothing company owner, I have insight to the inner workings of a plus woman's mind (as she typically talks about them out loud to the mirror as she stands in a dressing room) and the verdict is in that many women prefer a good shrug every now and then.

The other item we recommend with the trapeze dress are a good pair of leggings. Our preference is the seamless kind as they are so stretchy and comfortable (they are also our best selling item). You will wear those leggings under your favorite dresses and tunics. You will wear them under your long skirts. You will LIVE in these leggings. This is another item that women come into our store searching for. Once they try a pair on, they will typically buy them in every color (sometimes two in every color). Rest assured, as long as our manufacturers make this item, we will carry it. You may not want leggings now, but you'll break down....eventually. :)

About the author

Lisa Toton is co-founder of Curvy Girl Clothing. She lives in Los Angeles, CA with her husband. When she is not obsessing over plus size fashion, she is writing sketches (some for Curvy Girl Clothing) or you can see her on stage at many of the top comedy clubs in the Los Angeles area where she has been performing as a stand up comedian for a better part of the last decade.
You can contact Lisa at lisa@curvygirlclothing.com.

About Curvy Girl LLC

Incorporated in 2005, Curvy Girl LLC is a lifestyle company catering to plus size women. Curvy Girl’s first venture was http://www.curvygirlclothing.com/, an online boutique taking the plus size fashion industry by storm. We offer fashion forward trendy styles, in plus sizes (14+). Our flagship retail store opened in Portland, OR in November 2007!

NOTE: Curvy Girl LLC and Curvy Girl Clothing is not associated with curvygirl.com.

Curvy Girl Wardrobe Essentials - Hot trends in our store now!!

2007-12-29T15:40:00.001-08:00

Essentials for the Curvy Girl wardrobe - Fall/Winter 2007

I have decided to take a few minutes to list my personal favorite Curvy Girl items and why I feel they are essential to every plus size woman's wardrobe. Because I own a clothing company, I see lots and lots of merchandise, but only a few make me stop in my tracks and really want to carry the items. I am also a plus size woman. A plus size consumer. Curvy Girl Clothing was started because we (my sisters and I) were sick of stores not carrying the types of styles and essentials that we were seeking. If a store did carry the item, it was typically at a price I was unwilling to pay for it. We carry items because we would wear them ourselves and we absolutely love them!

If there are essentials or items you are always struggling to find, speak up! Let us know what you want us to carry! We will have shoes and accessories in our retail store (Portland, OR) in January 2008. It is unlikely we will carry those items at this time online due to many reasons but mostly because women prefer to buy their accessories and shoes in person where they can see them or try them on. :)

Seamless Stretch Leggings

One size fits most (this item can fit from a size 14-26)

Cost: $27.99

Find this item here.

Colors available: We carry the basics: Black, White and Brown. The manufacturer makes this item in pretty much any color you can imagine. Please let us know what colors you'd like to see leggings in - if we get enough requests, it is possible we will carry more colors. (i.e. orange, yellow, green, red)

Why is this a Curvy Girl essential?

I push seamless items a lot. We consider these an alternative to Spanx or other similar garments. I can honestly say seamless items have changed my life. :)

Nearly every woman who tries these on in our retail store buys a pair in every color. Need more convincing? :) Wear these under your favorite long tops, tunics or dresses. If you don't like thigh rub, wear them under skirts or even pants. They hold everything in very nicely. You feel pounds thinner when wearing these. They are soooo stylish. They are very hot right now. Women are wearing them under pretty much everything or even on their own.

Seamless Stretch Tube Bra

One size fits most (this item can fit from a size 14-26)

Cost: $11.50

Find this item here.

Why is this a Curvy Girl essential?

You are always looking for the perfect tube top to put under your tops and dresses. Sometimes you want more coverage (for modesty). Perhaps you are not very busty and you want a bra alternative. There are a million reasons to wear this item! This is another item where women buy one, and they come back for more and more colors.

This has been very popular for women who have had breast reconstructive surgery and no longer wear conventional bras. Our model was 16 years old when she took these photos. She is a full D cup, but gravity had not set in yet. :) We recommend this over your bra for additional coverage if you are over a C cup. If you are an A or B cup, this would be great as a bra alternative.

Seamless Stretch Camisole

One size fits most (this item can fit from a size 14-26)

Cost: $14.75

Find this item here.

Colors available: Depending on the season, we carry this in a variety of colors including the basics: Black, White and Khaki/Sand. The manufacturer makes this item in pretty much any color you can imagine. Please let us know what colors you'd like to see these in - if we get enough requests, it is possible we will carry more colors. (i.e. brown, pink, blue, orange, yellow, green, red)

Why is this a Curvy Girl essential?

You are always looking for the perfect camisole to put under your tops and dresses. Sometimes you want more coverage (for modesty). Sometimes you want more warmth. Other times you want to smooth out lines underneath a tighter top. Perhaps you are not very busty and you want a bra alternative. There are a million reasons to wear this item! I have no less than 5 of each color and I wear them with everything - including as pajamas. I can estimate that I wear a seamless item at least 4 days per week. Sometimes 7. I love that I feel 5 pounds thinner just by wearing this item. I love that it holds my breasts up firmer (I wear it over my bra). My husband loves that I wear them under low cut tops so that I'm not sharing my cleavage with the world anymore! :) The best part of this item is that the bigger size you are, the better the fit (as it is tighter and serves its purpose better to larger women). This is another item where women buy one, and they come back for more and more colors.

Cost: $24

Find this item here.

Colors available: Depending on the season, we carry this in a variety of colors. If we only receive a small quantity of a color, they will go in our retail store or our eBay store as those are the 2 places where items move the fastest.

Why is this a Curvy Girl essential?

This is an item that you may very well use more than any other item in your closet. It is perfect for women (such as myself) who refuses to wear short sleeve or sleeveless items. I now buy sexy sleeveless tops and camis because I know I have something to wear over it. I no longer pass over that perfect cocktail dress because it is sleeveless. By adding this layer and texture, it is very slenderizing, particularly in the black. This item is incredibly soft and very stretchy. This shrug can be pinned over the breasts, but it is truly meant to cover that annoying fatty part between the arm and the bust (the part many women hate). It is covering your arms without covering up the adorable item you have on beneath it. While many women do not refer to this item as a shrug, when we show them how versatile the item is, they typically walk out of the store with several colors.

Denim Mermaid Skirt

Sizes from Jr Plus 1x-3x (fits from 16/18 to 24/26)

Cost: $38.99

Find this item here.

Colors available: Denim Blue

Why is this a Curvy Girl essential?

This is a timeless piece that works well for most Curvy bodies. You can wear this anywhere, including the office, making it a versatile piece. We recommend it with a simple sweater and a pair of sexy black boots.

Skinny Pants/Jeans

Sizes from Jr Plus 1x-3x (fits from 14/16 to 22/24) - coming soon up to size 5x!

Cost: $32.99

Find this item here.

Colors available: Denim Blue, Black Twill and Brown Twill

Why is this a Curvy Girl essential?

Ok. I will admit it took a while for me to buy into the whole skinny pants craze. It was not until we opened our retail store and I watched different body type after different body type walk out of the dressing room in these pants (loving them) when I realized, these look so good on so many curvy women that it's impossible to continue my loathing of the skinny pant. I was wrong! I tried on a pair myself and fell in love with them. I have long legs, but they made my legs appear even longer and leaner than they are. I loved the stretch and comfort level of these pants. It doesn't hurt that they are stylish and when I am out on the town, I feel like I am wearing the same styles as my thinner counterparts. I personally feel Curvy bodies look better in these pants than thinner women, especially ones with a full backside.

High Waist Button Jeans

Sizes from Jr Plus 1x-5x (fits from 16 to 24)

Cost: $44.99

Find this item here.

Colors available: Denim Blue

Why is this a Curvy Girl essential?

Is this an essential? I'm not sold on the idea, but this style is showing up in so many magazines and on tv (especially music videos) that it is a trend that is hard to ignore. After walking into about 30 denim manufacturers in Los Angeles, only 2 of them indicated they would carry this size in plus. The ones that did carry it have it up to 3x (which was about an 18). I was highly disappointed. Curvy Women are fashionistas too! We did have our manufacturer make a special cut of these up to Jr plus 5x (appx a 22/24) for us exclusively and they are selling like hotcakes. This tells us that these pants are in high demand and while you may hope they go away soon, there is no sign of a slow down. We will tell you, however, that we recommend this size for women with longer torsos or those who are taller (5'7"+). Dare we say that this is also a fantastic item for the curvy crossdresser. :)

Sexy Black Dress (Sleeveless)

Sizes from Plus 1x-4x (fits from 16 to 30)

Cost: $23.99

Find this item here. (on sale!!!)

Colors available: Black and white polka dot (look for other prints)

Why is this a Curvy Girl essential?

Little black dress. Need I say more? :) You may see this and say you hate polka dots. You may see this and say it is too rockabilly or punk for your taste. This is the absolute girlie girlie of girlie dresses. This tie back halter has been one of our best sellers since the day we have been in business. I wear mine under a red shrug with lots of chunky jewelry and I have to admit, I get so many compliments when I'm out in it! It's appropriate for almost every event. Even if this is not your style, we recommend always having a little black dress in your closet just in case!!! Curvy Girl Clothing specializes in dresses, so it is likely we will always have a black dress to suit your needs!

Sexy Black Dress (With Sleeves)

Sizes from Plus 1x-3x (fits from 14/16 to 22/24)

Cost: $39.99

Find this item here.

Colors available: Black (sometimes we carry this in other colors, depending on the season)

Why is this a Curvy Girl essential?

This style was so popular in the short sleeve, that we made it with 3/4 sleeves. This fabric is amazing. Stretches where you need it! The ruching along the sides is so slenderizing. The best part about this dress is that you can jack it up real short to wear as a scandalous mini dress or wear it long at the knee. This was designed as a dress, but most women, believe it or not, buy it as a top to wear over jeans and it looks super cute. That makes this one versatile item, and a must have for your closet! It is also made from a fabric that is virtually wrinkle free (like many of our stretch dresses). We choose this fabric because it is low maintenance. Throw this dress in a ball in your suitcase, arrive at your destination and put it on! No ironing, no hassles! Curvy Girls have better things to do with their time than fuss with wrinkles!

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What are your essentials? We'd love to hear from you! Help us spot the latest trends - you never know, we may take it to our designers and have them make it in plus sizes!!!! :)

About the author

Lisa Toton is co-founder of Curvy Girl Clothing. She lives in Los Angeles, CA with her husband. When she is not obsessing over plus size fashion, she is writing sketches (some for Curvy Girl Clothing) or you can see her on stage at many of the top comedy clubs in the Los Angeles area where she has been performing as a stand up comedian for a better part of the last decade.

You can contact Lisa at lisa@curvygirlclothing.com.

About Curvy Girl LLC

Incorporated in 2005, Curvy Girl LLC is a lifestyle company catering to plus size women. Curvy Girl’s first venture was http://www.curvygirlclothing.com/, an online boutique taking the plus size fashion industry by storm. We offer fashion forward trendy styles, in plus sizes (14+). Our flagship retail store opened in Portland, OR in November 2007!

NOTE: Curvy Girl LLC and Curvy Girl Clothing is not associated with curvygirl.com.

Plus Size High Waisted Skinny Jeans Denim - Your thoughts?

2007-12-21T10:45:00.000-08:00

Plus size high waisted denim jeans for curvy girls....ladies (or gentlemen), what are your thoughts on these????

We are selling out of these like crazy in sizes 16, 18 and 20 but we're not sure if we want to make them in larger sizes.

This style is great for taller (5'7"+ as the button part goes up pretty high) Curvy Girls who have a lot of junk in the trunk (and, oh, do we envy you so much) and a smaller waist....Small waist isn't necessarily required, and these actually hold it all in up there nicely, but after putting these on several women (including ourselves and some of our models), we have realized we love them so much more on women with a lot of a$$ inside those jeans.

We are seeing these show up all over the place (on thinner women as a lot of the big name designers are carrying them) so we wanted to know if it was going to take off for our curvy fashionistas. You will see tons of high waisted pants out there this season and we think the button pants are sooooo much more flattering than the ones with just a long rise/zipper which is just like taking a big red marker and circling it around your tummy area :)

So, speak up!!! Let us know what you think! :)

Would you wear them? Yes, no? Either way, what size are you (we want to see what sizes would or would not wear them)?
Would you wear them in twill (specifically, black)?

People have been asking where they can buy these hot jeans. They are not on our website yet as they are selling too fast (www.curvygirlclothing.com) but we have been listing them in our eBay store (http://stores.ebay.com/Curvy-Girl-Clothing) - be sure to sign up for our mailer on our website as we will send one out when we re-stock them on our website.

Why do we sell plus size clothing on eBay ????

2007-12-19T21:26:00.000-08:00

We have heard it a million times. I REFUSE TO BUY ANYTHING ON EBAY - especially clothes. Why, oh why, Curvy Girl...why do you sell on eBay?

First of all - you are foolish if you are not shopping on eBay (and I say this respectfully). :) It's not just for used items or collectibles. I buy clothes on eBay. LOTS of them. From competitors too (gasp). Hey, sometimes they have what I'm looking for!!!

I also purchased a $3,500 (that's its wholesale value - retail is much more) diamond right hand ring for $197 (and I get no less than 2 compliments on its beauty each week). My lighting system would have cost me $1,000 in a store - easily. After losing out on 3 auctions, I finally won it for less than $200. My shipping supplies are bought on eBay, my printing labels, supplies for my store (including fixtures)....most of it comes from eBay. I've even bought Girl Scout cookies on eBay (what can I say, a girl needs her Tagalongs and now that I no longer have an office job, I don't have access to the mother of a girl scout who is selling her daughter's cookies).

There are some fantastic deals on eBay. My suggestion is to bid on holidays - there are always sellers who are new to eBay and don't realize it's a really really really bad idea to end an item on a holiday. My family is drinking egg nog and singing holiday carols or playing Scrabble while I'm winning stuff at ridiculously low prices. I also use esnipe. I can't stress enough how much I love esnipe. I basically set my bid, and a few seconds before the auction ends, esnipe makes my bid for me. I win most of the time, without having to get into a bidding war (where I'd probably over bid anyways).

You should be shopping on eBay too. There are SOOOO many great sellers - with NEW items! These sellers work hard and they earn every penny they make.

Is it safe? Yes. Simply follow the guidelines and use common sense. Keep your password safe. Log out when you step away from your computer. Only buy from sellers with feedback (and make sure it's not just feedback as a buyer - make sure they have feedback as a seller). Use Paypal. Your transactions are protected when you use Paypal (and a confirmed seller). Do your research. Know what items are worth or what you are willing to pay. Use the right keywords. Find sellers who operate stores and shop with them. A requirement of having a store is keeping feedback above a certain percentage (and also having at least 100 feedback ratings).

But you hate bidding. I know. So do I. Refer to my paragraph above about esnipe.

Why do we sell on eBay?

I made a few clothing purchases on eBay and I loved everything I bought. I told my sister about it. She made a few clothing purchases. She loved it.

We knew we wanted to start a company. We had very little capital. No loans. No trust fund. Just some sisters with a dream, a few thousand dollars and little else. We knew we wanted to sell plus size clothes as we had read an article in Entrepreneur Magazine (from Fall 2004) stating it was one of the hottest markets to get into. It didn't hurt that we were plus size ourselves. In 2005, Curvy Girl LLC was born.

Because our marketing budget was initially non-existent, we knew we needed to start off testing the waters. We wanted to know what types of styles would sell best and how much we should charge for items. We also wanted to reach as large of an audience as possible. It made sense to start on eBay. We listed a few products, and much to our surprise, items were starting to sell. We haven't looked back since.

Many people have suggested it was a bad idea to start on eBay. People have said it cheapens the brand and the image. We disagree. It's not a pretty format, we agree, but it serves its purpose, and there are millions of shoppers visiting the site per day. Because we have an eBay store, it doesn't mean we don't take fashion seriously. It doesn't mean we are only trying to attract the bottom of the barrel customer who is only shopping on price. It doesn't mean our products are used (they are all new). It doesn't mean our products are defective (they aren't).

We are highly offended when people don't take our eBay business seriously. We sell in the high 6 figures annually on the site. When other boutique owners hear how much we make on eBay, they are shocked as it is oftentimes more than double what their store generates in a year. Granted, after all of the fees are taken out, and we consider all of our operating expenses, our net profit is almost laughable, but we have a high volume eBay business. Just because it's eBay, doesn't mean it's any different than other online retailers you are used to shopping with.

Because of our eBay business, we have opened our online store (www.curvygirlclothing.com) and we now have a brick and mortar store in Portland OR (hopefully a few more in 2008!). eBay has allowed us to grow our brand and build a loyal customer base. It has allowed us to reach customers in parts of the globe that we will probably never see with our own eyes. Because of eBay, Curvy Girl Clothing is an internationally recognized brand.

Have I convinced you to check out eBay? I hope so. :)

Just take a look. It won't hurt. You don't have to tell people you buy your clothes on eBay (or whatever else you buy). But, you should definitely check it out because there are tons of great bargains there and you are really missing out.

For those who are ready to go check out eBay...

To have a successful shopping experience, start by taking your measurements. This applies to buying on eBay or any other online company. Every single manufacturer in the world has a different idea of what sizes are, but measurements don't lie. If you don't want to measure yourself, measure your favorite items from your closet and then compare those measurements to the item you are looking at online. Curvy Girl Clothing hand measures every single item and then makes recommendations for size based on measurements and intended fit. Don't be suprised if you are a 1x in some items and a 4x in others. If you follow the measurement guidelines, you are more likely to have a good fit. If the seller doesn't list measurements, ask for them. If they won't provide them, don't buy the item.

Once you know your measurements, start searching for items. There are THOUSANDS of plus size clothing listings on any given day. You can also find shoes and accessories to match that new outfit you are going to buy!

Look at the photos and read the description carefully.

If you find a seller with a great selection, be sure to check out all of their listings. Power sellers with stores often have items that are listed in their store inventory that don't come up in a standard search. Usually, you will find a link to their other items in their auction details.

I will probably take some time in 2008 to write a blog on our experiences selling on eBay. We have had many fantastic customers, but there have definitely been some crazy moments and times when we wonder why we do this to ourselves every day. We simply remember all of the great customers and their encouraging letters (some with photos) who remind us of how blessed we are to be doing what we love most: selling sexy clothing for some sexy a$$ curvy fashionistas!!!!! FLAUNT IT LADIES.

In case you were wondering, here is the link to our eBay store. :)
http://stores.ebay.com/Curvy-Girl-Clothing

Curvy Girl Fall 2007 Plus Size Runway Show

2007-12-19T21:23:00.001-08:00

Many people have been asking for the link to our fall 2007 runway show. While many of the styles in the video are sold out, it gives you a good idea of the types of styles we carry on a regular basis. It also gives you a good look into the types of models we use at Curvy Girl Clothing. And yes, they are ALL gorgeous! :)

http://www.bigriggs.com/website/fashionvideo-small.wmv

If you want to see our current styles, please visit us at www.curvygirlclothing.com or http://stores.ebay.com/Curvy-Girl-Clothing

Enjoy! :)

Curvy Girl Clothing announces opening of its first retail store in Portland OR

2007-12-19T21:11:00.000-08:00

For all those interested, we have opened our first retail location in Portland, Oregon. Hours are limited through the end of 2007, but we will be open 6 days a week (starting in January 2008).

At our store, you will find all kinds of styles we don't have online (as we buy small quantities, just enough for the store, so it doesn't make sense to list them online).

Everything you see in our online store as well as eBay (well, almost everything) is also at the store for you to look at and try on.

If you live in Portland, OR or are traveling to Portland, OR, please come visit us! We have gift cards available which is the perfect gift for the curvy women in your life!

5240 NE 42nd Ave - Portland, OR
503.889.8800

We appreciate everyone's support. This has been 2.5 years in the making and our goal is to open several more retail locations in the next few years. :)

Plus Size Modeling - From The Client's Point of View

2007-10-16T13:34:00.000-07:00

As the owner of a plus size clothing company, Curvy Girl Clothing, I receive no less than 10 requests per week from women who are seeking modeling opportunities. While I am excited at the prospect of such a large talent pool of beautiful plus size women, I have noticed an alarming number of unprofessional and dare I say, embarrassing submissions.

When I ask candidates why they chose the photos they did for their “portfolio” many admit they could not afford a high end photographer. You don’t need one. I promise. I can appreciate a good photographer as much as the next person, but you don’t need a fancy portfolio of photos taken at an expensive shoot to get started. Your mother, sister, boyfriend, husband, daughter can take a great photo of you. Remember, we are talking about initial submissions here. At some point, if you are considering modeling as a serious vocation, you will need to invest in a good portfolio. Let’s focus on what you need right now, to be considered for jobs early in your career. If you’re lucky, and you work hard enough, you will end up with a portfolio of great shots without ever having had to pay for a new wardrobe, makeup artist, studio time or an expensive photographer.

I will start by saying I am not a plus size model, nor have I ever been one. I have competed in a plus pageant, once, but that’s another blog altogether.

There are many websites out there dedicated to plus size modeling and I would highly recommend visiting some of the more credible ones to hear advice from other models in the “industry”. I am offering you my perspective, as a clothing company owner, on what we personally look for when selecting models for our shoots. Prospective Curvy Girl Clothing models should read this, of course, as I will detail exactly what we look for. For everyone else, I hope I have left you somewhat informed.

Earlier, I mentioned the word vocation. Yes, as in “job”. Modeling is a job. If you don’t believe me, ask a model how her back and feet feel after standing in awkward positions for 12 straight hours. In heels. Five inch heels. You know her feet hurt and her back is sore, but in the photos, you couldn’t tell. Why? That’s part of the job.

As in any job, you need to take it seriously. Show up on time. Be professional. Put your phone on vibrate and make (limited) calls or send text messages during breaks. Pay attention to the photographer. S/he will give you direction on what to do. As you become more experienced, you will learn the “standard” looks and poses. Yes, there are standard looks and poses. Ask questions if you are not sure, although, it is likely both the photographer and company representative on site for the shoot will be giving you constant direction and/or feedback and constructive criticism. Most important of all, “sell” the clothes you are wearing. You may put something on and hate it. It’s not your job to like the clothes you are wearing. It’s your job to look like you do.

How we select our models

I am going to dedicate an entire paragraph to the submission of photos. First impressions are paramount. It is a great idea to post your photos on MySpace or FaceBook. If you do so, however, please keep the following in mind:

- If your main profile picture is a photo of you giving the double middle finger to the camera, it may amuse you and your friends, it does not, however, amuse us.
- We do not want to search through pages of photos of your family and friends and your various life experiences. You should have the ability to create a subfolder. All modeling photos should be stored in a separate folder.
- You should be the ONLY PERSON in the photo. We do not want to know that you are the 3rd from the left. As cute as your husband or baby is, we are not considering them for modeling, but you. We want to know if you and you alone can hold our attention.
- You should have at least one current face shot and one current body shot.
- When I say headshot, I mean a full headshot. Don’t crop out most of your face. We want to see the top of the hair to the bottom of the neck.
- When I say body shot, it should be of you, clothed, in a form fitting outfit. We do not want to see you in a big hoodie sweatshirt. We don’t want to see you in your wedding gown. PLEASE, no wedding photos!!! Yes, it was the day you felt most beautiful. I was a bride, I know. We want to see how proportionate your body is and it is very hard to do it when you are wearing 20 pounds of bustled taffeta. Do not crop out your arms. If I had a dollar for every photo I have received with cropped arms, I’d be rich! You might have big arms. It’s ok, so do I! This is plus size modeling after all.
- Look at the type of items we sell. If you own something we sell, you earn brownie points for submitting a photo of you in it. If you don’t own something we sell, wear something similar to our styles. It is easier for us to envision you in our clothes that way.
- The photos should be in color. We want to see your skin tone, hair color and eyes.

On dating sites, many people’s biggest complaint is that the person they met was NOT the same person as in their ad photo. We feel the same way when a model shows up for work looking nothing like the photos she submitted. If you have changed your hair significantly, gained/lost weight, gotten a tattoo or piercing, aged (more than 5 years) or experienced any other drastic appearance changes, you need to update your pictures/portfolio accordingly. Your client needs to know if your hair is now a bright blue or that you now have a neck tattoo.

In plus modeling, we find the biggest discrepancy to be related to weight. If you tell us you are a size 18, it is imperative you be a size 18. Not a 14. Not a 22. Prior to a shoot, we pull clothes and shoes for the shoot. If our shoot is at a studio, we cannot go into the warehouse and simply grab another size. If you are smaller, that is usually easier because we can use rubber bands and clips to bring outfits in. In the case when you are bigger, this causes a lot of trouble as we will not photograph a model in an item that is too tight on her. Plain and simple, clothes don’t sell when it looks like they were painted on the model. The customer will think, “If that’s how it looks like on a model, how is it going to look on me?” It is likely we would have to cancel a shoot, costing us time and money. At Curvy Girl Clothing, we insist on our models providing current measurements prior to showing up for a shoot. This is because women view their size differently and we want to make sure we have clothes that will fit.

Other important considerations:

Get a MySpace or FaceBook account dedicated to your modeling pursuits.

NETWORKING IS KEY. Oftentimes, you are selected because another model or someone in the industry referred you. Go to plus size fashion events in your area (including: store events, fashion shows/trunk shows, model hunts, magazine/calendar parties). When you attend the event, bring your headshot (yes, this means to take your larger tote bag to store it in and have available at a moments notice). If you don’t have a headshot, no worries. Bring some recent photos of yourself. Same rules apply here as listed above. Make sure you are the only one in the photo and one shot should be of your entire body. Get business cards and hand them out. Have your headshot on your business card. Contribute articles and blogs to plus size publications.

Our samples are made in size 18 (2x). We give preference to women who are a size 16/18.

NOTE: We have noticed a disappointing trend in that when we use models larger than a size 18, the clothes tend to sit on the shelves a lot longer than when we use smaller size models. When they sit long enough, we will re-photograph the item on a smaller model, and based on our experience, the items sell at a much faster rate. As plus women, we want to show women of all shapes and sizes, but as businesswomen, we need to use what sells. So, if someone wonders, why doesn’t Curvy Girl Clothing use a size 24+ model, it isn’t because we don’t want to. As consumers, please take note of this and make it a point to buy items not because they look fantastic on the model, but because you feel it will look fantastic on you. Larger plus models will thank you for this as in doing so, you are helping them get more work.

We are looking for women who are very photogenic. This is modeling, after all. Unfortunately, being plus size is not the only requirement for plus size modeling.

You should have a proportionate body. We don’t mind if you are slightly top heavy or bottom heavy, but if you are more than 1 size difference between the top and bottom half (i.e. 16 top and 20 bottom), it is unlikely we would select you for our principal and stock shots. We may be able to use you for editorial work.

You should have healthy skin, hair and teeth. Your complexion should be free of scars and relatively, if not completely free, of blemishes and acne.

Most of our models wear a size 8.5 or 9 shoe, therefore, about 90% of our shoe collection is either of these sizes. Models with these shoe sizes will be given preferential treatment.

Location. Location. Location. If you live in Portland, OR or Los Angeles, CA you are given preferential treatment as we do not provide any travel expenses for any of our modeling shoots.

The average woman is 5’4”. Despite this well known statistic, clothes are designed for a 5’8” woman. We prefer our models to be between 5’4” and 5’9”. We know this is much shorter than modeling industry standards, but as tall women ourselves, we know that clothes are not designed with the tall women in mind. Most companies use taller models as they look leggier and thinner. So what! Not all of us are leggy and thin. We know that clothes fall differently on tall women versus average height women. Many times, on a tall model, dresses will appear to be above the knee or sleeves will look ¾ length, when they are, in fact, full length sleeves. To an average height woman who wants to cover her knees or have arms that go to the wrists, she will not consider this dress for purchase. As such, we have elected to show our clothes on models who are closer to the height/size of the average woman.

Just so you know, modeling agencies can be cut-throat. Generally speaking, they require all plus size candidates to be between 5’8” and 6’, 16-26 years old, and a size 10/12. Do we agree with this? Absolutely not. We realize they are simply signing what sells. Until clothing companies start using true/average size women (both height and size) for their major campaigns, the modeling agencies will continue to look for a specific type of candidate and not take a risk in signing someone that does not meet their strict requirements. As a consumer, you can help change this. Buy from clothing designers who use models that don’t look like they came off an assembly line. Write to the designers who don’t use a variety of models in different colors, shapes and sizes. Money speaks louder than words. Spend your money on companies who aren’t afraid to use shorter or bigger models. Don’t spend your money at places that don’t. Trust me, the message will be heard loud and clear.

Please let us know if you are signed with a talent agency of any sort and who your rep is (including contact information). It is not a requirement to be signed with an agency. In fact, we prefer unsigned/undiscovered models. If you are signed with an agency, you need to coordinate all bookings through them. They will go over this with you in detail. If you are signed, please submit your information as we have many projects going on, and some will require agency models.

You will need to sign a talent release prior to arriving for your photo shoot. This grants us full ownership to all photos. If you are under 18, your parent or legal guardian will need to sign this.

You need to let us know if you have taken racy photos (or videos). We will not use models who have been featured in any fetish or nudity websites/calendars/videos.

Inform us of any competitive products you have modeled for. Don’t worry, it’s ok to have modeled for a competitor. This is a small industry and we understand that many models appear on competitive sites.

We prefer our website models to be free of tattoos and body piercings. For editorial work, we may have a particular “look” in mind when these would be acceptable (i.e. rockabilly), so please submit your portfolios to us and note your tattoo and piercing locations.

Submit your age, height, weight, size, measurements (bust, waist, hips), and shoe size. Submit your current contact information (city/state, phone number and email). If you are hired for work, you will need to provide detailed address information as well as tax related info (such as social security number) and proof of ID as we need to submit forms to the IRS.

You earn huge brownie points by submitting your photos wearing something from our store in at least one of the photos. We would like to think that if you were not a model, that you would be wearing our clothes anyway.

If you commit to a shoot, show up (and on time). DO NOT CANCEL. If you cancel once, it is unlikely you will ever be asked to come back, no matter what the reason for cancellation. If you are a “regular” model, an occasional cancellation would likely be overlooked. If it is your first time working with a client, it is an absolute no-no to cancel.

Handling Rejection

There is no other way to say it. Sometimes, you are going to feel rejected. You are going to hear the word no in this industry. A lot. Get used to it. Whatever you do, DON’T GIVE UP. NEVER GIVE UP. While it may have been a no today, you may have been looking at a yes tomorrow. There could be many reasons for the rejection. It does not mean you are ugly or unattractive. We may be looking for a particular size, age or ethnicity for a specific campaign. You may resemble one of our existing models too much. Perhaps you need a better portfolio or photos that stick out.

As much as we’d like to, we are unable to respond to all modeling requests. If you did not take your submission seriously, it is unlikely we will take the time to provide you serious feedback. If we have interest in you, we will notify you, typically with an email to start. We may ask you to submit additional photos or email us again in a few months. Most times, we reject serious model submissions simply because they are not convenient (they are outside of the L.A. or Portland area). We receive new merchandise every day, so we are shooting on a very regular basis. As such, we need local talent to fill our immediate needs.

Prospective models have suggested we just mail our clothes to them and they will “handle the photo session”. A Curvy Girl Clothing representative is present at all photo and video shoots, for various reasons. Our photo shoots reflect our company brand, image and message. We cannot afford to risk “the farm” on an amateur shoot with someone we have never worked with. After we have worked with you several times, it is very possible this type of arrangement may work (we would have to approve all photographers used). That being said, if you have a great photo of you wearing something we currently sell, please send it our way. It is still possible we may end up using your photo (by submitting, you are giving us full rights to use the photo) on our website. In fact, we encourage this behavior and offer store credit vouchers (varies based on the item and quality of the photo) when we receive a useable photo submission.

Be a “Goodwill Ambassador” for the Clothing Line and Your Peers

I cannot tell you how many times I have spoken with models about competitive products and heard the model say, “The money was good and/or I liked working with them (or the photographer) but I would never (wear that *expletive*), (pay that much for their clothes), (recommend their clothes to my friends). Wow. Let me say it again. Wow. If you are bashing my competitors clothing, what are you saying about my clothing line? You’d be surprised how many of us (clothing companies) are friendly with each other and how often we talk about our models (including referring the good ones). Never bite the hand that feeds you. This holds true in discussions about other key people in the industry as well. Do not bad mouth other models, photographers or stylists (including hair and makeup). It’s like a really bad game of “telephone/operator” where your original message will be twisted and turned into something very different, and probably much more offensive than your original comments. You never know who people are friends with or who they will work with next. You don’t want to be known as the gossip or trash talker. It’s career suicide.

Opportunities for Modeling

There are many opportunities for plus models, if you are signed with an agency or not. It all depends on your location, availability and how well your market yourself. If you are considering modeling as a true vocation, you should do whatever you can to build up your portfolio and get signed with a reputable agency. You should also move to a city where there is a lot of work for models. (i.e. Los Angeles or New York City).

Some of the opportunities we offer at Curvy Girl Clothing for modeling are as follows:

Catalog/Website
This is for online website listings (all e-commerce sites including eBay). These shots are used to sell the merchandise in the item specifics pages.

Fit Model
This work can be relatively boring, but there is a lot of it if you are in Los Angeles or New York City. A fit model is used by designers to test the fit of their samples. Models used for fit purposes are generally perfectly proportioned as the clothes are graded/sized upon her body type.

Runway
Curvy Girl Clothing produces several runway shows per year. Sometimes, we are asked to show our line at a particular event that we are not producing (i.e. Fashion Week).

Editorial
These are the “fun” shoots. Many times, we can do high fashion type shots, similar to what you’d see in a fashion magazine. We use these for marketing and promotions, the front page of our website, banner ads and anything else that requires some really cool shots. When we do newspaper interviews, we will use these shots to go with the story. With these shoots, we are often looking for models with unique looks.

Television
Curvy Girl Clothing is featured regularly on shows like Better TV, AM Northwest, etc… Oftentimes, we have models as an integral part of the segment.

Acting/Sketch
Curvy Girl Clothing produces short comedic sketches that are posted in many online venues. This is perfect for the model who is also looking to do some acting and commercial work and needs a reel for her resume. There is a high value associated with the reel you receive from this work as all of our sketches are directed and edited by top professionals.

In Los Angeles and NYC, there are many wholesale manufacturers who put out catalogs on a very regular basis. There is a lot of work available in this area, it is just a matter of marketing yourself to the different companies.

What will you get paid? Good question. Not all modeling jobs are paying jobs. For our principal website models, our compensation includes a per hour rate and/or a clothing allowance. For tv, runway and acting/sketch our compensation is generally a clothing allowance, prints (or reel if it is acting) and meal(s), depending on the length of the shoot. You will become very familiar with the TFP (time for print) terminology in the modeling industry, and on occasion, Curvy Girl Clothing uses this method as well, generally for editorial shoots. Typically you will get a lot of exposure, and often times, Curvy Girl Clothing recommends you for other modeling work (to other people seeking models in our industry). We want you to have a successful modeling career and we do the best we can to help you meet those goals!

What to bring to a shoot

This depends on the client. For Curvy Girl Clothing, we will typically have all clothes, accessories and shoes for you. We will let you know if you need to do your own hair or makeup. For smaller shoots, our models generally do their own hair and makeup, but for full day shoots, we will typically have someone there for this purpose.

You will want to bring several bras and panties, as well as your body shapers, if you have them. It is unlikely the client will provide this for you.

Most importantly, bring a positive attitude and confidence. Have fun. If you’ve made it as far as a shoot, don’t obsess over your looks. Nothing upsets us more at a shoot when models complain about their looks or “flaws”. They are not flaws. They are not “problem spots”. Remember, you beat out a lot of other submissions and you are there for a reason. Bring it. Flaunt it. Own it. Most importantly, it’s your body. The only one you’re ever going to have. Love it.

After a shoot

Follow up with the client after the shoot. Make them remember you. Check in periodically, showing your interest for additional work in the future as well as your availability. We love it when you tell us how much you enjoyed your shoot and how you are telling all of your friends and family about our clothing. You may be lying, for all we know, but let us believe you live your life wearing nothing but our clothes. I’m just saying…it helps.

Before you start posting photos from your shoots, make sure you have permission from the photographer or company owner to do so. This is typically a no-no, especially when dealing with photographers. They will own the rights to the photos and need to give you express (and often, written) permission to use the photos in a public forum. Don’t think the photographer isn’t visiting your MySpace or FaceBook page either, they are. For Curvy Girl Clothing, we typically let models use their photos for whatever purpose they see fit, as long as they credit Curvy Girl Clothing somewhere on or near the photo (but they still need our express, written consent).

If you are featured on a website, in a newspaper or magazine, remember to pull out the photos of yourself for your portfolio. Scan the ones from print so that you can have a digital copy. These are your “tears” and they are an integral part of your portfolio.

What Next?

Take your photos! If your friend has a really great camera, ask if they can take some photos of you. I'd recommend going to the local salon and having your makeup done professionally and have your hair put in an "up do". We have sent some of our models to have this done prior to a shoot and the most we have spent is about $50 and we were always happy with the results.

Once your photos are taken, upload them to a public website (i.e. MySpace or FaceBook).

Research the various companies who use plus size models. Check their website for submission information and/or contact them to inquire about modeling opportunities. Be prepared for many of them to say they use agency models only.

Research articles on plus size modeling. Pay attention to how the women say they got started or what launched their careers.

Sign up with the online plus model websites and post your portfolio.

Research the various modeling agencies who sign plus models. While many do not require a professional portfolio to be be considered for signing, it helps to have some experience and professional photos prior to approaching them. Once you hear "No, thank you" from an agency, it is very hard to go in again for re-consideration. That being said, if an agency feels you have the right look for their clientele, they will sign you, whether it be based on a Polaroid or shots from a high end photographer. Once you are signed, however, you will have to invest in your portfolio (the agency needs photos to send to clients who are looking for models). This is generally an expense you pick up.

My advice is to try and freelance as you build your portfolio (at the clients expense). Once you have worked enough and built up a portfolio, bring it in to the various agencies. It will demonstrate that you have been working and that there is a demand for YOU and your look.

To submit your portfolio to Curvy Girl Clothing, please visit our page on model submissions.
https://www.curvygirlclothing.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=12

Good luck!!

About the author

Lisa Toton is co-founder of Curvy Girl Clothing. She lives in Los Angeles, CA with her husband. When she is not obsessing over plus size fashion, she is writing sketches (some for Curvy Girl Clothing) or you can see her on stage at many of the top comedy clubs in the Los Angeles area where she has been performing as a stand up comedian for a better part of the last decade. You can contact Lisa at lisa@curvygirlclothing.com.

About Curvy Girl LLC

Incorporated in 2005, Curvy Girl LLC is a lifestyle company catering to plus size women. Curvy Girl’s first venture was http://www.curvygirlclothing.com/, an online boutique taking the plus size fashion industry by storm. We offer fashion forward trendy styles, in plus sizes (14+). Our flagship store will be opening in Portland, OR early in the fall of 2007.

NOTE: Curvy Girl LLC and Curvy Girl Clothing is not associated with curvygirl.com.

Perspective

2007-10-16T13:07:00.000-07:00

There comes a time in everyone's existence when the curtains of life are drawn open, far past our own peripheral view, and we catch a glimpse of the world that would otherwise go unnoticed... Perhaps we are too busy with what is in front of us to pay attention to what's left behind, or the shades of gray illuminating from the direction of things not-quite-within-our-reach are just not interesting enough for us to stop and dedicate a few moments to. As the years fly by and we continue to walk our own path in life, it is not uncommon for us to strengthen our identities, convictions, and values. What we don't seem to have a grasp on, however, is perspective.

Or maybe it's just me....

I can honestly say that, in my 33 years, yesterday would be the first time I was truly challenged to shift my perspective into high-gear, because clearly it has a lot of catching up to do.... I spent most of the day serving as a judge for the Miss Teen Portland pageant, something I would normally run the other way from (can you say LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE???). I agreed to participate, however, because the premise behind the pageant is that 'it is what is on the inside that counts'... The pageant organizers wanted their judging panel to reflect the belief that shape/size/color/aesthetics are secondary to confidence, poise and humility. Being an advocate of the plus-size community, and parent to a young girl who, like her Amazon mother, will fall outside the realm of 'normal sized', I felt my presence was needed. I was confident I would be able to look beyond the physical and focus on personality. Absolutely positive I would not let a pretty smile sway me into a padded score. I would make the perfect judge....

Until I started meeting and asking questions to the 13-15 year old contestants....

Paris Hilton? Role Model? You have GOT to be kidding me........ (how soon we forget our days of lace gloves and 50 bangles, grinding out a dance/playfully singing the words to "Like A Virgin" *when we were, in fact, still virgins*)...

Jet black hair with a lip/eyebrow piercing? At 14? Whereisyourmother!?! (she is probably in the room outside, supporting and loving you, in spite of your rebellious ways - the same way our own mothers bragged about us - showing off our school pictures, with electric blue eye shadow and our hair being supported by an entire bottle of Rave hairspray, pulled to one side)...

Your favorite singer is Hannah Montana? - hmmm, isn't she a little old to be listening to tween music??? (mind you, I still have my 7" Jordan Knight button from a New Kids on the Block concert I went to at age (yikes!) 15)...

~or~

Marilyn Manson? The self-proclaimed Anti-Christ. nice... (I've got 3 words for you: Nine Inch Nails)... Ok - 3 more. 80s Hair Bands...

Perhaps the highlight of my day's personal journey, however, is when I asked a contestant what her favorite type of music was, and she replied saying she likes the oldies... Her definition of the oldies? BON JOVI.

Wow.

WOW...

I entered the room on Day 1 with confidence, clarity, and the belief that I could help make a difference in the lives of these young women. I left feeling like my mother.... When did I get so old? (this is the first time I realized that I am at an age where I could have given birth to any of these young women)... Am I really that out-of-touch with this particular generation, where my perspective interferes with their own rites-of-passage? Have I forgotten what it was like to be a teenager wanting to "find myself"? Have I really taken the leap from a time and place where I valued and encouraged individual expression, to where I pass down judgement? Is Bon Jovi really considered to be "oldies"????

We are NOT CurvyGirl.com :)

2007-10-16T12:55:00.001-07:00

One of the things I am most proud of, when it comes to personal accomplishments, is the starting of the company I co-founded, Curvy Girl LLC. Our first venture has been Curvy Girl Clothing (http://www.curvygirlclothing.com/). I have found that many people like to drop the word clothing from our name (for whatever reason) and many times people simply refer to us as the girls from Curvy Girl.

I meet many people and, of course, I tell them about what I do. I own Curvy Girl Clothing. Sure enough, they go to curvygirl.com where they are immediately informed that they must be over 18 to access this site. This is because Curvy Girl is a porn site. CurvyGirlCLOTHING is our site. Will we relinquish our great clothing name simply because of this porn site? No. We love our name and we will continue to use it.

So, if you have met us, and feel that we are porn peddlers, it's ok, many people think the same thing. Our site is full of sexy women, only they have their clothes on (very cute, stylish and affordable clothes I might add!). We have not and will never peddle porn.

I just wanted to make a clarification for the people who I have met, who have visited the porn site, and continue to secretly wonder how it's possible that someone as seemingly innocent as harmless as myself would own a porn company. I don't. Sorry to disappoint you. Now, please, go check out http://www.curvygirlclothing.com/ :)