A department store in Sweden, Ahlens, has introduced these normal-sized mannequins, and photos of them have been getting shared widely across the Web in recent months. Instead of a Size 00, these gals are a Size 12 and Size 16, respectively. Some people say that having such Plus-Size mannequins "condones obesity." Pfft! The average American woman thinks she is a Size 12 or 14, but with median measurements of 41.5-33-43.5, and 163 pounds at 5-foot-8 inches tall, she is more likely two sizes bigger. I say that for all of us, if you are slim, congratulations. If you are not, make the most of it. If we all COULD be thin, we all would be thin. FYI: If anyone cares (LOL), I think the Size 12 figure looks great and Size 16 figure is voluptuous. -- Mary Duffy
As an adult woman, I am so over shapeless, droopy-poopy, trapeze shapes with asymmetrical, shark-bite, handkerchief, hi-low hems, that I COULD SCREAM. "Baby doll" is cute on three-year-olds, but hold the boxy shapes and huge ruffles! And remember that most of us have breasts and hips, and these styles just hang off our bustlines, rendering us perpetually pregnant-looking.
The BIG look you may wish to avoid going forward is narrow bottoms, as in leggings and cigarette pants, and really big shirts, topped off by a coat or jacket that is JUMBO size! Leggings MUST be worn with tops that come below the 'anatomy' line only—never too tight but not family-sized, either. I hope you agree that these silhouettes are what NOT to wear! If you bought them and now hate them, donate them. I did. As for High Low skirts? OH, NO-O-O-O is right!
One of the advantages of living in New York City, if this sort of thing amuses YOU as much as it does ME, is watching the Fashion Week news coverage. Here, it is actually covered as Local News!
Anna Wintour
So once again, I swore off judgmental viewing for the Fall 2014 shows, and was—at best—underwhelmed. Apparently, Vogue's Anna Wintour (left) had similar feelings, as was noted again and again by the fashion press. Her face says it all. So, what is new? Not much. What is exciting? Even less. Hopefully, Ready-to-Wear (that is us real folk) will ignore the Black and White (OMG, how original) and Gray (how funereal)! The rare touches of color kept me awake and Zac Posen, in my opinion, had the most wearable, desireable collection. In addition to the afore-mentioned mourning colors, color block, pattern mixing returned. A softer blue and a more orange red than last year and red were see a bit. There were big ball gowns and enough glam, sparkle and embellishment for a Disney princess movie.
Also big on the runway was a retro 1920s look, which I personally love, but which has been done so often, I think there is still some in the my closet for the 90s. Fur was everywhere, even as a necklace for ball gowns and faux enough for animal-lover me. One thing I liked was the mixture of black or B&W, with a rather Belle Epoque Mauve Decade rose. Very pretty, and we real people might actually like it. -- Mary Duffy
Hello, world. I'm Mary Duffy, and I'm excited to start a conversation with you aboutFashion for the Rest of Us.That's the name of this blog and the name of my Website. As a former Plus-size fashion model, I speak across the country to all of you out there who haven't appeared on the cover of Vogue lately—and I imagine that's pretty much most of us. I mostly write and speak from the perspective of the Other 99% of women on the planet, and I talk about how fabulous they are. Here's a more proper introduction:
I look forward to speaking with all of you here. I also look forward to hearing from you about all the things that make you crazy, happy, curious, and ever-frustrated with the Fashion Industry. Let's compare notes! Drop me a line and let me know how I can help. And thanks for reading. I look forward to meeting you! -- Mary Duffy
