Three Cheers to Karl Lagerfeld

[I just found this in last week's People Magazine - no idea how I missed this the first time through]

Chanel Nixes Too-Thin Models
Karl Lagerfeld is quoted as saying: "I have nothing against skinny girls. But these were terrible. They looked as if they had grown up in a Third World country with no food to eat. I sent them back to the agency. I didn't think they should be modeling." People Magazine, Oct 29, 2007

Clone him, Chanel. Hopefully the fashion industry as a whole will start to recognize that no super-ultra-thin model comes close to representing the New Normal (us!).

Don't forget to sign up for the new PSW Newsletter, cheerfully delivered to your e-doorstep on Monday morning (in time to get some good lunch-hour shopping done, if you're on the West Coast). Sign up here.

Remember our Mantra!

We're curvaceous, audacious, bold, beautiful, voluptuous, sensuously shapely, and we dress to show off our beautiful selves! We live in our perfectly shaped world comfortably fashion-forward and proud of it. We celebrate ourselves and our world.

Just because we're changing website domain names and blog names does not mean that we are losing focus on our purpose. Remember, also, we are the New Normal. We are the New Average. We shall dress beautifully and well.

Plus Size Clothing [while I figure out the rest of the move]

[Thanks for the patience as I completely unravel and reconstruct Perfectly Shaped Life into the Perfectly Shaped World blog, website and forum ...and while I figure out all the intricacies of moving a year-old site to a brand new domain, here's a read of interest to all of us New Normal shoppers]

Plus Size Clothing
By Katya Coen

If you are not a plus-size person, you may not have ever used plus-size clothing. In fact, you may not even be familiar with the term. But if you are a larger than average or "plus-size" individual, the term must have become a part of your shopping vocabulary.

What is Plus-Size Clothing?
Plus-size clothing is clothing between the numerical sizes of 14W and upwards to size 26 (the W stands for women). Also identified as X sizes (1X, 2X, etc), which have numerical size equivalents (check the tag). You may also hear or see plus-size clothing generically referred to as "Women's Sizes." In many major retail stores there is a separate section for plus-size clothing.

Difficulties of Finding Larger Sizes
While the average woman may wear a size 12 - we are not all average sized women. Some of us are smaller in stature and tend to shop in the petite or juniors section of our favorite department store. For those who are larger than average, plus-size clothing can be their only avenue for fashion.

For many years, women who wear plus-size clothing have had difficulties in finding their sizes in regular retail stores or at all. When able to find their size, younger women have found it even more difficult to find fashionable clothing in plus-sizes. Now, however, due to the growth in the plus-size clothing market, many countries are seeing an increase in specialty stores who carry lines specifically targeted to plus-size women.

Specialty Chain Stores
One of the most recognizable stores in the United States is Lane Bryant, who offers a variety of styles including business, casual, and dress clothing for larger women. Lane Bryant practices another major feature of plus-size clothing shopping - the convenience of online shopping and mail order catalogs.

The specialty store Torrid specifically targets younger and more fashion conscious plus-size women. Similar to Lane Bryant in the types of clothing offered, Torrid is more concentrated with younger women and teens.

Internet Shopping
The Internet has opened up the plus-size clothing market for many consumers. Women are able to browse stores and brands that are far outside their geographical location. While shopping for clothing online does not allow for trying on the clothing before purchase, the ready availability of a broader numerical size range can be a big draw for plus-size women. Shoppers can view styles, comparison shop and be linked to similar stores. The Internet offers something your local mall will not in connection with plus-size clothing - lots of selection. Simply type in the keyword plus-size clothing into your search engine, and you will find hundreds of sites that will offer just the type of clothing you are looking for in your size.

Growing Marketplace
With obesity rates on the increase, particularly in the United States, offering a plus-size clothing line can now be a major draw for retailers. Stores such as Wal-Mart have continually expanded their Women's sections to offer a broader selection. As plus-size people become a larger part of the mainstream, plus-size clothing placement in the marketplace can only become more prominent.

Katya Coen provides information on fashionable plus size clothing and other plus size clothing topics for A1 Market - the guide for the Savvy Shopper.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Katya_Coen
http://EzineArticles.com/?Plus-Size-Clothing&id=797349

Progress on the Move, Name Change

We secured the domain name and are just now waiting for a bit of server fun. I'm trying to figure out how to move the site from the old name to the new without losing anyone in the process!

Welcome Back and Welcome to Our New Name

Over the next few days I will figure out how to move the heritage posts about color palette, body image, shopping and the like. Meanwhile, Perfectly Shaped Life is now named Perfectly Shaped World. Also in the next few days, the store will have its very own domain name - aptly perfectlyshapedworld.com - although going to the old Fern's address will still reach the new location. It's all done with mirrors, I'm told.

Deciphering the Basics of Color Seasons

Originally Posted: Perfectly Shaped Life - October 2007

If you've been following the series so far, you've had some time to play around with the color display widget and observe the different effects of color palettes for each of the seasons. Now is a good time to go look at that widget again, and then let's clarify a few more terms.

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Part 3: Basics of Colors, Seasons, Warm vs Cool

Warm Colors versus Cool Colors

Warm colors are the colors on the color wheel of red, red-orange, orange, orange-yellow, yellow, and yellow-green.

Cool colors are the colors on the color wheel of green, green-blue, blue, blue-violet, violet, and violet-red.

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Color Season versus Calendar Season

When we talk about a color season, we're talking about a selection of colors that work best with a particular eye, skin and hair color combination. This is not to be confused with the Fall Fashion Season 2007 colors toward which many fashion designers will gravitate... which depends entirely on who you talk to, since Paul Pelssers says that the season's colors will be rich jeweled shades mixing gypsy, country, Irish and Russian influences, and Premiere Vision states "...Shiny or ultra-matt, metallic, not completely plain or concentrated, colours grow languid with a serene and enveloping decency..." while Fashion Trendsetter swears by "...Bright hues mixed with pale tones, matching colors and opposites...".

But no matter who says what: Color seasons are not meant to be worn only during seasons of the year.

Some color season analyses will take more than physical appearance into account. One such test is found at What Season Woman Are You, which also considers personality traits.

In addition to eye color, some also look at the patterns found in the eye itself. To quote Color Me A Season:

Each season has a dominant feature which is shown in the eye. The SUMMER eye appears as crackly glass, WINTER - spokes on a wheel, SPRING - Yellow sunburst around a gray doughnut shape, AUTUMN - Aztec sun directly around the pupil with specks and dots sometimes.

At its most basic, the color seasons can be divided as:

Warm	Cool
Autumn	Summer
Spring	Winter

Stay tuned... our next step will start to determine your personal color season.

How to Tame the Color Palette Demons

Originally Posted: Perfectly Shaped Life - October 2007

We've all done it. Run into a store, see the perfect dress / skirt / blouse / outfit, race to try it on, give it the nod of approval, pull out the Mastercard, then get that perfect purchase home and ... HATE IT. The perfect purchase gets returned or stuffed into the back of the closet. Who knows, it might change to a better color after being stored for a few years.

One thing that may lie behind bad choices like those is the truth of the color. What looks great in the lighting of the store and dressing room may not look great at all in sunlight or the lighting in your bathroom. One way to avoid lying color is to become very comfortable with your own personal color palette, and that alone will guide you away from that particular color palette demon.

But that's not why we're here for Part 2. It's time, instead, to get used to what colors and color combinations look like. Don't laugh too hard - of COURSE you know what blue looks like. Right?

(Don't be surprised, though, if someone swears that navy skirt they've got on is really black. Some people cannot tell the difference.)

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Part 2: Exploring Color Palette Variations

This little widget, courtesy of WidgetBox, is the big brother to the small one in the sidebar to the right. Rather than get into a great big discussion about color palettes and how to select one that matches your hair, skin, and eyes, spend some time looking at the dropdowns to the right of the color bar display - click on a few things, fiddle with the knobs, and get used to how the widget responds.

Pay particular attention to the Nature dropdown. Notice that, in addition to the standards of Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter selections, you can visualize Tropical, Wood, and Water. Other dropdowns are Colors, Types and Moods. Spend some time with them before we go further.

Are You a Summer, Winter, Spring, Autumn or What?

Originally Posted: Perfectly Shaped Life - October 2007

Each of us has a particular range of color palettes that flatter our natural coloring the best. A special shade of blue that makes our eyes dazzle. That certain green tone that brings out those highlights in your hair. We may not yet know exactly why we gravitate toward a certain color or palette, but it's not voodoo or witchcraft.

Anyone can find their true colors, and we're going to get started in that direction in a moment. Let's demystify a few of the terms first:

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Part 1: Working the Color Wheel

Terms and Definitions

• Primary: red, yellow, blue
  
• Secondary: orange, violet, green - formed by combining primary colors
  
• Tertiary: red-orange, red-violet, yellow-green, yellow-orange, blue-green, blue-violet
  
• Warm: red, red-orange, orange, yellow-orange, yellow, yellow-green
  
• Cool: green, blue-green, blue, blue-violet, violet, red-violet
  
• Hue: color
  
• Tint: a color blended with white
  
• Shade: a color blended with black
  
• Value: the darkness or lightness of a hue
  
• Saturation: the strength or weakness of a color (the more the color is mixed with other colors, the less saturated it becomes).
  
• Monochromatic: of one color, variations on a single color
  
• Analogous harmony: two or more neighboring colors (red, red-orange, orange)
  
• Complementary: colors on opposite sides of the color wheel (red and green, violet and yellow)
  

Here's what you will want to have on hand, to get ready for the next part of our exercise.

• Hair color
  
• Skin tone (warm or cool)
  
• Eye color (without the contacts)
  
• Your absolutely positively most favorite blouse or scarf