My morning with Nolé

After a swim and OA meeting, I was probably looking a hot mess when I ran into fashion editor and stylist Nolé Marin at Gristedes this morning. But since stumbling across a friendly neighbor / fashionisto in the UES isn't a regular occurrence for me, I ballsed up and asked him his thoughts on the plus market and whether or not he believed it was ever going to get its fair shake of real coverage in the fashion industry.

"It's not," he told me, plainly. "I wish I could lie to you and tell you it's going to change."

What can I say? Homeboy was honest. That is, until he graciously "guessed" I was a size 20. You just have to love a man who knows how and when to give a girl a compliment.

"It's unfortunate," Nolé said as a fellow shopper passed us in the produce aisle. He nodded at her, adding, "See, she's a size 16. The average woman is nowhere near a size 2 or 4. She's a 14, 16, 18. Even 20, 22, 24 is the standard now, but [the industry] isn't going to change... They're selling the fantasy."

In all honesty, I love the fantasy. I only recently took down the pictures on my wall from Versace's last ad campaign featuring Kate and Giselle. My concern, which I shared with Marin, isn't that I necessarily want to see overweight women on the runway or in the magazines. What matters more to me is having equal accessibility to the same high quality, high fashion as women who are half my size.

It wasn't a complete bitchfest though. While cruising the meats section, Nolé did share one little interesting tidbit with me: Apparently he's been working with a team on a super secret new shopping website due to launch in upcoming months. And according to Marin, us fationistas are "going to love it."

I'm already giddy in my girdle with anticipation! Stay tuned...


P.S. Looking for a model workshop? Check out: www.nolemarin.com

Letter to Kelly Cutrone

Hi People's Revolution!

My name is Ally Davenport and I'm a real fat fashionista with an opinion about the future of the plus size fashion industry. I think it's time for everyone to start seriously considering reaching out to the plus market. There's a ton of money out there to be made. The average size woman no longer applies to most of what the mainstream industry has to offer. Should fashion downgrade itself to appease what they consider to be those "less desirable," hence less worthy of their vision? Of course not. But brand expansion is good business. The average woman is a size 12-14 in the U.S. and she's saving a lot of money NOT BUYING because she feels isolated.

I happen to spend money because I know what I like and how to find it. That's the type of attitude that has me writing to you at 5:00 AM when I could just as easily be sleeping or bitching about it on my blog. I think it's time for People's Revolution to reach out to the plus market. Helping them to expand on their branding ultimately helps you. I should see Lane Bryant, Torrid, Ashley Stewart, Avenue, Monif C., Evan's, Igigi, Missphit, Anna Scholz, Donna Ricco, Kiyonna, etc. publicized and advertising in Elle, Vogue, Glamour, InStyle, W, Cosmopolitan, Nylon, MarieClaire, Lucky, and more. The plus market is expanding, but it remains a largely untapped resource. There's so much revenue out there just waiting to flood throughout the industry. Why shouldn't People's Revolution be part of it?

So, who am I? Really, I'm just a fat chic who loves clothes. I love fashion and I'm tired of reading and researching a market that doesn't relate to me. But it's not just about me. There's millions of us out there waiting, we just happen to be spending most of our shopping time in Target because they've actually taken the time to include us in their ad campaigns; albeit not as much as they probably should be. Many "fationistas" like myself know there's a delightful plus shop inside Saks, Bloomie's, Neiman's, etc., but we're less prone to shop there because, for what ever reason, they wish to keep the majority of us unaware of what they have to offer. We have just as much money to spend as a size 0, and if they want to cash in they better start telling us, directly, that they're selling what we're buying. Any good business person can see the good sense/cents in that.

Do you know there's a pathetic plus size fashion week in New York? It's very new and very un-fabulous at the moment. Sure, there are designers whose aesthetic caters to the plus market. Sure, their work deserves to be showcased. But what about the rest of it; the stylists, publicists, advertisers, marketing, branding? Once again, this is an untapped resource just begging for the opportunity to make a lot of people a lot of money.

I love fashion and I would thoroughly enjoy sharing more of my ideas with People's Revolution, esoteric as they may be. I know a little about online marketing and publicizing, and a lot more about writing, research, and development. I would love to work for a company like People's Revolution, but I also want to play an integral part in the revolution of the plus market. This is where all my skill sets coincide with my personal insight and passion. The plus market will explode a lot sooner than many industry people believe. Wouldn't you like to be among the first?

How BIG Are Our Icons, Really?

The Dove ladies. I would say these women are in the 6-10 range.

Kate Dillon. Size 14.

Mia Tyler. Size 14.

Emme. Size 12.

Crystal Renn. Size 14.

Anna Nicole Smith during her Lane Bryant model days. Size 12.

Jill Scott. Size 14.

Queen Latifah. Size 14.

Jennifer Hudson. Size 12.

Marilyn Monroe. Size 16 back in her day - probably 10/12 today.

Beth Ditto. Size 24!

Whitney Thompson. Size 8.

Toccara Jones. Size fluctuates between 8-18.

Mo'Nique. Size 16.