Figure flattering dresses are back and they are definitely going to be the must have item for the Summer season. OneStopPlus has just added a number of curve hugging plus size dresses to their collection, and browsing through their store today I noticed they have some really stylish pieces. So I decided to pick out my 10 most favorite ones, and give you ladies a peek into their selection. Here we go:

1. Geometric Print Trapeze Dress

This can easily become a favorite pick for the Summer. Featuring a nice casual length, this dress can be worn alone or with leggings. This trapeze style tank dress features a black solid trim at neckline and hem. The full and flowy silhouette makes it extremely flattering. Currently this dress is available in all sizes… so in size 14W to 40W.

2. Crinkled Rayon Dress

A sleeveless notchneck dress with empire waist, featuring self band at V-neck and bottom flounce hem. The shirring at the bust and waist gives this dress gorgeous extra detail and a plus size flattering fit. Currently available in sizes 14W to 36W.

3. JL Studio™ Contrast-Hem Dress

One of my favorites, this sleeveless empire-waist dress is trimmed with a complementary color at the hem. Simple and yet so stylish. The deep V-neckline is very flattering and the band of color at the hem gives this dress a unique flair.

4. Jewel-Waist Maxi Dress

Simply put, a totally fun dress. Featuring a pullover style with surplice front, this dress comes in a flowing ankle-length skirt. The shirred waist is embellished with an attached grosgrain ribbon belt studded with amber-colored faux gemstones, simply gorgeous.

5. Drawstring Baby French Terry Square-neck Dress

An item picked from the sporty drawstring collection, this plus size dress makes a great sportswear addition to your wardrobe. The perfect anytime casual dress! It is tagless to feel smooth and soft against the skin. It also features a baby French terry square-neck, an empire waist with drawstring tie and grommet trim, short, puffy cap sleeves with loose banding. It is currently availabe in sizes 14W to 40W.

6. Chelsea Studio® Ruched-waist Matte Jersey Knit Dress

Accented with a solid insert at the bodice, this dress features a beautiful printed style, making a great addition to any Summer wardrobe. Currently available in sizes 12W to 32W.

7. Printed Kimono Style Dress

You’ll love the ease and beauty of this V-neck dress with solid modesty inset and full, flowing sleeves. Simply stunning and currently available in sizes 14W to 34W.

8. JL Studio™ Silk Paisley Dress

This feminine and flowy dress has a figure flattering empire waist and flirty high/low hem. The pretty paisley print gets a hint of sparkle from subtle metallic threads. Whilst the sparkling rhinestone ornament draws attention to the flattering shirred V-neckline. Very stylish and unique.

9. Candlelight & Champagne® Lace Trapeze Dress

Another one of my favorite, this beautiful plus size dress featured shirring and elastic back waist. The lace detail gives it a very chic flair, making it a definite winner! It is currently available in sizes 14W to 32W.

10. JL Studio™ Scoopneck Dress

This very feminine chiffon dress has sheer short sleeves and delicate shirring for beautiful drape. Definitely a perfect choice for a desk-to-dinner dress.

We have seen IGIGI being worn by a number of celebrities in the past, Nikki Blonsky for instance was seen wearing IGIGI fashions on more than a couple of occasions. Well, IGIGI will be expanding the list of well known people it has dresses, as it has lately provided a dress for an award-winning author.

Chamein Canton, the 2007 Reviewers Choice Award-winner for African American Romance, in fact wore a lace short dress in black/red at The Romantic Times Booklover’s Convention on April 18th, 2008.

At the convention, Canton received the award for her book “Not His Type,” a romance novel about a full-figured, size-16 woman who finds the love of her life in a New York Yankee, no less.

“I’m wearing IGIGI’s sexy and romantic red lace dress for a sexy redhead like me and Cathy Chambers, my main character in my book. Red is for dangerous curves ahead!” said Canton.

I’ll be giving you more information about Chamein Canton, and her achievements in a future post.

SizeAppeal.com has just announced that plus size actress and model Chenese Lewis will serve as the new face of the company. In the future she will therefore be making personal appearances and hosting special events. A new print advertising campaign further depicts this new direction and features Chenese in various SizeAppeal looks.

Chenese is a celebrity whose mission is to empower women to embrace their curves, which aligns well with the SizeAppeal vision. This partnership kicks off this month with a promotion of the 2008 Flawless Calendar, the first of its kind showcasing plus size models of different ethnicities, shapes and sizes with high fashion editorial images. Chenese not only modeled in the calendar but executive produced it as well.

“I am extremely excited to work with SizeAppeal to help women understand that a curvy size 22 can be as sexy as a size 2, especially when a woman feels great about how she looks,” says Chenese.

“We want to help inspire plus-size women to embrace their curves and feel confident in their skin,” says Lauren Ricks, Marketing Manager of Sizeappeal. “Chenese is more than a plus size model, she carries a positive message and is an inspiration to many women. Our partnership with Miss Lewis and our collection that incorporates an elevated sense of style, all benefits the plus-size consumer, which has traditionally been underserved.”

Another one of my favorite plus size swimwear retailers, AlwaysForMe.com, has launched a campaign to promote a brand new line of figure flattering swim suits for curvy women called “Slimmer in Seconds” swimwear. This collection of plus size bathing suits uses special construction and fabric, in addition to eye-fooling details to create the illusion of a slimmer, and shapelier silhouette. Now that’s what I think every swim suit should be doing!

“Women everywhere, whether they are plus size or petite, want a bathing suit that makes them look good and feel great, reports AlwaysForMe.com founder, Susan Barone. “There is a great deal of thought and engineering that goes into suits that fool the eye and flatter the figure while remaining stylish, and more importantly, comfortable.”

Barone offers the following tips for women to consider as they formulate their swimsuit purchases this season:

• If you are bigger on the bottom than the top: pear shaped figures benefit from calling attention to the top half of the body, drawing the eye upward. Try a one piece suit with a patterned top and solid color bottom like Always For Me Chic Collection Ocho Rios suit, or opt for a solid one piece with a deep neckline to elongate the face and neckline like Always For Me Chic Collection Twist Front Solid Bandeau. Two piece suits also work well for the triangle shape, especially skirted versions that float prettily over the legs in a variety of lengths. Look for a suit with detail that calls attention to the area directly under the bust. It is often the smallest part of the body.
• If you are bigger on top than on the bottom, your inverted triangle shape works best with solids and/or solid tops and patterned bottoms. Bust and side shirring are wonderful illusion makers, creating a slimmer silhouette and drawing the eye toward center for a narrower look. For larger busted women, be sure to look for suits with underwire support, all around control and thicker straps. And, if your legs are one of your best features, showcase them in any of the adjustable skirt length tankinis like the Always For Me Chic Collection Athena or Goddess styles.
• If you are a rectangle shape and want to define your waist or create curves, then take a look at bathing suits with details like piping, rouching or Princess seaming like those seen in the Always For Me Chic Collection lingerie style swim mini. Side detailing such as shirring, striping, or embroidery can draw the eye toward center to define the waist line and create an hourglass shape.
• If you want to tame your tummy and control the abdominal area, look for suits with full liners for all around control, or spot control panels where you need it most. Also consider suits with diagonal inserts, side shirring, darting, or Princess seams. Suits with tummy control slim the mid section and create the illusion of a flatter stomach. Side shirring, wrap styles and cross over bodices can add texture that helps conceal bulges. And don’t rule out a print when considering a suit that supports and controls. Color blocks (like those on the Always For Me Chic Collection Kingston one piece ) and small, repeating patterns can fool the eye and seamlessly shape the silhouette.

Barone offers a final suggestion for plus size swimsuit buyers. “Be sure to look at the back of the suit when you try it on. You’ll want to look your best coming and going!”

If you are a regular follower of the Plus Size Clothing Scoop, I’m sure you can imagine that such an offer can only be offered by SwimsuitsForAll.com. These guys have a great selection of curve flattering plus size swimwear, and have been releasing promotions this year on a very regular basis. They are literally on a roll, and nothing can seem to stop them.

Well I for one definitely do not want them to stop, as their promotions rock . The latest one is sizzling hot. How about getting yourself a brand new plus size tankini for the upcoming summer for under $25!? Sounds a little far fetched right? Well think again. Simply visit SwimsuitsForAll.com to see their selection of just that, plus size tankinis for under $25, available in sizes 18W to 24W.

OK I admit, I am probably the last one in the plus size blogging industry to report on Chloe Marshall, but ah things have been super duper hectic lately. I am only now getting back into regular postings and regular email checks. So although this news it rather late, I thought it was too important not to mention on the scoop simply because it’s not hot off the press. So apologies in advance if you’ve read up on this before.

Chloe Marshall is a young lady from Englad who is breaking boundaries, challenging stereotypes, and a person who have a very bright future ahead.

A 17 year old from Gulford, UK, Chloe has become the first ever size 16 (that’s size 14 US) model to be selected a finalist for the Miss England competition. Chloe, who is a beauty therapist student, beat seven other slimmer girls to the title of Miss Surrey and will therefore now run in the national finals.

Although plus size ladies, and all real women, are super ecstatic about this breakthrough, and genuinely happy for Chloe’s success, there are some others who think Chloe does not really deserve to hold her title.

One opinion in particular which made most noise, and caused a lot of discussion (and with reason!), was published on the Daily Mail by Monica Grenfell. You guys seriously have to read the article to believe the kind of things this ‘dietician’ claimed. It is absolutely appalling, and she should completely be ashamed to call herself a real woman. After reading this make sure you head on to Kate Harding’s awesome respone. Kate you rock!

So as you might imagine, I think Chloe should be very proud of her achievement and I wish her the best of luck for the finals. I am sure she has a very bright future ahead.

Fashion Bug has rolled out a set of band new coupon codes for us to take advantage of… yeay! All the nitty gritty details are available below, and the best thing to remember is that these won’t expire until June 18th, so you have ample time to shop around and make use of these coupons.

So here goes with the goos stuff:

• Save 15% on any order (no minimum purchase). Enter promotion code 776214603 at checkout.
• Free Shipping on any order of $75 or more. Enter promotion code 776214504 at checkout.
• Free Shipping on Swimwear Orders of $50 or more. Enter promotion code 776214405 at checkout.

So remember, all these coupon codes run until June 18th, 2008. If you know you will probably shop at Fashion Bug until then, why don’t you bookmark this post to refer to it when you want to make your purchase?

Here’s something you definitely do not see everyday, an all-male plus size cheerleading squad team dubbed the ‘Manatees’.

This Florida base baseball cheerleading squad will perform at Marlins home games on Friday and Saturday nights. Set up primarily as a way to bring back fans, the cheerleader boys are finding this experience a fun, rewarding and most of all, liberating one!

The squad range in age from their early 20s to their early 60s, and in build from slightly chubby to a litte bit more. I think this is such a great idea these guys have put together, read more about it at CSmonitor.com.

IGIGI has this week added a brand new plus size dress to it’s collection, the Sheath dress. Featuring short sleeves and a figure flattering fit, this dress is simple and yet versatile and extremely chic. It is available in two colors: sage and gray (as pictured).

What I really like about this new addition is the fact that it can taken you through all hours of the day; using this dress for different occasions during both day and night is very doable. Pair it up with some dressy court shows and a blazer in the morning for a perfect business meeting outfit. Then dress it down with some sandals, a long beaded necklace and a matching pair of earrings, and you’re all set for meeting your loved one for some drinks or a lovely dinner somewhere posh. Have a closer look at the Sheath dress at IGIGI.

I ran across a very interesting article on a Turkish online publication today, which focuses on plus size fashion trends, issues, as well as top tips.

Drawn up up fashion designer Reyhan Yazici, this article first goes to explaining how plus size clothing is nowadays more readily available to women. Although in the past full figured women might have been restricted to boring, plain and dark colored clothes, this is no longer the case.

Further on Reyhan gives some tips to plus size women, tips to take into consideration to make sure one looks chic and stylish. Reyhan suggest seeking out your own individual style, no matter what it is! Although you might think black and darker colors are a safer choice, curvy women should not stick to dark shades all the time. Choose colorful and vibrant designs to create an elegant look which accentuates you plus points, and hides those areas you’d rather keep discreet.

Surprisingly this Turkish fashion design also suggests never to use broad belts. He claims it is better to go for a low-rise version. I guess this belt issue boils down to tastes really. I myself do not feel comfortable wearing belts, I think that is the only accessory that I rarely wear. But that’s just me! However he does encourage larger ladies make use of V-necks, although with caution. Steer clear of very plunging neckline; one cannot give too much away! With this I concur.

All in all, pay attention to the details ladies! Even small changes can make or break your look, and definitely steer clear of very loose tops!

I thought this article by Reyhan was very refreshing, and it is always good to read up on what experts in the industry suggest for larger ladies. I’m always open to hearing new and interesting tips! It is also very positive to have a Turkish publication take up and publish plus size related articles. Well done guys, and keep it up.