Over here at Plus Size Steals we have the honor to work with some really magnificent companies. Companies that literally began sprouting roots in their family garage with just a dream and a pair of hands.

You’ve seen my review of the Los Angeles based plus size boutique Sealed With A Kiss Designs! This time around, I’d like to share one plus size clothing line that takes my breath away with every part of their being.

Pronounced ”ee zhee zhee.” IGIGI was founded by Yuliya Raquel in 2000, and is based out of the San Francisco, California area. Each step involved in providing these gorgeous plus size fashions are created and finished in the Bay Area! IGIGI’s mission is: “to transform the world’s view of beauty. IGIGI creates sexy, stylish, and sophisticated collections of plus size clothing to be a major part of the lifestyle of a fashion-loving modern woman – her wedding, the parties she attends, her work, her fun, her fashion, her life!
Our designs accentuate and celebrate the beauty of the curvaceous female figure. A major focus of IGIGI is to provide our customer with the right fit for her body shape…”

IGIGI’s Spring 2012 collections are especially inspired by vintage designs. Naturally, I am falling even more deeply in love with them this season!

Enjoy & let me know what you think of IGIGI…?

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Tags: clothing, colors, fashion, plus size, plus size trends, spring, spring 2012, spring fashion, style, trends

You know which one I’m referring to. That sultry swipe of a brush that compliments everything about your face. Women have been brushing on the cat eye line for decades.

I’ve always had a difficult time picking up new makeup techniques. So this week I am bringing you a few tutorials that have helped tremendously. Let’s start out with a video I picked up from one of my favorite locals at Lulu’s blog. The cat eye!

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Tags: DIY, fashion, makeup, plus size, style, tutorial, videos, vintage

Part 2 of Plus Size Steals’ exclusive guest blog with beauty queen/actress Chassie Virginia Deitz-Selouane.  Chassie was recently on one of the hottest shows on tv- Glee.  Very cool!  Learn about this amazing woman, here’s part 2 of  with Chassie-

The current demographics in our country are amazing.

Two thirds of the American female population are women that wear a size 14 or larger. This has been quoted by the New York Times and USA Today. We are no longer the minority of women; we ARE the majority of women. I want everyone to think for just a moment, how many women in your own family and circle of friends, are women of size? All of us have someone that we know and love, our Grandmothers, aunts, Mom’s, sisters, cousins, dear friends. We all know someone that packs a little extra weight, and so what!

Do we love them less because they do not fit in with what the media perceives as a standard of beauty? They are still beautiful, wonderful, women of the world. The media has been partly responsible in brainwashing our youth and society for far too long. Their “ideal woman”, isn’t a REAL woman at all. In this country we have approximately 70 million plus size women that do not meet the standards of beauty, which the mass media has set for us.

I believe another form of brainwashing starts when we receive our first Barbie Doll. Think about it! What does Barbie represent? Barbie became an icon for our youth in America, in 1959. The creator of Barbie was Ruth Handler. One day she saw her young daughter, Barbara, and her girlfriends playing with adult female dolls. She noticed that they liked playing with the adult dolls more than their baby dolls. Handler sensed that it was just as important for girls to imagine what they themselves might grow up to become, instead of focusing on what caring for children might be like. The idea was originally a good one. However, Barbie started to become our major role model in life. This was the image that we were supposed to aim for as we grew up. Barbie was a small scale, anatomically improbable molded plastic figure of a human being. This became America’s pop culture and major icon for the female in the United States. Barbie and Miss America have been a part of the ‘standards’ of American Beauty, but those ‘standards’ are changing.

My personal experience with pageants has been very positive. In the pageant world we have opened the doors to embrace women from all walks of life. We are no longer focused on the “Barbie doll image”. We have seen women of all sizes, ages, ethnicity and marital status participate in pageants. By participating in pageants we help minimize the negative impact that the media has stowed upon us for years. Entering pageants teaches us about the importance of friendship, sportsmanship, competition, public speaking, charity work and learning to be the best that we can be. Winning the title and crown has opened a new doorway in my life. Hopefully the work that I do will help other women of size understand and appreciate who they are as well.

There are so many successful women in the United States that have been former Pageant Contestants. Women such as Diane Sawyer, Vanessa Williams, Halle Berry, and Delta Burke just to name a few.

I walk with pride as a plus size woman in society. I wear my crown and I carry it well.  I am a Big Beautiful Woman for the entire world to see.  I represent myself and the Majority………of women.

Chassie is the current reigning National Today’s American Woman Pageant Mrs. Plus Ambassador.  Today’s National Woman Pageant is a pageant whose national Platform is Volunteerism with a Passion, which allows each queen to serve the platform of her heart and life’s experience! Visit Chassie’s Blog for more information on how to become a contestant in the pageant: http://mrs2dayamericanwomanplus.blogspot.com/

If you missed part 1 of Chassie’s guest blog, its here.  Thanks!

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Thought it would be a wonderful idea to introduce you to my wonderful friend Chassie Virginia Deitz-Selouane.. she’s a complete inspiration to me and you don’t want to miss what she has to say.  Here is Chassie’s guest blog exclusively for Plus Size Steals.

People have asked me, what it’s like to be a Plus Size Model and most importantly a National Plus Size Pageant Queen. My response, “It is more than an honor, it’s a dream come true.” Like all little American girls I grew up with that grandiose dream that one day I would be Miss America. The fact that I was very much a plus size child never seemed to dampen that dream until I started middle school. It was about this time that I discovered that a plus size girl would never be accepted in the world of Miss America and that my dream seemed practically unattainable. Still I found myself still being drawn to the pageantry world. I watched every televised pageant and I befriended a few girls that participated in pageants and who unlike me had the figure of a pageant queen. The community activism, the crowns, the gowns, the talent, the world of pageantry called to me and it seemed to combine all the things that I enjoyed, yet it seemed that I would be left forever in the background of the excitement.

During my college years as a Theatre major I found my size was a source of constant battle between me and my adviser. I often felt over looked when I would audition for productions. When I approached my adviser she told me that she felt that it was a good idea to put my focus on technical theatre, because my size would make it difficult for me to be successful in performance Theatre. Fortunately there were other professors in the department that did not agree with my adviser and told me that while my size may be a hindrance sometimes, it just meant I had to work harder to get noticed. I had to be twice as good and work twice as hard as an actress who was half my size. This wise professor told me that if I believed in myself then a casting director would believe in me too. After graduation I began my journey into the real world, and made a discovery that would change my life as I knew it. I was contacted by a pageant director to take part in a state pageant for plus size women. I went to the competition and won my first state pageant in 2001 and since then I have held 7 State titles, and 3 National Titles.

In plus pageantry I found that there were others out there who were just like me and wanted with similar dreams. I discovered the plus size pageant industry just as it was beginning to make a splash. I found myself as one of the younger contestants in the pageant circuit. My Titles has allowed me to make public appearances, allowing me to meet and greet people all over the United States. Most were surprised to find out that plus size pageants existed, and it allowed me a great opportunity to open a dialogue with people from many different walks of life. It was through community appearances and speaking with those in attendance that I stumbled upon what has become my platform I have been dedicated to for the past 10 years.

Most people had a hard time believing that I had achieved success because I was in my early 20’s and most plus size models at that time were well into their mid 30’s. Apparently the reason that I was one of the younger contestants at the time was that many our young women of America, has compromised issues with low self esteem and poor body image and did not have the confidence to participate in plus size pageants. It was then my platform was born. I became determined to travel to classrooms speaking with our younger generations in order to change this downward spiral of self-loathing that seemed to be promoted by the media which at the time was very Heroin chic.I believe wholeheartedly that promoting diversity and education are the keys to making our young women in America successful as the future leaders of our Country. It is so important for a child to discover his or her beauty, and positive self image at an early age. Having a good self esteem and body image are the building blocks for a happier, productive and successful life.

Studies show that a child or teen that has a strong and healthy self worth is proven to be successful in life. I hope to be a positive role model for the young women of America. My pageant titles have opened so many doors for me. I have been quoted as saying, “I am not the normal beauty queen, I am the exceptional one”. I love to see the expression on the young faces in a classroom, when they see me walk into a room, in my crown and sash. As a model woman in society, I try to look fabulous at every appearance. The experience is thought provoking and immediately, the questions begin.

They want to know, due to my heroic proportions, how can I be a Beauty Queen? So, I begin to tell them my story. It is so important for me to express the size issue with honesty. I need to set a positive example that Beauty really does come in all sizes, ages and ethnicity.  (Stay tuned to part 2)..

Chassie Deitz-Selouane is the current reigning National Today’s American Woman Pageant Mrs. Plus Ambassador. Today’s National Woman Pageant is a pageant whose national Platform is Volunteerism with a Passion, which allows each queen to serve the platform of her heart and life’s experience! Visit Chassie’s Blog for more information on how to become a contestant in the pageant: http://mrs2dayamericanwomanplus.blogspot.com/

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Tags: beauty queen, plus size, plus size evening wear, plus size pageant, plus sizes