TresSugar

Girls Gone Wild, 1902 Edition

GiggleSugar — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 14:00:00 -0700

I bet she flashed a naked elbow in exchange for a monogrammed walking stick. Hussy.

Flashback: Chubbettes Fashions

GiggleSugar — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 10:00:00 -0700

Man, looking at these vintage "chubby girl" clothing ads just makes me imagine the screaming matches that must've occurred between weight-obsessed mothers and their pissed-off "chubby" daughters back in the day. "Mother, if one more issue of that effing Pounds and Personality magazine comes into this house, I'm going to rip it apart page by page with my beefy limbs. Capisce?!" I think this poor child and Tracy Harper should've started a girl gang.
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Retailers Offering More Options For the "Woman of Size"

TresSugar — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 10:00:00 -0700

"When you’re fat you stand out anyway. It’s really important to go all the way and do something fun or even outrageous with your clothes."

- Annie Maribona, founder and part owner of Fat Fancy, a boutique in Portland, OR, that sells modern and vintage clothes up to size 24. (Pictured is Emme, one of the most famous plus-size models.)

Retailers are increasingly providing plus-size fashions to teens and women who wear sizes 14-24. Singer Beth Ditto, complaining to trendy London-based Topshop that they had nothing for women her size, is now designing a line for the Arcadia Group, Topshop's parent company. Forever 21, Kmart, and Lord & Taylor also provide their fashions in plus sizes. Some stores, like Old Navy and Ann Taylor, no longer carry plus-size clothes in their stores, but still have them available online.

One interesting thing I noticed in this news story was the variety of words used to name women who are not thin. Some, like boutique owner Annie Maribona, have reclaimed the word "fat," as have women who advocate what they call fat acceptance. Then there's plus size, "woman of size," big girl and curvy. The only person in the article who didn't use these euphemisms was Andrea Marks, a specialist in adolescent medicine in Manhattan. She simply calls women who aren't thin "overweight."

What do you think about the idea of "fat acceptance," and what is the best term for a woman who isn't a size 12 or under?

Word of the Day: Floordrobe

GiggleSugar — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 10:09:00 -0700

Jezebel recently blogged about a reissued vintage book called Live Alone And Like It (1936) which is all about the joys of ~~spinsterhood~~ living alone. The hilarious Dodai had some updated chapter ideas, including "The Dangers of the Floordrobe." This brings us to our word of the day:

Floordrobe: Like its root word, wardrobe, which is a noun referring to a tall piece of furniture that provides storage space for clothes, a floordrobe also "provides storage space for clothes." The "space" it refers to, however, is not a piece of furniture but the more ambiguous and amorphous space of your living room or bedroom floor. Floordrobe could also refer to said clothes that constitute one's wardrobe. Ex: "I really need to update my floordrobe."

This is one of the dangers of living alone, but also one of its great freedoms - the freedom to throw your clothes willy-nilly without fear of retribution. Wheeeee!

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The How-To Lounge: Cleaning out your Closet

DearSugar — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 10:00:00 -0700

Even though we have passed typical "spring cleaning" time, it's never too late to clean out your closet. I just tackled one of my closets yesterday so I am here to give you some tips to make it as painless of a chore as possible!

Click here to read more

Commit a chunk of time and make an afternoon out of it. Play some loud music, make sure you have snacks, even turn your phone off so you can really concentrate without any distractions
Take everything out of your closet so you can not only see what you have, but you can also clean your shelves, dust your hanging rack, and vacuum the floor
Some people suggest giving things away if they haven't been worn in a year, but I disagree with this statement. Fads come and go, so if you have a piece that you love that is simply out of style right now, keep it. Some vintage pieces are timeless and irreplaceable
If something doesn't fit, give it away, no ifs ands or buts. Alterations can save some things, but most of the time the shape and form will get lost in translation
Try on the clothes you are unsure about. Model it - if you like what you see in the mirror, keep it!
Sometimes a second opinion is incredibly helpful. We all get emotionally attached to certain pieces even if they don't look good or don't fit, so a sister or best friend that can give an unbiased response is invaluable
If you have limited space in your closet, store your sweaters and coats during the summer time, and your beach wear during the winter season
Once you have inventoried your clothes, it's a great way to see what needs to be cleaned, repaired, and what is missing (if you have lent something to a friend)
Once you have piles of things to give away, donate them to your local Goodwill -- not only will it make you feel good, but it will leave more room in your closet for new stuff!

Good luck, and remember, leave ample time as this takes a lot longer than you might think! If you have any other suggestions, please share them below.

GiggleSugar Reader Spotlight: Swwonder

GiggleSugar — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 15:14:30 -0700

GiggleSugar shines its spotlight on one of our fab readers from across the pond--the sassy Swwonder from the U.K. She may add a "u" to words like "honour" and "colour," but she has one thing in common with other loyal GiggleSugar readers--she's got good taste and a great sense of humour! Heh heh. Be sure to check out her picture gallery at the end of the interview.

GS: What's your motto?
SW: I made one up a few years ago and it sort of stuck; "Be fine and dandy all the way to your funeral and if you can, help others smile along the way." In other words, just stay happy until the day you die and help others do the same.

GS: Where are you from?
SW: I was born and raised in Robin Hood Country (aka Nottingham), England. Meaning, I'm extremely sensitive about the whole "Robin Hood isn't real" theory and I'm probably not the best person to watch any Robin Hood film with, unless it's the Disney one which I think is quite accurate.

GS: What do you do?
SW: Right now I'm a Gap Year student. To which everyone answers, "So basically you sit around doing nothing." Which is partially true, although when I'm not "sitting around doing nothing" I volunteer at my local Oxfam store, working on vintage clothing. The rest of the time is spent between my large family and visiting my friends at University.

GS: How would you describe your sense of humor?
SW: I suppose it's quite typically British: sarcastic, dry and witty. With a little randomness thrown in.

GS: What's your favorite GiggleSugar post of all time? Your least?
SW: Any Family Guy post automatically rates highly in my eyes, I love all the mini Brian/Stewie story lines. In fact most videos featured I love, but one of my faves was the Cute Kids Wassup video. I also loved the Burger King 911 call (am I allowed to pick one that I bookmarked?), it was funny and sad at the same time. Oh, and I can't forget Squiffy the cat. (GS: I can't find Squiffy!) For the least I'd have to agree with Sticky - the man/dog (GS advertisement) creeped me out.

GS: Who's the cutest funny man and woman?
SW: I've had a huge crush on Johnny Knoxville since "Jackass" started, most of the stuff they did on the show made me cringe, but he reminds me a little of Brad Pitt's evil twin. My cutest funny woman would have to be Jessica Stevenson, a good friend and co-writer lady of Simon Pegg's (Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz).

GS: Favorite male and female comedian?
SW: My most favourite overall comedian would have to be Lee Evans. He's the sort of person that if you knew him in real life would be completely irritating, but because you don't he's hilarious. A bit like a hyperactive child with the attention span of a flea. For the female, you can't go wrong with a little "French and Saunders".

GS: What's your favorite comedy of all time?
SW: This is so difficult. Well, on TV I've pretty much grown up on a staple diet of British comedies, my favourites being "Absolutely Fabulous", "Father Ted" and "Red Dwarf". All of which I've watched from an early age and probably shouldn't have. My favourite comedy films are probably Coming to America which is actually a family favourite and how I learnt how to do a few pretty convincing (in my opinion) accents, and Empire Records mostly because of the character Mark, whose personality reminds me of my friend Yos.

GS: If your life were a comedy, what would it be?
SW: Probably one of those comedies that doesn't end up running for a whole season, that nobody really understands. Although, there's a possibility it'd be a bit like Mr. Bean - following me doing my normal day to day tasks, unintentionally slapstick and with a few funny voices thrown in.

GS: Do you ever get told you look like someone?
SW: I did the Face Recognition thing (www.myheritage.com ) a while back and it told me I looked like the footballer Ronaldinho, which everyone thought was hilarious (but hopefully not true). When I was younger I got told I looked like Raven-Symoné and Susie from the "Rugrats" a lot. More recently I get told I look and sound like my mum, I even get mistaken for her on the phone - It's made a few phone calls very awkward.

Free-for-all. About me:
SW: Well I'm 19 years old, sort-of student. I spend most of my time with my younger brother and sister, writing, reading, listening to music and watching films. Personality wise I'd say I'm a bit like the girl in Police Academy who was really quiet most of the time, but shouted really loud when she was angry or excited.

GS: When are other GiggleSugar readers free to chat with you?
SW: Well, I'm normally on first thing the morning, which always seems to be around 3 AM California time. Other than that it's sort of hit or miss, but I reply to my Guestbook's and PM's so you can contact me there.

GS: Thanks, Swwonder!

View 9 Photos ›

(SW, SW & little bro & Mum, SW & big brother, SW & friends, Little sis, Johnny Knoxville, Jessica Stevenson, Lee Evans, Rowan Atkinson/"Mr. Bean")

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The Clash's Vintage Rock T-Shirt

DearSugar — Thu, 22 Jun 2006 17:51:47 -0700

Dear Sugar
You guys are amazing at tracking down hard to find clothes.

I'm a big fan of The Clash and have had no luck finding a black t-shirt that has a picture of their "Combat Rock" album. Groupie Gretta

Dear Groupie Gretta
Here you go, one vintage Clash t-shirt coming right up. You can buy it here at
Marketworks.com for $40.99 (it's a size medium). Party on Wayne.

Rock and Roll Style

DearSugar — Wed, 10 May 2006 12:30:15 -0700

Dear Sugar
I am a young professional (23) in the ever changing music industry. I run a successful booking firm and spend roughly 15+ hours working per day. The course of my day can entail anything from office meetings, to business lunches to press parties. I need some wardrobe help. All I seem to be wearing lately are skinny jeans, vintage band t-shirts and Chuck Taylors. I love these clothes because I grew up dressing very punky (rock, not Brewster) and it's comfortable to me. However, I'm an attractive girl and would like to translate my rock and roll style into something a little more sophisticated. I am on the go all day long, so I need simple yet big statement pieces. Can you offer any wardrobe advice? Grungy Margie

Dear Grungy Margie
Right now gold accessories and chunky jewelry are in! You could be wearing something as simple as a wife beater and jeans but jazz it up and personalize it with a thin gold belt, metallic ballet flats, layered charm necklaces, a funky pair of earrings and a scarf tied to your bag. Go out and buy some staples - a few super long t-shirts to wear belted, a thin belt, a thick belt to accentuate your waist, a pair of flats, a pair of stilettos (for your skinny jeans) and some accessories. If you want to incorporate your rock and roll look - skulls are super hot right now. Wear a skull necklace, earrings or a skull scarf like the one Sienna Miller wears. Top the look off with a fabulous black fringe bag with bulky hardware (now that's rock and roll). Don't even consider buying anything with frills or a pastel flowery feminine pattern. Think more like red high heels, cropped opaque black tights, a short jacket and studded bracelet. Dressing like punk is about your individuality and your confidence. Be proud of who you are, rockers don't feel peer pressure to fit into society's norms - they dictate what's cool!