Fatties demand froofy Fifties frocks!

There are a lot of things that I wish came in my size. But near the top of the list are poofy vintage ’50s dresses, like this:

I’ve always drooled over dresses like these when I come across them, but I know they there’s no chance of finding one in my size unless a plus-size manufacturer starts making reproductions. Which was driven home to me by a post called Why Can’t I Find a ’50s Dress That Fits?, which I found through another one of Sal‘s link roundups.

Some of it just…made me laugh.

That’s the#1 question I get in my inbox. Other versions are, “Why are the waist sizes on all your 50s dresses so tiny?” or “My measurements are 36-30-37 (or 42-37-44, or 39-33-38). Do you have a 50s dress that will fit me?” In fact, I get this question so often, I am going to address it here for all of you who have been frustrated in your search for an authentic vintage dress.

36-30-37? Ha, try 51-44-48.  I gave up on finding authentic ’50s dresses in my size a long time ago.  Not because there weren’t fatties in the Fifties, but because pretty poofy dresses weren’t made for them either.

Most of the suggestions that the blogger gives seem equally ludicrous to me. Buy separates instead of a dress? Wear a corset? Have a vintage dress altered to fit me? Buy a dress from the ’60s instead of the ’50s?  Yeah, none of those are going to help me.

I’m sure the suggestions are useful for many women, so I’m not denigrating them. But they’re just more evidence of how thoroughly fat women are, and have been for a long time, marginalized in the world of fashion.

So, plus-size clothing makers, listen up. You already make a decent amount of flapper, rockabilly, and Old Hollywood-style glam lacy dresses. Why not start making some gorgeous pastel frippery as well? For inspiration, I present the following vintage dresses from Etsy:

Fa(t)shion inspirations, special tutu edition

I know it’s not Wednesday, but I couldn’t wait to share these awesome outfits starring tutus that I’ve come across recently.

Sian shows of her ASOS Curve tutu dress (the same one I mentioned in my tutu news post):

Forever Fabulous in Bows

I absolutely love the romantic vibe of Sal’s dusty pink tutu. If I had one like it, I’d be all about mixing it with florals, or with spikes and leather. Or a t-shirt and sneakers. Or a shit-ton of lace and pearls… *falls headfirst into fatshion-fantasy-land*

Already Pretty

Wednesday Fa(t)shion Inspirations, 11/21/12

For the next few days, I’ll be at the computer less than usual due to Thanksgiving. I still have posts scheduled to go up, but I won’t be able to approve and respond to comments as quickly as usual. Readers in the US, enjoy the holiday, and readers everywhere else, enjoy the rest of your week and weekend!

This combination of pink, black, and skulls is 100% fabulous.

Black Sheep Goths

I love Advanced Style–you’re never too old to play dress-up.

Advanced Style

Tutu news

SWAK Designs has a new tutu-esque skirt! It comes in black, magenta, and teal:

Also, ASOS Curve’s black and red tutu dress has been marked down from $114.34 to $80.03. It’s still not cheap, but it might be a little more affordable if you’re looking for that perfect holiday season party dress.

Also, one of my crafty friends has offered to teach me how to make tutus similar to the ones in this post! I’m not sure exactly when I’ll get the chance to do it, but when I do, I will post all about it. 🙂

Why a “digital Aristotle” is a terrible idea

Quick, unrelated update: I just sent a message to the eBay seller of the awesome tutu in my recent post, asking if they would consider making it in plus sizes.  If you want, send them a message as well! I don’t know whether anything will come of it, but it can’t hurt to try.

Also: the election’s over! Phew. And in addition to the candidates who won, I’m happy about a lot of the state initiatives that passed. Hells yeah gay marriage!

Now, onto the post.

While poking about on YouTube last night, I came across this video about a software that’s being developed with the intention of customizing educational experiences for each kid who uses it, and eventually replacing much of the need for human teachers:

And oy, did it cause me to have ALL THE THOUGHTS (and to be honest, more than a little bit of THE RAGE).

I think the Digital Aristotle software could be a useful idea as a supplement to classroom teaching, but using it as a replacement strikes me as a terrible idea, for many reasons:

1.) School isn’t just about kids interacting with teachers. It’s about kids interacting with other kids, learning how to be social beings, developing empathy. A kid sitting alone in front of a computer screen all day isn’t going to get that, no matter how brilliant the software is.

2.) Computers have a lot of amazing educational potential, but they also have downsides. A major, major one is that they make it easier to multitask, which has a demonstrated negative effect on pretty much any kind of performance.

I’ve seen it in my own life–I know I concentrated far better in high school, when I had only dial-up internet, than I have ever since.

Don’t just take it from me. Read Hamlet’s Blackberry, and The Winter of Our Disconnect. Maybe even The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains. The internet has great power to connect people…when used in moderation, with limits and structure. When used in conjunction with face-time, and nature-time, and solitary-reflection-time.  It isn’t a replacement for any of those things.

3.) Relatedly, many educational videos (which seem to be a major component of the Digital Aristotle project) are 4 or 5 minutes long. They may be full of fascinating things, but don’t lend themselves to the kind of concentration that leads to deep understanding. I’ve watched plenty of interesting videos about physics and math, but if you asked me what I’ve learned, I wouldn’t remember most of it. It’s not the same as learning systematically from a real person. 

Terrific tutu tutorials

Thanks to all the tutu-making interest that my last post gathered, I did a bit of Googling for how to make a tutu. Here are a few of the tutorials that I found:

Ballerina tutu tutorial

Tulle skirt

How to make a tutu

I don’t know how to sew, and I don’t really like the way no-sew tutus look. So next time I have some extra time on my hands, it may be time to learn…

Betsey Johnson: a love/hate relationship

If I could spend my entire life in frothy party dresses, I would.

That’s why I both love and hate Betsey Johnson. Love, because she made incredibly gorgeous, glamorous, femme-tastic clothing. Hate, because she made it only up to a size 12. And at ridiculously expensive prices.

When I first visited a Betsey Johnson store, on a trip to New York last year, I was struck by how I felt simultaneously at home and left out. I had stepped into a magical pink world full of floral print and tulle–a world that, unlike most stores, reflected my style. A world of color and pattern and unabashed girliness. But at the same time, it was a world that excluded me.

…I kind of want to live here.

Etsy finds of the week

It’s already mid-summer, but I’m still loving spring-y flowers, butterflies, and birds on everything.

Like this gorgeous butterfly fascinator from Crown and Glory:

Me and Beth Ditto

Great minds dress alike!

I just came across this picture of the fabulous Ms. Ditto: