Nicki Blonsky in Malan Breton

Recently for a Bravo reality TV award show called "The A List" ( really...), my adored, beloved and admired Malan Breton dressed the incomparable, beautiful and talented Ms. Nicki Blonsky of "Hairspray" fabulosity. The dancy show she did was a testament that we non-skinny chicks can hold our own in both grace and athleticism. And no she had NO need to loose an ounce and be one of those silly celebrities who fade into oblivion and get forgotten by loosing weight ( Hello Sarah Rue! ). I was a BALLET major my first two semesters in college. At 170 pounds or so. And I kicked skinny chick butt daily. Of course, this was in 1988. Now what I would love the most in the world is the full use of my left leg which has not fully recovered from my Naomi Campbellesque accident last summer. Two completely torn lateral ligaments is pretty tough to come back from.

I adore Malan for multiple reason. Firstly, because he is the kindest, most compassionate and genuinely sweet person I have met in the fashion industry.
Then because he is an EXCELLENT designer and a meticulous craftsman. If that was not enough to guarantee him my eternal love and devotion, Malan is one of the handful of mainstream couturiers who makes and loves making clothes for plus size women. He is in good company. Giancarlo Ferre (RIP), Sunny Choi in Toronto, Max Mara, Halston, and recently Krizia are also acknowledging the fact that the plus market is the fastest growing segment in the industry and one that has been sadly abused and ignored by the fashion world. Malan is one of the most size positive people I have met in the fashion industry. So that, right there, wins him my undying and lifelong devotion.

For this show and as he told me, he wanted Nicki to capture the glamour of a young Elizabeth Taylor.

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I love the dress because it is classic, elegant and refined. Very Malan. It also does a beautiful job of highlighting her gorgeous legs and defining her waist with a contrasting belt. The lace shrug is a nice couture touch that adds glamour and retains a little of the Catherine Deneuve-esque flavour of Malan's last collection. And I LOVE, love that the dress has SLEEVES!!! What is it with LAZY designers who don't put sleeves in anything?

Here are the both of them looking regal


Malan needs to be in a James Bond movie.... he wears clothes beautifully himself... He has incredible posture and walks exquisitely.

Here are some thoughts for fashion designers who would like to be critically and financially successful making plus size clothing.

1) We are bigger people. But we are people. Treat us like you would treat a size 2 woman.

2) Make us clothes that we would want to wear our whole lives, not until we loose weight. Some of us have no desire or intention of loosing any weight. We don't give a rodent's behind about what the Public Health authorities or "experts" say we should do or what the weight loss industry tells them to tell us. Fat girls are the new gay men. We are revolutionaries. Fourty years ago they used the give gay men ECT to cure them. Now they give fat women gastric bypasses and lapbands. Same diff. Now you know how we feel.

3)We don't have figure flaws to "camouflage". We just have some body parts that are more perfect than others.

4) If you hear of a rule about what bigger people should NOT wear, throw it out of the window and throw away the key. We can and will wear horizontal stripes, large prints, high waisted skirts and pants AND skinny jeans. So MAKE everything you make for the skinny chicks for us. Just bigger.

5) We are fat, not pregnant. Not all of us have big bellies. If you put them in there regardless, we end up with what Michael Kors refers to as "insane crotches".

6) We are fat. NOT OLD and not 60 and NOT BORING AND NOT SUBURBAN. Make us clothes as hip and cool and sexy and fun as the ones they make for skinny chicks.

7) There are other colours than black and we like them. How about cobalt or purple or fushia? We are not afraid. Why are you?

8) We don't care if something is "slimming" or not. Wanting something to be "slimming" is like making a black girl wear something that is "whitening" or making a gay man wear ill fitting jeans and a basketball jersey.

9) We like close fitting and well tailored garments. We like luxury fabrics and we like beautiful prints.

10) We are fashion savvy, creative and as a rule, WAY cooler than most skinny chicks. Make us clothes that fit our personalities and hearts.

If a designer follows those basic rules, he could change history.