Brickhouse: April 2009

It's a Sassy Spring

It's shaping up to be an interesting Spring/Summer fashion-wise. Dresses for the curvy girls are flirtier and sassier than ever. If you're planning to go dress-shopping any time soon, you're bound to notice lots of ruffles and other flourishes. Whether flouncy or edge-y, these frocks are utterly feminine.

Lane Bryant

Necessary Objects Plus Size Ruffled Wrap Dress

Donna Rico at Alight

Torrid.com

Sealed with a Kiss Designs - Kayla Dress

Alight's "Stoplight Dress"

Magazines Snuggle Up To Plus-Size Beauty

Well, as long as it's the perfectly glorious Crystal Renn. Still, we like to think the Australian edition of Harper's Bazaar is giving a nod to all full-figure gals this month. It's featuring a sexy spread with Renn, a plus-size model, in see-thru lingerie, form-fitting dresses, and bustiers. It was all the vision of stylist Wayne Gross who admits the shoot was 80s-inspired.

Renn is also in this month's Glamour magazine in a swimsuit layout by famous photographer Patrick Demarchelier. (See more pics at Jezebel.com )

Renn's book about her experience in the fashion industry will be out this fall. She started out as a model suffering from anorexia, but eventually relaunched herself as a plus-size model. Since then, she has posed for French Vogue and Italian Vogue. She has also walked the runway for Jean-Paul Gaultier, Heatherette, and Vena Cava. See more of this month's Harper's spread at Refinery29.com

Plus Size "Reality" Show?

We're in wait-and-see mode on the latest reality-TV news. Apparently, Fox is gearing up for a dating show staring "plus size" men and women. The program, called "More To Love", is set to air later this year. Fox describes it as a single man "with a big waist and an even bigger heart" who is trying to choose a mate from several "confident and secure plus-size women." The show was created by the same guy who is executive producer of "The Bachelor", so there you go.

I'm still not sure how close to reality the show will be because, well... in the real world do plus-size men and women ONLY date other plussies? I guess we'll find out. The first episode will air July 28 at 9 PM EST. But the daters are not yet in place. For the last couple of weeks Fox has been holding open casting calls for interested plus-size women exclusively at Lane Bryant locations around the country. The last three will take place this weekend at Lane Bryant stores in Brooklyn, NY; Dallas, TX; and Los Angeles, CA. Anyone who's interested can also mail in videotape. Find out more HERE.