AMERICAN DESIGNER, JILL ALEXANDER, CHOSEN FOR LONDON FASHION SHOW
Alexander Chosen As Only American Designer For London’s
Inaugural Fashion Event for Curvy Women

Jill Alexander Designs (JAD) announced today that it has been chosen as the only American design house to walk the runway in London’s first fashion show created for curvy women. The November 17, 2011 Curves in Couture show is the result of more than two years of work by Angel Sinclair, founder and CEO of Models of Diversity. Sinclair’s mission has been to create a high-fashion show with healthy models, UK size 14 – 18, to further promote a needed change in the industry to move away from the “Size Zero” trend often seen on fashion runways.

The inaugural Curves in Couture is backed by the British Fashion Council, organizers of London Fashion Week which is ranked alongside Paris, Milan and New York as the “Big Four” of fashion events in the world. Curves in Couture is designed as a charity benefit for The Advance Center, a teaching institute for parents with children who have sustained permanent brain-damage.

“Having been a model for years, I know that curvy models are still not being used in the mainstream of fashion,” said Angel Sinclair. “The public has spoken out time and time again in their frustration with unrealistic size zero models being used to showcase clothing in a population of women where 45% wear a size 16 or larger,” said Sinclair.

“Jill Alexander’s work represents exactly what we want this show to communicate and that is that there are designers who have created a range of beautiful, well-made, vibrant and colorful garments for women that have curves to flatter,” said Sinclair. “Jill’s entire collection, made mostly of natural fabrics, can be worn from day to evening, is comfortable and sophisticated and created to work for many different body types.”

Jill Alexander Designs will premiere its Spring 2012 line along with several custom creations on the runway during Curves in Couture. JAD’s Spring 2012 collection features dresses and separates inspired from the textures and rich colors of Latin American culture.

“I am constantly watching trends in fashion and I continue to be inspired by textures, bold colors and the use of large, bold prints,” said Jill Alexander, head of Jill Alexander Designs. “My inspiration for Spring 2012 was Latin America and the rich, vibrant colors of the culture. I was so inspired that, for the first time, I created my own custom prints for the line.”

The Curves in Couture show will feature a retail show, followed by a runway finale with both events taking place in The Tabernacle W11 in Notting Hill, London. The event will be broadcast by the Dish Network, North America’s second largest cable company, to over 16 million homes.

About Models of Diversity
Models of Diversity is a London-based non-profit organization which advocates for more diversity in models and demands that the fashion and marketing industries recognize beauty in both male and female models no matter what their size, race, age, ability or gender. The organization’s mission is to change the face of fashion and to stand for equal rights and opportunities within the modeling and fashion industry.
Models of Diversity is supported by the British Fashion Council and has joined forces with Equalities Minister Lynne Featherstone for the governments campaign on body confidence.

When you get up in the morning, do you have a hard time matching what to wear? Does your favorite shirt only look good with one pair of pants? Do you have clothes that you only wear as one outfit? Many people have the same problem and it all can be solved with a strategy called wardrobing. Wardrobing is the idea that one buys clothing within certain parameters to ensure that it be worn with several items already in the closet. This provides options for that shirt, or skirt that you may love, and does not restrict you to only one outfit. It also can cut down on time spent matching clothes because everything already looks good together.

Many people have clothes in the back of their closet that they have never worn because there is nothing to wear with it. Wardrobing can also help save space in your closet, getting rid of the clothes that doesn’t match with anything else. Instead of simply buying clothes that you like, you think about what’s in your closet, and whether that item matches with at least three items already in there.

It also saves money when you cut back on items that you may not have anything to wear with. If one only buys items that fit in their wardrobe, they will ideally wear everything in their closet on a regular basis. If wardrobing does not happen, you may find yourself buying things that don’t match with anything in your closet, therefore never gets worn. Wardrobing can save a significant amount of money because you eliminate those items in the back that you never wear.

Now, if you have never wardrobed, or even thought about it, you may be wondering where to even start. Building a wardrobe is simple. To start off, your wardrobe should be able to go from casual to dressy. Basic items to include would be a basic black skirt, black trousers, and a neutral blazer. These three items you should be able to wear with pretty much anything. You should also have a button up white blouse. This blouse can be worn with a tank under it, a vest or tank over it, or it can be worn open and belted. There should also be some long tops that can be worn belted over something, or tucked in. You should make sure to have four tops that match to every bottom you have. With these basic rules, you can begin to build a wardrobe that will allow you to dress for any occasion, and ensures you looked polished and together.

Have you ever had a top fall apart after only wearing it once? How much did you pay for it? Maybe $20? If this is the case, you bought disposable clothing. This term refers to all the clothes people buy for what they think is a steal, and then are only able to wear it for maybe three months before it starts to show signs of wear, or just fall apart. This society has adopted a quantity over quality mindset, and because of this we’re blind to how much an item can withstand due to this lack of quality. Clothing companies are no longer fazed by the quality of their clothing, but rather how much the item costs to make. Rather than ensure that their garment is well made out of high end materials, they focus on what they can do to bring down manufacturing costs. This may include using lower end materials fequently made of polyester, or cutting fabric on grains that result in twisting, or bunching while wearing it. Both of these signifcantly imapct the wearer. Since this saves a company a significant amount of money, it allows them to sell to consumers at a low price. This low price is deceiving. Buying disposable clothing actually costs you more than investing in quality wardrobe pieces.

Think of it like this, you buy a $250 dress that is made well, and it lasts you three years. Within those three years, you wear it on average twice a month. The cost per wear of this dress would be $3.47. Now imagine buying a $50 dress that lasts you only three months. Within those three months you only wear it maybe five times. Each time you wear that dress, it costs you $10. Far cry from that higher quality $250 dress that you could wear a total of 72 times. It’s much like buying things in bulk at a grocery store. You can buy small amounts of things for a lesser price, or you can buy things in a large quantity at a more expensive price, but when broken down the more larger quantity is cheaper per unit. Buying quality pieces actually costs less per wear than the cost per wear of a disposable clothing article.

It’s an old fashioned way of thinking in this modern society, but when visiting a second hand store, one will find an abundance of clothes from 50 years ago, and most of the time, they have only light signs of wear. These garments were made in a time when quality was much more important than quantity. Furthermore, those discount stores that you buy items for what you think are steals are actually mistake items. We’re too busy looking at the price point, rather than looking for investment pieces. We don’t think about how well that piece is made, and how long it will last if it’s over what we think is a good price for that item. Investing in quality pieces will save you money, space, and headache when everything in your closet falls apart.

Jill Alexander Designs (JAD)™ announced today that it is one of fifteen design houses chosen, nationwide, to unveil its latest collection during Full Figured Fashion Week New York, June 16, 17 and 18. Full Figured Fashion Week, produced by fashion veteran, Gwen DeVoe, provides a forum for independent plus-size designers, brand executives, bloggers and Internet pundits to exchange ideas and discuss the latest developments in the plus-size world. Full Figured Fashion Week also gives various designers an opportunity to showcase their collections to a wider audience and to tap into the wealth of information this community provides its members.
For more information on the event, visit www.fffweek.com.

JAD is pleased to announce they will be participating in The Curvy Revolution Convention in Las Vegas! The Convention will run from Friday February 18, 2011- February 20,2011. Come and see our booth in Planet Hollywood on February 19th or our latest collection on the runway Sunday night February 20th. Tickets available at curvyrevolution.com.

Merry Christmas to our customers!  As a special holiday treat for the curvy girl is our very sexy jersey cowl jumpsuit!  At only $99 this week it is a must have.  Pick up one for yourself and one for someone you love. ..

www.jillalexanderdesigns.com/shop/jersey-cowl-jumpsuit