I was in the store yesterday picking up some things for our annual charity Tea (see previous post about Operation Christmas Child - you can use the Search box) when I ran into a lovely woman and her mother.  We had quite a nice chat.

Something that came up was the subject of plus-size dresses.  Do we carry them?  Yes, we certainly do!  But we prefer to refer to our plus-size customers as “extra fluffly”.

“Oh, thank you!  Wonderful!” She said.

We have a heart for those with larger-size needs.  I, for one, have been a “plus size” since childhood.  I know the effect it has on the psyche but even more — I understand how difficult it is to find NICE clothing - especially BEAUTIFUL DRESSES - that actually fit.

Plus size - half size - it’s all the same.  We strive to offer a lovely and rather extensive selection of dresses for children and women in plus sizes.  Why?  Because we care.  Because we’ve been there.  Because we know how tough it can be.

And truth is, many children who aren’t really overweight would do best in a plus (or half) size at certain phases in development.

Like, have you ever noticed that a lot of things come in sizes 6 AND 6X?  What is that all about?

That’s the time frame / age / size that manufacturers assume that a child is developing from the rounded baby belly egg shape into a slimmer, taller shape.  From that point on, the proportions of chest to waistline measurements changes and assumes a narrower waist.

But not all children develop right on “que”.  In fact, most don’t.  Many may find that temporarily they will get a much better fit in the plus sizes than in the regular until their growth starts to make this change.

This can frequently happen with girls making their First Communion.   They’re not overweight but they’re right at that age and size range that assumes that they’re beginning to develop a long, lean figure and perhaps they haven’t yet.

It’s ok.  It’s fine.  We’re here to help you.  You’ll find more plus-size dresses here than probably anywhere else in really lovely designs!

Don’t get hung up on a number on a tag.

Don’t get hung up on a number on a tag.  Instead, be sure that the dress is going to fit really well so she’ll look her absolute best.  That’s what is really important.

Do we offer women’s plus sizes?  Absolutely! 

As you know, we’ve been doing Spotlight on Dresses highlighting some of the best dresses.  We offer SO many dresses that it’s easy for some of the best to be overlooked.

Today we talk about dress #VN-V041.

This dress has been a favorite from the beginning (it will NEVER go out of style!).  The full, frothy multi-layered tulle skirt makes every girl feel like a Princess!  Sequins are scattered lightly on the skirt - on the 2nd layer under the top layer giving it a really nice effect but also helping to keep the sequins in place (since sequins and beading are so apt to come loose - this helps a lot).

But the focus is the bodice. This dress frames a girl’s face beautifully!  Made of fine bridal satin, the sleeveless bodice has added style panache with a very modest V shaped back neckline.

And more than that, the entire waistline and neckline - both front and back - are accented with a wide band of VERY delicate bead work.

This dress passes the TWIRL TEST in a very BIG way!  What is the “twirl test”?  When a girl loves a dress, she can’t help but start to twirl round and round in it!

If you’re looking for a VERY special dress, consider #VN-V041.   It is understated elegance personified.

Who would wear this dress?

• Flower Girls.  It is available in white or ivory to coordinate most weddings.
• First Communion - wherever a sleeveless dress is allowed.  If you are required to wear sleeves but love this dress - just add a jacket over it!  We offer several
• Pageants - GORGEOUS!

This is also one of the dresses available with EXTRA LENGTH for the tall, slim girl -and- in plus sizes for our extra fluffy lasses.

Dress #VN-V041 has it all!

We get this question a lot: 

 ”What length dress is the model wearing in the picture - tea or formal?  I can’t tell.”

We understand what you’re really asking - how long will it be on MY child?

We usually don’t know which length dress the model was wearing when the photo was taken.  Why not?  Because it really doesn’t matter . . . . that dress is going to fit every child differently.

So how do you know?  By using the size chart linked in the description of that dress.  It tells you how long that dress is expected to run (it will be within less than an inch of accuracy). 

A formal length dress on one child may be a tea length dress on another  -  and a tea length dress on one child can be a formal length dress on another.

How do you  know how it will be on you child?  By using the size chart and measuring.

That’s the ONLY way to determine fit.

And be sure to use the extensive tips & directions provided under Measuring & Size Selection.   A link is included in the description of every special order style and is under “Need Help?” in the top navigation link from every page.

 This is a continuation of our discussion on “I Want to Match” - colors.  Please be sure to read the previous posting first . . . . 

We discussed the “why” of matching colors yesterday - why it’s not reasonable to expect to match dress colors from different manufacturers or even from different dye lots with the same manufacturers.

So what are you to do?

There are a LOT of choices, really!  First, let’s talk about “perfect match”.

Because of this situation, many flower girl dresses are available in white or ivory with accents in the color of your choice.  Very fine examples can be seen in all the lines we carry.  The Flower Girl dresses from US Angels line does this especially well.

First, you select a white or ivory dress based on the color of the Bride’s gown.  If the bride is in bright white, order the white dress.  If the bride is in silk white (which is always off-white) or another shade of ivory, order the ivory dress.

Then order the sash or flower petals to coordinate with the rest of your wedding party.

Of course it isn’t possible to match perfectly - that dye lot issue applies to this like any other garment.  The smaller splash of color, however, isn’t nearly as critical to match as a full dress, however, and usually works wonderfully.

But that isn’t the only option here.  For instance, you can order a white or ivory dress and have an exactly matching sash custom made for it by your local dressmaker as follows:

When you order your Bride’s Maids dresses (or your own gown if you have one with color in it) - order at least 2 yards of the colored fabric - from the same dye lot - as the dresses you want to match.  You have to do this at the same time as you order the adults’ dresses, of course.

Why?  Because then you can have that extra fabric made into sashes for the flower girls’ dresses that match perfectly!  You’ll likely need anywhere from 1.5-2 yards in length but can get many sashes from the width of the fabric - all depending on how wide the yardage comes + how wide you want the sashes to be.

It’s as simple as that!

We’ll discuss it more shortly.

We hear versions of this every day. 

 ”I want my flower girl dress to match my brides maids.”

There are many reasons or versions of “want it to match”.  Let’s discuss it.

To get a true understanding of the concept of matching garments - which means matching fabrics - we have to discuss fabric itself. 

All garments are made out of fabric, of course.  Every manufacturer purchases their fabric from different places at different times.  That’s assumed too, right?

Every time fabric is woven and dyed, it comes out a different hue.  Even if it is milled and dyed by the same company - slight variations that can range from the dye itself to the temperature and humidity of the day - will affect the shade or hue the fabric comes out.

This means that the same fabric from the same company will look different with each “dye lot”.  What do you care about dye lot?  Quite a bit, really.

To get all brides maids’ dresses to match, they have to be ordered specifically from the same dye lot.  This means that to get the flower girl dresses to match, they have to be ordered from the same manufacturer - at the same time - and from the same dye lot.

Expecting one company to match the dye lot of another is, well, rather precarious.  And remember - even fabric samples from this dye lot will be different from the next dye lot. 

In short, getting dresses to match at different times from different companies really isn’t the best or most reasonable expection.  Are there alternatives?  Abosolutely!  We’ll be covering those in the days to come.

In the mean time, be sure to check out our free Wedding Tips - this is covered there extensively along with a lot more about colors and including children in weddings.

We’re starting a new series here - “Dress Spotlights”.  In this we’re going to feature dresses with huge impact.

With so many dresses available, it’s easy for really terrific styles to get lost in the pack, so to speak.  Certain ones are just amazing for various reasons, so we’re going to feature them in Dress Spotlights from on!

Our first featured dress is #VN-V907.

We’ve long loved this dress for oh, so many reasons.  Today we received one in size 12 in cranberry and OH MY!  It’s GORGEOUS!

That’s the thing.  We can only show one or two views of a dress.  But this one has so much going for it . . . .

It’s available in sizes 2-16, to start with.  What does this mean?  Well, for one, suitable for all ages so it’s perfect to  coordinate wide age differences for wedding parties.  A 4-year old and a 10-year old could look great together in this dress, for example.

That means it’s a great choice for SISTERS’ DRESSES, too!

It’s darling on little ones, as you see in the photo.  But don’t overlook the fact that it’s IDEAL for the pre-teen (Tween-ager) too!

The cranberry dress we packed and shipped today is STUNNING with that rich beading.  The A-line style is flattering on just about every figure type and is always in style.  There is detail in front (beading) and in back with the ruched draping.  And what’s more - it can be worn sleeveless without the jacket or with sleeves with the jacket.

As if that wasn’t enough reason to run and look at this dress, consider two other very important features:

• It’s available in SO MANY COLORS - 36 right now!
• It can be ordered with extra length for tall, slim girls too!

Who would wear this dress?  Flower Girls - Jr. Brides Maids - Pageant Contestants - just to name a few. 

 #VN-V907 is a lot of dress for a pretty reasonable price.  It certainly warrants checking out!

We’ve highlighted the fabulous Glam Girls line of dresses for Flower Girls, First Communion and more:  Glam Girl Dresses - Odd Name but FAB Dresses!

Come and check it out!

Browns, ivory, cream, taupe, sable, chocolate, cocoa - these have been immensely popular for years.

Ivory/Champagne is a #1 favorite and we think it always will be.  Who can resist it’s charm?

Brown shades can all be combined with traditional wedding colors like lettuce green or yellow too.  And there’s always my personal favorite - brown with white!

What colors in flower girl dresses are really HOT?                          

Beyond a doubt - the HOTTEST colors are shades of brown!

This came as a big surprise when brown tones stayed popular through the Spring and Summer of 2006 - has gone on through 2007 and is still the BIGGEST color trend in weddings today!  Honestly, almost nobody making Flower Girl dresses or Ring Bearer suits were prepared, so very little was available in 2006.  But 2007 is very different - browns are here!

But they don’t just call it “brown” any more.  No, these colors have more delicious names like Chocolate (deep brown), Cocoa (really more of a deep taupe) and Champagne (a VERY deep ivory), among others.

 These colors are being mixed with each other - like Champagne with Chocolate.  Dress #AG-820 is great for this (http://www.theperfectpear.com/store/stores_app/Browse_Item_Details_v3.asp?Store_id=429&page_id=23&Item_ID=2397&Parent_Ids=)

They’re also being mixed with other colors - like Pink!