Plus size? or downright sexy.

"Plus size Model" is an emotional phrase. Everyone seems to have an opinion.
Common opinions include:
"The models are too skinny to be plus size""plus size is normal size" "Skinny models promote anorexia" "plus size models promote obesity" and many more. 
Here, at the House of Beth blog, are 6 women we think wear fabulous clothes, look amazingly sexy and are above dress size UK 12 in no order. 

1. Christina Hendricks as Joan 

2. Robyn Lawley - Model 

For British lingerie brand Boux Avenue

In Australian Cosmo

3. Crystal Renn - who controversially fluctuates but looks great here

see This article for more info

4. Tara lynn - model

For Taillissime ss 2013                                                        For Vanity Fair

5. Philomena Kwao 

More information on Philomena Kwao here

6. Marilyn Monroe - Of Course

Here are a few of House of Beth's favourite pieces to fit in with this range:

Material by Versace. Size 20

Black velvert evening dress

Cream sheer top 

Peplum top

Do you know any great models/actresses we have missed out? send in  your entries to info@houseofbeth.com

 

Size fetish
Over the last few months I have worked with many women of all shapes and sizes, photographing their bodies in an assortment of designer and high street clothes. In the course of these styling sessions, I have learnt a secret so obvious, and yet never publicly acknowledged. I have also come across a key body myth that ought to be dispelled, post-Olympics.

Women rely on their sizes like an intense mantra, they must try to lose that weight to be a size 12 or 10. But I have seen a size 8 not fit into a Karen Millen size 10. I’ve also seen a size 10 find that size 10 is too big for her in Monsoon, and a size 12 fit perfectly into a Topshop size 10.

The size you think you are, that makes you feel so awful or so good, is just not true.

The truth, really is, all sizes are arbitrary, all sizes are made up, all sizes are rules that don’t really work.

You may have suspected this, but size, which we hold so much in store by, are only the roughest of guidelines. A hundred years ago we made our own clothes (or a tailor for the wealthier among us). This is no longer a viable option for the working woman’s wardrobe (although sewing the odd piece here and there is pretty fun). We now standardized size, but until all retailers have a huge conference where they decide on inches, waists, body shapes and re-adjust their clothes accordingly then you will never be ‘a size’. Most women, if they tell me they’re a size 10 for example, can usually fit beautifully into a loose size 8 dress and a tailored size 12 or 14 jacket.  

Women must understand that size is a rough guide and not something that ought to define their identity. The body myth I wish to shed some light on is Female Arm Anxiety. You may have noticed, or you may have not, that when most women have their photograph taken, they put their arm on their hip to try to make it appear as slim as possible. I am a culprit for this kind of slim seeking behavior myself and if you check out Facebook, you will see the majority of girls’ consciously or subconsciously follow this trend. Accordingly the skinny arm is a sure symbol of a ‘healthy’ life style, of an attractive girl who is control of her eating habits. Unfortunately, in reality, the skinny arm, the truly skinny arm, is not a so-called sign of health as magazines would have us believe, but an indication of genes or fasting. Models with arms as thin as a pin are not the symbol of health. If you want to see a healthy female arm just look at the Olympic athletes. Surely the most ‘healthy’ women in the world have just competed in the Olympics, and none of them, I have checked, has thin as a pin arms. Some arms really aren’t very muscular looking either, more Titan limb than model pin. 

We need to ask ourselves, who is more healthy an Olympic athlete or a size 0 model?

We need to know, women have arms and don’t belong to a size.

 VS. 

Rosalind Kendal

The Head Piece and the Headdress

Friday afternoon, and I am fighting the temptation to leap into the outdoors and perform some sort of pagan sun dance, celebratating the hot sun that we are ephemerally blessed with. If I were to discard the co-ordination of House of Beth’s wardrobe for my blazingly beautiful sun mistress however, I would need a head-piece (as well as rather good excuse to give to Talia.)

Yes, a head-piece or a headdress is a historical necessity for any form of worship. From the tribal to the Pope today, they all don their hair in preparation for celebration and worship with feathers, jewels and gold.

And as we, the secular masses, prepare to celebrate the summer and worship the sun, do we too don ourselves with a head-pieces? Well, I suppose we wear sun-hats, but as glamorous as they can be, they lack a sparkle that speaks to the sunshine, for they are far too practical to be considered true crowns. For the head-piece, the perfect head-piece, should act as pure adornment, for our own personal jubilee.

Recently flower crowns have been a massive festival must, a wave to the flower power of the ’60s and your inner fairy-princess. You can purchase them from £3 to £75, from Spitalfield stalls to tiny vintage boutiques. New in for the festival look, are the Native-American inspired feather warrior crowns, which is a fun alternative to flowers, albeit a heavy one.

If you don’t fancy the ‘Hiawatha meets the 21^st century look’, House of Beth has provided you with it’s own range of affordable head-dresses, that differ from both the flower power 60s’ and the feather fun. These headdresses are mirrored with our collection of clothes we are releasing this summer that draw upon the cultural event of the year – the Olympics. To me, Olympics says ancient Greece, rather than panting around in sweats, and as Talia’s all time favourite poet was an ancient Greek poet who sang bravely and magnificently on love, we decided to base our ‘look’ and thus head-pieces this season on Sappho.

Wile Weaving Daughter

Sappho embodies the sensual woman, who is beautiful because she expresses her love and vulnerability, fearlessly. She is renowned poetically by sages, through out the ages, for this. And today we too, pay tribute to her love poetry by our collection’s headdresses that celebrate this poetic beauty. When wearing these headdresses, they will transform an ordinary outfit of a simple white dress and sandals into the Sappho goddess, celebrating your own beauty and worshiping life, love and death. They make you feel at once beautiful and strong, like the ancient Greek poetess herself, with gold and pearls.

On this note, I will put on my own headdress and give my skin to the sunlight so I may cleanse the winter away.

Love

S x

N: B Our Ancient Greece inspired head dresses are made for us by the endlessly talented Justine Silverstone, who takes a few jewels and creates the personality of the woman who inspires our collection. Luckily for you, although they look far from high street, they are high street prices, for House of Beth pledges to always offer high range apparel at mid-range prices.