Hello and welcome to Affinity Fashion where we focus on the customer that brick and mortar retail has forgotten and/or ignored: The Upscale Plus Size Woman – not plus size girl, not plus size teenager: the plus size WOMAN. The plus size woman who has essentially been forced to do her upscale plus size shopping online.

Okay, so it’s BLACK FRIDAY the day after Thanksgiving and that has traditionally been known for lining up at ever increasing crazy hours at local stores and malls – the Monday after Thanksgiving has always been known for online shopping so much so that is was dubbed ” Cyber Monday”.

Well since the stores started doing sales pretty early this year in the hopes of spurring holiday sales I was imagining that the online world wouldn’t wait until Cyber-Monday and would bust out the deals early but so far I’m not really bowled over by much.

I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you what the deals are because chances are you’ve visited your favorite shops already to check things out so I’ll just do a bit of a ’round up:

The only high end retailers of plus size clothing doing anything of note for Black Friday in my opinion are Saks and LaGrandeDame

Yes, Saks prices will only be low until the end of today (Friday) or to be more precise 12:01AM Eastern time on Saturday and yes, Saks has done a few sales over the past few weeks and the pricing on a great majority of the black friday sale items are the same as they were a few weeks ago BUT there are some pieces that do have significantly higher markdowns than we’ve seen thusfar and the prices on some items are EYE POPPING – of course most have LIMITED SIZING left SO CLICK NOW – I mean RIGHT THIS INSTANT if you see anything you like ;)

Some drop dead deals – we’re talking these items are 70-80% OFF PEOPLE!!!!

2) Bloomies:  From now until Sunday Bloomies is offering $25 OFF for every $200 spent.  If math isn’t your thing that adds up to a whopping 12.5% OFF.  One bargain that did catch my eye is the Elie Tahari Wool Ruffle Coat in black.  It normally retails for $798 but has been marked down to $359.10 so take another $25 off and you’re looking at $334.10 and free shipping.

3) Nordstrom – Nothing new in terms of higher end plus size markdowns with the exception of this Lafayette 148 Plus Size black leather shirt jacket which is now 40% OFF:

4) From now until Sunday Dillard’s is offering 40% OFF already reduced items.  Dillard’s starts their markdowns at 40% OFF so 40% OFF + another 40% OFF ain’t too shabby it’s just that Dillard’s does 40% OFF already reduced items a few times a year.  After Thanksgiving is supposed to be special gosh darn it!  That being said there is some deeply discounted Eileen Fisher Plus Size and Misook Plus Sizes to be had:

5) LaGrandeDame.com is doing 20% OFF their entire PLUS they are awarding Gift Certificates for use on their site come January based on the amount you spend:

Spend $100-$199 and get a $20 gift certificate
Spend $200-$299 and get a $50 gift certificate
Spend $300-$399 and get a $70 gift certificate
Spend $400-$499 and get a $100 gift certificate
Spend $500 + and get 20% back as a gift certificate

Use Code: BLACKFRIDAY2020

They have the two most fabulous new Melissa Masse dresses.  One of incredibly chic and one is incredibly cute!

silk1__97753_thumb

$380 - 20% OFF = $304 + Earn A $70 Gift Certificate

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$298 - 20% = $238.40 + Earn A $50 Gift Certificate

6) NEIMAN’S: Um, as of now Neimans which just did a 40% OFF essentially everything a little over 2 weeks ago has nothing beyond getting 25% OFF if you buy 3 things (15% OFF is you buy one and 20% OFF if you buy two) from their “gift list” which happens to include clothing just no PLUS SIZE clothing.  Their site claims 4 days of surprises and this is just for today – hopefully they are holding out for Monday :(

25% OFF Clearance At Neimans

November 17, 2010

Neimans is doing a quick two day only 25%-40% OFF Clearance.  The great majority of plus size styles are coming in at 25% OFF.

Obviously since it is only 2 days and is 25% OFF items that have already been reduced 65% you want to hurry!

CLICK HERE TO VISIT NEIMANS.

Sorry for no photos – things are going quickly so I didn’t want to list items that may be sold out by the time you read this!

Nordstrom has reduced the price or increased the discount on quite a few Eileen Fisher Plus Size Styles . . .

Brand New Eileen Fisher Plus Size Markdowns:

35% OFF

40% OFF

40% OFF

33% OFF

25% OFF

25% OFF

Eileen Fisher Plus Size Styles – Discount Increased To 50% OFF:

Save 20% At LaGrandeDame.com

November 16, 2010

The ladies at LaGrandeDame.com have done a redesign of their site and are celebrating its relaunch with a 20% OFF offering (now until Nov. 24th) simply use the code LAUNCH20 to get 20% OFF your entire order.

Current Top Pick At LaGrandeDame:

marina-rinaldi-black-wool-poncho

Marina Rinaldi Wool Poncho - Normally $290 - 20% = $232

Well Neiman’s “First Call” has begun and beyond some Caroline Rose and Johnny Was plus size styles there is nothing much new in terms of plus size markdowns but fear not!  If you act quickly and didn’t spend all your money at Saks’ yesterday Neimans is taking 40% OFF a bunch of fantastic styles for today only (prices officially go back up at 6AM Central).

Some highlights:

If you’re a Size 2x or 3x and missed out on the Eileen Fisher Plus Size Black Leather Jacket – now is your chance to snatch it up at Neimans for $370.80 (retail: $618)

Neimans also has the Eileen Fisher Plus Size Black Satin Evening Coat I highlighted yesterday for 40% OFF ($310.80):

Other Eileen Fisher Plus Size Highlights (on sale for today only):

Eileen Fisher Plus Size Black Alpaca Coat ($458 - 40% OFF)

Eileen Fisher Plus Size Silk Groove Jacket ($378 - 40% OFF)

Eileen Fisher Plus Black Sequin Cropped Cardigan ($318 - 40% OFF)

Some Plus Size Elie Tahari Styles are also included in the “First Day” 40% OFF festivities:

Perfect for work is this Elie Tahari Plus Size Suit -the 40% OFF makes this almost $800 a lot more manageable at $477.60:

If you’re just looking for a great plus size Elie Tahari top:

If you’re a Melissa Masse fan you’re covered as well – as all of the latest Melissa Masse Plus Size dresses make their way into the 40% range including the new Melissa Masse Capetown Maxi Dress:

Melissa Masse Plus Size Capetown Maxi Dress ($375 - 40% OFF)

If you’re interested in Caroline Rose there are a few styles that will remain marked down after today but if you’re looking to save on the latest and great in Caroline Rose Plus Size today’s your day:

If you’re looking for an evening dress all is not lost – you’ll just be looking at 30% off instead of 40%. Among the plus size evening dresses coming in at 30% OFF are the fabulous new Kay Unger Black Plus Size Dresses:

. . . And some Plus Size Tadashi Dresses and Gowns:

A few weeks ago Saks marked down a lot of great fall items and a few days ago Saks was offering an additional 25% OFF already reduced prices as of today Saks is offering an online “Sneak Peak” (the sale starts in stores tomorrow) of select items that have been marked down 30-40% OFF.

I have to highlight my most coveted piece of the season: the Eileen Fisher Black Satin Shawl Collar Coat which is marked down by 30% ($362.60):

Another Eileen Fisher Plus Size style I’m fond of (although a reviewer on the Saks’ site disagrees with me) is the One-button Merino Wool in the color Roseberry – it too is marked down by 30% ($159.60):

Also coming in at 30% OFF are some Anna Scholz Dresses and Anna Scholz Tops:

If Zenobia is usually out of your price range now is a great time to snag some beautifully made pieces as most Z from Zenobia styles are at the 40% OFF level including another one of my favorites of the season: the Z from Zenobia button down wool dress – even at 40% OFF ($598.80) it isn’t exactly inexpensive but this dress will never really go out of style and can accessorized a thousand ways to Sunday and aren’t those the types of pieces one should invest in?

Another brand whose full retail price may be a bit too much to justify for some is Stizzoli and like Zenobia it too is 40% OFF:

Also in the 40% OFF Range are great Lafayette 148 Plus Size styles that have not been marked down before now including yet another seasonal favorite of mine: the fur trimmed cardigan (now $286.80):

Other great Lafayette 148 Plus Size Styles – just marked down:

Based on the normal retail price I was a bit surprised to see Elie Tahari Plus Size styles marked down 40% OFF (I thought it would only be 30% OFF) but who am I to argue? A few Elie Tahari pieces were marked down two weeks ago but there are a few new styles just marked down for the sale:

I think the current sale most benefits those seeking out an evening dress as very Tadashi and David Meister Plus Size remain marked down on the Saks’ website – so if you’ll be in need of a dress for the upcoming holiday season now is probably a great time to buy.

Tadashi Plus Size:

David Meister Plus Size:

Happy Shopping!

From now until Saturday Saks’ is taking an additional 25% OFF already reduced items.  Plus size brands and styles of note:

Lots of Plus Size Elie Tahari:

Eileen Fisher Plus Size:

Lafayette 148 Plus Size:

So I checked out Nordstrom’s Half-Yearly Sale and I’m afraid there isn’t much in terms of new markdowns for plus sizes :(

The only things that really caught my eye was this Eileen Fisher Plus Size Black Chiffon Overlay Jacket – Marked down by 40%:

Eileen Fisher Plus Size Black Chiffon Overlay Jacket (Was $198 - NOW: $117.90)

Along with this turnlock sweater coat from Michael Kors (25% OFF) – readers of this blog will know I’m not a big fan of the Kors’ Plus Size line but this sweater coat is a great classic basic:

Michael Kors Plus Size Black Sweater Coat (Was $190 - NOW: $139.90)

A major reason why I didn’t update the blog much over the summer is because I was obsessed with the idea of adding a high end plus size clothing only shopping engine to this site.  If you don’t care about and don’t want to read about the problems that confronted my anal retentive self in my quest just click the screen shot below to visit the shopping site ;)

high-end-plus-size-shopping

Click To Visit The High End Plus Size ONLY Shopping Site!

For you masochists out there here is the condensed story:

The idea of doing a plus size clothing shopping site seemed simple enough but as I mentioned I did encountered quite a few problems :(

All of the “shopping sites you currently may encounter online are made possible by “data feeds” as I got into  putting the site together I encountered my first problem:

1)  The one company that properly separated designer plus size styles didn’t do a very good job of updating most of the sites that carry high end plus size designer clothing.  It wasn’t unusual to see them list Bloomingdales as only having 9 pieces of Eileen Fisher Plus Size Clothing in stock when at the time Bloomingdales had over 50!  Or their site would show Saks as only having 18 different Lafayette 148 Plus Size styles when at the time they had almost 40 :(

The other companies didn’t separate designer plus size styles at all – if you chose to only focus on their plus size section all that would show up was plus size clothing for catalog brands such as Woman Within or Silhouettes.

There were other problems: stores themselves that didn’t update their feeds on a daily basis, stores that had one style come up 4 and 5 times, etc. etc.

2)  All of the stores I cover here at affinityfashion.com title their plus size designers in a different way.   To illustrate the problem I will use an imaginary Eileen Fisher Black Wool Cardigan as an example.  If all of the stores had the same exact cardigan and they all just called it a “black wool cardigan” there would still be a problem when it came to how the store identify the cardigan as being an Eileen Fisher Plus Sized Cardigan:

  • Nordstrom:  Eileen Fisher Black Wool Cardigan Plus
  • Bloomingdales:  Eileen Fisher Plus Size Black Wool Cardigan
  • Saks:  Eileen Fisher Salon Z Black Wool Cardigan
  • Neiman Marcus:  Eileen Fisher Black Wool Cardigan, Women’s
  • Dillards:  Eileen Fisher Woman Black Wool Cardigan

3)  Unfortunately stores DO NOT use the same exact name for each clothing style even if the item is the same so having the plus size clothing only shopping engine be able to automatically compare prices for you wouldn’t work.  Where Neiman Marcus would call a particular Eileen Fisher Black Cardigan an “Eileen Fisher Long Lace Cardigan” Bloomingdale’s would call the same exact cardigan an “Eileen Fisher Textured Cardigan

4) Then there was the problem of what kind of software I could use – but that story is so long and boring and technical that I don’t think I could relive it nor would you want me to.  Trust me on that.  :)

Anyway by now I think you get the picture and I was left with only one solution: manage the site, each individual item MANUALLY.  I was told I am crazy but when I get an idea in my head I cannot let it go.

I hope the site is of help to you!

A lot of my top picks just got marked down at Saks including a lot of great Lafayette 148 Plus Size Styles:

Was $498 - NOW: $297.99

Was $598 - NOW: $357.99

Was: $328 - NOW: $195.99

Was $598 - NOW: $357.99

Saks is also the first to markdown the Eileen Fisher Plus Size Black Leather Motorcycle Jacket:

Was $618 - Now: $431.99

Some Tadashi Plus Size has been marked down as well but unfortunately the sizing is quite limited:

Was: $350 - NOW: $244.99

Was: $535 - NOW: $373.98

Was: $440 - NOW: $307.99

If you must have either of the Tadashi Plus Size Black Dresses and Saks is Sold Out of Your Size – Neiman’s Does Have Them Marked Down As Well In Limited Sizes:

$249

$201