Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head...

We just picked up the most beautiful umbrellas today to sell in the store and then...it started raining! Check out just a few of the pix. Everyone should have one of these lovelies to brighten up a rainy day.

Happy Hula-versary to Hula-la!

I'm really looking forward to Miss Cynthia's Hula-versary party tonight in honour of her one year anniversary. Mmmmmartini. Cynthia's been such an inspiration to me over the last year and more. I can't believe it was a whole year ago that she took the plunge and went out on her own. We've been lucky enough to benefit from her great skills and talent for much longer than that and have always been extremely pleased with every job she's done - big or small. She is a great example and success story for anyone who might ever consider going 'out on their own'. Passion, hard work, dedication to excellence and the desire to be your own boss - great starting point to jumping off that cliff. Surrounding yourself with a supportive network of friends and peers also makes it feel a lot less scary and lonely. Cynth has done that very well. Her personality, work ethic and easy-going style inspires confidence as a friend and a customer. How's that for a Hula-versary Celebratory Congrats? Happy One Year my friend!
xoxo
Lorna

Happy Last Long Weekend of the Summer

We've had a busy week here at Bodacious moving things around in the store to fit all of the great items arriving daily. It's been great to spend more time here at the store, re-connecting with customers and hearing what people are looking for. We always take your feedback seriously and pass along any relevant info to our designers. One of the requests you made was to have more clothing in natural fibre fabrics. We listened. The new Diane Kennedy fall line is made with bamboo or soy and feels amazing on the skin, wears extremely well and looks fantastic! Diane's line is designed and created in Vancouver. In fact, we're very proud of the fact that the majority of the clothing we carry at Bodacious is manufactured right here in Vancouver. It's just an added bonus to know that when you're buying great fashion at our store, you're also supporting local women in their entrepreneurial pursuits!
Have a wonderful long weekend!

Check Out Our Designers In the News!

Check out our talented designers - Cheryl of Schaart Clothing and Miriam of Flaming Angels - in the Georgia Straight this week! They both also sell at the Portobello West Market which is held on the last Sunday of every month at the Rocky Mountaineer Station (1755 Cottrell Street). A great place to support local designers - and they're celebrating their one year anniversary this weekend!

Here's Cheryl with Portobello’s Carlie Smith.

IGIGI IS HERE!!!

We've just received a few pieces of the IGIGI line from the US and they're pretty great! We thought you should be the first to know.
The belts come in 3 sizes and 3 different finishes including black or red crocodile (faux-of course) or matte black.
The trench - This dual action trench with feminine details can be worn both as a dress and a trench coat.
The super sexy polka-dot dress comes in black or red. Very limited selection so come in soon.

Big Momma!

I'd like to introduce you to the newest member of the Bodacious family - "Big Momma". She's big and strong and sweet and feminine at the same time and we love her so:) Can't wait to drive her around!

Getting ready for fall!

Workin' the wrap dress! WOW - we've really hit on something big. The wrap dress is such a flattering style on so many different body types so we're just going to keep making them in lots of different colours and patterns. For fall we've added a collar and cuff to our jersey style and we've found an amazing source for prints. Our Kimono dress is going through some changes as well to create an even better and more flattering fit. Our customers have been asking so we're providing...more, more, more dresses at Bodacious.

Thought for the Day!

We got an email from Kelly Bliss the other day. She runs a website called Plus Size Yellow Pages and is a very outspoken and articulate advocate for women with curves. Check out her debate or "Fat Rant" about size prejudice on her website. Made us stand up and cheer and get frustrated by the age old argument. Can you be healthy and over size 14? We think so.
Let us know what you think...

Have your Cake and Eat it too!!!

Ok, we just celebrated our Brandy's birthday with a cake from Breka Bakery on Fraser Street and I'm pretty sure it was one of the best cakes I've ever had!!! It's a German cake called "Bieninstich" (beesting) that's filled with custard and whipped cream and has crunchy almonds and honey on top. Ummmm...Yummmmm!!! Check it out if you get a chance. The best part? It was only $6.95 for the whole cake.
Have a great weekend all!
Lorna
(oh yes, we're having a flip-flop sale this weekend $10.00 per pair)

Change is in the Air

Well, it's well past the middle of July and it sort of feels like summer is over. Apparently we're going to get another shot at it. Let's hope so! We're dealing with some change/growing pains here at Bodacious. Our lovely and much-loved Jocelyn has decided to leave us for a job closer to home and family and is just finishing up this week. We're very sad to see her go but understand that everyone has to make decisions that work for them and moves them forward in life. We're very happy that Brandy has agreed to take over the position of store sales manager and we're in the process of hiring more staff to join the Bodacious team. Having to deal with the weather hasn't been great fun in the past few weeks but it has provided some ideas and creativity around getting dressed. I've had lots of fun lately mixing up some fantastic sheer long-sleeve tees from the Gap with Bodacious and other designer dresses, jeans and skirts. I love the idea of mixing new with old or putting pieces together that you wouldn't traditionally consider. I really think it's more important to have options to create your own style than to follow current trends word for word (or look for look). Have fun creating your own unique look and style and wear it with pride and confidence!

Bodacious Goings On...

Well...one event down, two more to go. We had our official launch party for our Bodacious label last night at the store and I must admit, it was a huge success. We had such a nice mixture of people, a few media peeps and everything and everyone looked so pretty! We had the night catered by some beautiful friends of ours who are starting their own event planning/catering company, Miss Tura. The food was absolutely delicious!!! Our lovely Jocelyn also made chocolate covered strawberries and cherries which were gobbled down appreciately. The picture you see is of a flower mannequin that our local florist, Sam (Buy the Bunch) created for us which I have to say left me speachless and brought tears to my eyes! 75 pink peonies, cabbage roses, lilies, orchids, oh my!!! A bit of a late night...we had to finish the punch which I have to say I'm regretting a little bit today:) Tomorrow is Main Day which will be another big event - from setting up at 8:00 am to the last band, Sister J's Soul Summit @ 5:00 pm, there will be thousands of people walking along Main Street and hopefully shopping! Always a fun time. And...Monday, we're going to be on Breakfast Television with Simi Sara. We will be doing a live interview and fashion show of some of the new spring/summer designs at Bodacious. Early morning for us but well worth it, I'm sure. Tuesday, Malcolm Parry from the Vancouver Sun will be coming to interview us for the Financial section. He attended our party last night and seemed to be impressed by the success of the store so that's great! If only I could get into the Province, my mom would be so pleased:)
And that's about it for the next few days... WHEW!
Now if only someone would mow my lawn, I'd be really happy!
Happy Weekend everyone.
Lorna

Pssssttt!

Pssst…….Can we talk??
Spring is finally here, in fact today it feels like summer all the way. What do you do to cool down? How are you going to stay comfortable? I want to talk about a dirty little secret all of us bodacious girls know and loathe. “Chub Rub”. You don’t have to be such a big girl to get it either. “Chub Rub” is when your upper thighs rub together and cause discomfort, rash, welts and even bleeding. How many times have you put on that cool summer dress or pretty skirt and then taken it off because you fear for your thighs? God forbid you have to walk anywhere for any length of time with your eyes watering and your tender thighs burning.
Some people use oils or cocoa butter to ease the friction, some go the other way with powders and talcs. I’ve tried both and find they work for a little while only and unless you can duck in somewhere private to re-apply you could be out of luck.
The only thing that I have found that works all the time and as long as I need are knickers.
Mitzylaneous Designs, one of our fabulous in-house designers make these lightweight bike short style knickers that come in black or white and are just heaven to wear. She uses a cool/dry type fabric that is designed for athletes because it wicks moisture away from the body and keeps everything comfy, dry and chafe free. Even more exciting? She has also designed a ¾ length legging in black that are trimmed in lace at the calf and made from the same lightweight fabric as the knickers.
Just say NO to “Chub Rub”!
xoBarb

What is a "Real" Woman?

It's my birthday today and being a young 42, I think it's a good time to reflect on what makes a "real" woman. What would make me feel like a "real" woman?
I keep seeing "real" women being defined by size. Being a size 16, 18 or 20 doesn't make me more real. If it did, would a size 2 or 28 woman be less real? What about the women who are even smaller or larger than those sizes? I know that when those terms are used, the intention is to sound more inclusive. I see it once again separating us as women - making a line to determine who rates and who doesn't.
When I think of "real" women, I think of women who are strong, independent, good mothers, good daughters, hard workers. Women who volunteer their time to a cause and donate money to charity. Women who speak out about injustice and continue to stand up even when it's scary. Having said that, let's also remember that a women who doesn't fit into any of those categories is just as real, just as valid, just as worthy as each of us deserves to know we are!
Let's stand together and celebrate our sameness, our uniqueness and our differences - as "REAL" women!

Check out Bodacious on CBC-TV - Vancouver Living

About a month ago, Margaret Gallagher from CBC-TV's Living Vancouver came into Bodacious with her camera crew and filmed a segment for the show. It aired this past Monday but if you missed it, you can still check out the full segment online at the above link. We're extremely happy with the result! ENJOY...
Lorna & Barb

Bodacious Ladies Meet Some Movers and Shakers!

Tonight we were treated to a wonderful night out at the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs 5th Anniversary Gala by our lovely friend and mentor, Karin. They had a huge silent auction, lots of good wine and food and an amazing speaker named Rebecca MacDonald.

She is is one of the founders and current Chair of Energy Savings Income Fund, a Toronto based marketer of deregulated gas and electricity. Energy Savings currently supplies over 1,500,000 customers in Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta, Quebec, B.C. and Illinois having signed their first customer in 1997. Ms. MacDonald has been involved in the sale of deregulated natural gas for more than 15 years. Prior to forming Energy Savings in 1997, Rebecca was the President of EMI, another successful gas marketing company.

A very inspirational story of someone who came to Canada from Yugoslavia with very little money and a determination to succeed! Her company is now worth over a BILLION dollars!
There were so many successful and inspiring women at this event. It's always good to hear stories of how women create their success on their own terms in their own way! It really shows you that everyone has the potential to do well if they follow their heart & passion.
International Women's Day is coming up on March 8, 2007. Let's all remember to support, honour and celebrate what makes us all unique and beautiful beings.
bodaciously,
Lorna

Check out the Bodacious Gals on DarynKagan.com

Hey everyone! We've had an interesting year so far. Lots of exciting things coming up for spring. We just wanted to share this interview we did with Daryn Kagan for her feel-good website. We're pretty happy with the results and we had a good time answering her questions. Enjoy!
Lorna & Barb

Pay It Forward!

Just before Christmas, Barb and I saw an episode of Oprah all about "paying it forward". We loved the idea and the impact these acts can have on our community and ourselves. We thought about what we could do to make a difference for someone else - we've had a fantastic past year and wanted to give something back. We contacted the YWCA and were assigned a family - a single mom and her two daughters. The names came along with wish lists for each of them. We had such a great time shopping for these items and knowing that maybe we could help make someone's life a little bit easier. The week before Christmas, we went as a group to meet the family. You know, you really don't want to go into something like this with any expectations. The end result, however, was so much more than we could have expected. The expressions on their faces when we walked in with the bags full of wrapped gifts was so heartwarming and the hug we got from the mom as we were leaving...wow! I realize that this simple act isn't going to change the world but maybe it's a start. It certainly has changed mine! I highly recommend it!
Lorna

Dear Oprah,

I'm confused! You feature a "300 pound" woman on your show who's father says she's not ok the way she is. When she loses weight through gastric bypass surgery and comes back on your show, she earns a standing ovation and the love of her father. You never once let this woman know that she's beautiful, lovable and deserving of love before her weight loss. The following day after the weight loss show, you feature Crystal, a size 12 "plus-size" model who declares on your show that every woman should be represented in the fashion industry. You wholeheartedly agreed. I don't believe you. What I think you might have meant is that any woman who is a size 2 to a size 14 should be represented. You say that "size-ism" is the last acceptable form of discrimination. Oprah! Why perpetuate that discrimination when you have the power to change it. You challenge so many things but refuse to celebrate ALL women - as they are - right now!

respectfully,
Lorna Ketler

I Love Clothes

I love clothes.
I want the clothes I see other girls wearing, you know, smaller girls. I don’t want clothes to cover me up and make me disappear. Sometimes I want to show off my best assets too. I want the clothes that I see in the magazines, or on T.V. or some really confident beautiful woman on the street. I want clothes that fit me well and are soft or silky and tight in all the right places. I want clothes that skim my curves and help me feel at ease in my body. I want fun easy trendy clothes. I want classic pieces that I will treasure and wear for years because they never wear out or go out of style. I want clothes that I can pick up off of my bedroom floor, give a good shake and wear again. I want clothes that other people covet. I want clothes that go with shoes I love. I love shoes.
I want clothes that fit me!
Don’t you love clothes?
I love clothes.

xoxBarb

Welcome to our new Bodacious Blog!!!

Hello everyone - welcome to our new Blog site. Check back often - we'll keep you posted about what's happening with us and what's new here in the store. We'd love it if you used this space to share your feelings, experiences and what you're looking for.