Country Life In The City

Can larger ladies be fashionable? This is the problem facing a growing number of women across the globe. The reason for this is a reluctance in the part of most designers to make clothes for the larger lady. Fortunately there are some designers out there who do make elegant plus size clothing, but they are in the minority at present.

The reason for this reluctance is that it is not just a matter of scaling up clothes from size 6, plus sized women have differently proportioned bodies to smaller women which require more effort to design and many designers simply don’t know how or cant be bothered to learn.

Having said that, some high street fashion retailers are now catering to the bbw and it is possible to find a range of plus sized dresses flattering to the larger figure. There is also another prevailing theory that large women don’t want to wear fashionable clothes. They themselves say that they do, but they aren’t big spenders historically, probably because after years of just being able to buy potato sacks they have lost interest in fashion.

High street stores such as Littlewoods could help to reverse this trend with their range of stylish maxi dresses, perfect for the approaching party season.

According to UK travel association ABTA, booking tickets early gives you the best chance of a cheap flight and holiday deal.

The reasoning behind this is that limited offers are exactly that, limited. Once they’re gone, they’re gone, so if you have a specific need, such as free seats for children or need to go on a specific date, book early.

Clare Banham, spokesperson for ABTA said “There is a market that like to book well in advance so that they guarantee what they get and obtain the best choice.”

She also added that the later UK travellers book their tickets, the less chance of getting that bargain flight to Paris. In fact the later the flight is booked, the more expensive the flights will become, especially in peak periods such as school holidays, bank holidays and Christmas.

This follows advice from Sue Ockwell, spokesperson from the Association of Independent Tour Operators (AITO), suggesting that holidaymakers on a budget would benefit from shopping around online for the best deals on flights and hotels. She added that there would seldom be a shortage of cheap holidays in Europe, as there was an excess across the entire continent.

Thomas Al Fresco announced at the weekend that around 40% of holidaymakers who were booking their breaks early had already started to do so.