Lauren Laverne on plus-size fashion

Has there ever been a more gag-inducing phrase than "celebrate your curves"? It is the apotheosis of its particular genre: poisonous, simpering, pass-agg tabloidese. Every time I read it (currently around thrice per hour) I feel like I'm going to barf up a lung.

It's not just the faux-friendly tone that annoys. It's the casual co-option of a righteous concept (women of all sizes looking great, feeling happy in their skin) by the primary source of judgment and snark in British culture today. It's the delineation between women and their bodies (their "curves" are not just… them). It's the implicit reminder that the supposed "celebrant" is being looked at, always. A chummy phrase coined by the worst best friend ever: it takes something beautiful, smashes it to bits, then wraps a bow around it and tries to give it back to you as a birthday present.

I feel sad when I hear women using it sincerely, I can't help wishing they had words of their own. It's understandable, though. Despite having more than a quarter of a million distinct words, the English language includes few complimentary descriptions of a sizeable female body. Comely? Ample? Lusty? Buxom? No ta. And you can keep your comparative adjectives: "Larger" ladies? "Plus" size? Plus what? No wonder we had to steal the Yiddish word zaftig. It really is the only one I'd be happy to wear.

As you might have guessed, this week I'm focusing on fashion for size-16s and above. If this is you, read on and please do send feedback. It is a topic we're bound to return to soon.

Size and shape are two different things. If you're an hourglass (of any size) Katya Wildman's creations will look old-school fabulous on you. Of course, not everybody with bosoms to put Christina Hendricks in the shade wants to look retro. Saint Bustier specialises in cuts of all kinds for cup sizes D to H.

As a fan, I'm disappointed that Topshop caters for tall, short, pregnant women and infants, but for some reason finds it impossible to stock its main line beyond a 16. Asos is ahead of the game here: Curve runs to a 26.

Clements Ribeiro sharpens up Evans's style credentials with gems like this kimono dress and Simply Be has upped its game lately, with offerings like these on-trend trews.

Beyond the high street, many designers are opening their eyes (and tills) to the demand for high-end fashion over size-14. How pleasing to see that Net-a-porter stock items up to a 20, including Marc Jacobs.

Finally, for something different, try Navabi – a site with a great mix of designers including Anna Scholz and Parisian label Manon Baptiste.

Fashion film festival kicks off in Paris

France, a country famed for its movies and fashion, has finally combined the two in the form of the international fashion, style and beauty film festival.

Now in its fifth edition, the ASVOFF festival is showcasing over 80 short documentaries, advertisements and art-house movies with a fashion theme over two days until Sunday.

Festival jury president and artist Orlan said: "Over the last few years, style and fashion films have cropped up so much that it's now become a genre of its own."

Columbian artist Jessica Mitrani won the festival's Grand Prix for her humorous take on the Middle East conflict through headwear in the short film entitled "Headpieces for Peace."

Many of the films — from some 50 countries — are being projected free for the public.

NuORDER, the Leading Fashion Wholesale Platform, Announces Series A Financing Led by GRP

NuORDER, the leading digital wholesale solution founded by Heath Wells and Olivia Skuza, has secured over $3 million in growth capital. The groundbreaking software now utilized by the world's leading fashion brands and over 40,000 retailers has acquired impressive backing from a global network of fashion icons and venture capitalist power players. GRP has led the first round, with additional investment by Greycroft, Aileen Lee, David Tisch, Creative Artists Agency, Brian Spaly, Mortimer Singer and Rachel Zoe Inc.

NuORDER is poised to revolutionize the fashion industry with an innovative two-way sales solution and marketplace that allows users to conduct their wholesale business online. Eliminating the need for pen and paper, the cloud-based platform empowers brands to sell more in less time and allows retailers to make purchases more effectively. In short, NuORDER is e-commerce for wholesale.

In a class of its own, NuORDER provides the most feature-rich enterprise ready platform wrapped in a beautiful fashion-forward interface. Brands are able to create custom line sheets, place orders, and update inventory in real time, and the offline iPad app allows brands to conduct business anytime, anywhere.  Buyers can access collections online and are able to place digital orders with ease. The technology is scalable to both large and small businesses, integrates seamlessly with users' back-of-house systems and supports all currencies.

"Much has been written about e-commerce innovation for consumers yet there is equal value in using modern technology to transform the way the supply chain works," said Mark Suster of GRP Partners. "We were blown away by NuORDER and the quality of the product its co-founders Heath Wells & Olivia Skuza have built that links retailers directly to fashion brands to streamline ordering. We have been investing in this sector for 20 years. We believe that NuORDER is positioned to have a major impact on how brands ultimately reach their target market."

Helmut Lang, Levi's, Elizabeth and James, Adidas, Ted Baker, Cheap Monday, Alternative Apparel, and Citizens of Humanity are among the top labels that use NuORDER to facilitate their core wholesale business.

Over 750,000 units have been sold through NuORDER in the last 12 months, and independent research has shown a 17.6% sales increase after brands adopted the solution.

"We are here to give the fashion industry the game-changing tools to navigate wholesale business more efficiently than ever before," said Heath Wells, NuORDER co-founder. "Olivia and I value that our investors recognize the market gap NuORDER fills and the immense potential of the solution to transform the industry. Their support will provide us with the opportunity to propel the growth and product development of NuORDER, which is the most comprehensive and user-friendly solution on the market. The development pipeline is very exciting."

Online fashion retailer Yoox bucks economic slowdown

Online fashion retailer Yoox (Milan: YOOX.MI - news) is expecting higher sales and profitability by the end of this year after an improved domestic market helped boost profits in the third-quarter.

Yoox, which powers sites for top brands such as Valentino and Giorgio Armani alongside its own multibrand websites, has heavily invested in its logistics to better serve shoppers in fast-growing markets and offset weaker demand in Europe (Chicago Options: ^REURUSD - news) .

Investments eroded profitability in the first half of the year but net profits grew 72.7 percent to 1.2 million euros in the three months to September, broadly in line with analyst expectations.

Net (Xetra: A0Z22E - news) profits had fallen 25.6 percent to 2.2 million euros in the first half compared to the same period of 2011.

Sales in Italy returned positive in the third quarter after falling in the previous months, indicating improved consumer confidence in the recession-hit country especially among younger mobile shoppers.

Yoox said it expected revenues and profitability to improve in the fourth quarter, when it will launch its joint venture with French luxury conglomerate PPR (Milan: PP.MI - news) .

Online clothing retailers such as Yoox and British rival ASOS (LSE: ASC.L - news) have offset weaker retail sales in their home markets as more shoppers turn to their smartphones to buy leather bags and fashion accessories.

Victoria's Secret fashion show prepares to tape

The annual Victoria's Secret fashion show, set to air Dec. 4 on CBS., will be  taped Wednesday night in New York.

The show will feature Victoria Secret "Angles" Doutzen Kroes, Adriana Lima, Joan Smalls, Candice Swanepoel, Lily Aldrige, Erin Heatherton,  and Alessandra Ambrosio, who will be wearing the $2.5 million "Fantasy Bra."

The Floral Fantasy Bra, created by London Jewelers, features amethysts, rubies, sapphires and diamonds (including a 20-carat white diamond in the center), all set in rose and yellow gold.

Several models have recently taken to Twitter  as  they got ready for the year's highly-anticipated fashion show.

UCOL Fashion and Beauty

UCOL Fashion and Beauty students will have their time in the spotlight on Wednesday night.

The Dream Believe Achieve Parade and Show is the culmination of 18 weeks intensive study for the 10 Certificate in Fashion and Beauty (Level 1) students. It is their chance to bring all the components of their fashion and beauty modules together into one amazing show.

Among other fashionable highlights, the students will model the garments they have designed themselves and made from fabrics from Arthur Toye Fabrics.

They will also show an outfit they each assembled from one visit to the Hospice Shop.

Leigh Carlton (foreground) practices her ‘walk’ during a catwalk tutorial by Miss Manawatu organiser Kate Balfour (right). Raquel Maea, Holly Anderson, Tarren Blackler, Marama Marshall and Feiloaki Hala wait for their turn.

Fashion Lecturer and Show organizer Sheran Merritt says, “The students are looking forward to showcasing their creations and what they have achieved this semester.”

“They have worked incredibly hard to put the show together,” she says. “You will be entertained and, I assure you will be amazed at the high standard of work.”

There will be plenty of surprises on the catwalk as the UCOL ‘Studs’ model menswear from Factorie. The entries in the Decorate a Bra contest get their first public appearance.

UCOL staff member Faryn Te Atatu will show her musical talents with performances during the evening.

The Parade and Show is supported by local fashion outlets Factorie, Cotton On, the Sugar Plum Fairy Shop, Arthur Toye Fabrics and Arohanui Hospice Shop. All proceeds from the gold coin entry fee will go to the Arohanui Hospice.

Fashion week is back with a stylish flourish

THE fourth annual Oxford Fashion Week starts today with a range of events across the city.

Oxford Fashion Week will run until Saturday, showcasing up-and-coming designers at themed fashion shows.

Carl Anglim, 26, started Oxford Fashion Week in 2009 with his partner Victoria Watson, and they have run it every year since, until now. This year, they have taken a back seat.

Mr Anglim said: “We created a production team, BMLY (Big Me Little You), and they have been responsible for producing it.

“I am really excited to see how they have put the week together, and for the first time to be a guest at something we helped to create.”

Oxford’s previous three fashion weeks featured the work of such big name designers as Alexander McQueen, Matthew Williamson and Valentin Yudashkin.

Events for this years begin tonight at Oxford’s oldest independent cinema, the Ultimate Picture Palace.

The venue will host an invite-only black tie event, showing a special screening of the 2009 film Coco before Chanel, starring Audrey Tautou.

OFW’s official launch party will kick off on Tuesday night at the Living Room in Oxford’s Castle Quarter.

But it’s not all black-tie and VIP as city-shoppers will have the opportunity to experience a free cat-walk show at the Claredon Shopping Centre on Wednesday.

One of the new events for this year will be a free, ethical fashion fair at Oxford Town Hall on Thursday.

The fair will feature talks from experts in the subject, stalls and ethical fashion workshops, making it more interactive than a catwalk show. It takes place between noon and 5pm.

Also on Thursday is the cosmopolitan show, at the Town Hall, between 8pm and 10.30pm, which is a showcase for independent designers to demonstrate their wares, particularly focusing on pret a porter (ready to wear) and lingerie.

Friday sees the elysium concept show, for avant garde fashion, between 8.30pm and 11.30pm at the town hall.

The main event is the black tie haute couture show at the Ashmolean Museum on Saturday. There will be a red carpet reception, with celebrities, the national press and fashion buyers in attendance.