Please note Suzanne Bell’s Fashions is open on Good Friday from 12 noon until 4pm and back to regular hours on Saturday.

We are posting this version of Fashion Update on the Suzanne Bell Blog, because some of our customers were being blocked from receiving the newsletter by email.

Also, I have posted comments in the blog post below, regarding the question I sent out about cars for women of size.  Thank you again for your response.

FASHION UPDATE:

* Short Sleeve Layer Top, 1x-3x, $79, v-neck top with ruffle from the waist to hem. Light weight poly/spandex.

* New Mandarin Collar Linen Shirts, 1x-5x. $199, royal blue or mauve.  Check on line for details www.suzannebellsfashions.com/vip

*  New Dress And Shirt Separates, 1x-3x, shirt $79, dress $99, will be on line shortly.

*  New Tencel Dress & Jacket, watch for it on line with all the details.
E.&O.E.

We have many new fashions in the store and new shipments just arrived to be unpacked. 

MORE INFORMATION:

*  Happy to announce we found a new source for cotton knit pants and capris.  Great quality, black, white and navy.  Hope to see them in about 6 weeks or less.  1x-6x
* Have not found a replacement for the briefs, working on it…….
*  Cotton dresses in various fabrics and prints have arrived and are still in the box but should have those out on the floor on Thursday.

Shown here is a new dress and blouse, shirt $79, dress $99. Also a silver/black print jacket and a solid black jacket.

Suzanne
style@suzannebellsfashions.com
604.324.7394
1.800.668.1887

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I drive a 2005 Ford 500 and I love it.  It is a full size car with plenty of room.  It was fairly pricey when it was new but should be fairly affordable on the used market.

p.s. They claim that there is enough room in the trunk for eight sets of golf bags and I believe it.

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I’m super size but only 5 foot 2 and my Toyota Echo is super.  Don’t need to use the steering wheel mech. even tho’ it does have one adjustment.  Seat belt fits beautifully as passenger and driver without any extensions.  Tight in backseat to sit however.  Huge trunk.  Fun drive.  AND even tho’ I’m short, other taller drivers (5’10″) have said there is still lots of room between top of head and roof.  Hope that helps.

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The car that I drive and works for me is the GM Terrain 2010….. it’s more like a compact SUV.  I find it roomy for me, as well as if I have adults in the back seats – good leg room/height for them.  I also like the fact it’s more of a “slide in” helps with my knees…. not low as a car can be, and not high as the van I used to have…  since I too have have the “butt & gut” issue;  it was important for me to find something comfortable & functional too…  Hope this helps…. 

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I love my Subaru. While it does not have telescoping steering there is lots of room and the seat belts are long! I have a Forrester. 

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 About the car issue, I drive a 2000 Toyota Echo sedan.  I don’t fit in the Corolla or several of their other cars but I do fit in this one and the seat belt is also long enough.  The car is not showing up on their website anymore but may be available used, or the other option is more expensive but the Prius was the same body, just a hybrid.  

I know I fit in very few cars so I hope this helps.

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I’m a (very satisfied) member of Modo – the Car Co-op, so I’ve driven  a range of 2003 – 2011 cars. I’ll use my membership to try out even more models. Joining temporarily could be a way to test drive on your own. My deposit to join in 2006 was $500,  100% refundable when I cancel my membership. Probably still similar now. Other costs are based on usage.   Contact Modo at 604-685-1393, or info@modo.coop.

On a personal note, the co-op once upgraded a Mazda at a location I used frequently with a Mini Cooper. One phone call to Modo and the Cooper was re-replaced with a car I could use comfortably. I realise your customers are looking for a car to buy, not share – I just like to shout out for those who treat large people well.
I’ve found the Mazda 5 seats slide back quite far. Not only am I large, I’m stiff, specially in the knees, so I need lots of space for getting out. I like the Pontiac Vibe too.
I’ve found the amount the seat slides back changes from model to model and year to year in the same brand of vehicle. Same with the wheel tilt.
My  favourite in the cars now available near my home is the Nissan Cube. Not the most beautiful vehicle on the road, but tops for accessibility before going up to an SUV or Minivan. Often they’re not The clearance is higher than most other cars’. The driver’s pod is roomy  – I don’t feel like I’m packed in a can. Best, the rear hatch opens on the side like a cupboard door, so no contortions are necessary to load or offload stuff.
I hope this info proves helpful.  Best of luck, 

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 I just bought a Nissan Rogue and find it very comfortable.  It is one size down from my previous car which was the Nissan Murano. While I was looking I found the Kia Soul to be very very roomy.  Hope this helps

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I LOVE my Honda Element.  They are not making them starting 2012, but Honda’s hold their value and used ones should be very reliable.  The seating in wonderful, lots of room (front and back), moveable steering wheel, plus it is just the right height for me to step into (I’m 5’4″) which makes it much easier to maneuver in and out of.

Bonus, I was able to find a seatbelt extender online.  I can use the regular belt, but I just wanted a little more wiggle room so that I could lean forward without undoing my belt to reach my glove compartment, etc.  It was purchased from http://www.4extender.com/ for a reasonable cost (US$28) and I love it.  It also fits my brother’s GM truck so I am extremely happy with it.

I found out about 4extender.com through Amplestuff.com’s website, which is a site I would highly recommend for everyday things for supersized people like me.  I got 10x hospital gowns from them so I can bring my own to the doctor, x-ray clinic, etc.  They sell things for mobility, hygiene, etc, most of which I didn’t even know could be adapted for me!

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I have a Hyundai Santa Fe – this is my second one.  There is ample room for us grand ladies.  It has the telescopic steering wheel with tilt steering as well.  There is ample room for two ample ladies to sit side by side too with an arm rest in between.
They are not low to the ground which I love – saves me having to put weight on my dodgy knee when getting out of the car.
I bought both of mine at the Jim Pattison Hyundai in Coquitlam – on Ottawa Street – opposite Costco.  Tel:  604 552 1700.  If the ladies want to look at one I suggest that they go there and ask for Larry – he was a dream salesman – no pressure and understood exactly what I wanted in a car!  Should they decide to go there, tell them to tell Larry that “Phyllis sent me”!  He better give them wonderful service or he will hear from me!!!!!  He spent many an hour with me while I haggled with him, what colour, what added gizmos to buy if any, etc!!  He had the patience of Job.
I tried the Tucson – next model down from the Santa Fe but it did not have the zip which is what I wanted but very similar in style and size inside.

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 I’m currently size 2 – 3x but when we were looking for a vehicle I was 4 – 5x.  We bought a Toyota Venza in May of 2011.  I love that car!!  lots of driver space, steering wheel moves up and down and in and out, the car is easy to get into and out of and the seat belt is long enough.  However, it is quite expensive.  We also have a Honda Civic which is okay also.  Harder to get out of because it is lower but it has lots of driver room and the steering wheel moves and the seat belt fits large size people.   It is less expensive than the Verza and quite a nice car, easy driving also.  Late this fall we tried out other cars as well and I found the Toyota Camry nice to get in and out of with lots of room for large legs and driver space.  The seat belt fit well, the car is very nice but I didn’t like the interior style.  We (my husband and I) also tried the Toyota Corolla, which is considerably less expensive but I found that although the seat belt fit nicely there was not enough leg room for me between the seat and the steering wheel.  We also looked at a Nissan Versa, again lots of driver space and the seat belt fit well, quite a reasonable price especially now with the sale price, I really liked the hatchback but my husband did not like the car.

Hope this helps.  I know how hard it is for a larger person to feel comfortable in a car.  I’d suggest sitting in the vehicle and for me trying the seat belt was really important.  The GMC, Ford and Dodge vehicles don’t seem to have long enough seat belts and then you’re stuck asking for extensions.

 Thank you all for your input… I’m sure many women will find your thoughts and comments helpful!
 
Regards,

SB 

This last year has been challenging, not only for me but for many of you.  You have shared some very heartfelt stories.  It has  been tough financial times and it seems like many things have surfaced for all of us to face.. Maybe this is a good time for the 2012 prayer to be “Dear God, my prayer this year is for a fat bank account and a thin body, please don’t mix these up like you did last year! Amen. ” Well, on that note I am going to share mostly good things that came my way ( often via you) .

My first thought goes to a story I heard recently.  One of my customers was with her grand daughter on a cold day waiting with a group of her pre-school chums.  They were cold, so grandma decided to teach them the Hokey Pokey.  “Put your right foot in…..” A circle of tiny girls in pink and very energetic boys  did wild jumps when they “turned themselves about”.  They all screamed with glee and had to have elbows, hands and bare legs touched to prove how warm they now were.  That vision has stayed with me and makes me smile,but not more than my friends grand daughter who on an “adventure” to Starbucks with her classmates stated that she had a hot chocolate and the “allergics” had juice.

As I mentioned, every year I pick a project for self-improvement. For me that meant taking the time to let people know how great they were, customer service, personal issues, just anything I really liked about their behaviour.  The most surprising thing was just how truly moved most of these folks were.  I just told them what a gift they had for “whatever”. To one woman I mentioned how kind she was when  I  observed her help a senior.  I said to her she had an impressive way of handling the situation.  She told me no one had ever said that to her before.  I intend to write about this in detail at some point as I had so many encounters and what it taught me was  how little it takes to make a huge impact.  This really had very little to do with me, I just observed and acknowledged the deed.  It was so obvious how touched most recipients were.  I mistakenly thought this was just us everyday people who tend to get ignored but no… I told a doctor ( I actually said to her ” I need you to listen to me for a moment”) ,that alone got her attention.  I praised her for being a healer, having a  superior bedside manner, that she showed no judgement about the fat issue.  She stopped in her tracks, got very quiet and said no one had ever said anything like that to her and she would never forget it.

This thing I do every year came about because I refused to make New Year’s Resolutions about diets.  I choose words instead and then try to live up to them.  I don’t always do a splendid job but it does help me be mindful.  I recommend it as a project if you choose to do one.  One cannot actually fail at this, just going there will change you.  One year I chose kindness, I am not always kind but I always think about it and am more kind than I was before I took it on.  Stephanie ( my business partner) suggested I should try humility this year..ha!!!

I am open to suggestions for my 2012 word project and I do love all your quotes and items of interest you send to me.  Here are just a few of that came my way, hope you enjoy them.

For 2011 my favorite quote is “Worrying is using your imagination to create something you don’t want” Jerry and Esther Hicks.   My favorite Tweet is from Jenny Ellison who wrote “Eating disorders are up among children in the USA. Congratulation anti-obesity crusades for teaching kids that healthy equals skinny”.  My favorite response when a woman of size was asked  “What are you hungry for?” her answer: Powerful life changing results!!!

As one of my long time customers said, maybe the Hokey Pokey IS what it is all about!

Merry Christmas

I know that kids today lead a much more sedentary lifestyle but let me tell you about my childhood.  I was born hungry…really, my mom said I wanted to eat (drink) from day one.  I came from a very active family.  I did all the sports, ice skated for years and battled my weight.  We did not even have TV until I was 12 years old.  My brother grew up exactly the same way and he is tall and slim.  Did I eat too much?  I don’t really know, I started to diet at 16 and well we all know what that does over time.  Thanks to my parents I grew up with great self esteem, some might say inflated….

I say all this because in my opinion there is still so much we don’t know…no computers in my day to keep me captive indoors.  We still have stats that say we are likely to gain weight back we lost, we still spend billions of dollars on weight loss and we are still fat.

I have no idea what the answers are.  I am in a position to know thousands of fat women and over the years there have been a small number who have maintained large losses. Most have not. That includes me.  I do know many women who have chosen to be healthier and are still plus sizes, I know women who have given up and those who continue to try new things.

I am very interested in what women of size think about this issue.  Where do we go from here?  What are you doing?  I have so much more to say on this subject, it is endless in my world.  I will keep you posted.

I decided I will instead applaud all the people who went downtown to clean up and all those who now speak of moving forward.

In my opinion, pushing up against a problem rarely works.  Finding alternates like positive action does.  Perhaps we should remind ourselves that those who will be “outed” for their  behaviour will be found accountable and let’s trust the police will deal with it.  Parents of these offenders may or may not be good parents but in the end the blame lies with the offender.  I was concerned when I overheard someone talking about retaliation against the parents of one of these kids. I do hope that calmness prevails and I trust that there are enough decent people in our city hoping for the same thing.

I thank all my customers from out of town who emailed, called or used facebook to check if we were ok.  You are the best as always and I join your well wishes for businesses downtown who were harmed.  There is a call to action here in the city to support those affected by going in and buying something.  I will do that ( wow, shopping to help out, I can handle that!)

It was sent to me by one of my customers and it certainly worth reading.

I do not know the original source of this, so if anyone knows, it would be interesting to have the information.

“There comes a time when you have to stand up and shout:

‘This is me damn it!

I look the way I look, think the way I think, feel the way I feel, love the way I love!

I am a whole complex package,

Take me…or leave me.

Accept me- or walk away !

Do not try to make me feel like less of a person, just because I don’t fit your idea of who I should be

and don’t try to change me to fit your mold.

If I need to change, I alone will make that decision.’

When you are strong enough to love yourself 100%, good and bad –

you will be amazed at the opportunities that life presents you.”

Stacey Charter

It never fails for me,  I start thinking about writing In My Opinion and things happen to inspire me.  In this case I spoke with two women on the same day who not only are customers but also friends.  They both had a similar theme, how can we change things in the world? One spoke of the abuse  and bullying fat kids suffer in school and the other felt there was just too much anger in this world.  Wow..

On the same day I received two you tube links. One  on “spontaneous culture” from Macy’s in Philidelphia and one on “spontaneous welcome” at Heathrow Airport.  I hope you have had a chance to experience one of these.  They are  easy to find on youtube.com.  Coming on the same day as my “how can we change the world” conversation,it had a profound effect on me.  These are popping up all over the world.  In the case of Macy’s, choirs and groups gathered on a specific day and were dispersed through the store.  At a given time an organ starts and in the middle of shoppers someone starts the “Hallaluhjah chorus”.  Many more join in to the total surprise of the shoppers.  I won’t say more except for me it was an incredible few minutes.  To me if felt joyful.  It also said to me that there are lots of people who feel like my two friends.  They found something to do to change the world for a few minutes.  It also felt a lot like hope. The one at Heathrow Airport was really interesting.  Same idea except these spontaneous singers greeted folks arriving in London.  It was amazing to watch.

I could hardly ignore the fact these things came to me all at once.  Can we change things this way?  I believe when we are in that sprit of joy great things can happen.  In my fairyland of a mind I see total equality, I imagine love of mankind instead of hate.  Those videos were a great lesson in the power of collective thought.  They really made me realize that people all over the world must be feeling what my friends expressed.  I love what they chose to do and it has made me really think of what I could do.  I do however promise not to sing……

I asked people at random what they thought they could do in a small way to make this a better world?  “Be kind” said one person, “give ice cream to sad people” said a very young girl in our store with her mom.  I loved that, works for me.. Love our differences said a man in his senior years.  I once read a great quote about accepting human variety but do we need more than acceptance??

I am going with the Italian proverb…After the game, the King and the Pawn go into the same box..

I have spent many years learning to like myself as I am. Seeing her reminds me to never forget that. My words of wisdom if you choose to use them are ” allow yourself a sense of well-being, you deserve it and it feels great”