The Lil’ Mama Blog

British born, Australian famed designer Wayne Cooper was arrested following an alleged domestic dispute at his home in Sydney’s east.

The 44-year-old was arrested after the assault of a 40-year-old woman at his Tamarama home last night.

He has been charged with occasioning bodily harm, common assault and intimidation, as well as being served with an interim domestic violence order.

The designer has been granted bail and is expected to face Waverley Local Court on June 26.

Cooper is well known for his party boys antics, dressing Australia’s A-List, and calling Aussie models “porky” compared to their international counterparts… stay tuned for details on the court case!

Love her or loathe her this supermodel, turned talk show host and reality TV star is a force to be reckoned with… her curves make a statement on this coveted cover that has made headlines everywhere!

Lynn Hirschberg editor of the New Times Magazine, sat down with Tyra and talked everything from Martha Stewart, to playing basketball with Obama.

To read the full story click here!

Respected Plus Size commentator and Blogger for About.com Meieli Sawyer hailed Lil’ Mama a departure from what she usually sees in plus shops, and

…a superb option for all of us who need to branch out.

Click here to read the whole article.

Her top picks Lil’ Mama’s super trimming skirts and fab flattering jeans!

Today the fashion world lost an icon and a visionary!

Born Yves Saint Laurent, August 1, 1936 in Oran, in what was then known as French Algeria, leaving home to work for French designer Christian Dior at the tender age of 17.
In 1957 Dior’s sudden death, left Yves, at 21, in charge of preventing the Dior house from financial ruin.

Shortly after this success, he was conscripted to serve in the French army during the Algerian War of Independence. After a short lived stint, the stress led the fragile Saint Laurent to be institutionalized in a French mental hospital, where he underwent psychiatric treatment, including electroshock therapy, for a nervous breakdown.

Saint Laurent was released from Dior in 1962 and began his own label, YSL, which was financed by his then partner, Pierre Bergé.

1976, saw the couple split romantically, however they remained business partners, and the label took fashion by storm in the 60’s and 70’s, popularizing trends like safari jackets for both sexes, slim fit pants and thigh high boots, the beatnik look, and my favourite of all, and arguably his greatest creation “Le Smoking Suit” circa 1966, this same year also saw him as the founding father of “Ready-to-Wear”, in an attempt to democratize fashion, with Rive Gauche.

He was known and respected for breaking the rules, and recreating fashion culture, he was the first designer to use African American models in his runway shows his muses both famous and infamous, women such as Loulou de la Falaise, Talitha Pol-Getty and iconic French actress Catherine Deneuve was amongst his favourites.

He was the first living fashion designer to be honored by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and was awarded the rank of Commander of the Légion d’Honneur by French president Jacques Chirac.

In 2002 Yves retired from the catwalk, and became increasingly reclusive spending much of his time in Marrakech, Morocco.

His legacy can be remembered through a foundation he set up with Pierre Bergé in Paris to document the history of the house of YSL, featuring more than 15,000 objects and 5,000 pieces of clothing.

This father of fashion, died on June 1, 2008, at home in Paris. The exact cause of death is currently unknown, but reports claim that he had been suffering from a long term illness.

He will be dearly missed by the fashion world and those he touched through his life’s work.

When I was in the US last year launching Lil’ Mama, I had the pleasure of working with some of the busiest and most respected plus size models in the country… all of whom, I have developed great friendships with.

One of the fabulous women I got to work with was Maggie B, who was the winner of Tyra Banks first ever “Thick and Sexy Top Model” competition in November of 2006. Since winning, Maggie went on to sign with Wilhelmina Models and is currently represented in NYC, Miami and LA.

As a designer, meeting women like her is a dream come true for me, not only do they bring my clothes to life, but they are also strong, positive, fabulous role models for women everywhere.

So I decided to ask Maggie to join the Lil’ Mama blog team, as our regular go-to girl and expert on anything to do with plus size modeling.

Before giving her her first assignment, I thought I would do a quick interview with her, to give you a chance to get to know her a little better…

What made you enter the “Thick and Sexy Top Model” Comp?

It was really a whim! A schoolmate of mine that I had just reconnected with (who does some modeling) told me I should really try to pursue a “Plus size modeling” career and so one night I was online searching through Craigslist, I saw a post saying “Ever wanted to be a plus size model?” and I thought … why not and entered then and there at 2am in the morning!

Had you done any modelling previously?

Actually yes, I did some runway modeling back when I was in 8th grade. I was always very interested in the industry, I had won a scholarship to a modeling school but my mother wanted me to focus on my studies. So, I put it on hold and finished my schooling but the “modeling itch” kept itching and here I am!

Who is your favorite plus size model?

I ADORE Emme - just because of what she stands for… her amazing journey, and her strength for all that she has been through.

What makes a great plus size model?

Poise, professionalism, individuality, beauty,

What is the best job you have ever done?

That’s hard to say! I’ve worked for so many Great clients… I think my favorite is Runway though, because you get to show so much of your own personality and really strut your stuff! There’s no photoshoping invovled and it’s just you and the clothing! I also love the rush and energy you feel right before you step out on the catwalk!

What is the thing you enjoy most about your job?

Meeting new people… everytime I have job I work with a different set of people it’s always so wonderful to meet people from all walks of life!

What is the Plus Model checklist? (The things women should know before pursuing a career as a plus size model)

Research! Find out what are the “standards” of the plus models in your area (agencies). Understand that it is hard work and be willing to put alot of time and effort into it! Practice!!! Practice posing, practice walking… practice smiling!!!

Recently Whitney Thomas was announced as America’s Next Top Model’s latest winner, do you consider her to be “Plus Size”?

By industry standards… Yes. But I don’t always agree with industry standards… I find it frustrating when plus size companies that exclusively sell 16W-24W size clothing use “lifestyle” models who range from size 6-10 for their catalogs. Although they maybe considered “plus size” in comparison to the average high fashion size 0 model, they do not represent the “real plus sized woman”.

I think that the industry as a whole still has a long way to go to fully represent the plus size women accurately… I’d like to see these companies use true plus size models from the actual plus size agency boards for their catalogs…

I think Whitney winning ANTM is a good start and congratulations to her, but why not do an all plus size Top Model? Now that would be amazing!

Next month Maggie will talk more about the things every woman should know before getting into plus size modeling.

If you have a question you would like to ask Maggie, plus feel free to contact us!