Big Bum Fashion Fan: Amy Lamé

Who are you?

I am Amy Lamé, and a huge fan of the Big Bum Jumble gang. I'm originally from New Jersey, hence my penchant for big hair, high heels and fast cars. I've been a Londoner for nearly 18 years.

Amongst other things I co-founded and host Duckie every Saturday night at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern. I also co-host the afternoon show on BBC London 94.9 alongside fellow tubbster Danny Baker. I pop up occasionally on TV and write for various newspapers, but generally I prefer to spend my time listening to The Smiths and crocheting. Oh, and drinking sherry with my girlfriend.

What sort of things do you like to wear?

I'm a girly girl, so I wear mostly dresses and skirts, though if I do occasionally wear jeans on a Saturday afternoon they have to have wide turn ups.

I have an eclectic collection of clothes that cross boundaries of stage and street wear, from 18th century inspired handmade gowns, to 70s American polyester house dresses, to punky cashmere from Anna Scholz. I am most influenced by the '50s and '60s, and in the past made quite a few of my own retro style dresses - as we all know plus size vintage is rarer than a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. Now I have an adorable seamstress who makes lovely creations for me.

I am addicted to accessories and drive my girlfriend crazy with bracelets/earrings/hairbands/fascinators etc scattered all over our flat (but I think she secretly loves it 'cause she keeps buying me lots of gorgeous accoutrements!) I have lots of vintage specs with my own prescription put in to match different outfits. I think coordination is a much underrated style statement, and I like to think of myself as never knowingly underdressed.

Whose style do you admire?

My Nan, Ruth, has been my style inspiration since I was a teenager; I was always plundering her jewellery box and wardrobe for scarves, beads, hats, handbags... She's 92 and still the most stylish woman I know, she has an amazing collection of flat caps, fedoras and clip-on earrings.

Give us some fat fashion advice!

If you've got it, flaunt it! Stick a belt/bow/brooch on your chub rolls and claim it! Revel in your rotundity, and delight in being a chubby glamourpuss.

What would be your dream find at the Big Bum Jumble?

All the stuff my Nan has ever sent to the charity shop before I could get to it!! Other than that, a selection of glittery heels in size 8 wide would be brilliant.

What else would you like to say?

Rock on Big Bum Jumble! And in the words of fellow fattie homosexualist Luther Vandross (RIP)...NEVER TOO MUCH!!!

PS Check out AmyLamé.com

Wanna make like Amy and be featured here as a Big Bum Fashion Fan? Yes you do! Drop us a line at bigbumjumble@gmail.com

Look What Came In: Shiny Disco Fun!

Here's an example of why you should never pay too much attention to the number on the label. This amazingly shiny disco top came in and Kay was unconvinced it would fit her for a picture. Clearly it's designed to be loose and blowsy on someone smaller, but she squeezed it on with a bit of help and, amazingly, it looked great on her too!

Kay cuts quite a dash in the alley by my house, and I'm sure you'll agree that the pairing of an extremely form-fitting shiny wrapover disco top with a pair of blue y-fronts is nothing short of fashion genius. I can only hope that the Big Bum Jumble encourages more fat folks to take fashion risks such as this.

The top would probably fit anyone between sizes 16-22. Who will walk away with this magical garment on 14 August? We'll have to wait and see!

By the way, we're still looking for stock, here's how you can donate.

Jumble Treats: Mrs Spoon on Button Moon

It might be that I've been staring at yesterday's far out t-shirt for too long, but today I can't rip my eyeballs away from this offering. Button Moon is a classic of freaky children's TV programming, and this is a great episode. Is this what the Big Bum Jumble is going to be like? I secretly hope so. Watch and marvel at the weirdness.

Button Moon - Mrs Spoon's Jumble Sale

Thanks for the link Simon!

Bill Savage's Jumble Facts #1

We let Bill run loose amongst the jumble donations to unearth some incredible fashion history* to share here for your delectation.

#1: The Dress

If you’re lucky enough to snap up this dress at the Big Bum Jumble not only will you be the proud owner of a lovely summer frock, but you’ll be taking home a real piece of South Devon history. This dress has a provenance steeped in the glamorous worlds of provincial theatre and cutthroat retail. It originates from the legendary Rossiters department store - for over a century a leading light of Paignton’s fashion scene. However, in the recent economic down-turn Rossiters’ fortunes waned and the store was threatened with closure. In a last ditch attempt to save it, staff rallied round and wrote Gussets and Gabardine: The Rossiters Story, a musical based on life in the store’s womenswear department, complete with props and costumes sourced from the store. The dress you see here was worn by the womenswear manager Jean during a scene set in the mid-80s in which the staff are preparing for a visit from Princess Margaret. Gussets and Gabardine played for four consecutive nights at the Prince’s Theatre Torquay in 2008 before poor ticket sales forced it to close. Rossiters department store has since shut down.

Jean’s dress is a size 18. No certificate of authentication is provided.

By Bill Savage

* Which may or may not be completely fabricated, heehee.

Look What Came In: Far Out Garb!

This amazing top is like a wearable acid flashback, hang on, I think I can taste the colour purple. It's swooshy, flowery, with maybe a hint of paisley, and is far out, or rather faaaarrrrrrooooouuuuttttttt!

It's approximately size 20-22, or XXL-ish. Who will get it on 14 August? Perhaps someone with a faraway look in their eyes.

We're still soliciting Jumble donations. Get in touch if you have stuff in size XL+ for us. Arranging a pick-up couldn't be easier, simply email bigbumjumble@gmail.com and we'll sort something out.

You can also bring along donations on the day.

Big Bum Fashion Fan: Kelli Dunham

Who are you?
I am Kelli Dunham. I am a weird little dorky boi comic with a face that says: "Please come tell me all about yourself. Would you like my lunch?"

What sort of things do you like to wear?
I like to wear cargo shirts with non ironic tee shirts. And black jeans. I wear black jeans in the winter like it's a uniform. Which, for a queer New Yorker, it kind of is. Oh and somewhat jaunty but dishevelled ball caps, when I can find them. And a random extremely feminine accessory like a sparkly earring, just for fun.

Whose style do you admire?
Sinclair Sexsmith, aka Sugarbutch, who knows how to work both an old look and a new look with a good hairstyle to boot. And Charles Meshmore, a faggoty butch friend of mine who sometimes wears 12 different kind of plaids at once AND an ascot (British translations: plaid=tartan, ascot=cravat).

Give us some fat fashion advice!
Hmmm, I consider myself more of the recipient of fashion advice than the giver of it. But I think "buy underwear that fits. At least look at the size before you buy it" is perhaps the best fashion advice I've ever gotten. Oh that and "bras come in sizes".

What would be your dream find at the Big Bum Jumble?
A pair of magic black jeans in my size that would never wear out, a flawless white oxford, oooh and cufflinks made of the Q key from an old fashioned typewriter.

What else would you like to say?
Find me online kellidunham.com or on Facebook, I promise to make you laugh, except for when I am ranting about the messed up coverage of the earthquake relief in Haiti.

Wanna be featured here as a Big Bum Fashion Fan? Get in touch: bigbumjumble@gmail.com 

5 reasons why you should donate your clothes to the Big Bum Jumble

We're still looking for donations for the Big Bum Jumble. We want this inaugural event to feature as much plus-sized goodness as possible, in as many sizes and styles as we can get. To do this we need your help.

Here's why you should donate your unwanted clothing in sizes XL+ to the Big Bum Jumble

1. It feels great to have a clear-out
Don't hang on to clothes that don't fit you, or which never looked good in the first place, send them to us instead! Don't torture yourself by wishing something that doesn't suit you now will look amazing on you in some mythical future. It won't. Get rid of it all instead and make space in your wardrobe for things that do fit and look hott on you.

2. You'll be taking part in a unique and historic event
As far as we know, no one else has ever embarked on an event like this on such a scale in the UK. By the simple act of donating your unwanted size XL+ clothes, you'll be helping to pave the way for more events like it in the future. Remember that the Big Bum Jumble is not-for-profit, which means that all money raised will be ploughed back into similar low-cost community events and activities.

3. No Polar Bears Will Die
The Big Bum Jumble is good news for Mother Earth. It's all about recycling, reusing, appreciating things, and preventing clothes from ending up in landfill. If you donate your stuff to the Jumble and then, by some unknown reason, find yourself in the Arctic one day surrounded by hungry Polar bears, you will have a better chance of escape once they find out that you took part in this eco-friendly event and thus helped keep the ice caps frozen. Polar bears like this sort of thing.

4. You'll be helping to promote happiness, confidence and self-esteem in people who wear size XL+
Here's the scenario: you donate some big-sized clothes, someone who wears a big size tries them on, thinks they look wonderful, buys them, loves them and always feels great whenever they wear them. You will have helped create this. Aah, warm fuzzies!

5. All big-sized clothing is welcome
We want stock for the Jumble that reflects the diversity of bigger-sized people. It doesn't matter if you're trendy or dweeby; a fella, a lady, or any points inbetween; younger, older, richer, poorer, none of this matters to us, we want your donations. It helps if you live in London but we can arrange pick-ups of large amounts of clothing from elsewhere. Neither does it matter if you're donating a few things or a truckload; stuff you've worn to death or things you've never worn; high fashion, everyday clothes, uniforms, vintage, unfashion, workwear: we want it all!

Here's how to donate

Arranging a pick-up of your stuff couldn't be easier, simply email bigbumjumble@gmail.com and we'll sort something out.

You can also bring along donations on the day.

Pass it on!

PS. Even if you've got no clothes to donate or don't wear aize XL+, you can still support the Big Bum Jumble by helping with publicity Feel free to download and print the Big Bum Jumble flyers and posters, and distribute them wherever you can. You can also tell all your Facebook friends about this fantastic event, and link to us too if you feel like it.

Look What Came In: A Saucy Sailor

At last Kay gets to model something she'd wear in real life: a super-cute t-shirt with a nautical design. It's about a size XL or something like that and would look completely great on anyone who can squeeze into it.

A small warning to people who might want to buy this on 14 August – you may have to engage in hand-to-hand combat with Kay over this t-shirt, just so you know.

Meanwhile, we're still looking for donations, whether it's stuff like this languishing in the back of your wardrobe, or something different. We'll take anthing in size XL or larger, so clear out your crap and drop us a line to arrange for a pick-up.

Jumble Treats: this is what a jumble sale is like

Big Bum Jumbler Simon Murphy dug up this little beauty from some dusty corner of YouTube for our jumble viewing delights. Become as one with the slightly posh video guy as he interrogates the good people of St Stephen's at their jumble sale in 1986. They're the salt of the earth!

Yes, this is what a jumble sale is like and this piece of cinema-verité comes close to what we are trying to achieve with the BBJ, only in much bigger sizes, of course, and with an E15 tang, and with more diverse people, and a better venue, and fewer grumpy people, and...er, actually it'll be quite different, heheh.

Be warned, it's eight minutes and feels much longer. Take it in small bursts, eh?

St Stephen's Jumble Sale 1986

Big Bum Fashion Fan: Stacy Bias

Who are you?

I'm Stacy Bias. I started FatGirl Speaks (a mini-conference and performance) and a few other small activist events (dance party, group swim, clothing exchanges) in Portland, OR. I also run a wind-powered web hosting company (http://taproothosting.com).

What sort of things do you like to wear?

These days I'm wearing more daring clothing, which is well-outside my norm of loose-fitting and black; Vibrant dresses with plunging cleavage and very little mystery, shorter or no sleeves, showing more skin than usual. I view wardrobe as another tool of activism and occasionally try to up my game.

Whose style do you admire?

Style is so personal and so subjective - what's hot to me is someone who has found the way to being comfortable in their skin, however they decorate it. That said, I have a particular fondness for the style I call 'fuck you femme' - which is rough and tumble and glamorous all at the same time.

Give us some fat fashion advice!

- Wear it for you, not anyone else.
- Show some skin! Especially in the summer. Nothing feels better than the breeze across your bare shoulders.
- Baggy pants don't magically make you appear thin. People still know you're fat. So, don't hide yourself. Wear clothing that fits you and feels good.
- Don't be 'palatable,' be happy!

What would be your dream find at the Big Bum Jumble?

The mythical punk-studded belt for people above a size 20. Seriously. My kingdom for a @#($*&#@(* belt that doesn't look like it came out of a menswear catalog.

What else would you like to say?

Considering a move to the UK next year to start my undergrad/grad studies. I'm very excited to see the Jumble starting and am hoping to be involved in the creation of more body-positive events/actions/community! Do let me know if you're planning something and need help! You can reach me via my website: http://stacybias.net

PS Wanna be featured as a Big Bum Fashion Fan? Yes yes yes! We'd love to have you on the blog. Help us show the diversity of fat fashion fans by sending an email to bigbumjumble@gmail.com