2011 began with Chenese securing an interview for PLUS Model Radio with Crystal Renn, who had been named the new face of the Jimmy Choo Spring/Summer 2011 campaign. Her interview served as the most anticipated and controversial show of the year on the podcast, in which she talked about her weight loss and referred to herself as a “plus size straight size model” which raised the eyebrows of many. The interview resulted in an on-line media buzz and was quoted in NY Daily News, Jezebel, StyleBistro, and numerous blogs. During the interview Crystal also promoted her upcoming appearance at the IAEDP (International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals) Southern California Evening of Jazz and Arts Under the Stars in Malibu, which Chenese served as the host.

Eating disorder events became more plentiful on Chenese’s calendar this year as a result of becoming the official ambassador for the Binge Eating Disorder Association (BEDA) in 2010.  This year Chenese participated in BEDA’s National Conference in Scottsdale by opening the festivities with the conference welcome and introductions, and participated in two panel discussions, one as a panelist and the other as a moderator. She gave the closing remarks for the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) Conference’s inaugural Teen Summit in Hollywood. Chenese was also asked to participate in NOW Foundation’s video project for NEDAWareness Week alongside Ford models Kate Dillon, Amy Lemon, and Crystal Renn, as well as leading eating disorder activists.

In addition to Chenese’s brand growing in 2011 in the area of eating disorders, other opportunities arose to reach broader audiences, such as the opportunity to moderate and facilitate panel discussions for Positive Results Stop The Pain, Teen Summit on Dating Violence and Bully Prevention and The West Hollywood Women’s Leadership Conference. Chenese also participated in Social Media Week by being on a panel discussion at the House of Blues in West Hollywood, which included women leading in social media.

However 2011 was not short of plus size power as Chenese traveled to Las Vegas to represent Lane Bryant as a blogger and curvy media for their first fashion show in almost a decade and Ashley Stewart announced Chenese as the Coast to Coast Curves Spokesperson and launched a bi-coastal model search hosted by Chenese Lewis and PLUS Model Magazine.  In addition Chenese hosted plus size fashion shows in various cities including Hollywood, Atlanta, and San Antonio.

PLUS Model Radio continued to reign supreme throughout out the year as the #1 podcast for plus size women. This year the show reached two milestones, its third year anniversary and 100th episode. Leading plus size retailers broke news on PLUS Model Radio this year including Lane Bryant announcing the winner of their Las Vegas model search, Ashley Stewart announcing the winners of Coast To Coast Curves Model Search, and Bare Necessities announcing their new campaign with Ashley Graham. Other notable guests in 2011 included Meghan McCain, Poprah, Kai Morae, and Chelsea Settles.

Chenese returned to the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans for a second year, where she landed interviews with one of Washington D.C.’s most powerful women Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama, CNN anchors Soledad O’Brian and Don Lemon, Boy II Men, Pebbles, Tina Knowles, plus many more!  While at the Essence Music Festival Chenese partnered with Simply Fashion, a national chain with more than 300 stores across the country, who not only dressed her for the entire weekend, but gave away a shopping spree to one of Chenese’s lucky fans.

Project Curve Appeal honored Chenese with the Curvy Icon Award at the 2011 Sisterhood Conference in Atlanta for serving the curvy community for over a decade, inspiring and uplifting many women along the way. Project Curve Appeal also chose Ms. Lewis to grace the cover of the premiere issue of Curve Appeal Culture, the organization’s on-line publication, crowning her “Plus Size “It” Girl.

This year marked the 6^th annual Hollywood NOW Love Your Body Day, which Meghan McCain served as the celebrity host. The “Body Image in the Media” panel discussion, which Chenese moderated, aired on CityChannel 10 in the city of West Hollywood and the event also received national exposure on The Insider. This year’s fashion show was dedicated in memory of Mia Amber Davis, who modeled in the fashion show in 2009.

The end of the year also marked the end of Chenese’s two year term as president of the Hollywood Chapter of the National Organization for Woman and she has decided not to continue producing Love Your Body Day and move on to new projects for 2012.

Exciting things are already scheduled for 2012, make sure you visit www.cheneselewis.com to stay up to date!

XOXO

Marie Denee, blogger and creative force behind the popular website The Curvy Fashionista, celebrates 3 years of blogging success with a red carpet fashion event! Radio personality Chenese Lewis from Plus Model Radio is hosting the red carpet. The event, which takes place 8 pm on January 7, 2011 at the Red Room at Philippe Chow located at 8284 Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, California, features giveaways from the hottest brands in plus size fashion along with dancing, drinks, and networking with the curvy fashionista herself!

The event is restricted to 21 and over. The event is free, but space is limited so attendees are encouraged to come early to insure access and to get their complimentary gift bag. Attendees get to walk the famed red carpet and have a chance to win a number of door prizes from brand names such as HTC and Queen Grace. Additional prizes and giveaways will take place all month on the Curvy Fashionista blog.Sponsors include HTC, Queen Grace, Lane Bryant, Dominique Auxilly, Rachel Pally, Clairsonic and Giner+Liz. Set against the backdrop of the elegant Red Room at Philippe Chow with live twitter coverage at #tcfturns3 the event is sure to fill up fast, so do come early. For more details about the event visit http://thecurvyfashionista.mariedenee.com/tcfturns3.

Marie Denee is an established and respected voice in plus size fashion. Through her blog, The Curvy Fashionista, Marie shares her expertise, wit, and keen sense of style with a vibrant and growing audience. In addition to being a popular fashion blogger, Marie Denee is a freelance fashion stylist and is the Fashion and Style Editor of Plus Model Magazine. To learn more visit www.thecurvyfashionista.com.

See you on the red carpet!

XOXO

This year Hollywood NOW Love Your Body Day had two dynamic panel discussions! For the first time we held a panel discussion not only on Sunday, but also during the main event on Saturday called “Body Image in the Media”. Saturday’s panelists included our LYBD celebrity host Meghan McCain, Supermodel Tomiko Fraser Hines, PLUS Model Magazine‘s Creative Director Tulin Reid, and Director of Technical Design at Lane Bryant, Richard Zielinski. I served as moderator and everyone had great insight to contribute to the discussion and we also had a few lively questions from the audience.

If you didn’t get a chance to attend the festivities this year, you are in luck because the “Body Image in Media” panel discussion will be airing in its entirety on CityChannel 10 in West Hollywood. If you happen to live in West Hollywood and able to catch it, here are the air dates:

Sunday, the 13th @ 5:30pm
Monday, the 14th @ 7:00pm
Tuesday, the 15th @ 12:30pm
Sunday, the 27th @ 5:30pm
Monday, the 28th @ 7:00pm
Tuesday, the 29th @ 12:30pm

If you don’t live in West Hollywood and not able to catch the broadcast, no worries, the broadcast will also be available aferwards online at www.weho.org under Weho TV!

And if you didn’t get a chance to check out The Insider’s coverage of Hollywood NOW Love Your Body Day check it out!

XOXO

Lane Bryant®, the nation’s leading women’s curvy apparel retailer, will help celebrate the third annual Fashion’s Night Out (FNO) sponsored by VOGUE, the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and the City of New York. On Thursday, September 8, Lane Bryant will join the party as the leading full figured clothing retailer at FNO by hosting a special event kicking off the “Technology Just Got Sexy™” marketing campaign, showcasing Lane Bryant’s new line of slimming denim jeans and debuting its classic fit trousers featuring exclusive T3 Tighter Tummy Technology™.

Shoppers are invited to Lane Bryant’s Fulton Street store in Brooklyn, NY from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. to learn about the benefits of T3 from Lane Bryant Technical Design Director, Richard Zielinski, enjoy a special soundtrack from DJ Mario & Co., try one of Lane Bryant’s signature “Lanetini” cocktails, and mingle with the ladies of BIG SEXY, a hit new reality show on TLC documenting the lives of five curvaceous Manhattan women as they aim to make plus-size sexiness more mainstream. BIG SEXY premieres Tuesday, August 30 at 10 p.m. on TLC.

In partnership with Plus Model Magazine, Lane Bryant will give away a $500 Lane Bryant gift card to one lucky winner in honor of FNO and the T3 trouser debut. The winner will also receive a day of consultation with personal stylist, Reah Norman, and will be featured in a photo shoot for an upcoming issue of Plus Model Magazine. The Lane Bryant Fulton Street store will have exclusive FNO-branded t-shirts* available in sizes 14-28 for $25 beginning Tuesday, September 6.

“We are excited to introduce our new line during this very special night for the fashion industry,” said Richard Zielinski. “This is a time when designers, consumers and retailers come together to celebrate one of America’s favorite pastimes – shopping. Our customers will love the way our T3 trousers and jeans will make them feel. Plus, the jeans give them the appearance of looking up to two sizes smaller. We are delighted to invite our customers to this special event to experience this advanced technology for themselves.”

Mr. Zielinski will kick off the FNO event at the Lane Bryant Brooklyn store with a special presentation on the technology of fit, discussing the exclusive and innovative design behind Lane Bryant’s new T3 Tighter Tummy Technology™. Mr. Zielinski will be available for interviews and questions following the presentation.

In July, Lane Bryant introduced the “Technology Just Got Sexy™” campaign heralding the launch of the revolutionary “Tighter Tummy Technology™” (T3) in a new line of jeans and trouser pants to change the perception that curves can’t be sexy and encourage women to flaunt their assets. The T3 trousers and jeans have an exclusive built-in mesh control panel made out of a unique nylon and spandex blend that flattens the tummy and slenderizes the silhouette. They are made from a special blend of cotton and polyester fabric that prevents sagging and allows the fabric to stretch for maximum comfort while maintaining a smooth shape around a woman’s curves. The trousers and jeans also feature an invisible elastic waistband that minimizes gapping. The T3 classic fit trousers are available in black, charcoal grey, brown herring bone and charcoal berry stripe. All T3 denim jeans and trousers are available in sizes 14 – 28.

Fashion’s Night Out first launched in 2009 as a kick-off celebration for the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. It will take place this year on September 8-15. Participating retail stores across New York City’s five boroughs will stay open until 11 p.m. or later and offer a range of in-store celebrations and promotions to encourage the public to celebrate and support the fashion community. Nearly 1,000 stores have already signed on to participate in the event.

Before Fashion’s Night Out, visit any Lane Bryant retail location and test a pair of the new T3 trousers and jeans during Lane Bryant’s 40% off sale, August 31 through September 5.

For more information about Lane Bryant or to purchase T3 trousers and jeans, please visit www.lanebryant.com, become a fan on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Also, follow Lane Bryant’s Fashion’s Night Out event and join the conversation on Twitter at #FNOLB.

*Limited availability

About Lane Bryant®

Lane Bryant® is the nation’s leading women’s curvy apparel retailer, providing stylish and high-quality fashion in sizes 14-28. The Lane Bryant collection includes a wide selection of career to casual apparel as well as accessories, hosiery and intimate apparel. Lane Bryant fashions are available nationwide at its more than 700 Lane Bryant stores, 115 Lane Bryant Outlet® stores, and at lanebryant.com. Lane Bryant is a subsidiary of Charming Shoppes, Inc. Please visit lanebryant.com and cacique.com for store locations and the latest fashion trend information.

About Fashion’s Night Out

Fashion’s Night Out (FNO) is an unprecedented global initiative created to celebrate fashion, restore consumer confidence, and boost the industry’s economy. In the United States, the program is a collaboration between American Vogue, the Council of Fashion Designers of America, NYC & Company, and the City of New York. On September 8, 2011, Fashion’s Night Out will return to New York City and cities nationwide to put the fun back in shopping, with designer appearances, live windows, celebrity guests, and other special events. For more information, visit www.fashionsnightout.com, or join the conversation via Facebook and Twitter (www.twitter.com/fnonyc, #FNO).

XOXO

I had the pleasure of hosting the Coast To Coast Curves Model Search in Los Angeles for Ashley Stewart simultaneously while PLUS Model Magazine Editor, Madeline Jones hosted the Coast To Coast Curves Model Search in New York! On both coasts ladies lined up to enter the model search, despite the weather, for a once in a lifetime chance to appear in a PLUS Model Magazine editorial!

The competition was stiff, but two ladies were chosen from each coast, and the winners were announced live on PLUS Model Radio! Model search winners Erin J Burts (LA) and Yolanda Elston (NY) appear in this month’s edition of PLUS Model Magazine, wearing the latest Ashley Stewart fashions!

Here are my two favorite looks from the shoot:

View the entire editorial in PLUS Model Magazine HERE

And check out this behind the scenes video from the photoshoots:

Congratulations ladies, you both look great!

XOXO

Monday, March 14th on PLUS Model Radio the Ashley Stewart Coast To Coast Curves model search winners were announced! The Ashley Stewart representatives on the show were Jan Harvey, Strategic Marketing & Social Media, Lauren Smith, Multimedia Marketing Designer, as well as editor of PLUS Model Magazine, Madeline Figueroa Jones! Congratulations are in order for Erin J. Burts from Los Angeles and Yolanda Elston from New York! Look for both ladies in an upcoming editorial in the May issue of PLUS Model Magazine. 

For those ladies that entered the model search but didn’t make it to the finals, Madeline Figueroa Jones offered words of advice

Number one, never to give up! We always hear these really great stories of models who have tried and tried again, some of today’s model walked into agencies and were told no numerous times before they even got an agency or had a break from a brand

Listen to the entire episode here, Ashley Stewart on PLUS Model Radio Episode #85

XOXO

Earlier this week the Ashley Stewart Coast To Coast Curves Model Search finalists were announced on PLUS Model Magazine’s Blog. If you haven’t had a chance to see the finalist yet, here they go!

All of the ladies from both coasts are absolutely beautiful, and it’s going to be so hard to narrow it down! We’ll be annoucning the two winners soon, and then look for their editorials next month, in the April edition of PLUS Model Magazine!

#34 – Erin Burts Size: 13 Age:27

#53 – Samantha Ball Size: 26/28 Age: 35

#42 – Marielene Pelayo Size: 16/18 Age: 25

#43 Melissa Fosse- Dunne Size: 18 Age: 29

#46 – Deborah Davis Size:16 Age: 42

#20 – Nichole Smith Size: 20/22 Age: 29

#45 – Donna Bullock Size: 12 Age: didn’t say

#7 – Stephanie Gomez Size: 16/18 Age: 26

#6 – Lisa Marie Rodriguez Size: 14 Age:31

#10 – Queanna Rea Feather Size: 14/16 Age: 32

#10 Marquita Graham Size 12 Age 29

#3 Anna Dritsas Size 16/18 Age 26

#74 Audrey Lacy Size 16/18 Age 25

#15 Yolanda Elston Size 14/16 Age 28

#47 Cherie Dennis Size 16/18 Age 28

#42 Jazzlyn Marshall Size 14/16 Age 21

#35 Ashley Smith Size 12 Age 25

#25 Marcia Fletcher Size 18/20 Age 40+

#18 Nicole Stewart Size 18 Age 22

#40 Marijo Monteiro Size 16/18 Age 34

Congratulations to all of the finalists!
XOXO

I had the pleasure of hosting the Los Angeles Model Search for Ashley Stewart and Madeline Jones, editor of PLUS Model Magazine held it down in New York! Both events had the weather working against us, what are the odds that there would be bad weather in Los Angeles and New York on the same day around the same time!!! Luckily there were lots of ladies that really wanted this opportunity, on both coasts, that came despite the weather!

In Los Angeles I had a great time seeing familiar faces as well as meeting lots of Facebook and Twitter friends for the first time. To my surprise, there was a lot of fellowshipping and friend making in the lines while the ladies waiting to be seen! The overall vibe was positive and upbeat!

One contestant almost had me in tears, when she told me that she used to be Bulimic with low self esteem, and said she really wanted to get into plus size modeling but didn’t know how and was so thankful for the opportunity. That’s the thing that a lot of people don’t understand, to a lot of curvy women it’s more than a model search, a fashion show, or a photo shoot. It’s a boost of confidence and self esteem for someone who once though they were worthless, it’s a rejection of stereotypes that society has placed upon us, it’s declaration to the world that I love the skin I’m in! On the surface it might seem like it’s about fun and fashion, but it’s so much more!

A few of my friends stopped by to show support including Poprah, check out her make up line Image Cosmetics
and Tania Capree CEO of Thixotix Modeling Troupe!

Special thanks to Michael Anthony Hermogeno for being a fantastic photographer and Melissa McElroy for volunteering to help me at the event, look out for her blog coming soon at www.chicandcurvy.com

I immediately talked to Madeline after the event who told me New York was a success and we exchanged stories about how much fun we both had, check out the New York pics here.

Since both model searches were successful it looks like we will be headed to more locations eventually, I will keep you posted as soon as I know more information! Good Luck to all of the ladies that entered, we are going to have a tough time narrowing it down to two winners. Check back for more updates soon, here on my blog, as well as on PLUS Model Magazine’s Blog .

P.S. My demin dress and all of my jewelry came from Ashley Stewart!

XOXO

Hello Everybody,

Tomorrow is the day for the Ashley Stewart Coast To Coast Model Search in Los Angeles and New York! Here are a few questions I’ve been asked I want to publically answer so everyone can see!

Do I have to bring anything? No, unless you are under 18, you need to bring a parent.

Do I have to be there at 4:00pm on the dot? No, come any time between 4-7pm to enter

Do I have to stay at the event the entire time? No, after you enter the model search you are free to leave, but we hope you shop and take advantage of the great sales!

What will happen when I get there? You will have to fill out an application and get your picture taken on the step and repeat (red carpet) and that’s it!

Do I have to be a certain height or size? No height requirement, size 12 and above

What do I wear? Look nice, come camera ready! Your photograph will be taken and we will be videotaping the event as well!

Can I talk to you and take a picture with you? Of course! I can’t wait to see you there!

Will you come to my city? Possibly if these two events are a success! So please repost, Facebook and tweet this to all your LA and NYC friends!!

LOS ANGELES

NEW YORK

XOXO

Coast-to-Coast Curves Model Search

XOXO