We will have plenty of food and drinks available for everyone. No outside food or drinks will be allowed. Please contact us if you have any severe dietary restrictions/allergies.
What's the bathroom situation?
There will be multiple all-gender bathrooms available on site. Please note that they will require you to walk up 2-3 stairs.
Some notes on accessibility: The Big Dipper is located on a beautiful, sprawling estate in Encino. This is a private home with a beautiful lawn and huge pool. From valet, you will be required to walk about 50 steps (all flat ground) to our welcome area, where you will receive a drink and gift bag!
Should I bring cash?
Bring some singles and fives to tip your bartenders and valet! Theyâll be working hard in the heat, and it will be very appreciated! Our vendors will also be accepting various forms of payment via credit card, Venmo, and Zelle.
I love that I made something beautiful with something that had been discounted by others.
]]>When life gives you scraps, you make scrappy clothes - that feel good! Letâs face it, itâs been hard to feel good lately. Itâs been hard to feel good in a fat body for a long time because of how society holds us to the standard of thinness. When I went about this collection, I had the idea of taking things that people had given me during the pandemic and transforming them into something that felt good to me. I have been a scavenger my whole life and thrifting and sustainability plays into my love of finding treasures in the wild. This collection is a reflection of that diamond in the rough that you find when you're out âthrifting with your bestieâ (if you've ever been able to do so). But if you have, you know the feeling of being able to bring it into your closet and turn it into a valuable pillar of your personal style.
Many of us have been dealing with loss this season and with loss there can be a lot of negativity. For me to survive through this time, I tried to find some joy in everything I do and really think about the impact I have on this planet, in my family, and in my community. Quarantine and pandemic living has shown us all the reality that there will be a day when your story is told. For me the catharsis of taking something that was discarded or seen as a failure, and turning it into my next muse was healing on a deep level. These discarded materials and the footprint of what âused to be,'' is stamped in these clothes because the very fibers are recycled dreams given to me or found at The Plus Bus due to damages or because they were worn too much.
I love that I made something beautiful with something that had been discounted by others.
Sometimes living in a fat body can feel like everyone around you discounts youâre worth, your inner light, and ultimately your value. I turned the negativity of that experience and bad shopping moments in a fat body into The Plus Bus Boutique. This is the next evolution of making fat bodied individuals feel integral and included in the fashion conversation.
Coming into this new world that we are faced with re-imagining I hope that these items are part of the reimagining of yourself. Taking pause to appreciate every single scrap of what it is that you have to offer this world and not waiting to have a different body or a different life, but going out in the face of the bigness of it and knowing your worth. Sometimes when youâre stripped down to battered flags waving in the wind you have to celebrate that youâre there to see them and the battleâs end. This collection is the new flag that we will wave in the new world that we find ourselves in, one where I hope self-love, self-worth and appreciation of the body that we have right now will be the standard and not the exception.
xoxo,
Jen
  When we started planning our January shoot, we definitely wanted to keep it close to home. We were so delighted when The Goldfish (@thegoldfishla on Insta!) gave us the opportunity to shoot in our neighborhood at their beautiful new indie music venue. The same week we started styling for the shoot, Ronnie Spector, the lead singer of the Ronettes, passed away, and it got me reflecting on everything her style stood for. She was the first singer to come out with the black eyeliner wing, and she took great pride in her beehive height, as well as shortening her skirts as much as possible. Amy Winehouse got her signature look directly from Ronnie. These are the kinds of role models I always looked up to growing up. Iâve always been what they call a âfree spirit,â always testing the limits, always breaking the rules, and always questioning authority â I guess it makes sense that I ended up as a fat liberation warrior because I never was one to just listen and go with the status quo.Â
   These strong women, who stood up for their art and didnât back down or do what people were telling them to do, really inspired us all on set. This photo shoot means a lot to The Plus Bus and to all of our customers because the representation of visibly fat women leading and performing as the main character in their group is such a different image than what we have been taught to aspire to. Growing up as young women, men and all humans, really, fatphobia, weight stigma, and the âperfectâ size 2 models were the only things that were offered to us, visually. Whenever there was a girl band, there was never a fat girl band. And besides Mama Cass of the Mamas and the Papas, I donât really remember many vintage rock ânâ rollers who inhabited fat bodies at all.Â
  So this opportunity to create the perfect fat girl group was one that I relished in. I found so much inspiration in the badass rock ânâ rollers who have come before me to question the boundaries of what it means to be a rock ânâ roll group, what it means to go against the flow, and what it means to have the confidence to stand up for what you believe in and what you dream of being. Seeing these bad ass women rocking out in amazing costumes and taking up space that hasnât typically been shown as a place for fat bodies is revolutionary in and of itself. I love the way photographer Cassia DeMayo captured so much energy, so much movement, and so much beauty and power in the shots. Shooting in a dark club is very tricky, and getting the balance between the moodiness and the lighting of the beautiful skin tones is not something that is very easy to achieve, and here, these images have come out so beautifully!Â
  As we move into a new year, it can be tempting to fall for things that are comfortable and things that you know to be âstarting pointsâ for a new way of living. The Plus Bus hopes to be a shining example of how you do not need to wait to be thin to be the rock ân roller you wanna be. You do not need to wait until you reach some type of beauty ideal to live the life you want to live! And by having so many clothing choices and so many opportunities to fit so many bodies into their dream wardrobes, we can be one tiny rock ânâ roll concert blaring in your ears against fatphobia. Because sometimes, weâre the only music that matters, and sometimes weâre the only one who can hear the drummer thatâs beating for us. So, hopefully you can dress your inner Rockstar at The Plus Bus this new year, and really lean into being the main character of every performance of your life â every day, in the body you have right now!
  Now, thatâs going against the grain!
]]>
I tried to style the winter shoot to be a mix of high and low. High comfort and low maintenance. I want you to be the star of every event you attend but also, we need to be able to eat, drink, and merry make, or itâs a no go! Ashlee and Ashanna were so wonderful to style in sequins, fringe and satins.  We had a glorious rich and warm sunset to light our frames and we made use of all the wonderful little spots on York Blvd. Our neighbors, the Bob Baker Marionette Theatre, local murals and even Town Pizza played supporting roles for our beautiful main characters!Â
If you havenât ever been into the physical boutique space, or you canât get to Los Angeles any time soon, I hope this photo set can give you a peek into our little corner of the world. We love connecting online too and really encourage you to curate an online community that makes you feel good and one you donât have to change your body to belong to. We will inevitably be in more social situations that are steeped in diet culture around the holidays so building up an online community of peers can be so helpful in navigating these conversations that come up with family and friends.
Feeling like you belong to a bigger community can help you advocate for yourself in situations that might have made you feel uncomfortable or powerless in the past.Â
Winter is a time to reflect and plan for the year ahead, everyone at The Plus Bus is just rooting for you to have the happiest holidays you can, and maybe, just maybe, we can be a small part of encouraging you to become that vision of yourself that youâve always wantedâŠone outfit at a time. Happy holidays-and the happiest new year ever! Thank you so much for making our year merry and bright!Â
Â
XOXO,
Â
Jen
]]>It was a hot summer evening, and in the heart of Hollywood, CA, the babeliest of fat babes were arriving from near and far to the W Hotel wearing their very best. Weâre talking stunning in sequins, radiant in red. Glitter and gallantry and galavanting abound! The baddies were showing off their bods, looking and feeling fiiiiine as hell.
Guests who had purchased VIP tickets were already sipping champagne, giggling, and getting ready together in the Primp and Preen Pre-Game Suite, where the incredible LipstickNick and her talented team at Pout Beauty Bar were finishing off radiant makeup looks for everyone.
And that was only the beginning of the fun.
Under the excellent care of our legendary host Lord Troy, the guests of honor (a.k.a. everyone â itâs the Main Character Maskerade, after all!) made their way into the main hall as the dulcet tones of Cassia DeMayo and her jazz trio washed over them.
After a visit to the step and repeat, to be photographed like a celebrity, and pit stops to each of our generous vendorsâ tables (the wonderful people and plus size wares of Baacal, Bloomchic, Peridot Robes, Pout Beauty Bar, and Sante Grace), our fabulous fat friends enjoyed cocktails, canapes, and scintillating conversation.
Then, it came time to get down.
With our friend and muse DJ Dazzler spinning everything from Lizzo to the Cha Cha Slide, once we started dancing, we couldnât stop! Lord Troy led everyone in making the dancefloor a catwalk, and sexy sweeties showed off their âfits and their moves in a Soul Train fashion show for the ages.
When guests did want a breather, they had some fun options from which to choose. At the edge of the dancefloor lay a photobooth fit for royalty, with props and state of the art equipment from Posers in a Booth and the option to keep a physical and digital copy of their portraits! While grabbing some fresh air on the balcony, cuties could have their kiss read â yes, you read that right! Miranda, the Official Lipstick Reader, had guests pucker up and plant a kiss on a card they could take with them after she unraveled the mysteries and intricacies hidden in their lip print.
After ever more dancing, drinking, and delighting in all the merriment our fat bodies provide, guests made their way back to our vendor alley to pick up lavish gift bags from Pout Beauty Bar, Bloomchic, and The Plus Bus.Â
The next morning, those who were staying the night would gather for some sun and poolside fun. But that was but a twinkle in our eyes, that beautiful Saturday evening. Some said their goodbyes, and all made their way to bed, and so wrapped The Plus Busâs Main Character Maskerade â a fairy tale come to life.
Will we see you next year? ;)
]]>Â MASKERADE TICKET SALES ARE CLOSED. There will be NO TICKET SALES THE DOOR.
The only thing worse than having nothing to wear to a special event is having nowhere to wear something fabulous youâre totally enamored with. We at The Plus Bus have had that problem three too many times, and weâve taken matters into our own hands. So â
Â
The Main Character Maskerade!
A special occasion for plus-sized bodies to be celebrated as the honored guests in a space designed for delicious decadence, dancing and revelry!Â
The Plus Bus Boutique presents the Main Character Maskerade Ball at The W Hotel in Hollywood, CA on Saturday, August 28th at 8pm. This formal ball is the inaugural special event of this proportion for The Plus Bus! The event will feature cocktails, & canapĂ©s, dancing, photo opps and a silent auction to benefit Ashlee Marie Preston's non profit You Are Essential. Expect bawdy displays of fat vanity and liberation! Itâs time to break out the sequins and take up space for a night on the town!
Â
COVID in mind, we are asking all guests to show proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test within 48 hours of the event.
Â
Because we want everyone to be able to curate their experience to their liking, there are three package tiers available for purchase. But fret not â no matter which ticket guests purchase, every BODY is a VIP!
The most decadent of the packages is the Opulence Platinum Package, which includes entrance to the event, a hotel room at the W, a platinum gift bag, access to the Primp & Preen Pre-Game Suite, a red carpet photo shoot, and all you can drink for $699. Bunking together? Add one person to this package for a total of $999 for two, $1299 for 3 people and a double room that holds four, for $1499.Â
Use code GOBIG for 10% off any other package now through August 1st!Â
The next fabulous option is the Elegantly Elevated Experience, which includes entrance to the event, a platinum gift bag, canapés, and four drinks for $299.
And last but certainly not least, the Good As Hell General Admission package includes entrance to the event, gold gift bag, canapés, and two drinks for $199. General admission tickets are $50 off with code DOORBUSTER this week only!
The evening promises to be full of fabulous photo-ops, spirited libations, meaningful connection, body liberation, and fat bodies shining and sparkling! Dance the night away with us in the most gorgeous of outfits and be a part of an evening to remember. ALL TICKETS INCLUDE 25% off the formal attire of your dreams at The Plus Bus prior to the event, and Opulence Platinum ticket holders will receive 30% off of their glam gown for the event!
So, please join us in finally having that somewhere to wear your most breathtaking, body-lovinâ ball gown, that perfectly-tailored sequin suit, and all the silk and satin that dreams are made of. YOU are the main character, and itâs time you lived like one. See you at the ball!
Loved ones, dates, roomies, friends, plus ones of all kinds are welcome. Let us know if you have any questions and see you in Hollywood! Oh, letâs plan on giving that pool something to talk about on Sunday morning, too- K?
Â
XOXO,Â
Marcy, Jen & the Main Character Maskerade Team
]]>Ashlee Kim and Astra Varnado model for Cassia DeMayo photographer. All looks style from by Jen Wilder from the racks and racks of gorgeousness at The Plus Bus.Â
Â
Come see in person for yourself 12-8 everyday 5031 1/2 York Blvd. 90042ï»ż
Â
Â
Â
Â
Â
Â
Â
Â
Â
Â
]]>