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Designer Plus Size Clothing
The Market They Almost Missed
Well guess what? There’s finally a big boom in designer plus size clothing for women. Why is that I wonder? Isn’t fashion all about style and how the fabric drapes on the body of an anorexic 19 year old? Aren’t designers the ones who determine the ideal shape and size of a woman in order to wear the latest designer creations? Why would they now turn their talent to make designer fashion wear for plus size females? Did I mention that 30% of the women in the United States wear a size 16 or larger?
That’s a lot of clothes.
So now there is a great deal of competition for the plus size clothing dollar and that has resulted in some pretty amazing stuff. To their credit, designers have turned out fashions that accentuate the positive and minimize the negative allowing the full size woman to abandon their baggy clothes and mumus and start wearing attractive styles. More than that, plus size fashions are no longer restricted to “fat girl” stores but are being carried by mainstream department stores and boutiques. Plus sized has definitely arrived.
And the fact that designers are designing specifically for big women means more than just a wider selection of fashion available to plus sized girls. It also sends a psychological message to them that they are no longer excluded from “normal” fashion simply because of their size. In the past the only way a large woman could wear fashionable clothes was to stop being large. In other words being overweight wasn’t desirable and the price to pay for not being normal was lifeless, boring big girl clothes.
Today there are so many fashions to choose from that the plus sized woman can feel right at home regardless of the setting. Cocktail party? No problem, there are a slew of little black dresses fitted for the larger woman. The same goes for office attire, casual wear and even athletic wear. This is one market that is definitely not suffering from a lack of choices.
Brick and mortar retail stores are obviously on the band wagon often times setting up separate designer sections for larger women. However, the real boom is online. There are literally hundreds of sites dedicated to this niche market offering everything from formal wear to underwear. Online deals for designer plus size fashions are often cheaper than you can get in the mall but the same cautions have to be followed to ensure you’re happy with what you get. The safest way to go is to try on designers at a store and find one that consistently fits you the way you like, then go look for that brand online. Failing that, make sure the online shop has a real return policy.
It really is amazing what a little economic incentive can do for an industry. When designers caught wind of the market they were missing they suddenly discovered that maybe their job wasn’t all about them and their masterpiece. They discovered that there purpose was to design clothes for people, all people.
So if you happen to be in that larger size, good news! Designer plus size fashion is here to stay.