The article in the September 1, 2011 issue of the Wall Street Journal Project Plus-Size by Sarah Naussar had me thinking about the vast fashion industry and sizing. Stories on retail companies changing ways of looking at sizing creep up because women’s clothing fit sizing issues are an ongoing problem.
Naussar says, the fashion industry is trying new tricks.” She gave statistics that one-third of American women are plus size and sales of plus-size clothing hover around 15% of women’s apparel sales.
Really, new tricks? I disagree, companies for years have researched to address sizing issues of plus size women. QVC and HSN designers focus on women looking great no matter what size. Designers research different fabric that won’t cling and consistently designs for women from a size 2 to 3x. Also, these online retail stores do not charge larger size women extra money because additional fabric is needed for a particular garment. This type of thinking increase sales and confidence that plus-size women can wear cute clothes.
Diane Gilman, the “Jean Queen” designer for HSN, targets the baby boomer generation. She has sold over 1,000,000,000 pairs of jeans. That is so amazing! Gilman is an advocate for every woman who deals with sizing issues. Most of the high-end designers in the Couture houses have not sold that many jeans.
So the companies Naussar is mentioning in her article are seeking new innovative ways to make plus-size women look and feel better in their clothes but the concept is not new.
In the article, a spokesperson for Lane Bryant said, “Our customer fluctuates in size. How can we help her?”
Here’s my take on this quote:
1. Most women fluctuate in size not just a woman who’s over the size of a Misses 12. Size fluctuation can range from water gain to the time of the month. Go figure?
2. All women want to be able to try on one pair of pants and have the perfect fit. Perfect fit is not limited to plus-size women. I am not plus-sized but by me having a small waist and curvy hips all pants are not created equal. The majority of the time I have to tailor my jeans because they gap at the waist.
Do you think sizing issues are only limited to plus-size women?
Shapers
I want to add in shapers because normally people think plus-size women only wear shapers. Wrong! Shapers are for women in size ranges from extra small to large. Shapers are created to give a smooth finish to the body, if clothing fits snug there shouldn’t be any lumps or bumps. A size zero can have bumps as well as a plus size women. The concern is unanimously across the board.
Spanx.com
Spanx Shapers are for all figures because we want those knit dresses to look smooth whether we are a size 0 or higher.
No matter what our size and shape may be we all want to look flawless.
Well said. I have 5 pounds that come and go on a regular basis and yet, though my body stays the same, I often try on clothing in anywhere from a misses 4-12! That is too large a range.
Right there with ya Terri. My range is pretty wide too a 4-10! Depending on the designer. I tried on the other day a lovely Calvin Klein coat that was a size 4 and it fit perfectly. What the heck is going on here.
From what I understand, sizing is more of an issue in larger sizes because there is more variety in shape than in thinner sizes. I read somewhere that is one of the reasons most designers don’t design for plus sizes- too challenging for their profit model.
Support garments are awful. I shouldn’t need to wear them to look decent in my clothes, period. I can usually spot the line in the leg where the support pants end and the skin pops out on other women. I’ve actually experienced odd abdominal cramping due to control-top pantyhose. It went away once I took them off.
I avoid them like the plague now. They don’t suck in enough chub to be worth the trouble.
I am not a plus size woman but I experience sizing issues. I have a small waist and curvy hips so pants are not easy to fit. What about women who are petite and always have to hem because blazers or pants are to long.
In my post I have learned that more designers are designing for plus size women. QVC and HSN are designing for a wide range of sizes but I still here women call in to the show and say I love this but could you make it in an XXS or a petite. All sizes of women deal with this issue. Now I know there are still some catalogs that I have looked at that charge extra for women’s sizes and that’s not right.
You would be amazed at the wide range of women that wear shapers.
It’s not healthy to wear undergarments, shapers or anything that is to tight.