The Plus Size Thread - All are welcome!

[QuirkyCool]

^^^ Do you mean jeans size 34? Excuse my ignorance...I'm always having to compare US/UK/Euro sizes and then jeans sizes are different...and euro size 34 pair of trousers is a very different matter to a pair of size 34 jeans

 

[SanDiego]

I believe thats European sizing

 

[Tallulah]

Glad I found this post! I can also trace my love of shoes, bags, and all things sparkly to the fact that shopping for clothes in my size is frustrating. I was so happy when Ann Taylor and Banana Republic starting carrying size 16. It is still hit or miss with the jackets being cut to small in the arms and chest or pants to slim through the hips but it gives me hope. I detest going to Lane Bryant and looking at plus size clothes that look more like maternity clothes. Just because I'm not a size 8 doesn't mean I want to hide under an unshapley sack. I recently recieved a catalog from Boden a UK company that carried extended sizes. Haven't ordered from them but the stuff looks cute.

 

[Arug]

Absolutely fabulous, girls! I've been batteling with my size since I first time went to shopping.. Now I'm stuck to the large or extra large clothes that don't fit. I've made some unbeliavable bargains from fleamarkets, like my wintercoat for 3 euros. I´m Uk size 14. Some of my blazers have been re-tailored to fit me, and that really makes the difference!!
Try it! I'm sure that some frien of a friend knows a student who would love to do it really cheap.

 

[SanDiego]

love this coat

 

[jaffa6]

San Diego you are awesome for starting this thread . I thought I'd have to stick to the shoes and handbag forums.

Does anyone remember the plus-size fashion magazine MODE? It was around for 3 or 4 years I think. It was so great and I found out about a lot of great designers who work in larger sizes. I'm sad it stopped publication.

Anyway, my favourite designer I discovered in MODE is Anna Scholz. She's UK based and does sizes 6-26, all in one line which I think is great. She has a high end line that is appearing slowly at a few Saks stores, but not the one where I live, so it's hard to get her stuff here. I got a few pieces from her lower priced line she produced for Debenham's in the UK a few years ago, and I still wear them to death, including a beautiful embellished tunic which fits right in with the current boho trend. I don't think she does that line any more though.

 

[jaffa6]

The Salon Z manager at my local Saks called me this morning to tell me that Anna Scholz isn't being carried by Saks anymore. The line was discontinued at the Beverly Hills store two months ago. Oh well. It was nice of her to check on it for me.

just thought I'd give this thread a bump.

 

[renyoj]

Plus size

I've been frustrated at trying to buy fashionable, flattering clothes for so long that I'm thinking quite seriously about starting my own line. I would love to hear comments on what you can't find or what you hate about what you can find.

 

[ingetjuh18]

im a plus size girl but i would not feel comfortable wearing those dresses
i always put a jacket or blazer on
dont just wear a tshirt

 

[fashionista-ta]

I am a US 10, have worn previously up to 14, and I have (as discussed elsewhere) both a shape and a figure flaw so I have some personal understanding of the problem. I have a friend who wears plus sizes, and I help her shop, have for years. I'm a fan of Salon Z, and another place to surprisingly find some pretty good stuff is Talbots' women's store. Last time we were there she got this really cute kneeish length floral skirt that was this beautiful muted print.

Completely agree with As You Like It, shopping with her I've seen a huge variety of figures--very pear-shaped, small shoulders. Very prominent shoulders. Butt, no butt. Tummy, no tummy. Prominent thighs, proportional thighs. Bust, or not much. Not every line, though, refuses to take a "position" on the plus-size figure. I know from countless hours in dressing rooms with my friend that some brands/designers work, and others don't. Talbots works well for her, and she got some really beautiful jackets (one was an Ellen Tracy red wool zipper front that she's gotten tons of compliments on) and things at Salon Z. She has also bought from Nordstrom's women's dept, but I'm not so impressed with them. She did get some really pretty animal print silk charmeuse pajamas there, though. She also likes Lord & Taylor, but they never had a big presence here & are gone now (I don't miss 'em ). I think she has gotten some things at Macy's too??

 

[Sephora_Socialite]

I just went with a plus sized friend shopping and wow....there's so little selection of stores and a lot of the clothes are frumpy and unflattering.

I could have sworn I've seen a plus sized style magazine before...I unfortunately don't know the name or see it often, but that might help some people...Oh, I do hope someone knows what I'm talking about and mentions it because I think it'll benefit a lot of you women.

 

[Melisande]

We don't only want clothes that are "big enough"...we'd like clothing that enhances what we have and makes us beautiful

Absolutely. I envy fuller women for looking so good in many of my favorite styles like corsets, ethnic and period costume. Just look at Renoir, Reubens,...A friend of mine was organizing a fashion show of flowy caftans and ethnic evening gowns. She specified that she did NOT want thin models for the runway as they would "drown" in the fabric and not highlight the lovely drapes and embroidery. I really admire you for insisting on finding nice clothing and looking gorgeous despite the odds unnecesarily presented by the market.

 

[jaffa6]

There was a plus-size style magazine called Mode that I mentioned in my previous post. It stopped publication a few years ago. There is one now called Figure, but it's mostly just adds for Lane Bryant, Catherine's, Fashion Bug etc. It doesn't have much in the way of editorial content. If there are any other mags out there, I'd definitely like to take a look.

 

[jaffa6]

Nightline story

Last night on Nightline, they did a story on plus-size fashion in connection to actress/comedienne Mo'nique's plus-size beauty pageant (Fat Chance) which airs tonight on Oxygen network.

So a few topics that came up: This W. Hollywood boutique owner (a plus-size woman herself) talked about how her store only caters to smaller women (size 4-6 range) and that she felt noone bigger than size 10 should ever wear jeans! I found this attitude shocking. I know we all have things we don't feel comfortable wearing (I don't much like showing my arms in something sleeveless), but having the attitude that you should be telling other people what they should or shouldn't wear?! Very crass comment, I thought.

An executive of the Hot Topic clothing chain (a plus-size woman again) was interviewed about the emergence of her company's Torrid stores. She expressed the fact that even though it's a good step that stores like Torrid are providing more current fashionable plus-size options, she personally still feels unwelcome in stores every day because of her size.

Mo'nique spoke about the derogatory use of the word 'fat' and how she's faced discrimination in Hollywood, but never allowed herself to buy into that mindset; she embraces the word 'fat'. I personally am not a fan of the word, but I think she made some good points.

So did any of you see this story? Would any of you tune in to see Fat Chance? I definitely plan to watch. I think the winner gets a brand new wardrobe from 'Just My Size,' which has never been a favourite brand of mine. They always seemed to specialize in kinda boring basics and mumsy stuff. But I guess they are the sponsors. What designers would you like to see featured in a show about plus-size fashion/beauty?

 

[baRose]

Excellent post from As You Like It...thank you

It is also so hard to shop online when you're the top of the "normal" range like me....with some designers on NAP I'm US size 12,but I've just had to return 2 size 10 garments in a row because of the way-too-enormous-and-shapeless factor.The big size just didn't fit like the garment they had on that horribly skinny plastic model at all . It just...billowed or hung there.

Sorry for using this post to rant!!

As You Like It,do you have some examples of your plus size work?

[font=&quot]
You have to look at the back of the mannequin. A lot of the times, they pin the clothes in the back to give the garment more of a shape (because they don’t make larger mannequins)[/font]

 

[renyoj]

Jaffa, I wish I had seen the nightline piece. I don't understand why that lady thinks no one over 10 should wear jeans. I've seen lots of larger women look very sexy in jeans. I don't think they work for me, but that's mainly because I can't find ones that fit right. I missed Fat Chance, but I will try to catch it. Just my size doesn't seem like much of a prize. I think Gianfranco Ferre, Tom and Linda Platt or Kiyonna would have been a better pick. Or even have a designer do a custom wardrobe. That would have been cool.

 

[jaffa6]

Just my size doesn't seem like much of a prize. I think Gianfranco Ferre, Tom and Linda Platt or Kiyonna would have been a better pick. Or even have a designer do a custom wardrobe. That would have been cool.

Those are some good choices renyoj. I didn't realize at the time, but the winner also got $50,000 in cash. So I guess now she can go shopping for some of those nicer designers.

 

[renyoj]

Does anyone know of independent designers that are designing specifically for Plus size women? I know there is Kiyonna, but anyone else?

 

[jaffa6]

It's hard to tell who is independent, but there are a few out there like Tomatsu, Marina Rinaldi, Ulla Popken, Emme, Anna Scholz who specialize in plus-sizes. For workout/sportswear there's Junonia. A good site to check out is http://www.affinityfashion.com

They carry both plus-size designers, and other more mainstream designers who have plus-size lines like DKNY, Dana Buchman, Ferre, Ellen Tracy, Ralph Lauren, Carmen Marc Valvo etc.

Check out Sak's 5th Ave's Salon Z. They have more in the stores than what they show online, but you can get an idea at least.

 

[writergirl]

So pleased to have found this thread! I've been battling this problem for awhile and seem to be losing patience when it comes to finding nice clothes in larger sizes. This is particularly problematic since I have a rather large bosom. Anything that will actually span it's way over my cleavage ends up loosely draping everywhere else, making me look twice as big. : )

Up here in Canada there's very few options since I'm super hesitant to buy anything online without trying it on. But there is a store in Toronto called Volptuous that has a web site and also a store in Vancouver called Bodacious (www.bodacious.ca). The best part about Bodacious is that it's all local Vancouver designers who make small runs of their lines. The next In Style magazine has written up a piece about them.