Plus-size clothing

Plus size clothing is a term given to clothing proportioned specifically for people whose bodies are larger than the average person's.^[1] The application of the term varies from country to country, and according to which industry the person is involved in.^{[nb 1]}

According to PLUS Model magazine; "In the fashion industry, plus size is identified as sizes 12-24, super size as sizes 4X-6X and extended size as 7X and up".^[2] The article continues "Susan Barone [...] shared, 'Plus sizes are sizes 14W - 24W. Super sizes and extended sizes are used interchangeably for sizes 26W and above. Sometimes the size 26W is included in plus size'."^[2]

Such clothing has also been called outsize in Britain, a term that has been losing favor. One example of this is the renaming of "Evans Outsize" to simply "Evans",^[4] as well as losing their advertising slogan "Evans - The Outsize Shop", which also featured on their clothing labels. A related term for men's plus-size clothing is big and tall (a phrase also used as a trademark in some countries).^[5]

A relatively new alternative term for plus size (or large size) gaining consumer and editorial favor is curvy. In a euphemistic sense, curvy is regarded as less offensive to those that wear larger sized clothes. There is evidence of this term gaining media and market traction, demonstrated by searching say, curvy clothes London. In current media use, while curvy can appear less offensive, it appears to associate with a younger style of dressing than plus size or larger size when used as a general reference term.

History

Lane Bryant began trading in the early 1900s as a producer of clothing for "Expectant Mothers and Newborn"'.^[6] By the early 1920s, Lane Bryant started selling clothing under the category 'For the Stout Women', which ranged between a 38-56 inch bustline.^[6] Evans, a UK-based plus-size retailer, was founded in 1930.^[7]

The large-size fashion revolution of 1977–1998 in the US began after the Fashion Group of NYC released a study predicting the demise of the Baby Boomer Junior Market, as the Boomers were coming of age. Mary Duffy's Big Beauties was the first model agency to work with hundreds of new plus-size clothing lines and advertisers. For two decades, this plus-size category produced the largest per annum percentage increases in ready-to wear retailing.

Max Mara started Marina Rinaldi, one of the first high-end clothing lines, for plus-size women in 1980.^[8]

The first plus-size fashion line to show at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week was Cabiria, featured in the Fashion Law Institute fashion show in the tents at Lincoln Center on September 6, 2013.^[9][10][11]

Now a days, the plus size section doesn't suffer from any restrictions, becoming more welcoming to various types of garments now. Moreover there has been the increasingly positive trend to offer premium flattering fit to the customers.There are companies which offer great fit along with varied ranges of clothing including sweaters, dresses, non-iron work wear shirts, cardigans, bottoms and skirts.

Consumer Reports

Plus size clothing patterns have traditionally been graded up from a smaller construction pattern, however many retailers are using statistical data collected from their own measuring projects, and from specialized Body Scan Data collection projects to modernize the fit and construction of their garments. U.S. companies Lane Bryant and Catherines teamed up over a three-year period to source data to modernize the companies' garment construction. 14,000 women were measured in what was the most extensive female sizing study in the U.S. in over 60 years.

Market

Australia

The Australian plus-size clothing market has been growing since at least 1994, with major department stores such as David Jones, Myer, and Target producing their own brand ranges, and an increase in the number of individual boutiques and national chain store outlets across the country. Sizing in Australia is not synchronous with the US; plus size garments are considered to be size 16 and upward, which is the equivalent of a US size 12.^[3]

Notable Australian brands for plus-size clothing include Maggie T, Autograph (formerly 1626), Free People and City Chic (formerly Big City Chic).

United Kingdom

In the UK there are over sixty brands for plus-size women's clothing; however, only a small number of these brands are manufactured or owned by UK-based companies. High-street stores such as Yours Clothing, Elvi, Evans, Dearcurves, Ann Harvey, Dea London and BeigePlus sell only plus-sized garments, while many other brands and department stores carry extended sizes in their shelves, such as Debenhams, River Island, ASOS, Fenwicks and New Look. More recently, stores specifically supplying plus-size sportswear, fitness wear and bras have sprung to life such as State of Mind, Charlotte Jackson, Eve Activewear and We Fit In. Notable online sites also include ASOS.com and Style908. Anna Scholz has been creating clothes for the high end market since 1995.^[12] Another notable online retailer which specialises in manufacturing and retailing plus size clothing is Love Fashion. Opened in 1985 and based in the Midlands, they are global suppliers of all plus size women's apparel.^[13]

Specialist plus size brands (found in independent plus size shops) known to be active in the UK (2010) include: Hebbeding (the Netherlands), Dearcurves(UK)Escaladya (Germany), Martine Samoun (Belgium), Marina Rinaldi (Italy), Persona (Italy), Elena Grunert (Germany), Elena Miro (Italy), Verpass (Germany), Chalou (Germany), Kirsten Krog (Denmark), Wille (Germany), Jomhoy (Spain), Yoek (Netherlands), Be The Queen (France), Alain Weiz (France), Tummy Tuck Not Your Daughter's Jeans NYDJ (USA), Anathea by Didier Parakian (France), Fred Sabatier (France), Tia (Denmark), Rofa (Germany), Jorli (Denmark), NP (Finland), OpenEnd (Germany), A Big Attitude (USA), Terry Precision Cycling (USA) and Carmakoma (Denmark).

In November 2013, the Debenhams department store chain indicated that it plans to add Size 16 plus-size mannequins in all 170 UK stores.^[15]

Lane Bryant store Pittsfield Twp., MI

United States

Notable specialty plus-size clothing retail market include Lane Bryant (Charming Shoppes) and Avenue (Avenue Stores, LLC). Walmart also offers a limited but inexpensive plus-size apparel line. The department stores J. C. Penney, Kohl's and Macy's also offer plus-size apparel. Woman Within (Redcats USA), former Lane Bryant catalog. Torrid (Hot Topic) is a retailer geared toward plus-size young adults. International online retailers, such as Simply Be (N Brown) from the UK have started marketing in the United States.There are boutique stores that specialize in this market niche and ship worldwide.

See also

• Plus-size model
• Fit model

References

Notes