Photo: Yana Paskova for The New York Times
FYI, The New York Times ran and article today with the headline
"Plus Size Revelation:Bigger Women Have Cash Too."
I am not taking a stance on the pros or cons of being overweight or large. I'm just pointing out
that a lot of people out there don't fall into the
traditional size charts. And regardless of why or how the person got bigger, they should be able to buy clothing that fits.
As the spokesmodel for the Spiegel catalog's For You From Spiegel collection, created specifically for larger women (this division did well for about 10 years, I was under contract from 1989 thru 91 and continued to consult for them well into the nineties), my job was to share tips and trends: how to dress your body well regardless of your shape, what types of styles worked best for certain shapes.
This NYT article indicates sales of plus size clothing is up, making this demographic the one growth sector of the overall women's apparel market. Yet manufacturers and retailers remain reluctant.
When I was the fashion editor and later the editor in chief of BBW Magazine, traipsing up and down Madison and 7th Avenues in New York City, trying to educate the buyers at Bloomingdales and the designers at various clothing companies about you, the plus size woman, it was the same story. Over and over again I heard "We don't have room on the floor for all these different sizes, we need newness and different color stories on the floor. We can't have the same items for the smaller women on the floor hanging next to the same items in the plus size department. No one will buy the smaller clothing!"
Or imagine taking a sales meeting with the advertising agency of the largest consumer mass-market skin care brands and being told that large women are not their target market. Hmmm,
are you really saying you don't want the customer, who by the simple nature of their size, might need to use twice as much product? Seriously?
I've seen this same story over and over again, "hey sales are down, lets sell to the fat lady."
Well, buster, we watched some of the top designers attempt to sell us clothes we wanted to buy, and fail - Donna Karen comes to mind right away. And she of all people should have known how to make and market to the "real women," she claimed she was designing for in the first place. I like Donna Karen and love her clothes. I wish she would look us over again. She's struggled with her weight her entire career and the clothes she actually wears reflect a shift in her perspective.
Even Liz Claiborne blew it with her Elizabeth division. Each year the clothes became more boxy and boring.
Ralph Lauren managed to figure it out and in the hardest category of all, tailored clothing.
I'm not holding my breath for department stores to cover my ass.
Nordstrom hasn't been able to get a handle on this customer. A fan of mine in the nineties, they used to fly me around the country to commentate fashion shows, consult with the buyers and give image advice and do personal shopping for VIP customers. They were generous with their discount and usually one vendor would give me an outfit to wear during the show and let me keep it. But they usually only had one bra style in my size and no pajamas or pretty camisoles. I used to run to the intimate apparel department just before my events and borrow a tiny "control top" thong. Really. And I would hold it up to the audience so they could laugh and find compassion for the woman who needed a control thong! But I couldn't then and still can't get dressed from one department store.
Not much has changed at the department store level, but the internet is thriving with great offerings at every price point.
Target is a different story. It's a success story. Every time I go in one I find something cute, fun, trendy or sexy, and that includes bathing suits and lingerie!
I know you want to pop into Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills and walk out with real clothes vs the a few perfume samples...I know you want to hit up H&M, which by the way, carries plus sizes in their European stores, although the collection is spotty,
I nabbed a great military/safari jacket in camouflage green in Germany last fall.
The internet is full of entrepreneurs making everything you can think of.
The NYT article goes on to say that we're forced to shop on the internet. As an early adaptor - a term coined to refer to someone who embraces and uses new technology early in the game - I'm happy to shop on the internet. Of course you win some and you lose some, I've had my share of disappointments, but I couldn't be happier with the quality and fit overall of my purchases, including the tropical capsule wardrobe I got from the Gap online.
But I've got your back, sister. Look for my upcoming
Best of the Internet series of posts.
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