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Why don't plus size women just give up and start walking around naked? That is the message being given by fashion clothing retailers and manufacturers. Plus size fashion is becoming harder and harder to find at the local mall. What is a plus size fashionista supposed to do?
According to a recent article in Crain's New York there are several clothing manufacturers who have moved their plus size selection to their online stores, cut back selection in the retail stores or just eliminated anything larger than a size 14 or 16. Bloomingdale's moved the plus size department at their flagship store from the basement to the third floor and halved the square footage. Saks offers more than twice as many brands online as it does in their stores and Ann Taylor, Banana Republic and Old Navy have moved their plus size selections online entirely. Liz Claiborne dropped the Elisabeth line altogether leaving a gaping whole in the classic, work place clothing niche that can only be filled by Talbot's Woman at a hefty price.
Manufacturers and retailers have cited the economic climate as a reason for disregarding the plus size consumer. They cite declining numbers for plus size clothing in contrast to "regular" size clothing and the increased cost of making plus sized lines that require extra fabric and special models. One has to wonder which came first, the lack of sales or the lack of selection? The trendy babydoll top isn't flattering on every body, big or small. Try to find a no iron, button front blouse without any pleats, bows or crazy prints to wear to work in a size 18. It's not out there. How about a suit in a size 22 that has a jacket that's not cut to mid thigh and has enormous shoulder pads.
Good luck.
If you head to the local mall your options are extremely limited. There is always the anchor department stores, but as we have discussed earlier the selections are getting more and more cut back. No offense intended to Sag Harbor, but how many pairs of elastic waist polyester pants can one person have, even at $29.99. Avenue and Lane Bryant are the only mall options left and Avenue has, in recent years, seemed to have pulled out of the major malls and into the smaller strip malls. While these are both great stores and I recommend both highly for fashion forward clothes, why do all fashion conscious plus size women have to dress alike? Where is the selection?
The selection is online. Websites like 14wPlus.com are pulling together online retailers and organizing them by style and selection in addition to listing current coupon codes and sales events. If you have ever googled plus size clothing you know that you get the same sites over and over again. 14wPlus.com lists some of these same sites but also has some smaller stores that offer plus size fashion that the searcher might miss. The online plus size fashion shopper needs a tape measure to get accurate sizing since the mall store fitting room experience is no longer an option. All of these online stores have very liberal return policies and new stores are being added all the time. 14wPlus.com has just added Apple Bottom and Phat Farm for the junior clothing shopper and even has large selection of stores that offer bridal and bridesmaid's gowns in plus and extended sizing. Plus size dresses are in abundance online and plus size swim stores have great selections.
The experience of having a nice afternoon shopping at the mall might be a thing of the past for the plus size fashionista but not all size 20's have to dress the same. You just need to know where to look.