When we say ‘bountiful’ beauties, we are referring to the more voluptuous of us that cannot so easily slither or wiggle into a size 6 or 12 (nowadays people in general seem to be getting bigger and wider, and it is now thought that the average dress size is nearer to measurements of bust 41 inches, waist 34 inches, and hips of 43 inches. These measurements correspond to a size 12, (UK size 14))…yet, for some reason, most mainstream clothing stops abruptly at size 12 or 14!
So, Blueprint went on a hunt to find stylish clothing for more voluptuous women and we were overwhelmingly disappointed at what we found — most designers stop at size 12 and to find fashions beyond, the shopper must actually go to different websites none of which truly feature stylish, classic, sophisticated and chic clothing. Nonetheless, we persevered and here’s what we found:
- Ralph Lauren has shown some love for bountiful beauties
- J.Jill actually has some terrific staples and outfit suggestions for all sizes (I like the cotton blazer)!
- Saks Fifth Avenue has Salon Z which has tons of classic looks..but not anything stylishly edgy (grrrr!)
- Bloomingdale’s has some cool stuff and two must-have dresses (both are haute but the belted day dress has great potential to go from work to evening with a few key accessories)!
- B&Lu, Torrid and Missphit offer trendy items that will only last the season but have great fillers we all need!
- Designers we do love are Bradley Bayou, Carmen Marc Valvo (for beautiful evening dresses) and David Meister (a few day dresses) because they consider the plus size woman!
In the US, more women weigh 200 pounds than 120 pounds, and the average woman weighs 164 pounds so, know that Blueprint for Style will continue to troll the media for the best finds in style and fashion for all!
By the way, FFFWeek (Full-figured Fashion Week) just ended in New York City, June 25-27th!
3 Responses
Allow me to point out as well that even when clothes are made in sizes 12, 14 and up, they are not necessarily designed with these sizes in mind….
Also I have noticed that some designers seem deliberately to “downsize” their clothing, presumably to confine their look to a preferred customer image. I just looked at a size chart for a boutique in SF in which a size 8 = XL. Assholes!
Kryss – I agree with you that there is a significant amount of resizing happening. Up until about two years ago, a size 6 in Banana Republic was a true 6; today, if you try on the same size 6 it should feel roomier; because of our “growing” US population, designers are trying to shift our perceptions of what a size 6 really is!
Thank you for this. I wil definitely check out these designers/sites. I love the one shoulder black dress. Sexy!!!
I have ordered from BL&U before – I like their stuff – good quality – runs small though. I had to order a couple sizes up to get the right size for me.
Keep it coming girl….I love the tips!