Slim Picking in Plus-Sizes
Bad news for larger gals everywhere: popular brands are scaling back production of plus-size clothes. Just when the clothes were looking less frumpy and fitting much better. Rats.
Tight Clothes for Tight Times
It seems that worried American shoppers are spending (and charging) less on all goods, including clothes. But the plus-size shopper has cut back most said the New York Post last week. Sales of size 16 and over fell 8% over 12 months (ending in March) and that was added to a 4% drop the year before. In comparison, women wearing standard sizes cut back only about 3%.
No one knows exactly why the larger sizes stopped shopping. Perhaps they are waiting to lose weight first, or more likely, they are spending on the family instead.
Thrown Under the Bus?
Compared to standard sizes, plus-size clothing costs 10% more to produce. The clothes involve extra fabric, new fit patterns and models. Consequently, struggling retail manufacturers, like Ellen Tracy, Ann Taylor and Liz Claiborne, have recently dropped their plus-size lines. Bloomingdales, Saks and others department stores have moved their collections from stores to the web. That might be a good thing, though, because it's better to try on clothes at home.
Real women get dressed
Clothes buying doesn't make much sense because 62% of women wear a size 14 or larger. According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the average American women weighs 164 pounds and wears a size 14.
Overweight teens have an easier time finding cute clothes. That's because Forever 21's Faith 21, Hot Topic’s Torrid and Target’s Pure Energy have launched plus-size lines in the Junior's department.
But everyone wants the right to look good and feel comfortable. It's fun to express ourselves through the clothes we wear. All people need access to stylish clothes of quality fabrics, expertly finished, and correctly fit.
Your thoughts….
What is your wish for women's clothes? Where do you buy stylish plus-size clothes?
Comments
I think the industry is doing women a HUGE disservice... By cutting back on the options and availability of plus sizes the industry will be creating additional anxiety for the plus size female... It is hard enough being plus size. Now add being treated like a second class citizen... What's next @ these stores, separate drinking fountains and store entrances for the plus size... I think this move will likely bite some stores in the proverbial butt.
I have noticed this actually... I used to be able to buy my sizes at my local Old Navy store, but lately they have stopped carrying my sizes. I'd have to get them online now. I'm really not impressed.
Check out www.newport-news.com/shop/ . They have GREAT styles and MANY of them are available in plus sizes (which they call "Women's") up to 3X.
I have found it hard to find decent plus size clothing, but I have three places I like to buy from www.ashleystewart.com , www.avenue.com , and www.jessicalondon.com. ; All three specialize in plus size clothing. They have decent prices and cute clothes.
I have had the best luck finding cute plus clothes at Dressbarn and Avenue. I used to go to Lane Bryant but their styles went too casual for a corporate environment.
Hey, maybe the reduction in purchases in the plus market is due to calorie count being so effective lol.
I know that I am down to a UK size 14 so my bucks are no longer spent in the plus sized market.
To all those who are losing, keep it up ladies & men!
Our Old Navy ditched the "plus size" section a long time ago, though they do keep up to size 18 on racks at least in their denim.
I like shopping Torrid since they make truly sexy clothes for the plus sized woman. I feel like Lane Bryant is still to "old" for me, and their clothes never fit well.
I think the answer behind plus sized sales going down are that there are fewer stores that carry them, and with each article being so much more expensive it makes buying a pair of jeans a splurge than just picking up a wardrobe staple. I purchased a pair of denim shorts last night at Torrid simply becasue I had a $10 off coupon making them more affordable.
I have trouble finding clothes I like in my size. It seems that some of the plus size designs make you look bigger or accentuate the trouble spots such as the upper arm fat. I go to C.J. Banks store (plus size store of Christopher & Banks; some of the clothes they sell I would never wear but they carry a decent amount of basic pieces as well as business wear type items. Reasonable prices and they have alot of sales. You can buy online too http://www.cjbanks.com/home/index.jsp.
I recently found CJ Banks at my nearby mall and have loved going there. I do buy some clothes online, particularly pants, because not only am I a plus size but I'm also a Tall. Unfortunately, shopping online is particularly limiting I think, especially when you're in the middle of different sizes. Additionally, while something might look cute on a model online, who know's how it'll look on me. Typically the customer gets saddled with shipping and return costs, which just adds to the hassle. There's nothing really like being able to go into the store to find what you really like.
This could be a very positive thing. Just one more thing to motivate people to get fit.
I don't believe it's making anyone out to be a second-class citizen. It's not like the sizes aren't available anywhere. Companies are simply cutting corners. I am tall for a woman and it's hard for me to find pants that aren't high-waters unless I go to more expensive stores like Gap or Express, or order through a catalog. Sweaters are often too short for my arms as well.
However, I do think companies have over-looked the fact that over half the population is over-weight. They will probably be losing money in the end with this move.
(according to the cdc website:
- Percent of noninstitutionalized adults age 20 years and over who are overweight or obese: 66%
- Percent of noninstitutionalized adults age 20 years and over who are obese: 32%
- Percent of adolescents age 12-19 years who are overweight: 17%
- Percent of children age 6-11 years who are overweight: 19%)
How do so many people get to be plus-size in the first place? Society has made it way too easy for us. Maybe if they made it a little less easy in the food industry as well as the clothing stores we all would not be struggling so much.
It sucks majorly for a plus size woman who has no desire to wear something that resembles a MooMoo, to find clothing! Many stores that still carry plus sizes have a very few pieces that don't look matronly or stuck in time. I feel as if they strickly cater to older women. Forget the teens, 20 yr olds and 30 yr olds! Old Navy's plus section was my go to, however no they forced us to shop online. I hate buying clothes online! Fortunately stores like Target, TJ Maxx, Marshall's Ross, Burlington Coat Factory, Torrid carry trendy clothing for the size 14 and over crowd. If these stores stopped carrying plus sizes, I don't know what I would do with myself!
Yay for being treated like my money is not welcomed in your store!
I've been shopping online for all my clothing for quite a few years. I've been quite happy with the quality of clothing from Fashion Bug and as I'm going down in size, I'm slowly being able to purchase clothing from their regular sizes too. Charming Shoppes, Inc. also owns Lane Bryant and Catherine's. Catherine's was my go to for more conservative clothing. Lane Bryant never fit right though. Fashion Bug seems to have the right mix although I'll easy go months without buying, waiting for the styles to change as they don't always appeal to me but that's true of most places.
I prefer to shop online. There's usually a much larger selection then you would see at the stores, it's always open, and depending on the store, returns are not a hassle.
I've recently been able to buy off the regular racks (thank you CC) but I'm having a problem with the lack of choices of inseam length. All pants, even petites are too long for me. I'm 5'4", average height with an inseam measurment of 26" to 27", but a size 16 petite is about 2 inches too long. A regular size 16 is at least 4" too long. Anyone my height or shorter has this problem now.
That means I have to alter every single pair of pants, and limit myself to buying only styles that have a plain, straight leg. If it's tapered, belled, or has any hem detail, forget it because those can't be shortened. Our choices are evaporating.
Do they still sell men's pants by the waist and inseam measurments? It's been a long time since I've bought men's/boy's clothing, but remember the inseams being in inch or two inch increments.
Ive cut back on my plus size purchases because i just dont have the money to spend on clothes. im sure there are others like me and if companies arent making money from the clothes their bond to cut back. plus plus size clothes are soo expensive. i know they use more fabric but still .
I'm not a plus-size shopper, but I've always had a hard time finding good cuts for my body type (no curves but top-heavy = difficult shopping).
Check out www.Myshape.com. It's a really cool online shop where you enter all your personal measurements. They assign a "body shape" to your proportions (I think they're designated by letter), and you can shop by which clothes look best for your type. Plus, there are no sizes. When you find something you want to buy, you just buy it -- your measurements in the system tell them which size fits you best. ... Like having a personal shopper/tailor in one!
I was very excited about Myshape.com and went through all the measuring and entering information. For a plus size, though, they have a lousy handful of selections. I'm looking forward to giving it another try when I'm out of the plus size range. In the meantime, I wouldn't recommend you waste your time going through the set up process if you're a size 22 or higher. I'm not sure at what point they start to actually have clothes to recommend.
As a chubby youngster in the mid 80s early 90s it was so hard for me to find clothes. Looking back I wasn't really fat, just a little chubby but at that time it was hard to find even a size 13 in girls clothes so I wore women's clothes. I've been so proud that the clothing companies finally realized we aren't all thin with B cups. I just want to say that despite the fact that some major brands may cut down on their plus sizes, there's still Lane Bryant and Cato to keep us big girls looking great!
Maybe this will also get more of us to start sewing again which is one of my favorite hobbies.
I personaly think that is just stupied and am offended. I myself am not what I would concider a plus size women (I am size 12 to 11) but alot of my frineds are and I just think its dumb that these companys are doing this. itsnot really fair
I checked out MyShape.com. All I can say is OMG about the prices. I'm a college educated single working woman in a state job that doesn't pay much. I couldn't afford anything on that site. I doubt my program manager at the state capitol could afford any of those. We're talking way above Ross and Target, here. Glad someone is doing well in the economy. Those prices alone will keep me eating sensibly and losing weight!
Maybe these companies should start being more realistic in their sizing??? Seriously, how many times have you gone to a clearance rack that is loaded with S & XS, and nothing larger than an odd medium on there? I'm not saying eliminate the S & XS, but as someone who used to work in a clothing store, we always used to get twice as many of the smaller sizes than the larger sizes shipped to us.( ie 30 XS, 30 S, 20M, 10L, 10XL) And then you end up selling out of the M,L,XL at regular price and having to give away half the XS & S sizes at a fraction of their cost... If they had sent more L & XL and less XS & S, we would have sold a lot more at a profit...
It seems to me that there's room for improvement in the business model the clothing industry applies to women's clothes.
If they weren't so busy absorbing losses resulting from unsold tiny-sized clothing, and if they realized that larger clothes are more likely to sell if they're not consigned to some dim dungeon 'in the back,' and if they applied the principles of volume buying and manufacturing to statistical mid-range sizes (I would guess those range from 12 to 16 or 18, since women today are bigger than they were 'back in the day'), perhaps they could stop making excuses for their failure offer decent styles for plus-size women.
Likewise, alienating roughly half your customers is never good for business. Especially when that half is going to tell all their friends and relatives all about it, and a significant portion of those friends and relatives will consider taking their business elsewhere, as well.
Fashion Bug, Dress Barn, and Lane Bryant have been my standbys for a while, as well as some of the department stores (Ross, Target, Kohl's, Sears, JCPenney, Fred Meyer).
Since I've lost 20 pounds, I'm in a unique situation because I'm still a plus size on top (22/24 in most cases) but I'm a 14/16 on the bottom. I can shop in regular stores for bottoms, but I'm not quite in the 1X in the regular sizes yet (usually 3X if they have them since they tend to run small). I just hope the dedicated chain stores (i.e. Dress Barn) aren't going to close too many more stores since it would seen they soon might be the only game in town. It's hard to find plus size tops that flatter, and the dedicated chains tend to do it a little better than the department stores.
I've also noticed (as someone else mentioned) the trend toward a younger buyer in some of the chains. Fine for casual, but not good for the business world. :-(
I know I'm going to be in the minority here, but I think that these companies are taking a financial step that will have positive consequences for the future. By making bigger and bigger clothing, people are being enabled to continue their unhealthy lifestyles. Granted we need clothes to fit us as we are losing weight, but when people claim that they are perfectly fine and don't have to lose any more weight at a 1X or 2X or even size 16 or 18 is not very realistic. Yes we can and should be happy with ourselves at whatever size, but it doesn't matter how tall or short you are, a size 18 does not equate to a healthy BMI. Companies who are stopping their plus-size lines may now provide a necessary motivation for those who were sitting comfortably at a higher weight.
Now I'm not knocking people who have lost weight and are at a size 18 or higher, I'm speaking more about those who feel comfortable gaining weight because they know they will be compensated and enabled by the fashion industry no matter what size they are.
That all being said, I would love to know what height it equated with that 164 lbs and size 14. I've lost 30 lbs thus far (still 45 left to lose...), now 190 and 5'10, and I'm a size 10. Is the average woman also 5'3"?
Clairelaine,
Yes, mens pants are still sold by waist and inseam measurements. My son is 14, and is tall and thin like his dad was, so he is limited on jeans, since the talls rarely are available in the smaller waist sizes. He also will only wear the carpentar jeans, so that limits the selection. (Levis sells the only tall and thin carpentar jeans that will fit him)
Not only do the plus size people have difficulties finding affordable and non-frumpy clothing, but so do those that are tall. Both of my kids are tall and thin, so I have to search all over the place for their clothing. My daughter loves the cute pajama pants, but as soon as they are washed, they are too short.
Last summer I ordered her a million pairs of Levis from JCPenney, and finally found a pair that fit, so I ordered her a few of those in different colors. Long sleeve shirts are out, and short sleeve shirts we have to buy big so they don't ride up at the waist.
So, the plus size people aren't the only ones with clothing difficulties. As with anything, not everybody can be pleased, that would be impossible. As somebody above said, find a good seemstress...
I wish women's sizes were made like men's clothing. Men can buy a shirt, pants, jackets to their exact hight, weight or neck size. While women have to decide to wear the one size too large or too tight if they are in between sizes. OR, if you are short like me, have all your pants be way too long. Why should women have to take all their clothes to a taylor. It's just not fair!
I love Torrid.. I did not know that they are a "specialized" store... that is why I like it so much!
You are right... Lane B is kind of oldish.. I buy there and mix and match with Torrid but they don't have Torrid everywhere though.
I entered all of my information in Myshape.com and I liked the results that it came up with for me. I've been losing a lot of weight since my last baby and it's finally getting to where I'm enjoying buying clothes again. I was kind of surprised at the wide range of sizes that it assigned to me. I would never have picked some of them for myself. I thought their prices were comparable to JCrew or J.Jill or Coldwater Creek catalogs. Catalog shopping always seems to be a little more expensive than stores at the mall where we have gotten used to everything being on perpetual sale.
myssmeow: "The average American women weighs 164 pounds and wears a size 14" Really? I must have a strange body - I weigh 186 and wear a size 14. And not just a 14 from one place, but almost every store I buy from. A few years ago a weighed in the 160s and was a size 10. Is that weird?
I think it depends on your body type and how you wear your clothes, I was a size 14 at 165 lbs this last winter. I read that a size four should weigh 115. I was a comfortable four in 2005 and I was 125. Right now I'm a 6 and I weigh 139. I don't think it will take 24 lbs to get down to a size four again.
I love Lane Bryant jeans but their other clothes are outragously priced! I have had trouble finding clothes that fit right for years because I am between plus size and regular.
I completely agree! I am 5 foot 1 and I think all clothes are made for tall people! Everything is too long!
Original Post by: meepbobeepLook here:http://www.doublex.com/section/life/real-reason-ann-taylor-h ates-plus-sizes
and here:http://www.dynamist.com/weblog/archives/003007.html
The above articles explain some of the practical difficulties, beyond the extra cost. If you're in one of the larger sizes, it makes more sense to buy your clothes online, and find a good tailor [or a clothes catalog that asks for tailoring measurements as opposed to the weird sizing system we have now].
"That might be a good thing, though, because it's better to try on clothes at home."
Why?! Is it because since we're overweight we're supposed to feel uncomfortable shopping in public? Or is it so we don't have to go out of the house at all?
Just because you're overweight doesn't make you anything but average, as was pointed out in the article. There should not be any shame involved, and you should be able to act as a normal person would, enjoying shopping at malls and having fun with friends.
I thought Calorie Count has been fairly body-positive, which is why I chose to join this community, but seeing lines like that make me wonder if it's run by some shamed ex-fat people.
On the other end of the spectrum, as a very thin (underweight) female (who is trying to gain, for the record), I find it increasingly difficult to find my size in stores! Less and less often can I find a S or XS that fits me right. It's not just my either; my smaller/petite friends are the same way. I find many, many L/XL, etc in the stores I shop at. Perhaps if we smaller gals shopped at highend stores aimed at supermodels the case would be different.
But alas, more regularly priced retails seem to be focusing, as your article did, on the struggle for larger women to find well fitting clothes and ignoring this other niche completely.
Where I live even the old standby store like Walmart doesn't carry my size in clothing I want to wear. They have a very small plus size section and it is geared towards a more mature crowd. I have resorted to making my own pants just so that I will know they will fit me. It has done wonders for my sewing skills and at times it is cheaper than buying at the store but lately the cost of material has been the same as buying off of the rack. The last two t shirts I bought were mens because they were cheaper and in the plain t shirt style I like. I am losing wieght but it would be nice to know that I could buy affordable pretty women's clothing.
In my town, Wal-Mart is the main store for clothes buying, other than the GoodWill. Wallies has mostly plus sized clothes- 1-X and up. I am down to a size 14-16 now and am quite frustrated cause I do not like flappy clothes! I don't consider a size 14-16 as "plus". Yes, I do intend to lose more weight. Meantime, I don't want clothes that are wider than they are long. Ug. I hate looking pregnant when I am in my 50s. Don't get me started on the crazy pregnant style blouses that seem to be always in fashion!
Then I am even happier about coming out of the plus sizes! I've been buying from the "regular" side of the store since Christmas and I am happy.
Now, I still wear 16's and some 18's in dress pants, but I'm on my way to a size 12! (Last summer, I wore 24's.)
Like another poster said, if you have a Cato in your city/town, utilize it! They have really cute styles.
I shop at TJ Maxx and the local thrift shops. I have found nice Gap trousers at the local Goodwill that fit perfect. They have the plus sizes already sorted. I refuse to spend alot of money on clothes as the economy has really effected my checkbook.
Check out QVC both online and on TV. They have many stylish clothes of excellent quality, and plus sizes are the same price as the S/M/L sizes.
You pay more, but the clothes last forever and are very timeless, so they won't go out of style anytime soon.
I also hit up my local ROSS for clothes - I was so suprised to see how much clothing they had in larger sizes.
I'd agree that your size(s) depends on your body type. I'm 6'1" with a large skeleton and wide hips. When I was 19, I weighed 160, and my doctor and mother were threatening to hospitalize me for anorexia--and I fit comfortably into a size 14.
Fifteen years later, I'm 350 (and working on it) but wear a 22-24 on top and a 26-28 on bottom. My goal weight--which I worked with my doctor to set--is 180, and I figure I'll be wearing a 16 or 18 then--technically, still plus-sized, but a good weight for my particular body type. Some people were just meant to be plus-sized.
I do have to say, though, that the majority of my struggles to find clothes stem from being 6'1", and having a 35" inseam, rather than from being a plus-sized woman. My gripes tend to be more along the lines of sleeves too short, bust too big (I'm also an A cup--gee, thanks!), or a "tall" inseam being only 33". Fortunately, I can sew. :)
"It's better to try clothes on at home"?!
Actually, it's better to try on clothes with a positive mindset in an environment that supports you. If you can find that only at home, perhaps you need to work on your perceptions about yourself. Because no matter what size you wear, if you don't like yourself, it won't matter.
I think that if they stopped making plus size clothing it would help motivate people to lose weight.
My problem has been finding suits that fit plus sizes that are appropriate for work. I work in a courthouse and I can't get away with a "casual suit." Macy's used to carry Tahari suits in plus sizes. Beautiful suits that were the same style as their smaller sizes and not made of polyester or a bold print. Every time I'd go and buy them, I'd give lavish praise for their buyers. Of course, Macy's has stopped carrying them. I like that Torrid, Lane Bryant, and C.J. Banks are out there, but none of those stores carry work-appropriate suits. Cute clothes are great, but do nothing for me for work.
I have been buying from Roamans & Woman Within for over 20 years. Now that everything is online, I have no problem finding what I want, for the most part.
However, now that I have finally gotten serious about counting, lol, I plan to get myself down to smaller sizes. (I have been maintaining a 1-2x for as long as I can remember.)
I do have to go to local stores for some things ~ like when my daughter was married last Summer, I couldn't find anything online or in catalogs to fit like they were pictured! So the next best thing...head for the boutiques! Luckily, this was a one-time event...now I am in my usual casual styles & they fit like they always have.
I just can't wait til they are smaller, tho'...
I'm re-posting that link because it doesn't seem to work the way I posted it before: www.newport-news.com
They have sexy and romantic styles and MANY of them are in plus sizes. I've worn their clothes (particularly their dresses) all the way from big to smaller.
Also, I liked www.justmysize.com when I was wearing a Size 20-24.
When I was a teen (back when dinosaurs roamed the earth) in the '50's & '60's--and all sizes were smaller--I had trouble finding the 14's and 16's. Finding larger sizes in most stores--from Ross to Belk's has been great...
But as a very large person, I don't buy clothes very often. I think it is part of my poor body-image and unwillingness to be out there in the world trying on clothes. Also from a physical standpoint, my weight has made it difficult for me to stand and walk around for long periods of time. Clothing stores don't have the "scooters" they have in the grocery.
I love all the links everyone is posting for alternative online shopping! What a service this blog is.
...and who knows? I used to sew. I've started cooking again as part of my healthy eating (healthy budget) lifestyle. Maybe I'll start sewing again...someday.
I love The Avenue (available both as stores, at least in CA, and on-line) - very well made, stylish clothing in short to tall lengths for some items - GREAT SALES - just need to use an Avenue card to get the good discounts but I used to pay with the card at the store and then go home and pay the bill on line using my debit card :o)
I also like Sears Petites which come in larger sizes (I'm 5 feet tall) - they are great for work clothing - and I'll add my vote for Ross also. I haven't had very good luck with Old Navy or Pennys for my style of dressing and have always found Lane Bryant to be too frumpy (maybe I need to revisit them).
Original Post by: wantonfrolickingOriginal Post by: meepbobeepLook here:http://www.doublex.com/section/life/real-reason-ann-taylor-h ates-plus-sizes
and here:http://www.dynamist.com/weblog/archives/003007.html
The above articles explain some of the practical difficulties, beyond the extra cost. If you're in one of the larger sizes, it makes more sense to buy your clothes online, and find a good tailor [or a clothes catalog that asks for tailoring measurements as opposed to the weird sizing system we have now].
"That might be a good thing, though, because it's better to try on clothes at home."
Why?! Is it because since we're overweight we're supposed to feel uncomfortable shopping in public? Or is it so we don't have to go out of the house at all?
Just because you're overweight doesn't make you anything but average, as was pointed out in the article. There should not be any shame involved, and you should be able to act as a normal person would, enjoying shopping at malls and having fun with friends.
I thought Calorie Count has been fairly body-positive, which is why I chose to join this community, but seeing lines like that make me wonder if it's run by some shamed ex-fat people.
I wrote that line about trying on clothes at home. I said it, and it applies to everyone, because when you're at home, the light is better, you can sit down to see if pants pull or gap, you can try the item with clothes in your wardrobe to see if it works, you can even bring it to the dressmaker to see if it's worth altering. You can also take the purchase-decision out of the impulse category. Calorie Count is body positive but every-body has some figure "flaw". For instance, I am 4'11" and I can name the items that I have not had to hem - pants, skirts, coats, sleeves, name it - but so what?
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Look here:http://www.doublex.com/section/life/real-reason-ann-taylor-h ates-plus-sizes
and here:http://www.dynamist.com/weblog/archives/003007.html
The above articles explain some of the practical difficulties, beyond the extra cost. If you're in one of the larger sizes, it makes more sense to buy your clothes online, and find a good tailor [or a clothes catalog that asks for tailoring measurements as opposed to the weird sizing system we have now].