Dresses Size 16 and Up: A Controversy

By AlexMcCormick | Aug 10, 2009 | 0 Comments | Rating: 0

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Designers are just now getting the point that most women aren't a size 4, nor do we want to be. The Hollywood women have long been an anorexic nightmare for regular sized girls. Today the modern woman is averaging a size 14. That's right, a size 14 is the average for women in America. I don't have to look far to see that pretty much every designer is now in the business of plus size. It would be irresponsible to shareholders not to be, wouldn't it? After all, when 60% of your business can't wear your sizes, it's time for a change. The problem is that now designers are redefining a size 14. So if you used to wear dresses size 16, perhaps you're an 18 or 20 in certain designers. It's all very frustrating. There are two ways to avoid this dilemma: purchase from designers who develop clothing for plus sizes exclusively, or buy your clothing online where you can view a merchant size chart for each dress.

The benefit of going to a designer that specializes in plus size clothing is they have experience with plus size figure. Knowing the way a dress looks on a plus sized woman is one of the most important things a designer can incorporate into their designs. It's designers like Torrid, Lane Bryant and Liz Claiborne that have been making upscale clothing for us plus size gals for years. There is an art to designing a dress which fits curvy hips, larger bust sizes and smaller waists, and these designers know how to do it. But other designers make some beautiful clothes.

I tend to patronize designers that have been making dresses in our sizes for years. I don't pretend to think they made the dresses for altruistic reasons, clothing, after all, is a business. However, I feel there is a certain amount of loyalty to the designers like Liz, Lane and others that not only made clothing for plus sizes, but made fashionable clothing for plus sizes and were some of the first to do so. There was a point when most plus size clothing were just made in muumuus, polyester and basic elastic pants. The Elizabeth brand, which seems discontinued, was made of gorgeous worsted wool skirts, silk blouses, and divine dresses for all women. It was these who supplied my first prom dresses size 16 W.

Almost all of the major designers are branching out into the full figure arena. You can now find designer plus size clothing in Vera Wang, Jones of New York and Calvin Klein. While I am branching out in my brand loyalty, the only important thing you need to remember is that each of those designers has its own sizing chart and you will need to double check your sizes and compare it to their charts. It's always good to remember that although dresses size 16 and up are considered plus size, most designers consider a regular '16' a non-plus size.

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