KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa. - Kathy Curtis waded through a sea of colorful camisoles, gypsy skirts and lacy tees at Lane Bryant, shopping for a deal.



The 45-year-old suburban Philadelphia resident can afford to be picky. As a size 20, she didn't use to have as many choices in plus sizes. But more retailers are finally paying attention to customers like her — if she doesn't like Lane Bryant, she can shop elsewhere.

"They could do more, but things are much more stylish than they were 10 years ago. Five years even," Curtis said. Before, "they figured, give them a couple of extra large tops and they're happy."

As waistlines expand across America, fashionable plus-size clothes are proliferating and moving into the mainstream. In some cases, plus sizes are leaving the outer fringes of the store floor to hang next to "regular-sized" clothes as the average American gets bigger. Where they remain separated, plus sizes are being displayed in specialized boutiques like petites.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, is adding more racks of plus-size apparel in its "George," "Metro 7" and other lines due to increased demand, said spokeswoman Linda Blakley. And the larger sizes hang right next to the smaller sizes.

"You can shop all the lines in one section," Blakley said.

Old Navy, a unit of Gap Inc., carries plus sizes in 250 stores nationwide, up from 55 stores nearly two years ago, said spokesman Greg Rossiter. Old Navy started offering them online in 2000.

"We recognize that the market is underserved," he said. "The response has been very good."

Kmart, a unit of Sears Holding Corp., hired a special designer for plus sizes a year ago. Around the same time, it also introduced "attention," a missy and plus-size clothing line that only uses stretch fabric. Kmart said it's always displayed plus sizes in the same section as other sizes.

"It is doing really well," said June Beckstead, vice president of design at Sears Holding Corp.

The Kohl's department store chain added plus sizes for its "Apt. 9" and "Daisy Fuentes" collections last spring.

Retailers who have long catered to plus sizes are getting into their second act.

This year, Liz Claiborne Inc. in New York is opening five "Elisabeth" plus-size boutiques. The designer, which began offering plus sizes in 1990, already has 28 such stores nationwide.

"Plus-size women are very, very loyal to brands. They have a lot of spending power," said Barry Zelman, general manager of specialty retail at Liz Claiborne.

Charming Shoppes Inc. of Bensalem, Pa. announced last month that it was rolling out a chain of plus-size lingerie stores nationwide called Cacique. The stores will carry sizes 12 to 28 and feature larger dressing rooms with tri-fold mirrors for viewing at different angles.

The parent of Lane Bryant, Catherines and Fashion Bug already had seven Cacique stores as of mid-March and plans to open 50 stores by year's end.

Retailers are expanding into larger sizes because demand has grown: Two-thirds of American adults are either overweight or obese today compared with 46 percent a quarter century ago, according to the American Obesity Association in Washington, D.C.

Among children ages 6 to 11, about 30 percent are overweight or obese, up fourfold from 25 years ago. Nearly a third of those ages 12 to 19 are heavy, with the percentage more than doubling during the same period, the nonprofit advocacy group said.

That's why "virtually everybody" is looking to cater to the plus-size market, said Kurt Barnard, president of Barnard's Retail Consulting Group in Nutley, N.J. "That's where the dollars are."

But it took decades for many retailers to see the light.

"The stores did not want the plus-size woman to mix with the svelte and slender," Barnard said. "Bad for the image, they felt."

Maxine Monroe, the 37-year-old publisher of an upcoming booklet called "Curvaceous Fashion Guide for the Plus Size Woman," said retailers have taken this market for granted for a long time. At least in the past, larger-size sections tended to be tucked away in less-visited parts of stores.

"It's horrible, just horrible," said the size-24 Philadelphia resident. It's as if retailers were telling her, "'I'll sell it to you, but I don't want to see you at my store,'" she said.

Size snobbism, however, is shrinking as retailers realize that outfitting the Rubenesque shopper is a growth niche in the mature women's apparel market, said Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst at The NPD Group, a consumer research firm in Port Washington, N.Y.

From March 2005 to February 2006, sales of plus-size women's apparel rose by nearly 7 percent to $19 billion, according to the research company. That compares with a 3.4 percent increase in sales of women's clothing as a whole to over $101 billion.

Plus sizes are more profitable for retailers. On average, plus-size customers pay 8 percent to 10 percent more for clothes because they go on sale less often, Cohen said.

But as plus sizes become more mainstream, prices should drop, Barnard said.

That would be welcome news to 42-year-old Vanessa White, a New Castle, Del. resident who drove to Philadelphia recently with her family to shop for plus sizes at an Old Navy.

She said she pays more for her clothes, but thinks retailers should change their tune.

"The average is not average anymore," White said. "The average is plus size."

Surely this has always been the norm, but people just haven't been catered for properly?

The only problem with this is that I sometimes fall in love with something from across the store or in a magazine picture but then realize it will not fit me because it's a plus size.

Fauxie said:

no
i remember a few years ago shopping with my sister - no more than 2 years ago - everything was ugly...not flattering nothing
no one wants to wear a triangle shaped top
people dont realize that just because you're bigger doesn't mean u dont got "the" curves (to be more specific i guess) and plus size clothing should have tailored tops and pants too

they are getting better, but a lot more improvement is in order


for the article tho, thanks mach

oh lord, here we go...


I'll just nip in to say I once had a plan to design haute couture for plus sizes. I may still do that one day. If I ever become a famous fashion designer, that is.

And that its nice that women of size don't have to dress like grandmas anymore.

Protege said:

HA!


sorry...just thought the irony was awesome.

CarrieMpls said:

that would be awesome!

CarrieMpls said:

exactly

and about the fashion designing...do it, do it, doooo iiiit!!

SammiJ said:

No, I meant surely the average female size has always been closer to what they're now only just starting to cater for properly.

I agree, people want to look good and deserve the full opportunity to do so. Can't beat a well-presented, well-dressed person. Just makes you smile.

SammiJ said:

I agree. That's why I posted it.

Fauxie said:

ahh yes
very true, women have always been different shapes and sizes, but the ones who were never considered the fashionable norm were always forced to dress like old women..

So fat, old women were happy with the status quo?

CarrieMpls said:

Ya know, not to be mean to grandmas everywherem though. I fully plan on being a hip and fashionable grandma myself some day.

CarrieMpls said:

i am







i think

Fauxie said:

heh.

I just corrected myelf.

It was just the dowdiness. And the prints. And the synthetic materials. And the elastic. It was all hide it all away and make it elastic for comfort (as if anything elastic is comfortable ).
But tailored looks better on everybody. All that extra bulk just makes people look larger and is generally unappealing.

Mach said:

Indeed.

Mach said:

totally

It's about time the fashion industry woke up and realized that beauty is not defined by being a size 5. Plus size women need beautiful clothing too .

when i graduated highschool 15 years ago i had a choice of three dresses
i didn't really love the one i chose but at least it was semi-flattering on me
the other two were horrid (one of those other dresses was worn by two other girls in my class of 35 )

as for myself now... i am just on the verge.
too busty and too hippy for the regular size

i love the store "winners" though lots of great quality stuff for cheap

emm said:

WINNERS...

I tell you what, I am surprised they have not done this sooner, there's big money to be made here, they have honestly kept the doors shut to a sizeable proportion of the population who simply don't shop since the whole shopping experience is horrid and demeaning. Like emm, my bosom has forced me to the back of the store many a time angrily sifting through hideous tent like articles - even as a spunky young thing!!

i dunno if this is only a canadian store
but theres a store called Addition+Elle that has nice stuff too
expensive as hell tho

SammiJ said:

yes i think it's canadian... it used to be my store until i found winners
and now when i go in there looking for a dress or something i don't really get turned on by what they have
but by far the most expensive dress i own came from addition elle... i fell in love with it and had to have it!

emm said:

they got beautiful underwear too
and their accessories!!

i love their models too so curvy and beautiful...

SammiJ said:

but their bras only go to a DDD
i keep trying in vain... i tried a sexy little bustier that looked like it would work... NOT!!

emm said:

yeh, i'm on my way to a DDD too...
finding a bra is like finding the holy grail..

About time. In the past few years I've noticed plus sized and maternity wear starting to look like real clothes. I'm happy for you that need it. Nobody wants to look like Aunt Ethel.

My only complaint? Zeller's plus-sized section is called "Above Average". That's just stupid. Big is the average.

Now that bigger girls' fashions needs are starting to be addressed -how about us little ones? Stores have been selling size 0's and 2's for a long time, but if you look at the cut, they're all designed for someone around 5'10'. There is no such thing as a 6 foot tall size 0. Even a tall anorexic girl would at least be a 4 or 6 because of her skeletal size. And don't even get me started on fancy dresses. My prom dress was a size 6 -apparently the smallest size they come in -and we had to take it to a seamstress to have all the seams taken in and have a good foot and a half hacked off the bottom of the skirt.

Anyways, as things are now I nearly always have to shop in junior and children's departments. Which is frustrating, because where I live kid's clothes actually look like kids' clothes. It's hard to be taken seriously as a 21 year old wearing a shirt that says La Senza girl or Please Mum on the front.

meow85 said:

i can really see your need as well my oldest daughter's best friend is very very slight and has a very hard time finding things that fit her and look nice as well

VERY TRUE i was wondering when the masses were going to catch on finally