full-figured women fashion

File this under: It is seriously about time. Next week in Manhattan, a group of American designers will buck the custom that associates fashion solely with the alarmingly narrow and participate in the first ever New York Fashion Week show dedicated to full-figured gals. "Sixty-two percent of ladies in this country are fat," says Stephanie Sibel, president of Stopples, the U.S. retail company behind the event. "These are customers who require to be a part of fashion, who require to see ladies of diverse sizes respected, celebrated, and embraced." Plus-size clothing is usually defined as size 14 or 16 and over.

Though the event is not officially part of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, it will happen September 16th amid major shows by some of the industry's largest names. Model Emmie will host and over a dozen plus-size labels will showcase their designs.
The efforts of Stopples are part of a growing trend in the fashion industry to cater to fuller-figured "real" ladies. Historically year, high-end designers like Marc Jacobs have announced designs for plus-sized lines, stores like Saks Fifth Avenue & Forever 21 have expanded sections dedicated to the 16-plus crowd, & magazines like Glamour, Harper's Bazaar, & Vogue have all produced stylish photograph shoots featuring models who may have one time been thought about shapely for their pages. "We've began to see something in the media shifting for sure," says Sobel. "This is a magical moment for and sizes."

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Perhaps a large reason behind the shift? Financial motivation. "This is an under served population who possesses immense spending power," explains Gwendolyn De Voe, a former plus-size model & creator of Full-Figured Fashion, a series of events held in cities all over the country. "Designers are finally acknowledging that plus-size fashion is a billion-dollar industry, they are hearing our voices, & they are prepared to move in a more positive direction that is lovely for all concerned��it's lovely to be included, because you know what? We have never been invited to the party before."

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