LARGE selection

0 Comments | Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), May 3, 2005 | by CAROL McGRAW THE GAZETTE

[CORRECTION: The French phrase meaning "be comfortable in your skin" is "d'tre bien dans sa peau".]

When Janna Botello's mother started a plus-size clothing store in Texas 13 years ago, she had to use her homemade styles to keep it stocked.

"Manufacturers didn't think women over a size 10 existed," says Botello, co-owner of Full Figure Resale Shop, 1512 N. Academy Blvd. "And when you could find something, you paid dearly for it."

Things were even worse for women who lived in a town with no plus- size specialty shop. Finding those few clothing crumbs thrown to plus-size women meant a trip into the dingiest corner of department store basements to sift through depressing racks of mumus and house dresses.

Times have changed.

In a nod to reality, the fashion industry has acknowledged that women need and want plus-size clothing: About 68 percent of American women -- 65 million -- wear size 12 or larger, according to MarketResearch.com. In the early 1990s, only about 200 vendors catered to plus-size women. Now there are more than 2,000, according to industry experts.

But it's quality -- not just quantity -- that has changed the fashion landscape for larger women. Companies such as Ralph Lauren, White Stag and Eddie Bauer are courting the favor -- and dollars -- of larger women with styles that go beyond the shapeless tent dress and defy the once-prevalent concept that "bigger" meant "older" and "dowdier."

"Today we're breaking that mindset," says Amy White, a clerk at Casual Corner for Women Annex, which is filled with trendy spring prints, tees that show off curves and colorful stretch capris. "A plus-size woman can wear almost anything and look and feel great."

Plus-size customers appreciate the shift in attitude.

"I used to have to drive to Denver to find anything, and then there wasn't much out there," says Jill Bailey, a scrapbook instructor who now shops at the local Catherines, a national retailer that offers plus-size fashions.

"The fashion industry has come out of the stone age," says Nancy Kepner, a Catherines clerk. "When I was a day care director I had to look good, and all that I could find in stores were sweatpants or clothes that made you look old."

Not only do women have more to choose from, they have more places where they can find plus-size clothing. For years, about the only stores catering to plus sizes were Lane Bryant and Catherines Plus Sizes, both now owned by Memphis-based Charming Shoppes, which have outlets locally. Now, large retailers such as Dillard's and Target are devoting more space to plus-size clothing.

Locally, Dillard's devotes almost half of a floor to its Woman's Shop, which includes plus sizes by designers including Ralph Lauren, Allison Daley and Alain Weiz.

"It's an important part of our business," says Larry Gardner, Dillard's general manager at Chapel Hills Mall. "Our customers want plus-size fashion, but it is sometimes still a challenge for us to find it."

But all is not perfect in the world of plus fashion.

Large women say they still feel intimidated in some stores by skinny clerks or setups that don't accommodate their needs. For example, they'd prefer to have chairs in the dressing rooms so they can sit down and see how the garment fits.

They also note that while retailers often stock up to size 18 or sometimes size 24, they usually don't carry the so-called "extended" sizes up to 7x (or about a 54.) Catherines, which offers a more classic look for women 40 to 60 years old, carries sizes 16 to 36. Lane Bryant, which stocks trendier clothes for younger women, carries sizes 14 to 28.

One solution locally has been Full Figure Resale Shop. Victoria Jewell's experience illustrates why. Jewell lost 224 pounds, dropping from a size 54 to size 20 over two years. Not only did she have trouble finding clothing that was big enough when she was at her heaviest, she also couldn't afford to keep replenishing her wardrobe as her weight continued to drop.

One day, she stumbled upon Full Figure Resale Shop and thought she'd found clothes-horse heaven. Here was a shop with clothes that went up to size 7x, with consignment prices.

"This place was my lifesaver," says Jewell, now a clerk at the store. "I spent $200 the first time I walked in the door."

TO CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0371 or cmcgraw@gazette.com

FASHION TIPS

For so long, full-figured women had to make do with unflattering clothes that they sometimes didn't know how to create a great look for themselves.

Those who are still mystified can, perhaps, pick up a tip or two from the following fashion experts.

Tish Jett, fashion editor for figure, a plussize fashion magazine, co-author of "Figure It Out! The Real Woman's Guide to Great Style":

The worst thing you can do is hide under a tent dress or mumu. Use your curves. But too tight is as bad as too loose.

Be brutally honest. Your best friend is the mirror.

Ignore the old rule of avoiding prints. Prints are good. They confuse the eye, so the eye doesn't stop at a particular place.

Don't wear small accessories. Chunky jewelry is fabulous.