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LETS TALK: Design Elements in Plus Size Clothes that KILL ME.

Posted by: Marie Denee March 7, 2013

Now.

Portrait from Mara Sicca Source

I do not know in what book or meeting it was decided that there are specific elements that have to be done ONLY for plus size fashion. I do not know where or WHY these elements run rampant in plus size designs, and frankly, it drives me mad. I mean, I do not see these elements in straight sizes to the degree that I see them in plus and it irks me.

I really want to say JUST STOP. But I cannot, because these elements work for quite a few plus size women, and if it rocks YOUR boat then hey, I am happy. But for me and a few others whom we have had colorful discussion with, I NEED MORE, I cannot, and I just want to scream at the designers sometimes… so here we go:

Design Elements in Plus Size Clothes that KILL ME.

Can I get a FULL Sleeve? STOP IT with the overkill of the three quarter sleeves. Seriously, do you know how hard it is to find a button up, jacket, tee, or dress whose sleeves are NOT three quarter? I DO love a three quarter sleeve, but I cannot have EVERY Jacket like this. Having variety is awesome. And the extreme is something serious too. I either get a sleeveless or cap to a three quarter. Um. Hello. Which leads me to…

Give me Structure. Coming from someone who lives for the Boho Luxe side of things, yes, I am asking for more structure. Can I have a blazer with a button closure? Why must my really cool blazer NOT have buttons and tailoring? I mean, I know that I, 9 times out of 10 will need a little tailoring in my life, but at least give me the option of structure in the first place.

Stop it with the handkerchief, shark hemlines. I love a great high low top. When infused with fashion, it is the coolest thing. But EVERY TOP? Come on now! Why or where was it decided that this was the only finish for tops? Give me a clean hemline or a standard button up option… no need to add length thinking I want to hide.

Photo by Jenn St Onge: source

ENOUGH with the elasticized tops. You know those ones which have a reallllllly cute design then all of a sudden, here comes the funky band at the bottom of the blouse. I have contemplated a gazillion times cutting and cropping the blouse, BUT, aint nobody got time for that. AND then those tops that have that three-five inches of fabric that jettison out from the end of the elastic band? STOP IT.

STOP WATERING down the “plus size” version and STOP making “considerations” for the plus size woman. Seriously. It is rude. It is frustrating. It is irritating, because most of the time, the finished product looks NOTHING like the original or the inspiration, loses it specialness, or no longer has an appeal… An idea? Scale and fit the original the same! We actually said this to a brand this past week. It was freeing.

Out with the BOX tops. Um, I do not know if you have been reading the news, but uh, we like to show off what we have, accentuate the girls, play up our assets, and rock fashion with an edge. While there is a place for this cut, NOT EVERYTHING should be this way. FOR REALS.

GIVE ME THIGH. Look. I love a good thigh. I like my legs and I am not afraid to show them. Seriously. It is funny how I will see a fashion forward or on trend item done in plus (which I get all geeked about), just like its straight size friend. THEN when it comes to the slit that was supposed to be mid-thigh? It is either gone or to the bottom of the knee. NOW, I have to cut the hem, create one on the seam, or sit in frustration. GIVE ME MY THIGH.

Source

Basically, the same elements in what makes a straight size garment fabulous, we’d like to see more in plus. NOW, do not get me wrong, I do love the changes that are and have happened. BUT, I do see a swing in the pendulum and I want to make sure you are aware of where the plus size woman is at.

We are now segmented shoppers. YES. You have your plus size discount/fast fashion/bargain shopper, your plus size contemporary designer shopper, your plus size missy shopper and your plus size designer shopper.

We now have different needs, trends, and price sensitivities (or not), tastes, lifestyles… basically, the plus size consumer of ten years ago is not the same as today. You can see this in the news, on TV, on Facebook, AND emerging in the newest marketing research and data!

I share these frustrations, especially in light of eloquii closing shop, but to let these designers, boutiques, retailers, and whomever else know that we are not a monolith of shoppers. We are now JUST as diverse and varied as our straight sized consumers and wish to be acknowledged as such.

What are some other design elements that you see that are OVERDONE? What kind of elements would you really like to see more of?

Share and Enjoy

About Marie Denee

I am the owner of the Curvy Fashionista, sharing the latest trends and designers in plus size fashion, beauty, and accessories to keep you Curvy.Confident.Chic.! I am goofy, silly, playful, and a handful... but it is all in the name of fashion!

Strangsl

So glad to know I’m not alone on this. I mean really it’s like some designers don’t put any true effort when it comes to us fuller ladies. Why do we have to settle when we are the ones spending our money. I don’t enjoy spending 100 and come out looking like 25.
Canadianroots77

Love this article & all the comments! Here’s my list: 1) horizontal stripes seem to be everywhere… Give me vertical stripes and I will buy the whole lot! 2) completely inconsistent sizing in the same store! (yes you LB!) 3) sleeveless dresses that require me to wear a shrug if I don’t want my armpit in someone’s face at work! It looks sloppy, give a girl a sleeve some of the time! 4) lack of tummy flattering cocktail dresses that are not wrap arounds! In order to compliment my shape, I usually have to risk baring my boobs in a wraparound that does not stay put!!
- roguetamlin
  
  Double sided tape in large quantities.
Brunhilda77

Why are all plus sized tops so damned long? I happen to have a fabulous ass and I’d like to be able to show it off in my jeans, please! And I am not a short person, I’m 5’8″. These tops must be dresses on short people!
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=634432423 Robyn Giragosian

I feel you on the banded bottom tops. They are the complete opposite of structure and make everyone look like a marshmallow. My big sleeve complaint is when they translate a short sleeve top from straight sizes to plus sizes, what was once a cute short sleeve is now one of those long short sleeves (maybe 1/3 sleeve?). Not cute or sexy.

I’m basically echoing the “stop watering down the plus size version” sentiment. Don’t give me a higher neckline or modesty panel to cover my cleavage to instantly frumpify a sexy body. When you design a pencil skirt, make it hug the curves like it’s supposed to. Taper it down a little from the hips to the knee. We are not built like tree trunks that you can just wrap a tube of fabric around (I’m looking at you Calvin Klein, with your beautiful prints, yet poorly fitting skirts).

Thank you for this post!
Jerrice806

Can I get the spandex back so my clothes can have shape and not be a garbage bag?? And can I get a great cut dress blouse with full sleeves and French cuffs?? How about a tailored blazer that’s not zoot suit long and not bag of chips square. and, I need the tops to be in various lengths for height and hems no one length only. I am a diamond shaped so I need the room in the mid section but the tops that aren’t banded aren’t long enough and my roll leaks out unless I have on my spanx. And who said we don’t like solid colors or large print?? Since when don’t we like bright spring colors or colors on trend?? Does every sweater need to be a cowl neck?? What happened to a regular ribbed turtle neck that fits the neck and adds length?? Not every big girls waist is small with hour glass hips, some of are built like a beer mug and would like tone able to fit clothes that elude to a waist, can I get some decent belts that aren’t so uncomfortable and tacky?? I think that’s it…loL love this post!!!
Corvaxlorax

Hey there,

Great points about the fashion features, especially those darned elastic tops.
I was really looking forward to learning more about the artist whose illustrations you used to make your points stick for this piece but no dice — the “sources” used for the images in this article are useless and downright insulting to the original illustrator. The non-credited links to an image file stored on Pinterest is NOT the same thing as crediting the artist or the original source of the image. Would you like it if someone re-posted your writing without your permission and without your byline? Probably not. Please, please, please: think twice before doing the same thing to hard-working illustrators & image creators, especially to folks creating images as awesome as these illustrations and when it’s as simple as using google to search by image to find the creator.
- http://thecurvyfashionista.mariedenee.com Marie Denee
  
  Hello there.
  
  So the first image I found and shared where I got it and the name. The others, I shared the link of where it was shared from… Given that I could not find except from the link I used, which was in Google search.
  
  So please before you chastise me, please, please know that I also fill in image descriptions, alt text and all I can to support those who are creating amazing art. if you happen to know who these are by, please share, and ill list their names and link them ….. I’m all for giving love and supporting others.
  - Dayna Barron
    
    Hey, I know you were telling Corvaxlorax to provide info if they have it, but I saw your comment and wanted to say I found an image source for the illustrator for the second image after literally hunting all day to find it! I found this image earlier in the day and loved it so much I looked all over for the source. In your defence it was definitely difficult to find her stuff even when I had her name. The second illustration is called ”This Body” by Jenn St Onge,
    
    http://society6.com/JennStOngeIllustration/This-Body_Print
    
    Hope this helps!
    
    xxo, dee
    - http://thecurvyfashionista.mariedenee.com Marie Denee
      
      Ooohhh thank you ma’am and I will update in the am! Thank you kindly for this link! It was hard and I’m happy crowdsourcing helped here!
    - Momo
      
      thanks for finding that, I was wondering about the images. They’re really super cool.
Anandadeva

I’m right there with Happymommytimes3. I LOVE, Love, love a pencil skirt. But I’m talking about real pencil skirts. The kind that come down past the knee or almost to the calf. What they call pencil skirts in retail are anything but. Almost everything I’ve seen is nothing but an a-line mini skirt. Don’t get me wrong, I like to show my legs, but not when I’m in the mood for pencil sexiness. But I digress from the real topic.

I am a 6ft. tall Igigi oval(full bust/broad shoulders) unfortunately carrying the bulk of my weight in my lower belly. I realise that my figure needs are a minority – even in the plus size world, but I am so tired of the pervasive rejection of the fashion industry. AND, while I feel for ya my petite sisters, you can ALWAYS have something tailored in/down. Whereas it’s next to impossible to add length to anything without the complete ruination of the look. Even when I was a racehorse thin teenager I still had to wear a size 14 due to my frame. Which in the 70′s, left me little to choose from. Now I’m in general a 2x(depending) and I am completely over having to buy a 4x to get the length I feel I need to look presentable. And don’t even get me started about fashionable size 12 shoes. All I can say is, once again thank God, for the stronger emergence of cross-dressers and their needs as I firmly believe I would either have to become a cobbler, or relegate myself to orthopedic grandma shoes.

Band bottom shirts are a heinous affront and not to mention, make one look pregnant. I hate the deluge of 3/4 length sleeves, but I have come to accept them as a neccessary evil as the sleeves of a long sleeve top are NEVER long enough. Thank God for masses of bracelets. Please, for the love of all that’s good in this world, male them stop producing all those gawdawfull acid-trip and Minnie Pearl country prints. There have been so many times when a garment’s style was almost perfect but the horrendous print made it disgusting. When we ask for more color, that’s ABSOLUTELY not what we meant. Stop calling it a “Kimono sleeve” just because a garment has full sleeves. Enough with the cropped & capris. They make shorter women’s legs look stubby and aren’t all that great for longer legs either.

I would love some clothing with some structure so I don’t have to depend completely on spandex for fit. I haven’t worn jeans in 10 years. And when I did I still had to wear men’s to get them right through the thigh and inseam. Of course, having said all this, I realize that having an awesome wardrobe would almost be effortless if I were independently wealthy. But why should my wallet have to be punished for the sake of style when a so-called average sized woman can shop to her heart’s content without breaking the bank. Whewwwww! Thanks for that and keep up the fabulous work representing us.
- Luckysmom2k3
  
  Thank you! I’m 6’2 with most of my weight in my bust & stomach. I would LOVE to find nice higher rise jeans, shape wear, & panties that fit this shape. I’m sick of leggings but hate the dreaded muffin top. I’d also love to find a supportive pretty bra that doesn’t cost 1/2 a paycheck to buy! And size 12 shoes are next to IMPOSSIBLE to find that aren’t wide width. Just cause I have big feet doesn’t mean I have big calves! Thankfully my tall skinny large footed daughters have less issues than I did at their age. I use to have to shove my feet in size 10 shoes & figure out how to wear cropped jeans that looked long. We’ve come a long way but still need to make strives!
- roguetamlin
  
  I have a long butt and am 5’6″. I have had very few jeans that are right in the rise without the legs not only being too long, but fitted strangely. I’m pretty much giving up on jeans, they’ve become such a trial to wear, but then it’s either skirts or the laziest of the lazy, yoga pants.
FrancescaG

what about sexy lingerie ? why we cannot use a kind of lingerie that makes us feeling confident, sexy and proud of our body also in different color a part from black?
why cannot we wear a super sexy corset or a super sexy babydoll without feeling out of fashion ??!
http://twitter.com/stpatty3172000 Tara Murray

ENOUGH WITH THE FUCKING BUTTERFLIES ON EVERYTHING PLUS SIZED! And no, I do not want to wear a fucking Disney character or kittens or a wolf on my tee shirts.
Cyndi

ENOUGH with the rhinestones, studs, rivets, and overdone “bling” on EVERYTHING!!!! Don’t even get me started on lace. And… Could “designers” NOT add an extra piece of fabric at the bottom of every top?!?!?! I look at a top in the store, thinking it’s cute, then notice the extra seam 2-4 in from the bottom. Did they “forget” to make these items the correct length?
http://sleeptalkwithme.wordpress.com/ crookedfinger

I think I might be the target buyer for the elastic hemmed bubble shirts…I have a big roll over my bellybutton (over the waistline of any pants I wear), so the bubble bottom on those keeps the fabric from sucking onto my skin, which I much prefer over having my roll highlighted by fabric stretched tight over it.

But anyway, my pet peeve is the lack of proper-length shirts. There seems to be a large gap between one end of the spectrum (the short-length ones that let my belly roll fall out the bottom) and the other (the long tunic-length shirts that cover my butt and make me look like a little kid wearing mommy’s clothes). I want neither my flesh falling out of a top or my beautiful butt covered by one. I have an average-length torso, so why are the shirt lengths so wonky?

Also, there have been way, way too many times when I’ve liked the shape of a piece of clothing, but have had it ruined by sequins or rhinestones. Or my second biggest clothing pet peeve, WORDS ACROSS THE BUTT. I’m all for being flirty and showing off my butt in cute panties, but WHY OH WHY does there need to be words on it? I can pretty much guarantee that anyone looking at my butt while I’m in panties is not looking there for the reading material.
Catwalkfierce

Yes I hate the elasticized blouse and TARGET has that bad in their plus size section…..there are a few others like the jeans that are too big in the crotch area because they didn’t reformat the seat area or the same 3/4 length blazers with rouching on the sleeves….that is not hot….since I have been researching the plus size industry as a stylist and a designer and not just a consumer I have become utterly disgusted…..
- DJ
  
  Hi Cat,
  Where are you located? I am a plus size fit model. Maybe we should chat. Are you starting a line or do you work for someone currently?
  
  DJ
juliette

This was so on target! I’m 5′ 8 and I have to HEM almost every skirt I buy. So ridiculous! Same goes for tops and jackets – I want tops and jackets that don’t hang down to mid-thigh – what is that about?! I have never worn a tunic and never will. ‘I’ve always liked tailored, structured clothing and yes, I have always been plus size. I’ve spent more money at the tailor than I can count. I hope that someone is listening.
amandajaykay

Puffy short sleeves on everything. Why do I want to make the thickest part of my arm look bigger?
juliette

I’ve just been reading the comments and notice that many like the longer skirts! I’ve found that the more upscale brands – like Calvin Klein, Michael Kors, Ralph Lauren, Jones New York etc – do cut their skirts and dresses longer than the brands like Asos Curve and Torrid. They can be pricey but you can catch really nice items on sale at the department stores – Macys has a sale almost every weekend and there are generally great markdowns later in the season.
http://www.facebook.com/nikkig66 Nikki Gomez

I hate strange cut outs in shirts. Why do my shoulders have to be exposed? Can I have a complete shirt? Plus designers and retailers have been doing the weird cut outs in shirts for over 10 years now! I am aware that it may have “came back” into fashion during that time but, I am sure it’s ended and yet, I still see the damn cut outs.

Also, why do plus size jeans get weird embroidery, studs and embellishments that straight size jeans don’t get? That has been driving me crazy for the better part of a DECADE now. Can I just have whatever the straight size shopper has in MY SIZE? No changes please!
- Momo
  
  YES! The embroidery and rhinestones and all that ….WHY WHY WHY?
http://www.facebook.com/purr.bren.1 Purr Bren

i am tired of seeing floral patterns on everything..can we please have some regular clothes? everytime i go into a plus size section in every store it only has flowery patterns..im sorry i like some..but not on every piece of clothing i own. Give me the same looks as the regular sizes..instead they give me the frumpy elastic bottom flower pattern shirts..all in different colors. ugghh so frustrating!
- Momo
  
  I think so when people look at you they are distracted and made dizzy by your busy flower shirt and they won’t notice how heavy you are. Like some kind of weird camouflage.
Brandise

I hate the ovesized patterns, Jeans that aren’t well fitting, crotches in pants that are too long. Basically, I dont want to look like I am 60…and yes I agree that I want the same scale and fitting as what I have seen in smaller sizes. ugh!
- Momo
  
  the crotch that looks like a clown or something! That drives me NUTS. And then when you sit it bunches up due to the seams and zipper etc. and looks like you have a giant penis. It’s so rude! Why on earth is the inseam so LONG?
Brandise

and the elasticized blouse is NOT FLATTERING on any plus sized woman….
Missmolly85

My biggest pet peeve is not being able to find plus sizes in talls even in the plus size stores. I am 5’10″ and have extra long legs so I’ve always needed to buy talls in pants and jeans. I hate ordering online, I want to try them on in the stores! It almost seems as if stores assume all plussize women are short. It’s so frustrating!
- Momo
  
  I can send you all my pants since I’m short and have to hem them all up myself! I seem to have no end of really long legged pants in plus sizes. Depends on what you mean by “short”, though. like if you mean 5 foot 4 or something, I’m shorter than that so that’s tall to me;)
- Dj
  
  Missy, you are right…. the plus size industry believes the AVERAGE height of a PLUS SIZE woman is 5’5″!! I can say this with certainty, since I am a plus size fit model. It is frustrating to me as well, since I am 5’8″. I fight hard for us plus size girls in all my fittings, but sometimes it’s a fight to the death. I say, “you can always make things shorter, but it difficult to make things grow in your closet!”. My suggestion to you is write letters and/or email the stores about your concerns. Address your letters to the CEO’s or PRESIDENTS or BUYERS or the retailers you frequent. They don’t like negative feedback since it directly affects their bonuses. They will take steps to improve and address your concerns. Get all your tall friends to do the same thing. I can tell you as a plus size insider, this does work!
  
  Good Luck!
  
  DJ
  - http://twitter.com/mPowerServices Lynda C.
    
    Sorry ladies but the average height of a woman in the US is 5’4″-5’7″. I’m that average lady so I can usually get my pants right off the rack in the right length. But that being said, I do see a lot of petites and rarely any tall pants. I know many taller women who can’t buy clothes off the rack hardly anywhere. After 5’7″ it becomes a chore. One of my best friends is a BBW who is 6’3″ and she doesn’t even bother trying to get any pants off the rack anywhere. I can’t understand why they can’t accommodate at lest up to 5’9″-5’10″ in all stores.
http://www.curvesbecomeher.wordpress.com/ Aarti Olivia

you hit the nail on the spot with this post for me Marie!
I live in Singapore and the average size of a Singaporean girl is a UK size 6-8.
However there ARE us plus sized girls on this little island and many stores try to ‘accomodate’
to our size but really, they’re not helping one bit! Long sleeves, flimsy fabrics, weird hemlines,
bad tailoring – its really hard to find good clothing for my UK 18 size body so I usually stick to purchasing online, but even then, its slim pickings to find something of good quality that does not burn a huge hole in your wallet. Plus I don’t want to Only shop in one or two stores online..its very limiting.
I love styles in regular stores but I’d never see them on an outfit catered to my size! Plus I live in a hot & humid country, why do I have to suffer in uncomfortable layers of clothing because Im bigger? I think we need a lot more variations, choices, accessibility to what we have.
I AM thankful for access to brands online within the region (namely Australian, thats quite a distance though), I didn’t have these options a decade ago. But like you said, our niche market is expanding in so many ways and frankly it can be a really exciting time for plus size fashion if retailers and designers take into account what we would like to see. Just like regular fashionistas would like clothing of good quality and a diverse range of options, so do we! Fashion is ‘disposable’ as in constantly evolving so all fashion niche markets ought to take that into account. Thank you for bringing this up! Its been a real sore point for me frankly, having to put up with shop owners dishing me their ugliest outfits in the most unflattering patterns just because I am not of the average local size.
TheLadyApryle

Pet peeve #1 I’m at a “plus-sized” specialty store and have to machete my way through a sea of flimsy thin t- shirting and shapeless 3/4 length sleeved smockery, only to find 1 craveable top – and it’s been sprinkled w/ nonsensical bugle beads or crystals. Apparently, to a plus sized woman shiny bits dancing across her bosom sku’s as pretty.
BrrrBRRRR

I am a petite and I find that plus sizes clothing designers assume that we are tall and have big boobs. Often times, I feel like I am a little girl playing dress up in her Mother’s clothes. I would prefer better tailoring and designers/manufacturers not assuming that I want to cover everything up. I wear a lot of mini skirts, cropped pants and 3/4 sleeves since they fit me better than clothing designed for average height women. I also have a good tailor.Truthfully, it is harder for me to find well fitting clothing due to my height than being a size 24. Having said that plus sizes have come a long way since the 70s. At least, there is better variety out there in price, quality and styles available. I dearly would have loved something like Torrid to have been around when I was a teenager.
TiLaJax

I hate tie in the back. Why does plus size = maternity. I would like to see more tailored pieces, more nipped in at the waist. And high waisted bikinis <3
- Momo
  
  Freaking maternity stuff has more style than plus sized. When I was pregnant I was like, wow, look at all these awesome clothes! They fit me and they have neato panels and are so comfortable. I still wear maternity shirts sometimes just because they’re so dang comfy.
DraClaudiaD

hate that my pants have no pockets…
Ebony G

I get the impression from many plus size designers and retailers that they think the majority of women who are plus size… are age 40 and above. Besides Torrid, I have a difficult time finding clothes that don’t make me look like I have aged 15 years. I am 27 and I want to dress like I am.

Another one is finding jeans that are sturdy enough for my thighs. You know? That inner thigh friction wears at the inside of my jeans.
And I’ve came across some websites that have sexy plus size clothing and all of the dresses had the SAME silhouette. Tight, low v-neck, ruching over 80% of the dress, if not 100%, and just super short!
- Momo
  
  And 40 isn’t even so old that you want to look like a grandma. 13 years from now you will be 40 — it isn’t very long! Trust me at 40 you will still be yourself and still want to be stylish.
http://www.facebook.com/christina.jacobson Christina Jacobson

don’t know how to delete this post..sorry
http://www.facebook.com/christina.jacobson Christina Jacobson

would like to thank you for this article. I have been upsetting those poor plus size store clerks for yrs now with my incessant bitching. I’m in-between 24-32 depends & petite & so beyond frustrated with pants!! Where is it written that the bigger the waist the bigger the pant leg??? By the time you get to a size 24 (& don’t even think about a 32) the legs are so wide they look like big billowing skirts on each leg. No one has legs this big.. I’ve looked!! If I don’t want to wear leggings every damn day I have to, not only have the pants hemmed but have the legs taken in. I am hopeless with a needle & thread. I have to spend 2X on alterations than I did on buying it in the first place. Who has enough $ for this? Also may all the elastic bottomed shirts, & “bling” everything burn in hell for all of fashion eternity!!! Thank u. U rock!
- Momo
  
  ROFL so true! The giant pant legs! And what’s with PLEATS???? Seriously are these clothes being designed by monkeys?
Jennie Didier

I am sick of everything being black. Give me color; give me texture; give me pattern!I It floors me to walk through the average sizes and see all these cute colors and patterns and then get to the Plus area and see black and black and ummm black
Joan

Oh yes! True words. My pet peeves are those gigantic matronly flower prints a grandma wouldn’t wear and clothes lacking form. I do not want to look like a giant flower blob!
Autumn

One more thing…why isn’t plus size clothing affordable? Regular size clothing can be very affordable, but anything fashionable and cute for plus sizes is like $40 for a damn shirt. It’s annoying.
http://www.facebook.com/hrmortcia Morte Portney

I’ve been following the comments here since the post was made. I see tall gals unable to find clothes, as a dead average height (5’6″) *I* can’t find clothes, petite gals unable to find clothes, busty gals unable to find clothes, less busty gals unable to find clothes, as a busty but moderately so (DDD and yes that’s moderate) *I* can’t find clothes. Some of us hate prints, some of us hate solids, some of us hate bright colors and some of us hate black. Some of us hate sleeveless, some of us hate 3/4 length sleeves etc etc…

What I’m hearing is NO ONE can find plus size clothes that fit consistently in styles they like, colors they like, prints they like. Let’s not even talk about quality fabric and construction at a reasonable price point. Maybe if retailers stopped making clothes for imaginary women and provided well made clothes in a variety of styles (b/c that’s a big part of the problem, you go into LB (for example) and aside from a few pieces there’s only one style/look available. When i walk through the straight sizes to get to the teeny tiny plus size section at Macy’s I see, casual, formal, mature, youthful, you name it! styles in the under 18W racks) they’d see how quickly we bought it and realize that we’re real people, with real money to spend.

I am just so sick of feeling thankful any time I find ANYTHING that fits me that I like!
- Momo
  
  When I find something that fits and is comfortable, I usually buy 8 of it. I found one style of pants once and got about 8 pairs I kid you not. I hate shopping so much.
http://www.facebook.com/tracy.mccomber Tracy Mccomber

WoW! Everything I ever wanted to say has been said…what a great place I have found, finally people who understand how hard it is to find unique/stylish/fashion forward plus size clothes! I love fashion and have given up hope years ago. The clothes I can afford are cheap and have one too many bows/lace/ties/..I don’t want loud old lady fashion on crappy fabric! I get so excited when I see new collections, but easily become broken hearted when I see that there largest size is 12. They are missing a huge market!!! How hard could it be to extend the sizes??? I love the nicholas k 2013 spring collection (actually each collection has something I want) but of course no sizes that come close to what I wear, and if there was, I am sure I could not afford anything!! I am so sad that the plus size market is so limited. I really wish I had learned to sew many years ago, I definitely see a huge opportunity being missed!
- Momo
  
  I got a sewing machine for Christmas…guess what I’m doing? hehe
Izalika

I could read these forever. Thisclose to yelling out YA FEEL ME, THOUGH?? after each one of these.
Shantay

I hate a myriad of things in plus fashion! The over done, jumbo jewelry pieces that all seem to be beaded and clear, printed tees.. every season, and the heel on shoes sold in plus stores.. we can wear a heel higher than 2 inch, also the denim cuts and bland prints.. I’ve seen better prints and fabric quality at Wal-Mart. You’d think they’d put more effort into plus fashion seeing that the average woman is a size 14.
http://www.facebook.com/Goldie.Rich.Pelton Goldie N Rich Pelton

I hate that strips on blouses/tshirts always seem to go vertical instead of horizontal, we all know vertical makes you look bigger and as a heavy person I do not want to show off my fat belly, yet everything seems to be designed to do just that. I’m also very tired of the fake sizes. I have a 3x dress black dress (that never goes out of style) from 5 years ago, fits perfectly every time I put it on, so why when I go shopping do I have to shop for a 4 or 5x item. ugggg
- Amy
  
  Sure you mean that? Vertical = up and down. Horizontal = left and right.
  Horizontal stripes can make you look bigger; vertical can make you look smaller. Usually, anyway.
proudbuckeye

Why does Lane Bryant, a plus size only store <carry shirts with horizontal stripes? Can the over 40 plus size woman get a neckline that doesn't have the girls falling out? I want cute, pretty age apprpriate clothes. Everybody targets the 20 somethings… I have more money to spend than they do and nothing I like to spend it on.
Amy

NO MORE STRIPES ON THE BOTTOM OF A TOP!!! Overall stripes – OK. But how many times has a nice garment been ruined with a stripe at the bottom? Sure….like I really WANT to call attention to the widest part of my body.
- Momo
  
  Stripes make everyone look heavy and wide. Horizontal stripes should never exist in plus wear and hardly ever in smaller as well. They’re just pretty horrible.
Peeve

My peeves (sorry) are appliques and cropped pants everywhere. I’m only 5′ tall and do not need a cropped pant to make me look even shorter. And the legs are usually cut so full on crops. On a short, plus size woman it makes you look like a balloon on the bottom. Also, plus-size jean pockets. They seem to just add fabric to the middle seam and keep the back pockets the same distance away from the side seams as with regular sizes instead of relocating the pockets to where they belong. The end result being that the back pockets end up on the sides of your hips, making you look even wider. Really lazy design (or non-design).
- roguetamlin
  
  I can wear them BUT I have a very long torso and am tallish. 90% of women just look short, boxy and frumpy. And even on my long butt, they’re just ok and are as you say, lazy.
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http://twitter.com/kayalim KayAli

I hate that most of the Plus Size clothing has some weird pattern or has a stroke of silver in the shirt. Basically they take a completely wearable and almost cute item an make it unwearable and non-professional. It seems as if they do not put as much care and consideration into the clothing as they would straight sizing pieces. Most of the patterns on plus sized clothing are inappropriate for the individual item that it is placed on. More than anything most of the pieces tend to be ill-fitting. I say hallelujahs when something fits great and does not have some God awful applique on it or some silver or gold shiny mess on it.
- Momo
  
  “God awful applique on it”
  
  AMEN!!!
roguetamlin

The band at the bottom cut is horrible and sometimes especially when you order something you don’t see it. I actually do make a cut up the side seam to make it less hip clinging and looser. Clothes that emphesize my hips are not my friend.

Which brings me to my most hated trend. Peplums. A peplum can be cute on a plus girl but they put them on EVERYTHING and it has the same kind of issue that the above has: it can really emphesize your hips and not in a good way. With a bustier top, this is compensated for with the waist loving fit, but on pretty much anything else, it’s bad. Furthermore you can’t wear anything over it other than the teeniest bolero without making everything look big and baggy or lumpy. Please let this trend go back to the 80′s from whence it came!
angienmaddie

OMG@!@ I have been saying this about the band at the bottom for the last 3 years. Why they think this is flattering is beyond me…. Why can’t the size be accurate, flattering… We are not pumpkins. We want clothes that doesn’t emphasize the troubled areas which on most plus size people are, the back of the arms, the stomach area, the hip and rear area. I mean really, let’s put rhinestone pockets on the jeans??? No, not good!!! Smooth, no bulge, no gathers or pleats…. Wake up designers, considering that over 40% of the women in this country are plus size….. you are missing revenue!!!!!
http://www.facebook.com/tonyaconoverlee Tonya Conover

Ok, I have another gritch….I am trying to get “grown up” clothes to start work next week and all I find is sleeveless tanks (I know its summer but…) or 3/4 sleeves with the damn roll up and button sleeve. I hate those. I am good enough to have either a real short sleeve shirt or cap sleeves. I am not retiring and using my work clothes in different climates and I dont want the loop to crinkle when washed and catch on things as I walk by. I want pretty flowing shirts with sleeves.

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LETS TALK: Design Elements in Plus Size Clothes that KILL ME.

Design Elements in Plus Size Clothes that KILL ME.

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LETS TALK: Design Elements in Plus Size Clothes that KILL ME.

Design Elements in Plus Size Clothes that KILL ME.

What are some other design elements that you see that are OVERDONE? What kind of elements would you really like to see more of?

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