It took the middle-aging of the baby boomer generation and a few years of tough times for the clothing industry but finally the world is aware that many women come in sizes larger than 8s and 10s.
Not only are there more stylish choices in large-sized clothing but more books on looking good. One of the latest is "Plus Style" (Plume/Penguin, $19.95) by consultant Susan Nanfeldt.The author reports that 1 in 3 women - at least 35 million women - wear a size 14 or larger. That's good for starters. You are not alone.
Beyond that she gives some guidelines for measuring your size. It's a must. Clothes that are too large or too small make you look larger. Based on your measurements, you should also be able to come up with a body type: hourglass, pear-shaped and so on. Then you'll know your strengths to emphasize.
Choose clothing shaped the same way you are, Nanfeldt says. Then look at the lines "to see where they lead the eye."
Other advice:
- If you are pear-shaped, shoulder pads and scarfs at the shoulders are good ideas and flat shoes are not.
- If you are apple-shaped, "short flippy skirts" and unstructured jackets work. Not so a fitted silhouette.
- Wrinkles when you try on a garment indicate a poor fit.
- Carry a handbag in proportion to your body. A small bag makes you look larger.
- Hair matters. A little volume is preferable over a severe knot in back or ponytail. They put too much focus on the face shape.
- Your prints should be in "scale with the body's size."
So there. It's a clever reference book.
- LUMPS IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES. Watch out for those French designers.
In the recent Paris ready-to-wear shows, they were starting to add appendages to clothing for limbs we do not have and bulky gathering where we do not need bulk.
"Mutants," the fashion reporters call them. Garments for unknown body parts appeared at Comme des Garcons, by Rei Kawakubo, truly one of the world's most innovative yet unworldly talents. Remember her extra arm sleeves in the 1980s?
The trend could lead us to extra cabbage leaves, shelves and bows on gowns for next season's formal affairs. You won't be able to lean back in your chair without pain or even think about fitting into a crowded elevator.