Fashion is Not Just for the Skinny

There was a time was when plus size women were totally left out in trendy wears. They were beaten into accepting the lie that only thin ladies had the right to beautiful dresses. They dreaded boutiques and every other place that called attention to their shape and size. They preferred to be invisible because of the numerous heartaches they've had due to taunts from both friends and family about their ugly bulky size.

The stores and outlets didn't help issues either. They always had a habit of having very thin ladies as sales persons. These lot who had always been praised for their great shape have grown accustomed to showing their disdain for the plus size.

And, lest I forget, their section was somewhere at the back of the store where they won't scare away better looking customers. Many businesses still run their plus size departments this way.

Bad as it was, the plus sized accepted their sentence without protesting. They accepted this conspiracy without a contest. The worst of designs were for them. It seemed like only designers who lacked ability undertook their design. Whereas designs are made to enhance looks, their designers consistently preferred styles that did all but enhance their appearance.

That was the norm until a few savvy business persons began to changed things. Perhaps it was the intervention of fate that made Delta Burke, a former beauty queen, become plus sized. Perhaps because she knew that dresses were made to enhance looks from her stint as a beauty queen, she started a line of tastefully designed dresses especially for the plus size. She made huge profits and since folks go wherever money goes, a lot of other enterprises started attending to the specific needs of this formerly disregarded group.

J. Jill, Plus Size, Lane Bryant and others brought in innovations that gave shape to the most off shape. There was a massive departure from the jute sack designs that these group had been condemned to in the past. These designs used the ingenuity of color combinations, darts, packets and other options to give life to their innovations.

So who says it is a crime to be larger? And who says that looking trendy is only for skinny teenagers? The plus size women now have options that let them bring their variety into the fashion window. Thank goodness for whoever first thought up the idea of giving the plus size ranges to look great in. After all, sooner or later most of us will add some pounds especially those of us on the fringes of slim. And who wouldn't at 50 years plus?

A million thanks for those great plus size designs. We can all look our best at any size.

Courtesy of Gregg Hall