Isabel Toledo For Lane Bryant is the Plus-Size Line Women Have Been Waiting For
Photos: Getty
It’s long been a source of ire for women that the clothing options for plus-size figures are pretty limited or, some would argue, pathetic, considering that the average dress size worn by women in U.S. is 14. A study by The NPD Group in 2012 revealed that 63 percent of those who classified themselves as plus-size thought that shopping for them was “more stressful” than shopping for clothing in regular sizes, and 62 percent said they had trouble finding the styles they sought in plus sizes.
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It’s a problem, and has been for some time, but one few fashion labels have been keen to address in a serious way—particularly strange considering that many industry analysts tout plus-size fashions as a major business opportunity. The labels that do produce plus-size fashions, Chanel for instance, which makes clothing up to a French size 50 (roughly a U.S. 16), do so quietly.
Many retailers that carry plus-size options do it in a way that treats this customer as a second-class shopper. “Project Runway’s” Tim Gunn told The Huffington Post last year: “Go to Lord & Taylor on Fifth Avenue, I think it’s the eighth floor, and it’s just a department called ‘Woman.’ It’s rather devastating. You’ve never seen such hideous clothes in your entire life. I mean, it’s simply appalling. Thank God there are no windows on that floor, because if I were a size 18, I’d throw myself right out the window [after seeing those clothes]. It’s insulting what these designers do to these women.”
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There are some inklings that change is ahead, perhaps the brightest being Lane Bryant’s just-launched collaboration with Michelle Obama favorite Isabel Toledo, which debuted with a fashion show in New York City at the tony Seagram building.
Toledo presented options like perfectly tailored trench coats in the graphic prints, lace cocktail skirts, and peplum satin cocktail frocks. Most of the high fashion looks hover under $200, making them chic but affordable options.
“I see so many chic women of all ages and sizes put together gorgeously,” Toledo told us. “But, no matter what size you may be, I think we women can never have enough choices. For me, that’s what fashion is really all about options for as many types of women and lifestyles as you can handle. Modern fashion is about expressing yourself. It is about creating your own individual look. You are your own best stylist in the end—we fashion designers can only offer new design suggestions, but real women set fashion in motion.”
Toledo, who works one-on-one with many of her private clients, attests to have always dressed a range of women, not just the size zeros of the world. “My clients have always ranged from size 2 to well beyond the ready-to-wear sizes found on a rack,” she says. “No two women’s bodies are ever alike. I have been blessed to dress so many different body types during my 30-plus years in fashion, and, for me, fashion starts with [a] woman’s anatomy. A certain body type can trigger an entirely new silhouette or a whole new mood in fashion, a new way of wearing clothes, a new sense of proportion.”
Lane Bryant, which launched in 1904 as a pioneer in maternity fashion, and began to dive into plus size fashion at the start of World War I, is one of few major retailers focused on women that wear a size 14 and above. Still, the label hasn’t exactly been considered a fashionista’s mecca, though this collaboration signals that an image overhaul could be in the works. Beyond this collaboration with Toledo, the label has also announced a collaboration with Sophie Theallet, which will arrive in stores this fall.
