Top 5 Mistakes Made By Plus Size Clothing Designers & How To Avoid Them

April 9, 2012 - PRLog -- Mistake #1 - Plus Size clothing designers don't appear to try the clothes on real plus size models.

I know this sounds silly, but whenever I've tried on plus size clothing in stores, I'm constantly amazed that the clothing looks like it's been stretched sideways, but there's no change in the rest of the design. If the clothing was put on a slim person, it would fit perfectly but simply be baggy.

Solution:  

Looking at a website or catalogue at plus size designs can be something for shoppers to look forward to, but when the fashions are displayed on slim models, it makes the plus size person feel cheated. If the designs could be shown on real plus size models, so they could see how the fabric drapes and falls, whether the sleeves fit real plus size arms, and whether  the length covers the bits they'd like, then the shopper will get a much better idea of how it might look on them.

Mistake #2 - The Sleeves Only Fit Slim People

This is something I've experienced in many designers' plus size styles, and I just don't understand it. The designer makes the clothing wider, but assumes that plus size folks have skinny arms.

Solution:  

When plus size clothing designers make their fashions all with the same narrow sleeve width from the shoulder to the elbow, it shows me that they don't really know any plus size people (who have arms of all sizes). If more thought was given to allow better shoulder and upper arm movement in clothing, it would be suitable for a far wider group of plus size shoppers. This is such a simple solution, I'm surprised it's not being used. Some designers end up simply making "wider" clothing rather than "plus size clothing", so it doesn't suit a large percentage of their target market.

Mistake #3 - The Colours Are Boring

That's right, I've said it out loud. Evidently plus size people are supposed to always wear black, brown or navy. Is this so it's easy to spot them in public? I'm not sure, but I do know that it just makes no sense to have such a narrow colour scheme for plus size clothing.

Solution:

I've never worn navy blue or brown as I don't like them very much (unless they're with hot pink or orange etc), and luckily I create my own range of wildly colourful plus size clothing, otherwise I'd be dressed like someone in mourning all the time. Every now and then I see some new plus size designs which show great promise and bold colours, and it makes my heart sing -- but these are few and far between. More designers need to realise that just because folks are plus-sized it doesn't mean they want to hide or disappear in a crowd. Making plus size designs in the same bright and gorgeous colours as smaller sized clothing is such a simple thing to do, so I'm not sure why the designers feel they need to make the larger clothes bland and unattractive.

Mistake #4 - The Plus Size Tops Are Too Short --

Plus size folks don't like drawing attention to their hip and tummy area by wearing short clothing.

Solution:  

I cringe when I see plus size clothing catalogues, websites and stores which advocate short tops for plus size women.  Yes those same tops look cute on a thin woman, but many plus size women like to dress with dignity, move gracefully with head held high and not look awkward. Many tops which are designed for plus size women are simply too short - no-one who is plus-sized needs to wear tops which expose their hip area and their tummy -- by doing so it draws attention straight to an area of their body shoppers prefer should be discreetly covered to avoid stares by passers-by. Making tops wider - but not longer - is a very basic mistake which could easily be avoided by designers.

Mistake #5 - There Aren't Enough Beautiful Clothing Designs

Many plus size clothing fashion designers don't start off that way, in fact they generally design a range of clothing in "normal sizes" and then over time realise they could be cashing in on the larger shoppers. What this means is that they have no real idea of the many and varied shapes of plus size women.

Solution:

Find plus size clothing made by fashion designers who understand the shape of the bodies they are creating clothes for. These designers are proud to able to provide beautiful fashions, and have an in-depth knowledge of how the fabrics fall on the body, how the sleeves need to be ample, and the designs need to be thoughtful (rather than simply a wider version of a much smaller size). Finding these designers might sound like a difficult task, but I've found  some top French plus size fashion designers who create beautiful clothes and understand the people who need them - my shopping tours take us on a journey to find gorgeous plus size clothing in many styles and designs (you can find our more on my site http://www.abfabdesigns.com/plus-size-fashion-tour-in-par... )

If you're tired of only finding badly-designed plus size clothing, come along and have a shopping trip you'll never forget :-)  Meet me in Paris for a fabulous fun-filled 5 days of French designer clothes shopping.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RC79BAgMCw



I hope you've enjoyed my words and if you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to get in touch - I'd love to hear from you!

# # #

For more info on Teena's Plus Size Paris Shopping Tours, join Teena's mailing list and hear about other upcoming plus size shopping trips in Paris, Sydney, Melbourne, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Teena Hughes is a silk artist, textile designer and fashion designer who loves wild and vibrant colours and creates stunning unique wearable art for plus size beautiful women. Come say hi to Teena today at http://www.abfabdesigns.com/plus-size-fashion-tour-in-paris.html