Just now, I was reading some complaints about B & Lu, and I got to thinking.
At one point, B & Lu carried almost everything up to a 30. Skirts were a good ten inches longer on me than they should be, but that’s what tailors are for, right? I thought maybe they were just sold out of a lot of things in the higher sizes lately, but apparently, they’re just scaling down. Why? It seems like a popular trend. Avenue is doing the same– half the time I go to look at an item I’m interested in (a rare happening in and of itself), and the biggest size is a 26. Even with Avenue, B & Lu, Lane Bryant and Old Navy, the selection is sparse for those above a size 24. This is not to say those who are a 24 can shop anywhere; it’s more of a tiered thing. 20, 24, 28 as I see it. Anyway, this downsizing of size ranges really bothers me, as someone who wears anywhere from a 26 to a 34, but most of the time, a 30, as I have a hard enough time as it is. I don’t need less people to select clothing from.
I’ve also noticed a lot of people avoid Old Navy because of the veritable slap in the face that pulling plus sizes from the stores was. I’d love to shop on principle like that, but I get probably 90% of my clothing from Old Navy. It’s cheap (yeah, sweatshops. ‘nother can of worms), comfortable and fits me well. The style also meshes well with how I like to dress. I call them often to leave feedback, but I will never stop shopping there. This may be counter-productive, but I’d rather wear clothing I like that is comfortable rather than too-short shirts (*cough* Lane Bryant) and thin, short-lived pants (Avenue).
I think Silhouettes is the worst offender of all, actually. They’ve never boasted anything particularly fashionable, until recently. They have had some really cute stuff for sale in the past year or so, but guess what? It stops at a size 26. So, all you fabulous women who wear a larger size? You can wear their basic, vanilla clothing. That has a fantastic size range. Anything with current styling, well, guess you’re just out of luck. This dress is a dress I would wear. It has been on sale forever, because I guess those who want fashionable clothing in a 26 or less go elsewhere. Their size chart says their 26 is equal to a 28, but I’m not sure about it. I don’t know that it would fit me, anyway, because I really can only get into a large-cut 28. Silhouettes is a company I refuse to buy from due to their sizing. Without a doubt, when I get a catalogue, I flip through it, and every item I like goes up to a 26 only. In fact, most of their items only go to a 26.
So, where is the love for people who wear 24+? Or, 28+? As stated probably a million other places, these people care just as much about fashion as smaller females. Why is this group left to huddle in the corner in plain, boring (for the most part) clothing?
Don’t even get me started on skinny jeans.
