Fatshionistas are hip, but can they fit into the dress?

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09 Jul 05:55am

Filed under: Body Image, Fashion, Obesity

So Fat-shionistas (their word, not mine) have come together for the launch of Full Figured Fashion Week in New York, and larger women all over Manhattan are excitedly gathering in anticipation of clothing that is actually on trend and made in big-girl-friendly sizes.

It seems too good to be true after the recent too-small-clothing debate, with UK Vogue Editor Alexandra Shulman calling for designers to up their sample sizes.

Go fat chics: Lead singer of The Gossip Beth Ditto with her fellow band members

Five years in the making, the event organizer Gwen De Voe is hoping to get the attention of fashion designers globally.

“The main objective is to show the consumers and buyers that there are other designers out there.”

She’s expecting 1500 people to attend including retail buyers and plus sized customers all looking for a solution to their what to wear dilemmas.

But the bigger issue is, well, bigger.

Beth Ditto, frontwoman for ultra cool band, The Gossip acknowledges the irony of a fashion industry which holds her up as a style icon, yet doesn’t have a single piece to fit her.

“I know that one year Karl Lagerfeld was refusing to make clothes for women of a certain size, and the next year he was asking me to play the Fendi party,” she says.

“What a contradiction they are! But they’re probably just as big victims of not being able to see beyond the ends of their noses as all the people complaining about it. You have to get in there, shake it up.”

TopShop, the same retail outlet which boasts the Kate Moss line, asked Ditto to design a range for them and thankfully she refused, asking instead if she could design for their plus–size division, Evans (available from July 9 online at bethdittoatevans.co.uk).

And while she’s on top of the fashion roost, while her songs are still spinning in the coolest clubs, Ditto remains a designer’s darling. Now everyone from Dolce & Gabbana to Chanel are making one-offs of their regular styles for her to wear to shoots and events, reports the UK Times. But will this spin off more ranges in larger sizes?

“The truth is, they’re not going to make them for everyone. They make only a few pieces just to fit me. For the rest, I have to make it work my own way. Maybe it wasn’t supposed to go round my shoulders because it was a skirt, but that’s how I wear it.”

So what will Full Figured Fashion Week do for an industry which insists on fitting their clothes on female coathangers? Rhiannon Gammill, who writes a blog called Manolo the Big Girl had this to say to The Daily Beast:

“I’ll say there are more options now than there used to be, but that’s sort of like saying ‘he doesn’t hit me nearly as often as he used to.’” says Gammill. “I’m fat, I have money. I’m more than willing to give it in quantity to the store who will supply me with beautifully made clothes that don’t make me look like a hooker, a tranny, or someone’s bingo-playing grandma from Duluth. I would love to see Kate Mulleavy of Rodarte, a big girl herself, do a ready-to-wear line that extends to the plus-sizes.”

Ditto, meanwhile, should enjoy her time on top. The highlight? That she was actually photoshopped to be larger after posing naked for the cover of style bible Love, earlier this year.

Beth Ditto on the cover of Love mag, it's artistic naked so it's okay alright

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27 comments

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- KimberleyL says:
  
  09:52am | 09/07/09
  
  I can’t help but wonder about the health issues these larger women may have / develop. The issue should not be dress size but health and fitness. Fair enough if they’re fit and healthy and big, or with a medical condition causing weight gain (I mean thyroid condition medical issue, not obesity caused by poor diet and lack of exercise - major cop out) but not if they have a BioAge twenty years their senior. As for celebrating this visually unhealthy form - how good can fat really look?
  
  Reply
- Sue says:
  
  11:23am | 09/07/09
  
  Very funny Kimberley. Because Kate Moss is such a picture of good health!
  
  Reply
- kat says:
  
  11:51am | 09/07/09
  
  i have more of a problem with clothes not fitting your average person, not someone who is obviously obese…....i just fit in on the end of the scale of most shops at a 12-14 and i dont consider myself huge…....very high end shops usually dont cater for average at all….....and sometimes even their “large” sizes are quite small…...not to mention that at a sale or even at other times there are 10 size 6’s in everything but no 12 or 14s’......i just don’t get why you woudln’t make more 12-14s and less size 6’s which obviously not many people can fit into considering they are always left over….
  
  Reply
- Marco says:
  
  12:19pm | 09/07/09
  
  Male fashion designers for women’s clothes are generally gay—every time they have a fashion show they have models that look like gangly 12 year old boys dressed in womens’ clothing—- think about that for a while
  
  Reply
- Malika Young says:
  
  12:50pm | 09/07/09
  
  I totally agree with Marco , back when I was model I was often knoked back because I had boobs & most designers (most of them been gay men) were after flat chested female models
  
  Reply
- nikka says:
  
  02:09pm | 09/07/09
  
  KimberlyL - I’m a size 18, weigh about 25kg over my recommended weight, and run half marathons. I’m a picture of health. And I’m fabulous. Who is to say that’s not attractive?
  
  Reply
- stephen says:
  
  03:01pm | 09/07/09
  
  Great adv. for beanbags.
  
  Reply
- Kay says:
  
  03:27pm | 09/07/09
  
  I’ll tell you what, I’ll stop thinking that you’re fat because you can’t stop feeding your face, if you stop thinking that I’m thin because I have an eating disorder!!! Do we have a deal?
  
  @kat… you and I must be shopping at the wrong store. When I’m looking for clothing, all I can ever find are the 12-14s and they always seem to be out of the 6-8’s. (Sometimes even 10’s)
  
  Reply
- Kate says:
  
  05:55pm | 09/07/09
  
  i weigh about 30kgs more than i should. I hate it. When i have to go shopping for something to wear to a wedding or out to dinner or even to the movies i end up feeling like the scum in the bottom of a pond simply because i can’t find a single thing in a whole shopping centre that could even pass as tolerable. i know i’m over weight- believe me there isn’t a minute in the day that i’m not sooooo aware of this. but when i go shopping i feel so bad that i would pay hundreds of dollars for a single piece of clothing- if only i could find something. So make some clothes that will fit me, i’ll buy them, then maybe i will start to fell a little better and may pick myself up enough to try to fix myself…..as it is i end up eating something terrible as it is the only thing that makes me feel ok for even a second…..
  
  Reply
- RandomQuorum says:
  
  06:02pm | 09/07/09
  
  @Kay - you said…
  
  “I’ll stop thinking that you’re fat because you can’t stop feeding your face, if you stop thinking that I’m thin because I have an eating disorder!!!”
  
  Hopefully you don’t actually think that all fat people are that way because they can’t stop feeding their faces, and you were just trying to make a point.
  
  A point which I absolutely agree with by the way - nobody should be judged for their size, fat or thin, we are still human.
  
  I hope that people consider your comment carefully though, especially people that think fat is always a result of face-stuffing - if you are thin enough to be accused of having an eating disorder despite eating normally, why is it unreasonable to think that there are fat people who are fat also despite eating normally?
  
  Reply
- Jimmy Bond says:
  
  06:38pm | 09/07/09
  
  Clothes can only do so much. If you are truly fat then you are not going to able to find clothes to make yourself thin. If you want to think that big is beautiful then that is your business, but complaining that there are no clothes out there t make yourself look pretty is a little pathetic. I am a normal size and the best things I have are no-nonsense clothing, properly coordinated for a certain look. With a basic understanding of matching colours and an hour at target or Kmart I can make myself look 10 times better than some of my larger friends who spend far more on designer clothes. Stop blaming the rest of the world for the way that you look.
  
  Reply
- Jamie says:
  
  10:35pm | 09/07/09
  
  She is what age and a size (BIG)? In 20 years she’ll have major issues, if she’s alive. Being grossly overweight is a psychological problem. The fashion industry exists to sells clothes and image, dominated by gay men and women who are the last people to ask about what real men want. Whilst it’s good to rebel against the stick thin model culture, lets be frank it doesn’t mean men want unhealthy, fat munters either…
  
  Reply
- Daniel Lewis says:
  
  11:21pm | 09/07/09
  
  I can deal with the fact that Beth Ditto is fat.
  However why she would also tattoo herself, dye her hair orange and dress that way is beyond me. I see a number of similar train-wrecks walking around with the ‘gothic’ look daily. It is as though they woke up one morning and thought “I know, let’s see just how unattractive I can make myself”.
  
  The term “fat pig” is quite apt.
  
  Reply
- M says:
  
  11:44pm | 09/07/09
  
  As a male with mostly female friends, some of which are overweight because they have health disorders, I can understand wanting to look good when you’re not in good physical shape. For those with health conditions, I totally support them wanting to blend into society more. It’s a damned hard ride for them. But I have little sympathy for those who are not in decent shape because of their OWN CHOICE (and then they complain about it).
  
  I’m not only talking about people who are overweight: other examples are corporate men with their manbewbz, party-animal drinkaholic pillmonsters with awful skin, some of these travellers from the UK who do nothing but smoke ciggers all day and watch football while they down countless pints with their rounded shoulders and horrid posture, and lets not forget so many people who live in the ‘burbs spending all their time in cars and in front of the TV watching SATC & Simpsons re-runs and then fall into buying those stupid contraptions on late night shopping channels. Stop eating microswave food, stop driving your effing cars, and GET OUTSIDE or get to the gym or play some sport. Sorry. No sympathy at all. Change your lifestyles, fix yourselves up. No excuses.
  
  Im approaching this from a strictly health perspective. You have one life, you need to take care for yourself: I spent years drinking, popping pills, snorting and smoking. Luckily I woke up, stopped all that crap and got myself into decent shape which Im still working on. I’ve never felt better in my life and it’s improved many areas of my existence. I just need to stop my chocolate cravings now
  
  Reply
- Elle says:
  
  12:01am | 10/07/09
  
  I like the photo and wish to have the same confidence as she does. I am one of the many stressed women that has issues with her body no matter the size. I wish I could just accept me. But deep down I don’t, And i am nearly 40…
  
  Reply
- Yid says:
  
  09:08am | 10/07/09
  
  Wow - go bitchiness on here *rolls eyes*
  
  I think it’s important for these “fashion designers” to realise not everyone is rake thin with their ribs sticking out and no bewbs. It actually makes financial sense for these morons to cater to ALL body shapes.
  
  Speaking as a woman who is probably 10-15kgs overweight due to a medical condition, I have to say - the attitude from the “skinnies” here is appalling. Why should I have to justify my current condition to ANY stranger? I can imagine the scenario:
  
  Stranger: Excuse me, do you have the time?
  Me: Look don’t judge me because I’m fat, I’ve beaten cancer and the steroids have blown me up but give me till the end of the year and I’m hoping I’ll be down to a pleasing aesthetic weight.
  Stanger: Err..
  Me: Oh yeah it’s 9.27am
  Stranger: Thanks (runs for the hills)
  
  It’s hard enough to deal with the excess weight as it is, without then being made to feel like a lazy so and so unless I justify WHY I have the extra weight. I’m alive dammit and that SHOULD be the most important thing. Keep your narrowmindedness to yourself thanks
  
  Reply
- mel says:
  
  10:07am | 10/07/09
  
  As a big girl despite exercise and a diet of lean food, and I’m not after clothes that make me look thin. That is a really ridiculous concept. I’m after clothes that don’t make me look bigger than I already am by clinging in all the wrong spots. I think calling on designers to accommodate big girls is wrong. It’s their art, they can do what they want. I’d prefer if the existing big girl shops would try getting some things young and funky instead of old and frumpy.
  
  Reply
- wendy sweetie says:
  
  10:33am | 10/07/09
  
  I have to agree that the fashion industry was stolen by gay men who secretly hate women and tried through fashion to make us beleive we had to look like scarecrows and young boys to be attractive,anyhoo we are ssooooo over that and now as many girls are big girls and couldn’t give, a new fashion range just for them should be available,big also can be very beautiful.how many times do we see really beautifully faced girls who are real big as well.Go on design some lushious big girl ranges to show them off.
  
  Reply
- Dave says:
  
  10:37am | 10/07/09
  
  For every 1 person with a genuine medical issue you see 150* who just eat crap and don’t exersize but choose to convince themselves that stuffing that hamburger/thai/donut/chocolate/cake/etc down their gullet isn’t the problem and that it must be medical/heredity/big bones/hormone imbalances or whatever else is the affliction/excuse de jour.
  
  People need to take responsibility for their own actions. Its a common theme nowadays but less and less people are. As a bloke who is 10-15kg’s over the BMI scale for my height I now and accept that its my lunctime penchant for grabbing a burger or a pie or the like that is my undoing, but to be honest, I don’t give a crap. I enjoy it and I really don’t want to be a rabbit eating salad wraps for lunch every day as I drive around. So I accep tthe consequences of my decison. If that means I can’t get my fat arse into a particular pair of shorts or a shirt so be it, its only bloody clothes at the end of the day, there is always something else on another rack. There are far more important things going on in life.
  
  I did enjoy that fat shiela’s comments int he article, that she was photoshopped to look bigger - no you bloody weren’t. You ARE that bloody fat. And fat naked shiela’s are not a turn on - even for fat naked blokes
  
  *Stat pulled from my ever expanding arse
  
  Reply
- Kate Ferrett says:
  
  10:54am | 10/07/09
  
  Wow, the hatred and bigotry shown here towards fat people is horrendous! You wouldn’t dare speak that way about Jewish people, or African-Americans, or gay men and women, and yet you think it’s appropriate to be so hateful towards another group in society! What gives?
  
  If you think fat people have no self-discipline consider the fact that they haven’t punched you lot in the face yet for your disgusting comments.
  
  Reply
- Mumma says:
  
  01:35pm | 10/07/09
  
  Women don’t have to be huge to have trouble finding nice clothes that fit. As a size 14 who is still working on ditching the fat from two pregnancies, I find buying something as simple as a comfortable pair of jeans, hugely frustrating. I have one perfect pair of men’s jeans (Urban) that are now too threadbare to wear in public, but do you think I can find a replacement that doesn’t drag my arse to the floor or give me an obscene muffin top? I looked at the Target Options Plus site yesterday and was pleased to see the spring range has some pretty shirts and skirts in it. But when I went to my local store (I live in rural Victoria) there was nothing on the racks.
  
  Reply
- kat says:
  
  03:30pm | 10/07/09
  
  wow there is a lot fo hate towrds no n skinny poepel here…
  
  i have a friend who eats like a horse, she stuffs herself all the time, i’d say she eats twice as much as me, yet she is a size 6-8….and she hardly exercises….so just down to good geenes I guess…...nobody judges her for ordering a second desert because she is thin…..but i bet you if her metabloism wasnt so gerat and she was size 20 she would be judged…....
  
  Reply
- Frances says:
  
  12:29pm | 13/07/09
  
  KimberleyL, I am fat and I look AMAZING. Seriously. My arse breaks hearts.
  
  I have written on my blog about this article: http://corpulent.wordpress.com/2009/07/13/fatshion-and-the-punch/
  
  Reply
- Natalie says:
  
  01:30pm | 13/07/09
  
  Nedahl, you desperately need to do more research on the fat-o-sphere! There are actually Australian bloggers you can approach for blog-bites - Frances above me for starters, and myself (http://www.definatalie.com) and Sonya from No More Mumus (http://www.nomoremumus.com) for seconders.
  
  I recently set up a dedicated fat acceptance/ fatshion blog (just last week) with a group of other Australian bloggers. We’d be happy to field any questions on stories about fat issues in the future. http://www.axisoffat.com
  
  And KimberleyL - I also look fabulous and I’m a size 22/24 and I run. Don’t assume too much about what people can or can not do from the look of their bodies. Concern trolling over health is a waste of time - let the individual look after his or her own health, while you look after yours.
  
  Reply
- Catherine says:
  
  01:46pm | 13/07/09
  
  i think Beth Ditto is awesome - her voice is seriously amazing. I love that she is so intelligent, wise, happy & comfortable with herself. It’s a pity more column inches & blogs aren’t devoted to female singers because of their talent, not their looks.
  When I was a healthy size & weight however, clothing manufacturers didn’t make many clothes for women under 35 with hips and boobs. I’m slowly loosing weight again, but it doesn’t make it easier to find clothes that fit.
  There are other options for plus size women: Target is OK for basics, I’ve forced myself to go into My Size but find their clothes boring, the quality is patchy at Big City Chic - however they sometimes have some bargains, Suzanne Grae and Jacquie E go to an 18 or XL, Katies go to a 20, and have some nice styles & are again often on special. I"m also lucky that I’m tall, at 171cm I don’t need to rule out trousers or skirts with patterns because they’ll need to be taken up.
  It would be awesome if clothing had to be manufactured in standardized sizes for Australians. It would be even more awesome if there was a requirement for retailers to stock certain sizes.
  
  Reply
- Eli says:
  
  05:31pm | 13/07/09
  
  I’m fat and I am hot. You don’t have to think I’m hot. You don’t have to want to do me. I don’t care. I don’t exist to take your penis to boner-land. Deal with it.
  
  All I want is for people who design clothes to recognise the buying power of my fat dollars, which happen to look exactly the same as thin dollars, and make the effort to design clothes that actually fit my body and look good.
  
  I am not looking for clothes to make me look thin. I am looking for clothes that reflect my style and personality, and make me feel good to wear. Just like thin girls or medium sized girls. Just like everyone.
  
  And please, let’s stop trying to dress up your fat hate as concern for my health. Bull. Shit.
  
  Being fat doesn’t automatically make me unhealthy, just like being thin doesn’t automatically make someone healthy.
  
  You look at me and you see fat and you think that tells you something about my life, when all it does is reflect the prejudice and hate that’s in your own mind.
  
  Reply
- Bri says:
  
  09:50pm | 13/07/09
  
  Another Aussie fat blogger here…
  
  http://www.fatlotofgood.org.au
  
  Fat and proud!
  
  Reply