Plus size clothing is a general term given to clothing sized specifically for men and women of large build. Plus-size refers specifically to clothing labelled size (US) 14 / (UK) 16 and upwards for women, and for sizes over XL for men. Also called Outsize in some countries (predominantly British), this term has been losing favour since the 1990s. A synonymous term for men's plus-size clothing is big and tall.
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Consumer Reports
Plus size clothing patterns have traditionally been graded up from a smaller construction pattern, however many retailers are using statistical data collected from their own measuring projects, and from specialized Body Scan Data collection projects to modernize the fit and construction of their garments. U.S. companies Lane Bryant and Catherines teamed up over a three-year period to source data to modernize the companies' garment construction. Fourteen thousand women were measured in what was the most extensive female sizing study in the U.S. in over 60 years.
Based on a published report, 60% of women in the United States wear at least a size 14. Although the average woman wears a size 14 or larger, the obvious lack of trendy, figure-flattering clothing for curvy women and teens is still evident. Over 49% of women surveyed said the styles available in their local department stores do not flatter their shape, and the styles they do like never seem to come in their size.
However, in most recent years, the world wide web has birthed many online retailers catering to plus size women, including Old Navy Plus, Figuresque, Torrid and more. Researches actually expect the plus size clothing market to continue growing faster than the overall clothing market into 2011. With this growth comes trendy new styles that – at one time – were only made available to straight sized women.
Market
Australia
The Australian plus size clothing market has been growing since at least 1994, with major department stores such as David Jones, Myer, and Target producing their own brand ranges, and an increase in the number of individual boutiques and national chain store outlets across the country. Sizing in Australia is not synchronous with the US; plus size garments are considered to be size 14 and upward, which is the equivalent of a US size 12.
Major Australian brands for plus-size clothing include: Maggie T, My Size, City Chic (formerly Big City Chic), Sara, Autograph, Embody Denim, Taking Shape, Basque Woman, BeMe for Rockmans, and Free People.
United Kingdom
In the UK there are over sixty brands for plus-size women's clothing. However, only a small number of these brands are of UK origin. Chain stores such as Elvi, Evans, Simplybe, FemininePlus and Ann Harvey, and high street department stores carry extended sizes in many of their brands. In the U.K. plus-size is generally thought of as beginning at size 16, which is roughly equivalent to a US14.
See also
External links
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