The Rise of the Plus Size Model

With London Fashion Week starting next week, once again all eyes will turn to the capital’s catwalks. Besides the most cutting edge styles that the world’s top designers have to offer we will all also inevitably assess the shape and health of the models who adorn each beautiful garment. While in recent years the ‘size zero’ phenomenon led to fashion houses regularly employing underweight models, I am pleased to say that the industry has at last woken up to the implications that this has had on the physical and mental health on not only the models themselves, but all girls across the country. The turnaround began when ‘The Model Health Inquiry’ was established by the British Fashion Council (BFC) on March 23, 2007, in response to concerns about the health of the ever decreasing size of some models.

This action taken by the BFC was supported by many of the most prestigious design houses in the world. Jean Paul Gaultier started the backlash at Paris Fashion Week by employing a size 20 model to strut down the runway in a selection of his sexiest underwear. When asked the reason for this, a spokesperson for the designer commented that "Jean-Paul wanted to show beauty can be universal…he thinks all women are beautiful and aims to challenge society's beauty stereotypes". From this moment onwards, the Plus Size Model industry has experienced something of a boom and the future is looking bright for curvaceous models. Just this week, ‘Look’ magazine dedicated their centre fold feature on the way in which five girls purposefully changed their body shapes in order to become curvier, sexier and more marketable.

Having researched this matter, I was intrigued to learn a little more about the Plus Size Model industry and how it differs from that of ‘standard’ sized models. So, who better to ask than our very own model Michelle! Not only is Michelle the face of Yours Clothing, she also runs her own modeling agency and so has experienced the industry from both sides. The point Michelle emphasised the most, was the difference in attitude between standard model agencies and specialist plus-size ones. She pointed out that Plus-size agencies tend to be friendlier and not so preoccupied with the body weight of their clients. “When I was younger, I tried to slim down enough to make it in mainstream modeling but it wasn’t right for my body shape”, she commented, “I was just told to lose more weight rather than that I was the wrong shape. Now I am a plus-size model, agencies don’t comment on any small fluctuations in my size, they just check that I’m healthy and happy. Fitness is far more important than weight”.

From Michelle’s observations and the article in Look magazine, the common factor seemed to be that the plus size models were all relaxed and content to be promoting plus size fashion and plus size clothing for women with curves rather than struggling to be an unnatural, unhealthy size. This is an outlook that we should all adopt when we buy fashion. Let’s stop worrying what size our label says and start concentrating on our health and happiness while also representing beautiful, fashionable plus size women all over the world.

Plus-Size Style, From Yours HQ to Your Computer - Part 2

Last week I began to tell you all a little bit about what goes on at Yours HQ within our website team. Having explained the design, planning and photography process, I now come to the dispatching and customer service aspects. Perhaps the most crucial part of the online process, especially from the customer’s point of view, is making sure that the correct items arrive to your door in good time and with as few complications as possible.

Claudia is the girl in the know when it comes to all parts of the online ordering process. Having worked at Yours Clothing for over three years, what Claudia doesn’t know about our stock and the details of how the whole operation works, isn’t worth knowing. When an order comes in, Claudia and her team organize the acquisition of each garment and arrange the secure payment and notification for each customer. Next, the garments are wrapped and packed ready to be handed over to our delivery service and sent to your front door.

From then on, your queries, questions and comments are in the care of our customer service department. We all try to get involved with customer interaction as we are keen believers in listening to feedback and trying to provide a personal service. The main man in this area however is David. Some of you may have spoken with David on the phone or had some email interaction with him. If you ever have any issues with our service online or in store, David is more than happy to help out and answer your questions. Similarly, if you have any suggestions regarding the future of our company, please let us know! We love to hear from you!

Having explained a bit about the internet department and who fits into what role over these past two weeks, I guess I should give you a brief overview of where I come in to it all too! Obviously I am in charge of writing this blog every week in order to provide you with some extra interaction and hopefully some interesting plus size fashion tips. The blog runs along side the weekly newsletter which gives you a first look of key fashion trends in the plus size clothing industry and what Yours has to offer each week. I also update the product titles and descriptions to provide an overview of each garment whenever a new item is ready to be put onto our website. As with our customer service team, I too am always interested in your comments so please get in touch.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this behind-the-scenes glimpse into Yours HQ. Over the coming months I hope to introduce you to more members of our team and continue to update you with company news and forthcoming events and promotions.

Plus-Size Style, From Yours HQ to Your Computer - Part 1

Over the past year Yours Clothing has been constantly expanding and evolving in order to bring plus-size fashion right to your finger tips through our great website. While it may seem as if our new ranges appear magically onto our site every week, it actually takes a lot of planning, co-ordinating and hard work by our fantastic internet team. In order for you to put a few names and faces to the people who make all this possible, over the next two weeks I am going to give you all a sneaky peek into how it all works!

Before we even start photographing the clothes for the website, we have to gather together our new lines from the warehouse and create up-to-date outfits to show off our garments at their very best. This involves meeting with the buyers and discussing what’s hot in fashion and the looks we want to promote. Usually myself and our talented photographer Marzena will decide on these outfits before each fashion shoot. When we’re all ready to go Michelle, our regular model who no doubt you’ll all recognise, comes into our photographic studio and we accessorise and perfect the looks before taking the crucial shots.

While this is perhaps the most visual aspect of our website production, the work certainly does not end there. Marzena then takes dozens of further pictures of each garment so that we can offer you clear and precise pictures of the shape, material and details of each and every piece of plus size clothing. These are then sharpened and edited for maximum clarity before being added to the site.

After adding stock, we try to promote the website and our new items through the weekly newsletter (which you can sign up to on our homepage) and through these blogs. To further display our best selling lines, we often take our models ‘on location’ in order to take some promotional photographs in natural settings.

Having put in all this work planning and maximising the aesthetics of our products, we eagerly await the online orders to come in. It’s always rewarding when we see that certain items are as popular as we suspect they might be during the website development process. Once your orders are processed, we turn our attention to ensuring swift delivery and great customer service. I’ll be divulging more about this aspect of the process and the team members who make it all possible next week in part 2 of this behind-the-scenes blog….

Plus-Size Revolution!

As regular readers of the Yours blog will know, I have often championed Trinny and Susannah as well as Gok Wan to be great advocates for the plus size lady. Last week, the two ‘fashionistas’ excelled themselves in taking the plight of plus size women in the fashion world to an even higher level. Their ITV show ‘Trinny and Susannah Undress the Nation” was entirely dedicated to women of size 16 and above who find shopping for fashion not only a struggle but also a disheartening experience.

To fully understand how difficult it can be to find the right balance between flattering and fashionable when shopping for plus-size clothes, the pair donned body suits in order to become a size 20 and then hit the shops with two women also of this size. It was apparent that neither Trinny nor Susannah realised just how little choice there is on the high-street for the forty-five percent of British women who wear a size 16 or above. This revelation encouraged them to tackle the issue head on and invite representatives from major high-street fashion retailers to a catwalk show of the best, and more importantly the worst of what the high-street has to offer. The models the duo employed were all real plus-size women who were clearly tired of feeling excluded. As one lady commented, when it comes to the fashion world she felt as if she was “on the outside looking in”. Having proven that there was a real need for improvement, designers from the London College of Fashion were asked to use the plus-size models in order to produce a collection of flattering plus- size fashion to present to the high-street retailers.

Throughout the hour long show, several points seemed to reoccur. Perhaps the most shocking, is that very few high-street retailers actually stock more than a handful of lines in a size 16 and above and in some cases, even a size 14 is hard to come by! Those who do offer plus-size clothing should certainly not feel smug however. It seems that it is deemed quite acceptable in the fashion world to ‘grade-up’ a size ten top in order to cater for a fuller figure. As Trinny and Susannah proved using their plus size volunteers, this is simply not acceptable. Garments such as a high-neck ruffle mini dress are offered to customers in sizes 8 to 20 in the exact same form! Surely as market leaders these high-street stores should realise that a size 20 lady would not suit this kind of dress?! Excuses such as budget restrictions and lack of demand were used to defend these retailers. Considering forty-five percent of the country is a size 16 or above there is clearly not a lack of demand. Another key issue which was brought up by the women interviewed throughout, was that plus-size clothing is rarely fashionable and more often than not, ‘tent’ shaped tops dominate the choice they are given. I’m pleased to say that having been named and shamed and introduced to alternative designs of plus-size tops specifically produced for the fuller figure, the retailers conceded that more attention should be paid to this under-represented market.

From this very interesting and positive show, I came to thinking how we at Yours approach the issue of designing fashion led products for the plus-size figure. As I mentioned, Trinny and Susannah were particularly concerned that retailers ‘grade up’ their smaller sizes in order to offer clothing to their plus-size customers. That is something that we at Yours are firmly against. As our sizes start at a 14-16, we exclusively design our clothes for fuller figures. As for the issue of ‘tented tops’ and a lack of fashion-led design in the plus-size market, being plus-size specialists we know what suits our customer and our design team ensure that they keep their eye on all up and coming fashion trends to produce our fashionable range of plus-size clothing. We use this combined knowledge to offer the customer stylish and up to date fashion designed specifically with their shape in mind. So, in conclusion, while Trinny and Susannah are right to point out the problems plus-size women face when shopping for fashion, we are pleased to see that the issues they brought up in their show are issues which we at Yours have worked hard to address for many years. As a result, we continue to offer plus-size women a confidence-boosting pleasurable shopping experience and up-to-date fashion all year round.

Dream Denim…No Matter Your Shape!

Whether it’s a night out with the girls, a hot date at a restaurant or even a cosy night on the sofa, a well-fitting pair of jeans is the answer to so many of our wardrobe dilemmas. Therefore, when purchasing the most versatile piece of all our clothing, it is vital that you know what to look for and choose the right pair for your shape. This can sometimes be an overwhelming task with so many styles and brands to choose from. Well, you need not worry any longer, if it’s plus-size jeans you’re looking for, just follow our simple guide and you’ll be slipping into the perfect pair in no time!

The principle rule for buying jeans is the same for every woman: Whatever size you may be, think SHAPE not size. Most of us fall into one of four body shape categories; pear, apple, hour-glass and straight. Once you’ve decided on which of these you are, simply apply our top tips for pain-free denim shopping.

Pear

It is estimated that 70% of us fall under this body-shape banner. If you carry most of your weight on your lower body (hips, bottom, thighs) and have a smaller top half then you do too!

-To balance out your curves, always opt for boot cut jeans.

-Dark colours are the most flattering so steer clear of stonewashed or ‘distressed’ denim and add colour with your tops and accessories.

-By wearing your jeans slightly lower on the waist or even on your hips you will make your bottom appear smaller.

-Look for large, flat pockets on the back of the jeans rather than bulky pockets or too many buttons.

Pear Shape’s ideal jeans….

Apple

Do you carry most of your weight on your tummy and have fewer issues with your lower half? Then you’re an Apple shape. Apples can find it hard to find to find jeans that fit on the waist and show off their slim legs. So remember….

-Make sure that your jeans fit around your tummy rather than below or above it.

-If you’re lucky enough to have slim legs then make the most of them with lighter shades of denim.

-Embroidery or embellishments on the leg of the jeans will draw the eye to your slimmest parts.

-Look for some stretch in your denim for comfort on the waist band and a proper fit on your legs.

Apple Shape’s ideal jeans….

Hour-Glass

Hour-glass shapes have a well balanced silhouette with a similar width of hips and bust and defined waist. If you’re lucky enough to be this traditional womanly shape, then you will want to show it off.

-Wear your jeans on your waist with a dynamic belt to accentuate your narrowest part.

-As with the pear shape, boot cut or flare jeans keep your shape balanced and flatter your hips and thighs.

-Darker colours are a good option as they slim the thigh and hip area. Wear a vibrant top and draw attention to your curves.

Hour Glass’ ideal jeans….

Ruler

A Ruler body shape means that you have a similar body width up and down your body and may lack feminine curves. You probably don’t have much definition on the waist so this is the area to concentrate on to create a sexy shape.

-To add some curves to your legs and hips, try a ‘slouch’ fitting pair which will give the illusion of some definition.

-To create a waist, keep the waist band of the jeans fairly loose so you are able to wear a well fitting top.

-Avoid any jeans with stretch in them, looser fabrics will disguise any parts of your body that you are not confident with.

-Wear a lighter denim shade if you are confident with your legs and keep vibrant colours to your top half.

-Add some bright accessories for a touch of femininity.

Rulers’ ideal jeans….

Hassle Free Plus Size Swimwear Shopping….Yes it does Exist!

As our summers become booked up with events at home and the winters seem to be getting longer and drearier, more and more of us are choosing to book holidays at the end of the season or even during the winter months. While holiday deals are available all year round however, swimwear becomes rather hard to get hold of after the mid-summer sales. It seems that many high street stores fail to realise that women need to be able to purchase swimwear at all times of the year which is stylish, comfortable and most importantly, especially for plus-size women, supportive and flattering.

Aside from the difficulty of locating swimwear whenever you need to, as all us girls know swimwear shopping is possibly the only kind of shopping that we all dread. If after trawling the rails you are lucky enough to find the elusive perfect swimwear, then ensues the real nuisance. The ritual of having to completely undress and struggle for enough peg space for all your clothes while checking that the curtain of the changing room is not gaping open, only to realise that you need a different size anyway is frustrating to say the least. Of course in situations such as this, when you do actually need an assistant to pop out and fetch you an alternative bikini top, they’re inevitably elsewhere meaning that you have to pull all your clothes back on, gather up your bags, traipse back into the store and find the correct size, only to have to go through the whole process all over again. Surely this isn’t anybody’s idea of retail therapy?!

I guess this experience is at least eased a little if you are the enviable kind of girl who is perpetually tanned, slender and looks good in the skimpiest of swimming costumes. When the majority of us go through this however, the harsh lighting and inescapable full-length mirrors on every wall dampen our spirits, not what we want just before our holiday! What’s more, by mid-July it seems that the prettiest garments have all been snapped up in the sales so finding a suitable costume for your winter-sun getaway in your size and to your taste is near on impossible.

Well you’ll be pleased to know that there is an alternative. When it comes to plus-size swimwear, YOURS can take the headache out of endless searching for that perfect look. Not only do we offer the latest looks in swimwear fashion, it’s all incredible value for money and available online throughout the year for you to order and try on in the comfort of your own home.

Click here to see our great new range which not only contains swimwear but also matching accessories to take you from the beach to the bar in total comfort and style.

Plus-Size Value!

As the dreaded ‘credit crunch’ continues to occupy the thoughts of millions of us across the country, this week I have been considering my recent fashion purchases. Like most girls, I tend to follow my heart when I see something I just have to have but now I am beginning to realise that we can all look great and enjoy good quality with a little bit of savvy spending and by turning our attention to great value stores such as ‘Yours’.

It seems that I am not alone in trying to save a few pennies when treating myself to a new outfit. Look at the Channel 4 program ‘Gok’s Fashion Fix’ for example. The premise of the show is that fashion enthusiast Gok challenges himself to find four complete outfits from the high street for under £800 pounds in total. This includes accessories, shoes and the embellishments he so cleverly uses to titivate his chosen designs. Meanwhile, four experts in designer clothing splash out over £10,000 on four similar look which inevitably look drab in comparison. While the catwalk element of the show often leads to fairly unwearable outfits, I love the fact that he proves all women can look up-to-date and fashionable on a budget.

Trinny and Suzannah, ITV’s answer to Gok, also concentrated on shopping on a budget this week when they re-educated women how to dress not only for their body shape but also how to source good quality, good value pieces that will last longer than one season. The lessons I took from both these shows was that fashion can be creative and fun without breaking the bank and that it is important to mix wardrobe staples with fresh fashion pieces.

This is a theory which we at Yours Clothing strongly align ourselves to. We too aim to provide a mixture of classic, trans-seasonal garments and also some high fashion articles all at outstanding value. I believe that there are four or five items every woman should have in her wardrobe. And, guess what…For women looking for plus size clothing and fashion, no-one has a better choice of these essentials than ‘Yours’!

Here are my top wardrobe staples that can be worn hundreds of ways:

1. Ribbed Bootleg Trouser

The classic black, bootleg trouser, an absolute must for any woman. These are smart, go with anything and with a great bootleg cut, very flattering on all figures. Not only that, they’re easy to care for and the elasticated waist band means that they’re ultra comfortable.

2.White Deep Sleeve Wide Rib Shrug

This gorgeous shrug is incredibly useful all year round. In a choice of black or white, it gives just enough coverage to keep the chill off and hides the troublesome top-of-the-arm area while not interfering with your outfit underneath.

3.Slouch Wide-Leg Jeans

These jeans offer more than just versatility and a classic touch of denim; with their slouchy fit and wide-leg style, they’re comfortable and bang on trend this year. Dress them up with heels, dress them down with flip-flops, the possibilities are endless!

4.White Ruche Front Round Collar Blouse

Not only does this blouse automatically add a touch of professionalism to any pair of trousers or skirt, but it also is right in-line with the coming season’s blouse craze and the silver thread makes it that little bit extra special.

5.Cerise Cap Sleeve Gauging V Neck Top

This top comes in four great colours, has a flattering V neck and capped sleeves and can be worn under any jacket or cardigan. Plus, it’s 100% cotton so is easy to care for and soft on the skin.