Retailers say no to plus-size women

As a plus size woman I think it is nuts. As you said why cut yourself of from such a large part of the market. I have never been less than a size 16 and I hate how the fashion industry has decided I don't exist.
However Ann Taylor is not my kind of store so for me nothing is lost there but the trend is growing and it is alarming that others will and have been following. I will not buy clothes online as I need to know it fits before I invest my hard earned money on an un-known.
We already have enough to deal with considering the negativity associated with being plus-sized the last thing we need to be unable to buy well fitting, good quality clothing made to flatter our bodies. And maybe that is the problem. It is not that it is harder to make the styles larger it is harder to make the larger sizes more flattering. The style that looks great on a size 6 body will not have the same effect on a size 22 and the same is true the other way around. Maybe the problem is that they do not want to diversify their line and make clothes that are flattering and fit rather than just making clothes that fit. There is a big difference between the two.

Well I can honestly say that they are in synce with the aging population. Of the 25 closest girls friends I have, all are size 12 and up.
This skinny trend with designers started a while ago as they focus on the tiny Asian market with all the money. That is the reason - Designers are not interested in their version of FAT women. Shame on them. I now know where my loyalties won't be.

Has anyone noticed that even though plus-sized garments are carried by some... generally they are not particularly attractive, i.e., garrish prints, unflattering styles, etc.? But - the prices are high as well!
Tell you what... I'll design a line for you all!!

In restaurants, they sit good looking people by the window too... business are finding ways to associate themself with good looking people, but Benethon was associating with anti-racism and it paid off well... with such a brillant article... the strategy could backfire on merchandizers.

However, I suspect that there is not only an issue of production cost, but also a higher cost to sell it if they have to try everything on... a store should also be like a production line where people can efficiently buy their stuf and move on... you do not want it crowdy with people who do not buy...

In the film 'Pretty Woman', the high-end store loose the sale to Julia Robert and you are happy about that, but let me tell you that these two ladies did what had to be done, the way it had to be done...

have you ever noticed that at the end of the season, the clearance racks only have little tiny sizes on them....that's because all of the 12 and ups sold out at regular price!
oh well. some of us are 16 on top and 12 on bottom....guess we'll just have to shop at two different stores.

Ok, first of all Philippe? If you enjoy being part of the problem with todays society then carry on..........................
Secondly. I used to like Ann Taylors clothes line at one time but unfortunately she/they have joined the ranks of many others (like Philippe) and I've changed my mind now. I don't know why these companies and individuals don't just come right out and say "WE DON'T LIKE PLUS SIZE PEOPLE". That is as much as what they are saying when they say the production costs are too high..........blah blah blah. Somehow they conveniently forget that they are recovering their costs (of ALL the EXTRA material) by us PLUS SIZE customers paying twice/three times the price that their PREFERRED SIZE 4 customers are paying????? We (PLUS SIZE INDIVIDUALS) are NOT stupid! We get it.......................loud and clear!

What about the short waisted, almost plus size senior who has spend her life trying to find clothes that fit. The retailers out there are missing the boat completely. Shame on them!

If you girls took the time to work out more you would not have to worry about this problem. Seems to me that the focus is on the designer instead of themselves.

Kevin, there are so many possible ways to respond to your ignorance, but who has that kind of time? Basically, it boils down to this: you're an idiot.

My wife is a larger girl and has a tough time in southern ontario buying proper cut clothes in the size area in question. I am a truck driver who drives to Columbus Ohio all the time on a dedicated run. We just spent $400 on large girl clothes at three stores in the Columbus area that stocked proper fitting clothes. She came out of those stores with a big smile on her face instead of crying. She has a specific shape which these designers miss. Fashion Bug's web site uses skinny girls to model these clothes and not larger models to see what these clothes look like. Once she tried clothes from Fashion bug, Walmart and Tyler Bryant she set for awhile cause she bought it all! We loved the service the girls gave at the Westerville Tyler Bryant store. My wife needed a bridesmaid dress and got a great dress. They gave a great deal on it especially when I told them I drove 5 hrs to get to the store. I told my wife with 300 million people in the USA the market for the clothes is bigger than Canada and won't be a problem. Sounds like it is starting to change. Not a good idea. So for those girls out there in the market for clothes that size, Check their web sites for the closest store. I don't promote crossborder shopping, but if you can't get it local then make the trip like we did. Sorry Penningtons you came really short in that department.

In an era of heightened awareness to the benefits of being fit and healthy, it seems to me to just be plain good marketing to not associate your business with plus sizes. I don't mean to be offensive, but when you look at the North American diet (men and women), it is pretty disgusting and we need to do something about our ever expanding waistlines if we are to avoid becoming a generation that dies at an earlier age than our parents. As such, stores have a moral obligation to play their part in catering to a healthier lifestyle and this appears to be the case here. You only need to watch the Biggest Loser show to see oversized people taking control of their lives and proving that ANYONE really can lose weight and get fit if they choose. Therefore, what is wrong with these stores choosing who fits their ideal customer profile and catering just to them. Its just marketing......

"Kevin", you sound like the type that works for Ann Taylor. Pity any woman who is unfortunate enough to be involved with you. Sadly, you're just another pathetic media puppet. Though the clear evidence shows that the majority of women wear size 12 and up, not 2, or zero, too many people continue to choose to believe that the opposite is true. Healthy women of all shapes exercise without becoming a size zero because that simply isn't their body type: Beyonce, Marilyn Monroe, and Mary Hart come to mind. So yes, the focus in this case is on the designers because they pull the strings, and puppets like you do the dance.

Pete, please don't hold up The Biggest Loser as a healthy reference for weight loss. The show is a gimmick. Contestants use excessive daily exercise of 4 to 5 hours a day, dehydration and other unhealthy practices to lose the most weight and win the monetary prize. Previous contestants, including the first season winner Ryan Benson, gained back all of the weight because such a rapid weight loss is virtually impossible to maintain once they return to the real world. In some cases some of these people lost more than 20 lbs. per week which is a recipe for disaster. When they could no longer exercise 5 hours per day because of jobs, family, and other obligations, the weight came flooding back on! The Biggest Loser is definitely not a realistic weight loss program !

Pete, please don't hold up The Biggest Loser as a healthy reference for weight loss. The show is a gimmick. Contestants use excessive daily exercise of 4 to 5 hours a day, dehydration and other unhealthy practices to lose the most weight and win the monetary prize. Previous contestants, including the first season winner Ryan Benson, gained back all of the weight because such a rapid weight loss is virtually impossible to maintain once they return to the real world. In some cases some of these people lost more than 20 lbs. per week which is a recipe for disaster. When they could no longer exercise 5 hours per day because of jobs, family, and other obligations, the weight came flooding back on! The Biggest Loser is definitely not a realistic weight loss program !

Pete, please don't hold up The Biggest Loser as a healthy reference for weight loss. The show is a gimmick. Contestants use excessive daily exercise of 4 to 5 hours a day, dehydration and other unhealthy practices to lose the most weight and win the monetary prize. Previous contestants, including the first season winner Ryan Benson, gained back all of the weight because such a rapid weight loss is virtually impossible to maintain once they return to the real world. In some cases some of these people lost more than 20 lbs. per week which is a recipe for disaster. When they could no longer exercise 5 hours per day because of jobs, family, and other obligations, the weight came flooding back on! The Biggest Loser is definitely not a realistic weight loss program !

Pete, please don't hold up The Biggest Loser as a healthy reference for weight loss. The show is a gimmick. Contestants use excessive daily exercise of 4 to 5 hours a day, dehydration and other unhealthy practices to lose the most weight and win the monetary prize. Previous contestants, including the first season winner Ryan Benson, gained back all of the weight because such a rapid weight loss is virtually impossible to maintain once they return to the real world. In some cases some of these people lost more than 20 lbs. per week which is a recipe for disaster. When they could no longer exercise 5 hours per day because of jobs, family, and other obligations, the weight came flooding back on! The Biggest Loser is definitely not a realistic weight loss program !

I am 5'11" tall, I wear a size 12 - 16 depending on the cut, but the pants are always too short (I need a 36" leg). So I understand when people say the fit is not right for bigger girls. I actually come from a long line of short (under 5'5" fat over 200 lb, I know not politically correct, but that is how my family refers to it) women where I am considered skinny. Most of my family have health issues not just eating and exercise issues.
It is disgusting that some people would say to a vast majority of the population, shut up, stop eating and exercise more, because they have the right of it and the rest of the people are just plain stupid. If you want to become more knowledgeable about obesity, study it, you will find that programs like the Biggest Loser contribute to even more weight gain when all is said and done, just check out the various hospital related obesity program websites.
Others may have health issues, which cannot be controlled or fixed with a different diet or exercise or even make it possible to implement these kinds of changes. I myself have several congenital heart issues that preclude me from doing the type of exercising that is done on the Biggest Loser. I am on medications that do not allow my heartrate to exceed 110 beats per minute (and that is pushing it, I literally have to push until I fall over to get it that high unless I stop taking the meds and have an arrythmia and kill a carload of kids while I am driving).
I would rather be fat and naked than kill a family.
So Pete, and Kevin research before you make complete a**** out of yourselves.

Perhaps the fast food places could stop pushing "supersizing" meals. I think that Canadians are starting to become as obese as Americans. Perhaps it starts in childhood with poor habits like 6 colas/day which also affects bones, diebetes etc.. I'm sick of the candy in checkout lanes in most stores where kids cry till parents usually give in to shut their brats up.
LETS GET REAL HERE FOLKS!
There ae big people because they are & some because of health issues I will give in on that. There still should be some plus size clothes available. Penningtons & Cotton Ginny are two that come to mind

Jane, I like to see flyers of department store with people of all color and size and I like to shop there because I like to associate myself to this inclusiveness... However I believe that the fashion industry has the right to craft and promote an idea of beauty, in the same way that the National Hockey League (NHL) is making heros for our teen-agers... In my village, they want an extra ice-ring for hockey... my teen who dreams of the NHL wants to be goalie because he can't skate... The fashion industry providing us with their higher standards... and it is OK... There are high ends shops to make us feel small and provoke us into the beauty contest but that is their game... which you may choose to play or not...

Pete, you're an idiot...