Tim Gunn, you are just everything. Tim Gunn slammed the fashion industry for ignoring plus-size women in an eloquent editorial for The Washington Post on Thursday, September 8, calling out designers for failing to think outside the box.
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Gunn cites new research from Washington State University that the average American woman now wears between a size 16 and a size 18.
I’ve spoken to many designers and merchandisers about this.
“I’m not interested in her.” Why?
Gunn criticized designers’ attitude toward plus-size women, referencing Karl Lagerfeld, the head designer of Chanel, who said in 2009, “No one wants to see curvy women” on the runway. That’s not going to come as welcome commentary for Tipton, of course, and she is a super-talented designer who did present some winning looks throughout the season. There is no reason larger women can’t look just as fabulous as all other women.
While Gunn called it a disgrace that these women are often ignored, he was baffled by the fact that people wouldn’t want to get into that market for the money alone. “It’s a horribly insulting and demoralizing experience”, he wrote.
Follow Marie Claire on Facebook for the latest celeb news, beauty tips, fascinating reads, livestream video, and more. Despite seeing numerous styles and fads, one thing Gunn has not seen much of is the desire for designers to fulfill the needs of plus-size women. “Pastels and large-scale prints and insane pattern-mixing abound, all guaranteed to make you look infantile or like a float in a parade”, he adds.
But Gunn added that designers need to drop the trends that were established decades ago. “Half the items make the body look larger, with features like rushing, box pleats and shoulder pads”.
To Gunn’s point, picking a plus-size designer as victor to prove one’s open-mindedness ― rather than basing the decision on the quality of the designs themselves ― isn’t what we’re aiming for in a move toward inclusivity.
“This problem is hard to change”, he said.
He said Vogue’s “shape issue” is “no more than [a] nod to anyone above a size 12”.
“This is now the shape of women in this nation, and designers need to wrap their minds around it”.
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Sophie Walker, leader of the WEP, explained that 28 studies across the UK, Europe, North America, and Australia have found that images in the media showing models have a direct impact on how women view their own bodies, and that negative body image puts someone at considerably heightened risk of developing an eating disorder. Empty sentiments of inclusiveness do nothing to right the real problem, i.e. plus-size women’s lack of attractive clothing choices. Separates – tops, bottoms – rather than single items like dresses or jumpsuits always work best for the objective of fit. “Designers, make it work”. There’s an art to doing this.
