Time to think bigger?

No matter our size, we all want to look good, because that makes us feel good, right?  So why is it still so difficult to buy great clothes if you carry a few curves? Marks and Spencer may be one of the few high street stores to carry up to size 30, but it’s never going to cut it as a fashion hub for the younger market, even if they have just appointed a new  - it’s where my grandmother and her other (albeit reasonably stylish) octogenarian friends shop for goodness sake!  I hope Belinda Earl, new Style Director for M&S, will prove me wrong.

A Plus Size Fashion article in The Telegraph, 13^th August 2010, it is clear to see we are still significant and growing market in the clothing department.  The article, from the health section of this paper, shows size has been an issue for a long time and will continue to grow (pardon the pun): The plus- size market has grown by 50% in the last five years turning it into an industry worth £3.8 billion, with 6.2 million women falling into this category.  Demand for larger menswear is also on the increase, yet the fashion industry does not fully seem to appreciate that this is no longer a niche market.

So with such a large market out there why are the high street and high end designers not tapping into it?  Could it be something do with the training we are giving designers, always catering for the smaller sizes?  Are we trying to cling on to the idea that fashion is exclusive to the slender and not relevant in bigger sizes?  Either way, the nation is not going to get smaller any time soon so maybe everyone just needs to wake up and see that those plus size lines could be where the future (and the money) is.  After all, fashion is about the attitude we bring to the clothes we wear, and there’s plenty of attitude beyond size 6. 

Biba and Beyond

An outing to Brighton turned up more than pebbles on the beach when I visited the Biba and Beyond exhibition at the Brighton Museum and Art Gallery.  This could be the best £4 I’ve spent in a week yet!  It was a brilliant opportunity to get up close and personal with memorabilia from Barbara Hulanicki, founder of iconic store Biba.  You get a real feel of the way she changed the world of high street shopping in the 60’s and 70’s and how her career developed.  Great inspiration!
 The layout is easy and accessible so you can get really involved with the clothing, make-up, illustrations videos and, my favourite, a wall of quotations.  A seating area has loads of books and images to browse and a drawing wall for your own contribution. I was very impressed by the intimacy of this exhibition and loved the ‘dolly’ aesthetic of the Biba brand.  The clothing was beautifully displayed and looked timeless – I would happily wear most of the items right now, especially a stripy shorts and top combo which I would happily have nabbed off the model.

//Photography by Lillie Cooper