Are you a size 0? No? Me neither. Do you ever throw your hands up in frustration at the fact that the entire fashion industry seems geared toward the ultra-thin? Have you stopped trying to follow trends because you don't fit the body type the fashion world seems to cater to? I’m here to tell you that cutting-edge clothing is within every woman's reach, whatever your size or shape.
The first thing you need to realize is that the fashion industry operates by a kind of “trickle-down" approach. The high-end designers, the ones whose clothes you read about in fashion magazines or see on fashion TV shows, do set the trends every season. Their clothes are designed to fit professional models, and are meant to make an impact on the runway. It's not unlike preparing costumes for a theatrical performance. Eventually the major “looks" make it to shops through the designers’ ready-to-wear collections. As well, the prevailing trends are borrowed for the clothing designed more for the general public, such as that sold at trendy stores like H&M.
If you want to dress in current styles, by all means peruse the fashion magazines and websites, but treat these as a blueprint for what you want to look for in stores that cater to your body type. Think of it as research, so you know what colours, cuts and styles are popular this season.
Most models, we all know, are tall and thin. Most women are not. You may be shorter than average, also known as petite. You may have an athletic build, which is notoriously difficult to find proper-fitting clothes for. Or you may have a larger body type, known in the industry as plus-sized. But don’t despair, there are clothing lines and stores that are specifically designed for these and other body types, and they make clothes that are designed to be not only comfortable, but current!
Over the years many have complained that the fashion industry has set an unrealistic example for women, and is unresponsive to the needs of ordinary people. Because of this, the industry has made great efforts to more honestly reflect the diversity of the marketplace, and provide quality contemporary clothing for all shapes and sizes. Bigger women often felt that clothing made for them was designed merely for comfort, not beauty. That is definitely not the case anymore.
If you want to get a snapshot of what's current this season, you can go to the mall and browse the collections of the more expensive designer shops. Once you have a sense of what's "in," take a trip to a store that caters to your body type and see what they have to offer. Even better, you can really get an idea of the choices out there by searching online, where every clothing line is literally at your fingertips.
The moral of the story is, you shouldn't have to feel that just because your body doesn’t fit the stereotype of the fashion industry, you are necessarily excluded from being fashionable! Fashion is within everyone's reach, now more than ever!