‘Life doesn’t end once you breach a size 18’ – there’s better fat girl fashion on the high street than you think

As well as being a critic of the norms and limits of plus-size fashion, I’m also an avid consumer. Not just because, being fat, I have no choice in the matter, but because we’re now in a position to get our hands on some genuinely beautiful things. The plus-size fashion industry has boomed in recent years, and while the offerings are an extremely mixed bag, it’s not all the bleak items of yesterday.

Life doesn’t end once you breach a size 18. As much as us fat babes complain about it, it’s not really all hanky hems and waterfall cardigans, ugly polyester bootcut trousers and neutral colours. I’m a size 20/22 and I look great pretty much every day, or at least every day I choose to make an effort.

New York and London both have adjacent ‘plus-size fashion weeks’ or weekends, not part of the mainstream fashion weeks but there nonetheless, often happening more or less simultaneously. This is simply not something that would ever have been possible a few years ago. The fashion industry is paying attention to fat women and their needs in a way that has not been done before.

READ MORE: We asked fat girls if Pirelli’s plus-size model is actually a good thing

The recent catwalk show by Evans, that took place during fashion week, featured designs produced in collaboration with Giles Deacon and Clements Ribeiro. The visor-clad models stalked the catwalk in crop tops, floaty iridescent chiffon, asymmetric styles and silk pyjama-style two piece outfits. I would have worn most of it.

The fact is, though, that if you want really decent plus-size fashion, you have to go online. Even brands that have bricks-and-mortar stores will force you online if you’re fat. If you want to buy designer collaborations from Evans, you’ll have to go online unless you live in a major city.

New Look, a purveyor of a pretty solid plus-size range, has removed its Inspire (plus ranges have to have cringey names, it’s the law) section from its flagship store on Oxford Street. If you want Forever 21’s fat girl selection, you’ll have to traipse to Westfield or head to your laptop because you certainly won’t find it in any high street branches.

Online, though, a few retailers are doing amazing work. ASOS Curve is just a treasure-trove of regularly updated, not-too-expensive trend-led fashion up to a size 28 or 30 in some, limited, styles. Easy returns, free global delivery and 1,235 items listed at the time of writing make it a one-stop shop for me. I’m currently coveting an off-the-shoulder, sweetheart-necklined little black dress and an oversized lilac coat.

Superstar plus size-blogger Nicolette Mason’s collection for US online retailer ModCloth is pretty special, and just shows what great things can be achieved when real fat women have an input into the creative process. Prom dresses, chic jackets and sweet tops abound.

If you have the patience to wade through the literally thousands of items onsale at Simply Be there are often gems. Their collaboration with Look magazine is my absolute fashion highlight of the year, with gorgeous brushstroke and soft graphic prints, a grown-up colour palette and beautiful shapes. Their collection for autumn/winter is just spot on in every way. Nothing replaces being able to try before you buy, though, which is why it’s such a relief that Simply Be are opening more bricks-and-mortar shops as time goes by.

A word you might notice has reappeared throughout this feature is ‘collaboration’. This is very much where the magic happens, and I sometimes wonder if creating bitchin’ collections in partnership with a celebrity, blogger or star designer allows plus-size retailers to divert all their creative energies away from their regular ranges.

I’m massively grateful for all the gorgeous collections dreamed up by the likes of Clements Ribeiro, Look magazine and new, young designers, but I wish that care and attention to design and detail could be applied more widely to what retailers offer up to fat women. Either way, it’s all heading in the right direction.

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Follow Bethany on Twitter @ArchedEyebrowBR

This article originally appeared on The Debrief.