Would you like to see a more diverse range of body types represented on the runway and in stores? Unless your name is Anna Wintour or Karl Lagerfeld, chances are you do, and Full Figured Fashion Week is here to help. Starting today and continuing for, err, three days, the third annual “FFFW” will bring a ton of plus size designers, models, and buyers to New York City to meet and make fashion happen. Synergy!
According to the New York Daily News, many events have sold out already, and more than 1,000 people are expected to show up for the week’s “grand finale” event. “It’s been crazy,” organizer Gwen Devoe told the NYDN. “It’s just exploding. Women are finally getting a chance to see fashion come alive on models with bodies they can relate to…Plus-size women in America want fashionable, well-made clothes. We have money to spend, and we’re happy to give it to the designers and stores who help us celebrate our curves.” Indeed.
Now, it’s sort of annoying to me that we still need a special fashion week to represent what is actually a fairly common body type. But aside from a few token gestures here and there, “plus size” fashion has yet to break into “regular” Fashion Week, so we do. We’re also still pretty far from seeing all different body types truly represented. As much as I love seeing tall, plus size glamazons on the runway, neither “plus size” nor “straight size” models cover anywhere near the full range of womanity. I’m 5’4″ and weigh 130 lbs; where are the clothes that look good on me?!
Nevertheless, it’s not a bad start, and their hearts are certainly in the right place. Like Devoe notes, there aren’t that many cute clothing options for plus size women currently on the market, despite their willingness to shop. Maybe someday, the Mercedes-Benz clusterfuck will see fit to include women of all heights and weights. Hey, a girl can dream.
