What Do Plus-Size Women Really Want to See in Fashion Advertising?

One Woman’s Experience

By Michelle Renee Krehl, Guest Contributor at Elegant Plus Magazine

I was recently given the opportunity to participate in something I had often been curious about, a plus-size focus group being held by a major ad agency. I was excited to have the chance to let my voice be heard. I was also looking forward to hearing what other women in my demographic had to say regarding plus-size fashion and advertising. The women in the group were between the ages of 18 and 40, with the majority of the women appearing to be in their 20’s and 30’s. We all had been selected based on our interest in fashion, and the amount of time and money we spent on our wardrobes, as well as our interest in some designers and companies for full-figures that are considered more fashion forward.

The group was meeting in a “party” atmosphere. There was food and music, and the setting was rather festive. I am sure it provided a comfortable backdrop to the discussions we were having with women who were, for all intensive purposes, strangers. I always find it interesting that there is an immediate kinship between plus-sized women, especially when the conversation turns to fashion or shopping. Within 5 minutes of my arrival I had integrated myself easily into a group that was soon chatting away like we had known each other forever. We talked about how hard it is to find the perfect pair of plus-size jeans, and how frustrating it is when clothing options look more like tents than dresses… the usual issues that curvy women have.

We were introduced to a fashion expert who was a consultant and personal shopper. She had several mannequins dressed in plus fashions from local retailers. They were dressed in different styles: casual, trendy, business, etcetera and we were invited to share our opinions about the styles and choices.

We were invited to have something to eat and drink and to socialize with the other guests and the ad people circulated and talked with us as well. On one wall was a very large collage of magazine tears of all different types of fashion ranging from lingerie to casual to dressy, some plus, some not, including shoes and accessories. We were given Sharpies and told to write our feelings and comments all over it. I intentionally was one of the last women to look at the collage, as I wanted to read the comments that the other women had written. It was very interesting. People wrote what they loved and what they hated, how they felt about the models and the designs and everything you can imagine.

“This looks trashy!”

“Very sophisticated.”

“I would not be caught dead in this.”

“Boring.”

“Even my Grandma would not wear this.”

“Simple, but classy.”

I will say something that does contradict what I often hear and read from women who say they want to see plus-size clothing modeled by larger women. I was one of the smaller women in the group that day. (I am a size 16.) Most were also a bit more conventional than I am in style and sense of fashion, as I tend to be a bit of a fashion “risk taker,” and a bit more trendy and eclectic. When shown images of larger plus models (I am speaking of a size range around 18-20) no matter what they were wearing, they received less favorable comments than the  smaller plus models in the size 12-16 range. Some that I recognized were Crystal, Kate, Ivory and Nicole (the gorgeous plus model featured recently in a  Fruit of the Loom ad in a pink bra) who were all given much praise no matter what they had on. But, most of these participants were not women familiar with plus models by name and therefore did not like them because they recognized or admired them. (This reminds me that everyone is not as aware of the models’ identities as I am as an industry insider!)

One shot in particular had a model who appeared to be about a size 18/20 in a very cute dress, which was above knee in length.  Most of the women felt she was too big for the style and that it looked unflattering. For the record, I found it very appealing. They also thought that many of the images of the larger models in lingerie were not attractive, while the straight models in lingerie had favorable comments. This showed to me that the same women who had complained that the models should reflect a more realistic image or portrayal of “real women” maybe do not actually feel that way when they were confronted with the reality of a larger model, even if they do not realize it.

Later a few of us were invited to interview on camera; we were also taken shopping and given $125 to spend on whatever we wanted, and they came along and watched what we bought. I bought two tanks, two other tops and a jacket at Old Navy and a top and a necklace at Torrid. It was also interesting to see that when shopping many women were often selecting sizes smaller than what they needed.  If they felt they were a size 20, for example, and could not get into the 20, they would often not buy or even try it in a larger size.

After we were finished shopping I was asked to be a part of a longer termed study, which included keeping a fashion diary, and taking photographs of ourselves and whatever we chose while shopping or just in our daily lives. It was fun and interesting. After we were done keeping the diary and taking the photos we sent them to the advertising agency and they later returned them to us with compensation for participating. All in all it was a fun and eye-opening experience. I can definitely see how the images we are given in the media in plus-size fashion advertising are selected after first hand participation in this type of study.

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About the Author

Michelle Renee is a plus-size model in Los Angeles. She has modeled for many local companies such as The Greater L.A. Woman, Plus by Design, Zaftique, Big on Batik, and many more. She is represented by Peak Models and Talent, L.A. She is also an Early Childhood teacher in a private non-profit program.

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News has recently broken that Old Navy will no longer be carrying plus-size clothing in their brick and mortar stores, although will continue to do so on-line.  They say the line has not done well, and as their parent company Gap, Inc. continues to struggle with its bottom line, this news follows on the heels of the closure of their Forth and Towne concept (which incidentally carried up to size 20) in an attempt to shore up their core company.  They are keeping The Gap and Banana Republic concepts open in addition to Old Navy.  The practice of carrying more extended sizes on-line than in-store is used in both these stores as well.

 On the surface this appears to be good business sense, but the announcement seems  to be setting off a firestorm of protest across the plus-size community.  Why?

Let’s look at some of the criticism of this business move:

1.  Although technically available in stores to try on, feel and purchase, the reality is that the Old Navy plus-size clothes line was only available in a very, very few locations.  Furthermore, the racks tended to be pushed back to small corners of these stores so consumers didn’t know they were there.  And marketing of the plus-size line was barely existent. How were customers to know that there were clothes available in sizes up to 4X at any of their plus catering locations?  Of course numbers weren’t good, in spite of a consumer population that could easily give them good numbers.

2.  Across many chat groups that are ablaze with the topic, the issue of fit keeps coming up.  It seems the Old Navy plus line didn’t hit the mark with fit, with many people referencing the straight size Old Navy line which goes up to XXL and is staying in stores as fitting better.  Since many full-figured consumers wear between a size 14 and 20, many of those customers have been sticking with the regular line for fit reasons.  The question then raised is the business problem not the “plus-size” concept but rather lack of understanding of the target customer’s needs?  Might a little more time and money invested in issues of technical design reap better sales and consumer confidence? Elegant Plus addressed this lack of understanding within the corporate apparel world in our article “The Sizing Thing” last year. It would appear, some things are slow to change, and Old Navy is a casualty of this faux-pas and mode of thinking.

Old Navy will continue to be available on-line in plus-sizes, along with extended size offerings at the Gap which are not available in stores (up to size 20).  To find  these listings and more in plus-sizes up to 34W, check out the Elegant Plus Classic Plus-Size Clothing Directory.

 If you wish to register concerns or complaints about this business decision you can reach Old Navy customer service two ways.  Enough negative feedback and backlash on this move may change their minds, but remember at the end of the day money is what talks.  Shop Old Navy plus-sizes and support them if you think they are doing a good job.  If not, let them know what would make you shop there and be specific and honest about how much money they are losing when you take your business elsewhere.  Call 1-800-Old-Navy or e-mail custserv@oldnavy.com .  Also, please  feel free to discuss, vent and comment below. The more open discussion about these issues from the consumers, the more things will change.

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Update by Elegant Plus Magazine:  The article below was written in 2005.  Since then things have become at once slightly more complicated and simpler at the same time.  The Lane Bryant Catalog, owned by Redcats, has changed names to Woman Within.  Sometime in 2007, Charming Shoppes, the owners of the mall based Lane Bryant, will be launching a catalog by that name.  They are also the owners of the Lane Bryant Outlets, although reports have been that unlike traditional outlets, merchandise is actually different than the main store. Only time will tell if the merchandise in the store and the catalog will be the same or similar.

Also our comments about model size and use of mannequins deserves an additional look.  While most of the critiques still stand, a display trend which seems to be gaining momentum in the on-line catalog world has us puzzled. Since Lane Bryant (Charming Shoppes) appears to be testing this method it is worth further examination.  What is up with real models with their heads cut off?  Our experience is that unlike models depicted in real-life settings or in high fashion style shots, this presentation style leaves customers as cold as mannequin and off-figure dispay - probably at twice the cost to the company using it.  This type of presentation makes it impossible for the consumer to project themselves into the role of model and envision themselves wearing a garment.  No doubt the rationale is to show a larger, more focused shot of the clothing but headless people is somewhat jarring and impersonal.  We’d love to see numbers proving this tactic effective, but our’s say otherwise.  So while we applaud Lane Bryant’s tentative shift to real plus-size models within the catalog pages rather than simply in the “look book” and landing pages, let’s see their pretty faces!

 Lane Bryant Ruminations

(June 9, 2005, ElegantPlus.com) One of biggest points of confusion for plus size consumers right now is understanding that Lane Bryant the store they see at their local mall and Lane Bryant the catalog they receive in the mail are, in fact, two different companies. Both are available on line.

So what’s the difference?

1.) Lane Bryant- the contemporary to trendy plus fashion retailer you shop at in the mall: Owned by parent company Charming Shoppes, this Lane Bryant joins it’s sister retailers Catherines and Fashion Bug to make up about eighty percent of the plus size apparel market in the United States today.

Currently available in traditional brick & mortar outlets and on-line only, Charming Shoppes recent acquisition of catalog marketer Crosstown Traders will position them to move into the mail order catalog market in the near future. While they are at it, we hope they can smarten up the images of some of the Crosstown Trader brands like Bedford Fair and Old Pueblo Traders which also already carry plus sizes.

This Lane Bryant carries plus sizes from size 14 to 28W and larger plus sizes must shop at their sister Charming Shoppes store Catherines. While Charming Shoppes does a good job of using plus size models in their advertising campaigns, they have much to learn about on-line and catalog sales - currently preferring to display most of their offering on relatively skinny mannequins with less than inspired photography. I’m sure I’m not alone in my dislike of bland off-model apparel presentation in both internet and mail order catalogs. Maybe it’s a cost-cutting measure, and in some cases it may be something else, but the overall shopping experience in such displays is less than memorable or loyalty inspiring . Besides, in an environment where the customer cannot try a garment on, some idea of how it will look on a real body rather than shaped on an inanimate form is always a good selling point.

Furthermore the frequency in which they sell out of sizes, leaving nothing but Size 14’s on the virtual rack can be a little frustrating to the on-line shopper. A simple solution to this problem would be a “Size Finder” like the one available at trendy, plus-exclusive web-retailer alight.com (now if alight could just find some way to make accurate size charts available for all of its brands, we’d be golden!).

2.) Lane Bryant - the plus size apparel catalog you receive in your mailbox: Owned by French parent company Redcats, Lane Bryant Catalog belongs to a large mail order group including Jessica London , La Redoute , Roaman’s, Lerner, and Chadwick’s of Boston . As a catalog company, they were among the first plus size apparel retailers to transition smoothly to an on-line environment with the necessary back-end support of customer service and centralized order fulfillment centers.

Styles here are much more basic and traditional than those found in the Lane Bryant owned by Charming Shoppes, which often causes much customer confusion. Many plus fashion editors dis them entirely for poor style and fit, although they remain very popular with consumers based on sales figures. I, personally, have mixed feelings about them. They are an excellent source for some very hard to find items elsewhere - like bathing suits in super sizes and wide calf boots. Furthermore tucked away among ho-hum t-shirts and leggings can be a treasure every now and again - and heck, if all you want are some basic summer tees to wear out bike riding, why not? Furthermore, while the plus market is growing, it is still very difficult for the over size 24W crowd to find clothing. Unlike their Charming Shoppes counterpart, Redcat’s Lane Bryant carries sizes as large as a size 44W.

Perhaps the biggest on-going criticism of the entire Redcat’s plus size catalog group is the use of models who are much too small for the clothing they are marketing. Not only is this insulting to the consumer they are trying to serve, but frankly their clothing would look much better with a few curves filling it out. They are not alone in this out-moded marketing faux pas as most well established plus size cataloguers have been reluctant to change their modeling size strategies with the times. Of course, modeling agencies marketing size 8 and 10 women as “plus” to these companies is not helpful either, but that discussion is for another day.

Consequently, both these established plus apparel giants have a lot to learn from relative new comers to the industry. Small plus fashion houses like Kiyonna and Igigi are producing beautiful clothing, modeled by true full figured beauties with noteworthy photography - and they are both growing at a tremendous clip. Torrid is rapidly expanding its brick and mortar presence across the country while running an on-line outlet with curvy images of real plus women in most garments, again with noteworthy photography. Rounding out the trend of using truly curvaceous models combined with excellent photography for most if not all of their offerings are: Nordstrom , Lands’ End , Macy’s and Eddie Bauer which has the unusual system of providing two images with models for an article of clothing - one straight sized and one plus. If this trend keeps going - and I can only imagine and hope that it will - the plus apparel corporate giants are going to start to lose market share in the catalog and internet sectors if they don’ t take notice and make some changes.

Just remember the Lane Bryant mail order catalog and the Lane Bryant brick and mortar store are not the same - at least for now.

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