Even though the plus size fashion industry accounted for over 9 billion dollars in sales, when most ladies and even some men think of clothing for larger men and women they think only of Lane Bryant for women and Casual male for men. Even with the popularity of online shopping many plus size and big and tall individuals still shop at brick and mortar stores.
When I think of the trend for new stores this year a few come to mind that are a mixture of old and new that are helping to push plus size fashion out to the forefront of fashion both on and offline.
- IGIGI – Not only does this merchant have a presence both on and offline they are the only merchant to consistantly update bloggers on what is going on in their store and on their website.
- BELLE AVENUE – Not only does this merchant get a nod for being a new fresh face but they have dresses, tops and pants for under $50.
- Torrid.com – Torrid makes the list because throughout the year they have not only updated their website, but they introduced a credit card and shopping by lifestyle.
- Curvy Girl Clothing – Great prices and different types of clothing makes this merchant stand out. Additionally, they are conducting a plus size model search.
- Sealed with a Kiss Designs – Different is what you will get when shopping with this merchant. Fashionable colors along with updated styles combined with low prices.
What makes each of these merchants unique is that they have an eye on fashion while still keeping price in mind. While there are other stores that could have been included to make this list much longer I wanted to focus on the stores that I think will be the talk of the fashion wolrd in 2009.
You are probalby wondering why there are no mens stores listed. To be honest I could not find any that need to be watched any more than the few that are already the go to stores for men. Sad to say as much as women’s fashion is progressing, menswear is about 20 years behind the curve.
You are right, women come in all shapes and sizes and we can all look sexy in lingerie. Fortunately, today’s fashions offers bigger women an extensive collection of sexy plus size lingerie styles to choose from.