One of the biggest changes is about styling and quality, she says, and not about size. Plus-sized fashions stopped being about basic black or navy a long, long time ago. Mary Howe, sales associate in the Dillard's Woman's department in the Mall of Abilene, believes that the larger woman can fit right in with other fashion-conscious women. The styles are not that different and the fabrics are the same. Belinda Foreman, manager at Lane Bryant, also in the Mall of Abilene, agrees that fuller-figured customers have a wide variety of styles from which to choose.
Separates are especially popular if the customer is a different size on the top than on the bottom.
Making the styles more appealing is extra detail given to the fit of the large-size garment. Clothes that gently form to the body and drape softly are replacing the loose fitting dresses and tunics of the past. These styles for today are not just a small pattern sized up. They're redesigned and proportioned for a larger woman. Plus-sized fashions may also include styles for taller as well as shorter women.