Size Wise
Finally! Plus-size fashion patterns that fit. Whether you're a size 14 or
7X, a host of pattern companies have you in mind.
The Majors
Small But Mighty
Plus Size Resources & Sources
Size Wise
by Peggy Bendel
You'll a line of large-size patterns in every major pattern book, often with designer licensees specially featured.
Simplicity
"We give large sizes wearable art, weekend wardrobes and sexy, glamorous fashions,
too. This isn't your 'Omar-The-Tentmaker' tab," says Mary Duffy, the
designer/licensor who creates the Full Figure Solutions line of large-size patterns for
Simplicity. She was among the first to address the needs of this sewing group beginning in
1993. "It's so much fun to do this. I know there's a customer out there who's looking
for something to wear. Just because I'm not tall, not thin and not young doesn't mean I
want to dress like my mother's Oldsmobile," she says.
Duffy authored the "H-O-A-X Fashion Formula" of full-figured body types for her patterns--H is fairly even in the bust and hips, but straight at the waist; O is biggest at the waist, narrowing toward the shoulders and hips; A is larger below the waist than above and widest from a front view at the thigh line; and X is a curvy body with a full bust and hips and an indented waist.
Duffy has seen the market for these patterns grow from their inception. "The bottom line is steadily escalating," she says. "There has never been a calendar quarter in which sales didn't exceed those of the previous quarter. Even our bathing suit patterns sell."
Describing the McCall's experience with this market niche, education/promotion manager Emily Cohen says, "It's definitely a more important category than five years ago. Because women have become more vocal about not being able to find patterns in their size, we've extended Misses' patterns up to size 26 for numerous styles, developed a fashion-oriented presentation for the Women's/Women's Petite size range and added two new half-size patterns every spring."
Cohen notes that while the half-size range may not
be well understood, it meets the needs of women who have a petite, mature figure.
"The contours are flatter than Misses' but not quite as curvy as Women's/Women's
Petite," she says about this figure type. "Women who try our Women's Style
half-size patterns send us love notes. They're amazed at how well the patterns fit."
Butterick
Butterick has enjoyed comparable success with its plus-size patterns featuring
actress/designer Delta Burke's signature. According to a Radiance magazine interview with
Burke, four of Burke's patterns ranked in the top 12 of 1,200 styles carried in the
company's catalog and two were ranked among the top five bestsellers.
Small But Mighty
Of course, it's no mystery why sizing up sells--the full-figured have big numbers
on their side. According to information furnished by the Council on Size & Weight
Discrimination, the average American women is 5'4" tall, weighs 140 pounds and wears
a size 14 dress; one-third of all American women wear a size 16 or larger, and there are
38 to 40 million plus-size men and women in the United States today.
These statistics suggest the potential for selling plenty of fashion patterns and the major pattern brands aren't the only ones recognizing this. Smaller companies have seen the light, too.
Pawprint Pattern Co.
"All of my patterns now go to size 3X and some go up to size 5X (62" bust,
64" hip)," says Dana Bontrager of Pawprint Pattern Company. "I started
extending the size range early in 1997 as the result of an Internet survey I conducted
with various plus-size groups. I kept getting requests to go larger." She feels her
flowing, wearable-art-style silhouettes translate well into larger sizes. "I've never
liked fitted fashions. I prefer simple styles, so my patterns reflect that," she
says. "I like the blank canvas approach. You can add your own embellishments or show
off a great fabric with them."
Design & Sew
"Design & Sew patterns now go up to size 26," says Lois
Ericson about her pattern line featuring creative closures, interesting seams and artistic
layers. Her original size range was quite narrow, then was extended to size 22. But that
wasn't large enough to satisfy her customers. "Since we had requests for the larger
sizes, we decided to add one more range," she says.
Sewgrand
While pattern companies large and small now include large sizes in their catalogs,
specialty companies that produce only large-size patterns offer a different approach. One
such company is Sewgrand, with multisize career/casual designs in sizes 12 to 26. Unlike
other companies in the fashion industry that may grade plus sizes from a small (size 4, 6
or 8) master pattern, Sewgrand designer Corinne Cordoni begins with a sample size 18
(42" bust) and works up or down from there. Paying careful attention to fit, Cordoni
tests her prototype garments on a fitting model who has a size DD bust cup.
"I've worked hard on the special grading in the neckline and shoulder area so they
aren't too large," she says, referring to a common problem encountered at the upper
end of some Misses' extended size patterns. "I also grade the sizes so the garments
aren't too wide at the hemline."
She invites customers to have a voice in the design process and listens to their feedback. "Future plans include increasing our size range up to a size 42 (68" bust)," she says. "This requires drafting a whole new basic garment set to develop the new designs, but it's what our customers are requesting."
Fashion Patterns By Coni
The newest specialty company in the field, Fashion Patterns by Coni Crawford, also follows
a proprietary sizing and grading system. The pattern line debuted in February 1998 with 55
styles for home, office and evening (including medical uniforms and a wedding gown). The
sizes go from 1X to 7X (bust 44" to 66", waist 40" to 56", hips
48" to 70"). The patterns, printed in a single size rather than a multisize
format, are proportioned and shaped according to Crawford's own system.
"My master pattern is a 3X," says the former garment industry production
patternmaker. "To develop my pattern blocks, I draped muslin directly onto 20 large,
difficult-to-fit ladies and developed my own set of specs. Everything is balanced
correctly. The shoulder distance is correct. The bustline, armhole and sleeve fit
correctly and are balanced for the plus figure. Hemlines hang true because the waistline
shape has a slope especially for the plus-size figure."
With various companies offering such a wide array of patterns (see "Sources"
below for details on companies mentioned, plus additional company listings), style and
fashion no longer relate to size numbers. Finally, the larger woman can find the patterns
she wants and needs to make a style statement all her own.
Resources
Burda Plus,
published annually in January by GLP International, Dept. SN, Box 9868,
Englewood, NJ 07631. For subscription information, (201) 871-1010. Web site:www.glpnews.com
Life Is Not A Dress Size, by Rita Farro; published by Krause Publications
(888) 457-2873 or (715) 445-2214.
Sources
Design & Sew, Dept. SN, 305 West Beach Street, Watsonville, CA
95076 Web site: www.designandsew.com.
Fashion Patterns by Coni, Dept. SN, PMB 128, 2370 W. HWY 89-A, Suite 11, Sedona, AZ 86336-5349, (928)204-9362; Web site: www.fashionpatterns.com.
Paw Print Pattern Company, : Purrfection Artistic Wearables, Dept SN, 12323 99th AVE NE, Arlington WA 98223-8852, 1-800-691-4293, 1-360-653-0901 (outside US); Web site: www.purrfection.com.
Patterns For EveryBODY, Dept. SN, The Sewing Place, PO Box 2376, Morgan Hill, CA 95037, (800) 587-3937 or (408) 252-8444; Web site: www.thesewingplace.com.
Sewgrand: in Canada, Dept. SN, Suite 185-9040, Blundell Rd., #272, Richmond, BC, V6Y1K3; in U.S., Dept. SN, 1160 Yew Ave., Bin 21, PO Box 8019, Blaine, WA 98231; (800) 252-8872 (Canada and U.S.); Web site: www.www.sewgrand.com.
Silhouettes, Dept. SN, 305 Spring Creek Village, #326, Dallas, TX 75248, (800) 784-8245 (Canada and U.S.).
Unique Patterns Design Limited, Dept. SN,39 Gurholdt Dr., 2nd Floor, Dartmouth, NS, B3B 1J8, (800) 543-4739 or (902) 492-0100; Web site: www.uniquepatterns.com
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