時(shí)尚界對(duì)胖姑娘釋放出了一點(diǎn)善意

Plus-Size Fashion Moves Beyond the Muumuu

終于，時(shí)尚界對(duì)胖姑娘釋放出了一點(diǎn)善意

When Sal Perez, a stylist and costume designer, was dressing the actress Rebel Wilson for her role in the movie “Pitch Perfect 2,” he had to find clothes for 20 outfit changes. This was an even bigger challenge than it sounds. Ms. Wilson is a plus-size actress working in a less-than-zero world.

造型師、服裝設(shè)計(jì)師薩爾·佩雷斯(Sal Perez)在電影《完美音調(diào)2》(Pitch Perfect 2)中為女演員里貝爾·威爾森(Rebel Wilson)設(shè)計(jì)造型，他必須為她的角色找夠20套服裝。這個(gè)挑戰(zhàn)比聽起來(lái)的要難。威爾森穿大碼服裝，而在女演員的世界里，大部分人穿的都是超小號(hào)。

Mr. Perez ended up finding some items online and designing others, which were made in his costume workshop.

最后，佩雷斯在網(wǎng)上找到了一些衣服，自己又設(shè)計(jì)了一些，在自己的服裝工作室里制作。

“Trying to find plus-size clothes that are fashionable and well made is very difficult,” he said. “I am horrified by some of the clothes I find in the stores. I don’t know anyone who enjoys wearing polyester. I think the fashion industry has to realize the potential the plus-size market has.”

“尋找時(shí)尚、制作精良的大碼服裝非常困難，”他說(shuō)，“我在商店里找到的一些衣服把我嚇壞了。我沒(méi)見(jiàn)過(guò)誰(shuí)喜歡穿滌綸服裝。我覺(jué)得時(shí)裝界必須意識(shí)到大碼市場(chǎng)的潛力。”

Styles for plus sizes, which range from 14 to 24, have long been characterized by down-market, back-of-the-store racks of drab tent-dresses, garishly decorated blouses and polyester pants. The uniformly dark colors and generous silhouettes serve the sole purpose of covering up and deflecting attention from the body.

長(zhǎng)期以來(lái)，14碼至24碼的大碼服裝大多是放在商店后面貨架上的低檔服裝——乏味的松身連衣裙、花哨的女襯衣和滌綸褲。它們有著千篇一律的深色和寬松的剪裁，唯一的目的是遮住身體，減少人們的關(guān)注。

But a new crop of online boutiques, retailers and designers is trying to make plus-size styles more fashion forward. Instead of elastic-waist pants and muumuu dresses, these companies offer clothes that reflect the runways (think jumpsuits), surpass the smock (leather pants) and even show a little skin (crop tops).

但是一些新的在線時(shí)裝精品店、零售商和設(shè)計(jì)師在努力讓大碼服裝變得更時(shí)尚。這些公司提供的不是松緊帶褲和寬大連衣裙，而是能反映秀臺(tái)潮流的服裝(比如連身褲)和超出寬松工作服范疇外的服裝(比如皮褲)，甚至是暴露一點(diǎn)肌膚的服裝(比如露臍上衣)。

The plus-size customer is “really letting her hair down for the first time,” said Marie Jean-Baptiste, the founder and designer of Rue107, which sells form-fitting mesh dresses ($110) and purple metallic jumpsuits ($59, on sale from $89) in sizes S to 3X.

Rue107的創(chuàng)始人、設(shè)計(jì)師瑪麗·讓-巴普蒂斯特(Marie Jean-Baptiste)說(shuō)，他們的服裝讓穿大碼服裝的顧客“第一次放松下來(lái)”。該公司銷售修身網(wǎng)眼連衣裙(110美元)和紫色金屬質(zhì)感連身褲(59美元，原價(jià)89美元)，尺碼從S號(hào)到3X號(hào)。

Customers have clamored for more and better options. Last spring Sarah Chiwaya, 30, a lawyer in Manhattan, attended a fashion event at Saks Fifth Avenue. Captivated by a perforated leather midi skirt from Tibi, she was ready to spend. But the skirt was available only in small sizes.

顧客們?cè)缫寻l(fā)出呼聲，要求擁有更多更好的選擇。30歲的莎拉·奇瓦亞(Sarah Chiwaya)是曼哈頓的一名律師。去年春天，她要去薩克斯第五大道精品百貨店參加一場(chǎng)時(shí)尚活動(dòng)。她看上了Tibi的一條皮質(zhì)打孔超短裙，打算破費(fèi)一下。但是那條裙子只有小號(hào)。

“I would have bought it immediately if it were in my size, 16,” she said.

“如果有我的號(hào)，16號(hào)，我肯定馬上買了，”她說(shuō)。

Frustrated, Ms. Chiwaya turned to her blog, Curvily, and bemoaned the lack of options. She used a hashtag, #plussizeplease, that has been adopted by others across all sorts of social platforms like Tumblr, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter.

沮喪的奇瓦亞在自己的博客Curvily上嘆息選擇太少。她加上了#plussizeplease(求大碼)，這個(gè)標(biāo)簽在各種社交平臺(tái)上被廣泛使用，比如Tumblr、Pinterest、Instagram和Twitter。

“I wanted it to be a way to show retailers the money they’re losing,” she said.

“我想通過(guò)這種方式告訴零售商他們正在讓能到手的錢溜走，”她說(shuō)。

The market, in fact, is robust. The average American woman wears a size 14, and women wearing size 14 and up account for 67 percent of the population, according to the industry analyst firm Plunkett Research Ltd. Last summer, the NPD Group reported that plus-size clothing sales grew more than 5 percent from May 2013 to April 2014, going from $16.7 billion to $17.5 billion.

實(shí)際上，這個(gè)市場(chǎng)很大。據(jù)行業(yè)分析公司Plunkett Research Ltd.稱，美國(guó)女人的平均服裝尺碼是14碼，穿14碼及以上的女人占全體美國(guó)女性的67%。去年夏天，NPD集團(tuán)報(bào)告稱，從2013年5月至2014年 4月，大碼服裝的銷售額增長(zhǎng)了5%以上，從167億美元增長(zhǎng)到了175億美元。

That is perhaps why youthful-leaning, mass-market retailers like Asos, H & M, Mango, Wet Seal, ModCloth and Forever 21 have begun selling either an expanded size range or a dedicated plus-size line.

可能是由于這個(gè)原因，Asos、H&M、Mango、Wet Seal、ModCloth和Forever 21等面向年輕大眾的零售商開始銷售更多尺碼的服裝或者推出專門的大碼服裝系列。

“We work in the exact same way as Asos core brand,” said Natasha Smith, a buyer for the new line, Asos Curve, in London. “There’s nothing we wouldn’t try: hot pants, bodysuits.”

“我們的運(yùn)作方式與Asos的核心品牌一模一樣，”購(gòu)買新系列Asos Curve的倫敦買家娜塔莎·史密斯(Natasha Smith)說(shuō)，“我們什么都嘗試：熱褲、緊身衣褲。”

Several new companies are making plus-size their sole focus. One is Eloquii, which aims to do for the plus market what Zara has done in the mainstream market: offer customers options that mimic runway trends but at prices that are lower than those in boutiques and department stores.

有幾家新公司專門做大碼女裝。其中一家是Eloquii，它的目標(biāo)很像Zara在主流市場(chǎng)的做法：在大碼市場(chǎng)領(lǐng)域內(nèi)向顧客提供模仿秀臺(tái)潮流但價(jià)格低于精品店或商場(chǎng)的服裝。

Currently, Eloquii is showing items like a leopard-print baseball jacket ($138), a cashmere sweater with Breton stripes ($138) and faux leather culottes ($98).

目前，Eloquii正在展示豹紋棒球夾克(138美元)、布列塔尼條紋羊絨衫(138美元)和仿皮褲裙(98美元)。

Eloquii was originally started in 2011 as a sister brand to the Limited, but was closed in 2013 when the Limited decided to shed its noncore brands. A group of former employees, including the creative director, Jodi Arnold, restarted the brand last year. (Its products are available on the label’s website as well as on Nordstrom.com). A former Gilt executive, John Auerbach, is a founding investor.

2011年，Eloquii最初是作為L(zhǎng)imited的姐妹品牌創(chuàng)立的，但是2013年，Limited決定甩掉非核心品牌，Eloquii因此倒閉。去年，Eloquii從前的一群?jiǎn)T工，包括創(chuàng)意總監(jiān)約迪·阿諾德(Jodi Arnold)，復(fù)興了這個(gè)品牌(你可以在該品牌的網(wǎng)站和Nordstrom.com上買到它的產(chǎn)品)。Gilt的前執(zhí)行官約翰·奧爾巴赫(John Auerbach)是該品牌的創(chuàng)辦投資人之一。

“The team doesn’t have a plus background, which is a good thing,” said Mariah Chase, the company’s chief executive, using industry jargon to refer to the plus-size niche.

“這個(gè)團(tuán)隊(duì)沒(méi)有做大碼時(shí)裝的背景，這是好事，”該公司的首席執(zhí)行官瑪麗亞·蔡斯(Mariah Chase)說(shuō)。

“The starting point is trends, the runway,” Ms. Arnold added.

“我們的起點(diǎn)是潮流，是秀臺(tái)，”阿諾德補(bǔ)充說(shuō)。

For example, Eloquii’s Kady pant (made in an array of fabrics, from $88 in a graphic rose print to $78 in solid navy) is “a structured, fitted pant where our customer has just gotten stretch before,” Ms. Chase said. A faux-leather fitted midi skirt, $128, sold out in 72 hours, according to Ms. Arnold. The company has recently raised $6 million from investors.

蔡斯說(shuō)，比如，Eloquii的卡迪褲(有各種面料，從88美元的玫瑰印花到78美元的純藍(lán)色)是“裁剪得當(dāng)?shù)男奚硌潱覀兊念櫩蛣偤媚艽┻M(jìn)去”。阿諾德說(shuō)，128美元的仿皮修身超短裙在推出72小時(shí)后就賣光了。該公司最近從投資人那里籌集了600萬(wàn)美元。

In a skinny-celebrity-obsessed world, it has been difficult to overcome the dowdy image of plus size. What’s more, many women are uncomfortable identifying themselves as plus-size shoppers, which hampers word-of-mouth.

在癡迷身材纖細(xì)的名人的世界里，大碼服裝很難推翻古板過(guò)時(shí)的形象。另外，很多女人不愿承認(rèn)自己穿大碼，這妨礙了口碑流傳。

But social media is helping to change that, said Aimee Cheshire, the president and a founder of HeyGorgeous.com, an online boutique that carries pieces from ABS By Allen Schwartz (wrap dress, $198), Lucky Brand denim (black straight-leg jeans, $89.50) and Ellen Tracy (angora coat, $169) in sizes 10 and up.

不過(guò)，在線時(shí)裝精品店HeyGorgeous.com的總裁和創(chuàng)始人艾梅·切希爾(Aimee Cheshire)說(shuō)，社交媒體正在幫助改變這一點(diǎn)。該網(wǎng)店銷售ABS By Allen Schwartz(裹裙，198美元)、Lucky Brand denim(黑色直筒牛仔褲，89.50美元)和 Ellen Tracy(羊毛外衣，169美元)等品牌的服裝，尺碼都在10碼以上(含10碼)。

“I’ll get emails asking, ‘How do I recommend it to my friend without offending her?’ ” Ms. Cheshire said. “I always say share it on Facebook.”

“我收到一些郵件詢問(wèn)，‘我怎么才能在不冒犯朋友的情況下推薦你們網(wǎng)站?’”切希爾說(shuō)，“我總是回復(fù)說(shuō)，在Facebook上分享它。”

She said she tries to encourage plus-size women to openly embrace their personal style rather than hide their shape. HeyGorgeous tells these women they “aren’t the ugly stepsister, they’re our main woman,” Ms. Cheshire said.

切希爾說(shuō)她盡量鼓勵(lì)穿大碼的女人公開接受自己的個(gè)人風(fēng)格，而不是掩飾身材。她還說(shuō)，HeyGorgeous網(wǎng)站對(duì)這些女人說(shuō)，她們“不是丑陋的繼女，而是女性的主流”。

“They’re not used to being wanted,” she said. “There’s no aspiration, no Vogue for the plus sized.”

“人們還不習(xí)慣去期待大碼服裝，”她說(shuō)，“在大碼時(shí)裝界沒(méi)有抱負(fù)，沒(méi)有時(shí)尚。”

Most plus-size clothes could be divided into three segments: “work wear, club wear and grandma clothes,” said Nicolette Mason, a plus-size fashion blogger. The problem has not been just a lack of options for consumers, but also retailers’ belief that plus-size women can’t support a high-fashion niche.

大碼時(shí)裝博客寫手尼科萊特·梅森(Nicolette Mason)說(shuō)，大部分大碼服裝可以分為三類：“工作服、俱樂(lè)部服裝和祖母服”。問(wèn)題不只是顧客們?nèi)鄙倏蛇x的衣服，零售商們也認(rèn)為穿大碼服裝的女人撐不起高級(jí)時(shí)裝這個(gè)細(xì)分市場(chǎng)。

“When you’re taught to look at your body as a work in progress, you’re not going to spend $1,000 on a coat to last forever because you’re not hoping for it to last forever,” Ms. Mason said.

“如果別人教導(dǎo)你，讓你認(rèn)為自己的身體可以不斷改進(jìn)，那你就不會(huì)花1000美元買一件能一直穿下去的外衣，因?yàn)槟悴幌Ｍ约旱纳聿挠肋h(yuǎn)是這樣的，”梅森說(shuō)。

Gwynnie Bee, a clothing rental subscription service for sizes 10 to 32, is a more casual version of Rent the Runway (which began its own plus-size division in 2013). The site carries lines like BB Dakota and Three Dots. A $35-a-month commitment will get you one piece of clothing at a time; 10 pieces will cost $159 a month.

Gwynnie Bee是一個(gè)租賃10碼至32碼服裝的訂購(gòu)服務(wù)公司，是休閑裝版的Rent the Runway(這家公司從2013年開設(shè)了大碼服裝部門)。該網(wǎng)站提供BB Dakota和Three Dots等品牌的服裝。一個(gè)月支付35美元，你便能每次能租一件衣服;一個(gè)月支付159美元，便可以每次租10件。

In the shadow of all the new focus on how to dress a larger woman, mainstays of the fashion industry that have helped propagate the connection between high fashion and small sizes are showing a greater willingness to embrace a curvier world. Calvin Klein used the model Myla Dalbesio, who is a size 10, in a lingerie campaign. In November, Vogue.com shot a lingerie spread using plus-size models.

過(guò)去，大型時(shí)裝公司曾鼓吹高級(jí)時(shí)裝和小碼之間有著密不可分的聯(lián)系。如今，如何給體型偏胖的女人設(shè)計(jì)服裝成了新的焦點(diǎn)，大公司也開始樂(lè)于接受更豐滿的世界。Calvin Klein請(qǐng)穿10碼的麥拉·戴爾伯西奧(Myla Dalbesio)擔(dān)任一個(gè)內(nèi)衣廣告的模特。去年11月，Vogue.com請(qǐng)一些大碼模特拍攝了一個(gè)內(nèi)衣平面廣告。

The 2015 Pirelli calendar, shot by Steven Meisel and styled by Carine Roitfeld, included the plus-size model Candice Huffine. Two edgy clothing lines, Chromat and Zana Bayne, sent plus-size models down the runway in their presentations last September.

倍耐力(Pirelli)的2015年歷中有大碼模特坎迪絲·赫法恩(Candice Huffine)，攝影師是史蒂文·梅塞(Steven Meisel)，造型師是卡琳·洛菲德(Carine Roitfeld)。兩大前衛(wèi)時(shí)裝品牌Chromat和Zana Bayne在去年9月的時(shí)裝秀上派出了大碼模特。