FOUR WOMEN, FROM AN EMERGING DESIGNER TO A DISABILITY ACTIVIST, CONSIDER WHAT IT WILL TAKE TO FIX FASHION’S PROBLEM WITH BODY INCLUSIVITY
FASHION NEEDS TO LEARN TO CELEBRATE ALL BODY TYPES
FASHION CELEBRATES OVERSIZED ON ONLY ONEBODY: SAMPLE-SIZE
THERE’S ALWAYS A STANDOUT LOOK from fashion month – the signal that emerges from the noise of a thousand outfits, a snapshot that sums up the mood. From the AW23 season shows, held in February this year, it was a silhouette. On various catwalks, sample-size models wore a series of immensely oversized pieces, and the images of them travelled the length and breadth of the internet alongside captions on the theme of ‘obsessed’. Beautiful, voluminous trench coats, trousers that billowed, slouchy tailoring and jumpers that could compete with duvets. Slim women swathed in puddles of excess fabric was the season’s most desirable look, and it was predictably adored by the crowd of editors and fashion insiders in attendance at the shows. The mood was clear: bigger is better.
In every fashion capital, industry critics swooned over oversized looks. I was no different, cooing over these roomy pieces that left me wide-eyed with wonder that I, too, could partake in high fashion, despite my plus-size body being the antithesis of the usual ideal. But on deeper reflection, I wondered why, if brands were creating such pieces, was it not desirable to showcase them on the range of bodies they would so obviously fit? If you’re creating clothes that are inherently inclusive in shape, does it not make sense to extend that inclusivity to real life? Is oversized clothing only desirable when it’s drowning its subject?
There was really only one conclusion I could draw from this: fashion is obsessed with oversized clothes, just not oversized bodies.
The act of fetishising proportional play is deeply rooted in fashion. In the countless interviews I have conducted with editors and taste-makers on their must-have wardrobe staples over the years, the response is nearly always a slouchy, outsized something. A shirt, blazer, jumper, sweatshirt – all with ample volume. According to the experts, these shapes make for desirable dressing.
And, as a long-time practitioner of the look, I understand this. Oversized feels comfortable, effortless and cool without trying too hard. And it can be dressed up or down. But fashion seems to only celebrate it on one body shape: sample-size. On smaller frames, the nature of the silhouette acts as a spotlight on just how slender the body is. In this way, oversized clothing fetishises thinness; it acts as a celebration of having a
