As a petite girl — short and small framed — I have always been jealous of the amount of attention that plus sized women get in the area of body image and size awareness compared to people my size. However, that didn’t stop me from attending the launch for On the Curve Events at the Rosehill Lounge. Liis Windischmann, a top plus-size model, educator, LouLou Magazine blogger and director of the Ben Barry Agency is, like petite bloggers, trying to challenge the international fashion industry to include and cater to non-model-shaped women.
Liis Windischmaan, after the fashion show
The debut event, called “The Time is Now,” was held Tuesday and featured a fashion show using only plus sized models. Many size 14+ stores and friendly lines showed their winter 2011 collections at the show, including Toni+, Lola + Gigi.com and Alistyle. Brands featured included Donna Ricco, David Meister and Canadian brand, Lundstrom. It would have been nice to see some VAWK, as Sunny Fong is known to use size non-standard models in his shows.
Two looks from the show
The looks presented included everyday/work appropriate outfits, casual and evening. There were many gorgeous looks, showing that one doesn’t need to be 5’11” and size 0 to wear clothes well – you just need to understand how things fit. My absolute favourite is the “sexy secretary”/Joan Holloway-inspired look of a red ruffly blouse, black pencil skirt and belt with the textured hose.
Models Karen, Sara and Kathryn pose for a shot after the fashion show
The 14+ fashion world, like the petite community, does need to have more recognition and visibility. More designers need to be made aware and encouraged to create more innovative looks rather than sticking with standard work-appropriate, weekend and simple evening clothes. Perhaps we will some day see more avant-garde looking pieces and even non-standard-size-exclusive designers (looking at both petite AND plus – we need more of them out there!) on the runways of more mainstream events such as LG Fashion Week. Looking forward to future events from Liis!
