Should women dress according to their body size or shape?

Women should be proud of who they are rather than be limited by their body shape or size. Photo: AFP Relaxnews

If you never really understood the meaning of "plus-size" or "body positive," you may be pleased to know that these terms are on their way out, in favour of "size-inclusive," a word that refers much more to the notion of diversity in terms of sizes and body shapes and should gradually become a fixture in the landscape of women's clothing.

While players in the ready-to-wear industry are currently reinventing themselves in order to create fashion that is more respectful of the environment and animal welfare, the issue of diversity is also at the forefront. Sex, gender, sexual orientation, skin colour, or origin are increasingly taken into account by the major houses and designers when developing their collections. Measurements, a sensitive topic in the fashion industry, are also getting a lot of attention these days, to the point of pushing brands to offer clothes adapted to (absolutely) all women.

An end to the diktats?

From catwalks to streetstyle and advertising campaigns, so-called plus-size women have been increasingly visible in the world of fashion in recent years, giving rise to or reviving many movements such as "body positive". From major luxury houses to fast fashion brands, curvy women have quickly become new favourites, while retailers have seen the birth of sizes beyond 50 and collection names that pay homage to such inclusivity.

A small step for fashion, a big step for women who don't correspond to the usual diktats imposed by the sector?

Well, yes and no. Because while we may be able to talk about an evolution of mentalities, many brands are distinctly proposing collections in so-called "standard" sizes and "plus-size" collections; and the first do not resemble the second at all. So the real breakthrough would be to design collections for... all women.

The emergence of size-inclusive

This is where 'size-inclusive' comes in -- the word you will hear everywhere in the coming months. Because some brands have had the good idea to launch collections from size 00 to size 22 that adapt to all body shapes. No more exclusion of women, the "size-inclusive" approach is set to allow all women to access their favourite fashion collections.

Among the pioneering "size-inclusive" brands are Universal Standard, with models ranging from 00 to 40, and Good American, with jeans ranging from 00 to 24. The number of players involved for the moment remains small but the practice should become more widespread soon. -- AFP Relaxnews