The collection looks promising, not much there yet but the drape dress looks great and hopefully there will be more soon. Another stylish option out there for plus-sized girls from an impeccable designer but I do have to wonder at the proliferation of jersey on the plus sized market. Granted, Kamali is known for popularizing jersey in the 80s so she's a natural fit but does anyone else feel like they're entering the local athletic supply store every time they hit the plus size department nowadays? Jersey is popular across the board but much like the millennial obsession with velour I can't help but wonder how such a patently difficult fabric has become so beloved.
16 comments:
I don't get why so many plus sized clothes are made with jersey. I don't think it works for a lot of clothing. I find it can cling in the wrong places, sadly.
I'm not a big fan of jersey, I don't find it flattering in the least. Still, I'd like to see what the full collection looks like before I make a complete decision.
Looking forward to your coverage. I did one over at my blog (I can't seem to link myself when I sign in? Odd), but that was really just Autumn/Winter trends (yayyyy, we'll be going into it soon).
Opinions are divided on Peter Som regular collection it appears, but his Bill Blass ones? Oh lord, my favourite out of them all. Pretty much every single piece!
I won't talk about Marc Jacobs.
- Sonya (aka - nomoremumus.com)
Why is jersey so popular? For the same reason velour went wild: comfort. Wearing jersey is like wearing a t-shirt head-to-toe. Never mind that the drape and cling factor can be difficult to pull off, of course.
Most folks never want to leave the comfort cocoon, at any price. This also goes to prove my theory that down coats are so big this season because it's like wrapping yourself in a down comforter every day, fit or appropriateness be damned!
Don't get me wrong -- I like jersey here and there. I LOVE that Kamali dress on the right. Do I have the (lower) body to wear it attractively? Probably not. Will that stop me? Yes, even if I shed a wee tear. Would it stop others? Perhaps not -- and that's when fashion "wins" over style.
gannet, I promise to update with Fashion Week stuff as soon as possible. I know what you mean about Marc this season... Oh how I know. The colors and textures were beautiful but the shapes were just unflattering and dumpy. I didn't get the running bathrobe motif either but that's just me.
That said, the accessories were great. Especially after last season's accessories which I did not care for.
But yeah I'll go into greater detail in the post ;) Maybe I should talk about the collections I didn't like - there were a few this season that were just DO NOT WANT for me.
Anywho, back to the topic.
I agree sizzle that jersey can be quite unflattering. And Stacey, I am with you on the idea that comfort cocoon is just meant to be left behind when it comes to certain things. These Kamali jersey creations are nice but there are some jersey horror stories out there.
Don't even get me started on velour...
I think jersey is a wonderful fabric, but it is all in the cut. And, no, designers, throwing a print on won't solve the lumps and bumps dilemma.
Having said that, I neeeed that coat.
I have exactly one velour item, a johnny collar shirt I trot out in the worst days of winter. I want to ditch it, but it's soooooo warm. Also a husband magnet. ;)
I think jersey is one of those difficult fabrics that people think is easy -- particularly for plus-size. "My god," I imagine designers thinking, "it's all sort of stretchy and give-y! If I make everything out of this stuff, I don't have to allow give in the seams, or measure women's bodies, or design to accommodate breasts and bottoms and tummies like I would with cotton or silk or satin or taffeta or ooh, everything. Jersey! It's not just an island off France belonging to the British! It allows me to create my designs in 5 minutes, leaving the rest of the day free for partying with supermodels!"
i love the shirt and the dress u can do so many different things bwith it
My Plus Size Swimwear
"And hey...if the women have the lumps and the bumps, then they can buy slimming undergarments to hold all their bits under control!! I've made the stretchy comfy dress, it's up to them to make it look exactly how I intended it to with big bands of elastic to squishify their abundance into submission!"
I gotta say I heart jersey big time (when used appropriately, natch). But I can rarely find tailored pieces that fit my outsized boobs and matching large upper arms. If a piece is well made enough (like the Rachel Palley plus line for Nordstrom), it drapes and clings where it should.
Though I usually forgo them, a foundation camisole and Spanx-like panties/hosiery do help in the jersey department. (That's a good Ask TFFF question...are there Spanx-esque items out there that won't make me want to shoot myself and others when I put them on?)
If jersey is good and in the hands of a designer who knows what to do, I don't mind it at all.
For me, I need quality shapewear because I have a gunt. And Norma Kamali is a master of it.
--Classic1908
As someone who sews, I can tell you definitively why these folks are manufacturing so much plus sized clothing in stretchy knit fabrics: It's easier to sew on and it gives them a whole extra factor of "wiggle room" in terms of sizing and fit. It takes a lot more effort to design clothing (for anyone)in woven fabrics. Even with something like lycra(tm) internal to the fibers, you still do not have the same amount of stretch that you do in a knit. The easier it is for customers to put on the clothing and have it feel comfortable (i.e., it "fits", even when actually it does not...it just doesn't feel too small or too tight, allows the customer to raise her arms over her head, etc.), the more they will sell and the fewer returns they have to deal with. And, it costs less to produce. So, you get more revenues for less cost of goods sold(as we say in the accounting trade). More profit.
Yeah, I'm so freaking over jersey.
Is it so much to ask for pieces that are flattering, thoughtful, straight-forward or whimsical and made out of COTTON*? It's like asking for a miracle.
*feel free to substitute cotton for wool, silk, other natural fibers that wouldn't melt into your skin in case of a fire.
Oooh I love jersey. I can't get enough Jersey dresses, for any season really! Funny how some people think it's *super* flattering and other people think it clings to all the wrong lumps and bumps.
My favorite line of jersey dresses is from akiko. My mom and I share a dress from Akiko (and we aren't the same size at all-- and yes we share dresses even though we live 30 minutes apart because it doubles our wardrobe!) Anyway, this dress and I do everything together- fly, sleep, housework, anything- and it still looks as fabulous as the minute I put it on! Great for trips because it doesn't ever get wrinkly. And best of all, the dress is an XTRA SMALL. And honey, I aint no extra small...AT ALL --neither is my mama- but it's just the way they are cut.
Love jersey!
I saw this on Nordstrom's web site, and I'm curious to see how the rest of the Norma Kamali line turns out. I'm not feeling the tops, but a red dress is always fabulous! Will you be buying any of this line?
hey guys i wonder if any1 could help me...
im about a size 12, with the lumps and bumps everywhere you dont want and i absoloutely adore this dress http://www.coast-stores.com/fcp/product/-/ALLDresses/Sanchia-Maxi-Dress/2224635028 for my school prom
the problem is its made of 'silk jersey' would that illuminate my tummy area that i so greatly loathe?? hellpp mee
thanks xx
The problem I have with many of these items is fabric content! Why can't they make gorgeous tailored plus size clothes in natural or expensive fabrics? It's difficult to find gorgeous plus size clothes in all linen, cotton, rayon wool blends. Those nasty polyesters are so popular --- even in high end clothes.And when one does find exceptions as in Eileen Fisher or Flax, everything gets boring and loose. I still mostly shop at Nordstroms.
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