Last week was New York Fashion Week (NYFW). Which is — as those of us who watch too much Project Runway know — one of the four major fashion weeks in the world. What made this one different was the collection on featured on the runway by designer Eden Miller. It was the first NYFW runway show to exclusively feature plus-sized designs and models.
While most new designers at fashion week have a difficult time getting the attention of media, Miller had no problem given the extraordinary nature of her runway show. And that is unfortunate.
In a country where 64 percent of women fall into the plus-size category, according to a July 2010 article in the New York Times, it’s pretty sad that it has taken this long for those women to be represented at the nation’s biggest homage to fashion. It’s even sadder that this is so momentous.
I don’t fault Miller for any of the attention her show has been getting. I just wish the focus was on the aesthetic of her design, rather than the fact none of her clothes are for women who wear a size two.
A majority of women in America wear clothes that are considered plus-sized. Why is it that our premiere fashion show continues to represent only stick-thin models? Hundreds of thousands of American girls struggle with eating disorders and body image issues. And maybe this is why. Despite a majority of women being larger than the sizes depicted on the runway, it’s still considered “fashionable” and “beautiful” to be skinny.
When a designer takes a risk and breaks the established ideal, it becomes news. But it shouldn’t be. It should be normal.
It’s really wonderful that fashion is beginning to open up, even in small ways, to the idea of representing and catering to women of all shapes and sizes. I just wait for the day when a plus-sized runway show is something normal and not extraordinary.
Kaitlin Moroney can be reached at [email protected]