Shopping for your formal gown can be one of the most exciting experiences you'll have at this point in your life; it's a huge moment, and you'll want to find that perfect dream dress. However, for girls & women in the plus-size community, it's often a journey that can take its toll on you. From limited sizing to outdated styles or gowns costing more simply because your body is 'bigger' (more on that later), there are a lot of pain points for the plus-size person shopping for their formal dress.
We wanted to go over some of the hardships the curvy person might face when formal gown shopping, offer solutions and uncover some tea the industry doesn't like you to know. Let's get into it!
Limited Options
The most common primary challenge you'll face when formal dress shopping is the limited variety for the plus-size body. While many retailers have a diverse range of brands, they tend to stock the same limited size-run, falling in the size 4-14 range. A lack of size diversity leads to a lack of inclusivity, leaving many young people feeling left out or shunned when shopping around for their dream dress.
Another aspect that can feel limiting is that if a store does have some plus-size options, they're often actually 'mother-of-the-bride' dresses passed off as formal gowns. These 'MoB' dresses are generally designed for the older crowd, are made in silhouettes that aren't flattering for younger fashion-forward people and are made in colours that aren't on trend.
Up-pricing for Up-sizing
Keep an eye on the price differences when shopping for gowns, and you'll sometimes notice an awful practice: stores will charge more for larger sizes. They justify it by saying that a larger gown requires more fabric, which increases the cost of the gown.
Here's the problem: most of the time, the fabric differential is actually so minor that it's not noticeable in the roll of fabric outside of the off-cuts that brands don't use anyway. While it's true if you're crafting massive bulk runs of gowns at once, you'd use less fabric crafting 100's of size 6's throughout making the gowns than you would do 100's of size 16s, however, generally speaking, when you're making individual gowns, the difference in fabrics is so minor, it's not noticeable, and sure not worthy of charging a customer more.
If you go to buy a gown, check the price vs. the size of a 4-12 dress; if there's a price discrepancy, ask the store or brand precisely what that discrepancy is caused by and how much fabric costs for the price difference to be that way; you'll almost always find they don't have the answers.
Inconsistent Sizing
Speaking of size options, one of the leading causes of frustration in the industry is that there needs to be a widely adopted generalised/standardised sizing chart. Any brand is free to make up their own, leading to stores advertising their gowns as 'plus-size' until you try it on and their size 18 is actually the equivalent of a size 10 anywhere else.
At a core level, this is false advertising; however, with everyone free to make up their own sizing options, there's sadly not much we can do about it here. We always suggest having a friend help you find your measurements or pay a local seamstress to take your measurements before you go shopping. That way, if you know you're a size 22, and your bust/waist/hips measure out at 120/105/135cm, respectively, when you're shopping, you can look at a brand size guide and compare their 22 to your measurements for a clearer idea of what size to purchase.
The 'Have you gained weight?' Alterations Scam
We've all worked in the fashion industry for a long time, and this is one of the worst things we've seen repeatedly: say you find your dream dress at a store, you know it's the one, and you ask to purchase it. The store staff might inform you that you'll need your measurements taken so that they can order your gown from the brand that makes it and offer to take your measurements for you.
Here's where the scam comes into play: the store staff will take your measurements; for example, sake, let's say you're 115/95/125cm (bust, waist, hips, respectively). When they measure you up, they'll tell you what they've recorded, except they'll mislead you. You'll be informed you're actually a 120/101/129cm. When the gown arrives, and by some COINCIDENCE your dress doesn't fit well, they'll blame you for gaining weight and let you know you'll now need alterations; no stress though, they can do that for you…for a price.
This gross tactic of wrongly measuring bodies to make more money on the other end from alterations happens far too often, and it's an awful thing.
When you're shopping, if you are purchasing a made-to-order gown, take a family member or friend along, get them to pay close attention to the measuring process, and keep a record of the numbers that are read out.
While shopping for plus-size formal dresses can be challenging, we're committed to helping be the change we want to see in the industry. The only thing holding brands back from being size-inclusive is themselves. If you, the customer, are better equipped with all the information to arm yourself before shopping, it'll create a far better experience with much less pain.