Despite growing up in Puerto Rico, I always hated summer fashion, in particular sleeveless silhouettes. It has nothing to do with the styles themselves, but rather the fact that they put my arms on full display, revealing the red bumps and dry skin resulting from keratosis pilaris — a non-contagious condition that develops when too much keratin is created, blocking hair follicles from growing.
As a kid, even the cheerleading uniform I adored made me self-conscious; I begged our coach to add turtlenecks underneath the vest, despite the 80-degree weather year-round (needless to say, it didn’t fly). In addition to having to wear my school uniform, which was made of short-sleeve shirts, this was also the height of Y2K fashion: tube tops, bustiers, and going-out shirts that exposed my arms and prompted my elementary school classmates and friends to ask questions about my “chicken skin.”
Naturally, I wasn’t alone in this: 50% to 80% of teenagers are affected by keratosis pilaris, while 40% of adults develop it over time, according to the National Institutes of Health. Most of the women in my family have long had keratosis pilaris, too. It was so normal among my relatives that they assumed it was just “dry skin.” Yet, while I saw them happily enjoying their sleeveless styling choices regardless of the condition, I couldn’t see myself ever being that free with my arms.
Over the years, I developed a few tactics, many of which involved wearing too many layers even in the heat. During high school and college, I developed an affinity for leather jackets, button-down shirts, and pashminas, which I wore no matter the weather. (On the beach, I preferred long-sleeved rashguards to bikinis). Yes, I was hot, but it meant no one would ask about my skin condition. Fashion was my armor, and fall and winter styles year-round served as my safe haven.
When I moved to New York, I was thrilled to finally be able to wear the styles that covered my arms without the severe heat and side-eye (you can imagine how odd I looked wearing a leather jacket in the Caribbean). Yet, when summer came around, it was the same drill all over again: red bumps and itchy skin made worse by the heat and me covering my arms up, even if I was melting underneath the button-down shirts. Still, my method worked — no one asked me about my KP.
A few summers into my New York life, I got a rude awakening into just how much I was hiding behind my clothes when a romantic partner inquired if the bumps on my arms were contagious. It completely shattered the little confidence I was able to build via my long-sleeved armor. But it also made me realize that I wasn’t solving anything — in fact, by covering my arms in the summer, I made my keratosis pilaris worse. I realized that if I kept hiding behind layers — no matter how much I enjoyed wearing them — I’d never be in control of my own skin, nor enjoy my life shame-free.
Since then, I’ve slowly peeled off layers: One summer, I transitioned to short-sleeved shirts; the next I got into tank tops. I’ve also researched skin-care treatments to manage the itchiness and redness — including dermatologist-recommended salicylic acid creams and exfoliants like First Aid Beauty’s KP Bump Eraser scrub and Paula’s Choice 2% BHA lotion — and care for my skin rather than anger it. And even on days when my KP has a plan of its own, I’ve learned to display it proudly much like the women in my family.
While I can’t say I’m over my self-consciousness, I am more open to revealing my arms. Earlier this year, I was a bridesmaid at my cousin’s wedding, choosing a backless, halter dress that exposed my arms in photos that will be seen by a lot of people. This summer, I’ve worn everything from butterfly tops and denim sleeveless dresses to white tanks, making for a freer, cooler, and much more sartorially fulfilling summer than ever before.
My KP and I are not best friends yet. But we’re getting closer, one sleeveless top at a time.
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Update: In May, it was announced that Old Navy would scale back Bodequality. “We have not seen the expected demand for extended size products in our stores,” the brand wrote in a statement provided to Refinery29. “As such, [we] will be further realigning our in-store inventory later this year to better meet demand.”
This story was originally published on March 23, 2022.
When it pertains to size-inclusivity in fashion, the truth is harrowing: Inequality continues to run rampant through the industry today. For plus-size shoppers, that often means celebrating a brand’s expansion into extended sizes, but questioning whether or not those garments will be available to shop in-store, or online-only as has long been the case. As any plus-size consumer who has waited outside a fitting room for their thinner friends to exit or ordered six pairs of jeans online in hopes that one would work knows, this feeling can be incredibly othering.
For the 68% of American women who wear a size 14 or larger, it has been exciting to see that sizing has somewhat increased, particularly amongst national retailers. Among the brands to do so is Athleta, which had a personal impact on shopper Marley Blonsky.
“The first time I got to go to Athleta and try on the same clothes as my friend at the same time I legit cried,” she shared on Twitter. “For years I’ve been the fat friend who had to go to Lane Bryant or Torrid, while everyone else went to the cute shops.”
By and large, however, witnessing a full extended size range in stores versus online-only is a rare sight. Many may argue that this is driven solely by fatphobia and bias. And while that is true to an extent, there are other reasons that contribute.
“It’s an issue of inventory allocation and distribution,” says creative consultant and brand strategist Nicolette Mason. “Especially for brands early in their size expansion, the demand does not necessarily yet correlate to their current inventory. It’s a complicated logistics issue and something that often gets lost in the consumer-facing conversation.”
Say a popular national brand with 50 in-person stores makes an investment into extended sizes. Of the newly launched 20 plus-size pieces, they order each garment in qualities of 100. Distributing that arrangement equally would mean only carrying two garments of each size per store.
While this begs the question of why don’t brands just make more clothing to distribute, the initial decision to carry plus sizes in-store is often not a one-and-done, but rather, a first step in the journey toward establishing a customer base that will let plus thrive in all markets nationally. Mason explains that this leads some brands to assign full-size runs to only their flagship locations, with shoppers outside of those cities having to resort to online-only for the time being.
It’s an issue of inventory allocation and distribution.
Nicolette Mason
Consider Old Navy, which made a splash in August 2021 when it announced Bodequality, an initiative that would bring sizes 0 to 28 into all stores (among other equality-driven rollouts). “Democracy of style is so important to us, but equally important is the democracy of service, and so when you walk into an Old Navy store, you should feel included no matter what size you wear,” Alison Partridge Stickney, head of women’s and maternity merchandising at Old Navy, told Vogue.
The decision was a first of its kind, with affordable pricing being a huge selling point. However, according to the same Vogue article, Old Navy’s new dedication to plus-sizes was years in the making, one that required a major financial investment. (Interestingly, Old Navy’s kept one size — 30 — online-only. The brand did not respond to a request for comment regarding the reasoning for that at the time of publication.)
But Old Navy and rue21 — which, beginning last year, started carrying plus sizes in 454 stores, 70% of the chain’s physical locations, nationally — are just a few of the fashion spaces that have committed to offering the same level of size inclusivity in stores as they do online.
Brands like Reformation have pleased plus-size customers with their fashion-forward assortments but puzzled many with their lack of in-store offerings. Since launching its extended-size range back in 2018, the question of “when will it be in stores?” is on many peoples’ minds. Turns out, soon.
“We recently brought a full-size range of our signature styles to Reformation stores in our top markets to test it with our customers,” the brand tells Refinery29 via email. “While the response has been slow, we recognize the work is on us to continue to raise awareness on in-store size availability to build consistency so shoppers know what to expect moving forward.”
Reformation understands an important point: The work is on the brand here. For too long, fashion has forced plus-size customers to prove their worth, rather than follow a traditional business model where it is the brand’s responsibility to market to their customers and prove their company’s worth. Finally, it appears, the pendulum has begun to shift.
The plus customer has historically been sent to the back of the store or the basement — just in the most hideous and inaccessible places.
This conversation exists within plus-size-only brands as well, including Torrid which, in the past four months, have begun to expand their size 6 offerings in-store (previously, the brand offered sizes 00–6 online, which is equivalent to sizes 10–30, and sizes 00-5 in-store). In an emailed response to Refinery29, the brand said that it spent the holiday season analyzing its web data to see which size shoppers live in which regions. They then used that to determine which stores would be sent additional garments in a size 5, and which would then receive size 6 items.
“While store size does play a role into what is stocked in that location, we also have to consider performance across collections, styles or categories,” the brand shared. “This performance is not only in reference to the actual store location, but also what we are seeing our customer buy online in that particular area.”
While each of Madewell’s 144 stores across the U.S. carries “key” denim styles in the full-size range, which goes up to a size 28/4X, only 10 locations carry the plus-size line in all denim styles. While the brand points to physical space — which, in some cases, would need to double to accommodate the full plus-size range — as a barrier, it says that more stores will follow suit throughout the year. What makes Madewell’s current setup notable though is that the extended sizes are carried alongside straight-size offerings as opposed to in a separate section, as has long been the norm and a source of frustration for consumers who had to shop separately from their friends within the same space.
“Right now when you walk into those select stores, the plus product will be throughout the store,” says Anne Crisafulli, SVP head of merchandising. “There’s not a special section.”
This practice is something Emma Grede, co-founder and CEO of Good American, has pushed for since first talking to Nordstrom, which carries the brand’s straight- and plus-size offerings together in-store, in 2016.
“I outlined the opportunity to serve a customer that wasn’t currently shopping at Nordstrom and was super upfront and clear about our priorities,” she says. “This essentially meant they would have to re-merchandize their women’s section — and we understood how huge of an ask that was — but it was non-negotiable for us. The undertaking proved to be a success that inspired Nordstrom to rethink their sizing merchandising strategy across all stores and all brands nationwide.”
“The plus customer has historically been sent to the back of the store or the basement — just in the most hideous and inaccessible places,” says Katie Murphy, the brand’s head of sales. “We were pleasantly surprised with how easy it was to get front and center placement in [Nordstrom’s] New York flagship store.”
If you really want to cater to your customer, you have to be dedicated.
Julian Hayman, Johnny Bigg GENERAL MANAGER
Johnny Bigg, an international brand for big and tall men, has taken this further within the New Zealand and Australia stores, now bringing that knowledge to their expansion into the U.S. market. Not only has the brand been able to carry its full-size range, but it has tailored its in-store experience to be more plus-friendly, with dress rooms that are more spacious than the ones found at traditional retailers.
To support the stocking of their full range, the brand’s physical stores follow a strict distribution template, replenishing sizes three to four times a week when necessary. All of it is possible because of how often they’re communicating directly with the customer in each of those locations, knowing what they need and how often the stock may run out.
Distribution, store size, qualities — all of it answers the “why.” What’s left for many brands, however, is the “when.” As more dive into the plus-size market, hopefully, the gap between online and in-store offerings can start to lessen. Because it’s that gap and the lack of education that forms out of it that prevents positive momentum from continuing to roll out.
“It’s ongoing [journey], and that’s why there’s not a lot of players doing it,” says Julian Hayman, general manager of Johnny Bigg. “If you really want to cater to your customer, you have to be dedicated.”
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Super-Sale Alert:Select products featured in this story might be on sale for Prime Day! For more insider information on Amazon's 48-hour event, consult our Shopping team's curated guides to the deals that matterhere.
Amazon Prime Day 2022 has officially taken off, and the retail behemoth has a plethora of plus-size fashion deals coming in hot. Our editors have simplified the process by sifting through the overwhelming amount of attractive discounts to bring you a hand-picked selection of the best plus-size clothing deals worth carting ASAP.
Amazon’s been upping its plus-size retail game for some time now with designer collaborations (re: Johnathan Cohen) and a slew of other inclusive options. Whether you’re in need of leggings that don’t quit or a breezy summer dress, there’s something to suit everybody. Shoppers can even expect deals like up to 52% off Levis or up to 29% off The Drop–Amazon’s in-house label. Ahead make your way through plus-size fashion deals galore this Prime Day.
At Refinery29, we’re here to help you navigate this overwhelming world of stuff—and, while we do receive commission from Amazon, all of the goods linked to on our site are independently curated by our Most Wanted shopping team editors. All product details reflect the price and availability at the time of publication.
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On paper, Old Navy had done everything right with Bodequality, its 2021 plus-size initiative: The brand stocked up to size 28 in stores, created size-inclusive imagery and campaigns, reexamined its size chart to more accurately cater to customers with curves, and employed fit models and mannequins of various sizes. For many plus-size shoppers, it felt like a win in the fight for size-inclusivity in fashion. And yet in May, not even a year later, Old Navy scaled back Bodequality, citing that it had a low return on investment.
An update posted to Gap Inc’s FAQ page stated that extended sizes will be pulled from 75 stores in the United States and 15 in Canada: “Based on customer demand and supply chain challenges, we made the decision to remove select extended sizes from a small number of stores.” While this will still leave over 90% of the Bodequality-focused stores with the full-size range, it’s a blow to what many saw as the ultimate blueprint for other brands to follow. (The full-size range will continue to be available online.)
“We have not seen the expected demand for extended size products in our stores,” the brand wrote in a statement provided to Refinery29. “As such, [we] will be further realigning our in-store inventory later this year to better meet demand.”
In a time when the financial worth of plus-size fashion is thrown around with little context behind it — the most common being that the market is valued at $24 billion dollars — it appears Old Navy has fallen into a problem that predecessors like Loft have experienced as well: potential versus probability. With over 68% of American women wearing plus sizes, there’s no denying how widespread (and underserved) this market is but, as plus-size initiatives continue to fall short, there seems to be a disconnect between brand and consumer.
Old Navy did precisely what many in the plus-size community have long been asking for: It offered size equality and representation, from imagery to options offered in-store; it showcased extended sizes alongside straight sizes, rather than relegating them to the back of the store. The brand also garnered loads of press and national attention in the process. Which leaves the question: Why wasn’t Bodequality successful enough?
An inclusive in-store assortment is central to what fashion equality entails. The reality is, however, that plus-size shoppers have been conditioned for decades to buy clothing online as a result of stores rarely offering extended sizes in stores. (The pandemic has only pushed more shoppers to shop online.) “Old Navy had hard-core trained plus-sized people 10 years ago when they pulled plus sizes out that you have to shop online only,” says Marie Denee, founder of The Curvy Fashionista. “So to get [shoppers] inside the store requires more of a marketing lift.”
In a world where it’s all or nothing, too often, the outcome ends up being nothing. Because ‘all’ is just too hard.
Nadia Boujarwah, DIA&CO CEO and co-founder
Nadia Boujarwah, CEO and co-founder of Dia&Co — which acquired luxury plus-size retailer 11 Honore in June — explains that plus-size launches typically fail for one of three reasons: First, due to bad fit. Second, at the hands of poor marketing. And third, because of an obscene amount of time pressure to perform quickly. She places Old Navy in the latter group: “The reality is that [something like this] takes time, and that’s where it seems to have come apart.” Garnering a loyal fanbase of plus-size customers will take more than a campaign moment. In fact, it requires a movement.
That’s precisely how plus-size fashion was started back in the 1900s. “Plus [category] grew from grassroots up, not from top down,” says Denee. While early pioneers like Lane Bryant launched in 1904, it would take until the late 1990s for these brands to become household names with loyal followings. The instant gratification of social media has blurred many from understanding that slow, consistent growth is the only way to achieve long-term results. Much like the plus-size fashion movement itself, brands and businesses must take time to become truly inclusive. The rationale that small steps forward are “not enough” — while fair given the fashion’s industry’s slow embrace of size inclusivity — is limiting and damaging as it often prohibits brands from diving into the plus category out of fear of consumer backlash.
“Brands want to be able to kind of make big statements,” Boujarwah says. “And I think that’s partially because they feel like that’s what their customers want to hear. [But] in the desire to wait until there’s something very big to announce, we miss so many other opportunities for progress.”
She adds, “In a world where it’s all or nothing, too often, the outcome ends up being nothing. Because ‘all’ is just too hard.”
But slow and steady may, indeed, win the race. At least that seems to be the case for Rue21, which has also prioritized extended sizes over the past year. “With any new initiative, you take it in phases,” says Candace Kearney, senior director of plus merchandising of Rue21, which has been building its plus-size assortment in-store and online through the pandemic. The brand began by incorporating plus into a smaller percentage of stores, then growing it nationally as the demand grew as well. Now, more than 70% of its stores carry extended sizes. “We launched that [initiative], we learned from it, we’ve refined and readjusted, and then we rolled out those successes,” says Kearney.
That step-by-step process allows a brand more time to build out a customer base that previously didn’t exist while maintaining its existing customer base. “It’s most efficient to focus on customers you have rather than try to build new ones,” says Micki Krimmel, founder and CEO of size-inclusive brand Superfit Hero. “Expanding from a 2X to 3X is not necessarily the ‘revolution’ that the fat community is looking for, but it makes sense for [brands like] Athleta, for instance, that have built into plus slowly. They market their commitment to inclusivity while still focusing on their current customer.” (Like Old Navy, Athleta is owned by Gap, Inc.)
Despite the brand’s numerouscontroversies, Shein has become popular in the plus-size space for its array of options. In a statement issued to Refinery29 regarding the company’s approach to plus, a Shein spokesperson said that its business model uses “market demand to predict sales and control production… If the item doesn’t sell as expected, we stop the production process. Analyzing demand in real-time for items combined with our agile supply chain allows us to maintain a wide offering for customers seeking a range of sizes.”
Plus-size consumers have been perpetually let down by brands; our frustrations are warranted. But remembering that real change is never instant is an important mindset to maintain as more labels attempt to expand their size-inclusive offerings. The only way to ensure that a new size initiative succeeds is to build a strong plus-size customer base. However, what the history of brands like Lane Bryant has made clear, is that doing so requires time, effort, and commitment. A brand must convince its customers that it’s here for the long haul to ensure any loyalty in the future.
According to Old Navy, it’s readjusting its offerings to meet current demand and grow its plus-size market in the future. Time will tell what that means, but, in the meantime, plus-size customers will be watching.
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