Lady LUX

The full-figured market has long been somewhat ignored by fashion. But now, The Limited and Lane Bryant are shaking things up, each releasing a new line for plus-size women, reported WWD.

In October, The Limited will unveil Eloquii by The Limited, which features designs in larger sizes that still boast the same kind of vibe as the main collections.

“There will definitely be a common sensibility between the two brands,” Linda Heasley, chief executive officer of The Limited, told WWD.

The recent line is backed by the Charming Shoppes Inc.’s new online system, which helps direct large-bodied women to styles that fit well and suit them. “They’re the most underserved and marginalized population in apparel,” said Bill Bass, president of Charming Shoppes Direct to WWD, discussing the fashion difficulties of plus-size customers.

While often overlooked, a number of stores have found it profitable to offer options for plus-size females, who compose fully 50 percent of U.S. women. The crux of the matter is, said Heasley, the offerings “lack choice relative to fashion.”

“Women don’t want to be relegated to wearing a tent or a muumuu,” the CEO said. “They don’t want something dumbed down. She wants a miniskirt that’s tasteful and appropriate and pushes a fashion viewpoint. Eloquii is about amazing clothes for a figure you can celebrate.”

Again taking a cue from the staple line, Eloquii is directed toward professional women 25 to 34 years old, with trendy options including one-shoulder and strapless dresses, leather bombers and belted capes.

“We’ve created a wardrobe that’s broad — that will get her through the day, into the evening, and for her to have fun on the weekend. We are moving her toward a lifestyle,” Heasley said.

The Limited has previously stuck toward vending apparel in sizes up to 14 in its physical stores, as well as size 16 and 18 online. Emerging out of the success of these larger size efforts, the new plus-size collection, boasting options from 14W to 24W, will form a new division in the company.

“Fifty percent of the American female population is at least a size 12,” Heasley said. “She has been underserved. She wants the same things her skinny friends get.”

Look for Eloquii to hit online Oct. 26 and in stores in 2012.

Lane Bryant, long a champion of full-figured apparel, is jumping into the plus-size fray with T3 (Tighter Tummy Technology), a new campaign of jeans and slacks that features five topless large-bodied models, reported WWD in another article.

“I would say our jeans business has been good because of the launch,” Debbie Martin, senior vice president of design and development for Lane Bryant, said to WWD. “The blue denim business in general has been a bit softer because color has been so hot, but we’ve had good response in all the channels we do business in. These days, if the customer has something similar in her closet, she’s not stepping out to buy. It’s got to be emotional or new.”

The way the technology works is a nylon-spandex mesh insert, is placed in the front of the jeans and designed to flatten the stomach area. A two-inch-wide elastic, which circles the whole waistband, avoids the “gapping” effect. Available in sizes 14 to 28, the T3 has been applied to both jeans and slacks.

T3 marks the next progression in Lane Bryant’s efforts to scale up its plus-size denim offerings. This followed on the heels of Right Fit, an initiative that produced three silhouettes based on thousands of body scans, determining where the excess pounds accumulated.

“We had some on the floor this spring and the reactions were really positive,” Martin said. “Customers are telling us this makes them look a size or two smaller.”

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