Falling victim to the humidity and getting more irritated by the second I reach the top of the twenty minute queue. I then leave my bag at the entrance as asked, because obviously my intention was to steal the thirty euro dress in both sizes (the optimistic size and the one which would actually fit). The obstacle course is next. I dodge prams restraining crying babies, curious children and avoid the waif like girl prancing around in a dress declaring “it’s a bit big on me.” I pull closed the curtain to my cubicle in the changing room. Then change in record time because that unsupervised little boy bouncing about sounds a little too curious for my liking. Finally, I stand in front of the mirror, I do a bit of a turn and wonder, how did it look so much more glamourous on a headless mannequin?
I walk out and as I do a 360 I see the clothes are pinned back beyond recognition behind a size 8 dummy. So imagine my surprise when last year Debenhams introduced size 16 mannequins last year. “We are proud to offer a broad and varied choice for women of all ages, shapes and sizes in store” was the official line. Then it came to light that designer Mark Fast let a stylist walk off in favour of showing a size 14 model at London fashion week. 2010 London Fashion week was a wash with bigger models. Beautiful girls from sizes 10,12 and 14 owned the catwalk. Designers said that models would be at least a size 10 from then on.
Enter 20011 and the hopes for bigger models are shrunk. Cue Andrej Pejic, a man who was paraded down catwalks from February 2011 onwards. His face is amazingly feminine but his body is unmistakably male. To say that this completely curve less body is that what women should aspire to is (here come the dramatics) a travesty! Now Andrej is modeling Gaultier wedding gowns and declaring his wish to pose for Playboy.
The promised size ten models have failed to appear. Some designers did go as far as to make size 10 samples but the models sent out by agencies were too small to fill them. “I'd much rather make a size 10, but the clothes have to fit the models who are going to wear them" designer Grachvogel confessed to The Guardian early this year. All we can do is wait for the fall/winter shows of 2012 to see if curves are back in. As for Debenhams pilot scheme, it hasn’t caught on amongst other retailer as far as I can see.
This is not meant to be a rant more an ode to an era that used to accept feminine curves as they were in their natural form, big or small. The day in which Marilyn Monroe was a size 16 and known for her beauty and glamour. When your natural size was the only one and fashion was about looking and feeling amazing for everyone. This is the motto I shall take with me on my next excursion to the dressing room.
For those who think I’m completely wrong, I shall leave you with this....
Scarlett Johansson or Victoria Beckham? Enough said!
