Fashion 86 : Larger-Size Designs Now Have Fresh, Flattering Looks

Designer Elaine Flom remembers years when she fit into a Size 10 dress. Then a 14. But why dwell on the slim days? Lately she’s a confirmed Size 24, who--like other women well into the double-digit sizes--just can’t picture herself clad as a stodgy matron.

Two years ago, this Southern California native started Elaine Jessley Ltd., geared to the affluent, fashion-conscious large-size woman--the kind of woman who showed up en masse at the recent I. Magnin fashion show of the designer’s holiday and cruise lines. It was the store’s first event aimed at the large-size-woman’s market.

“This (large-size) woman is out there. She’s got the money to spend. She wants to look great, and we want to help her do it,” said I. Magnin Regional Vice President Elaine Mac Neil, describing the large-size market as a growing business for the store.

During the event, the third floor of the L.A. store was abuzz with about 100 mostly large-size women, who picked at their plates of hors d’oeuvres, sipped champagne and Perrier and made no attempt to muffle their approval of a deserving dress. “Large women, for whatever reason, are a lot warmer and more ‘chattery’ than other people,” the designer said of her audience, who applauded enthusiastically at times.

Flom’s 30-piece show incorporated her fashion outlook: “I offer looks and styles that are comparable to my slimmer contemporaries.”

For the holiday/cruise, the look means black velour dresses and pants--combined with silver or gold lame accents--and flowing georgette dresses in bright, mixed prints. The line includes classic black-and-white-checked suits accented in yellow, blue chambray separates and T-shirts appliqued with tropical flowers over slim-fitting pants.

Flom said she and co-designer Zoltan Rakovszky think “pretty” and “flattering” when they create. “You always want to look thinner,” she said.

She has several slimming strategies. One is to draw attention to the face through color or emphasize vertical lines through a low V-neckline. She also uses wide cuffs (“It draws attention to the wrist--a skinny part of the body”) and body-camouflaging, exaggerated dolman sleeves.

Flom, who lives in Laguna Niguel but bases her business in Downtown L.A., worked for two decades in the fashion business--doing publicity and merchandising--before starting the company. Her firsthand experiences in the large-size fashion jungle clinched her desire to start the line, which is priced mostly in the $150-to-$300 range.

“I knew exactly who my customer was and what she was missing,” Flom said. “These women don’t mind spending the money--as long as you give them value.”

The show ended with Flom’s customer proving her correct: Magnin’s tallied $10,000 in large-size sales and orders that afternoon, store manager Joan Elledge said. But the day didn’t end without a mild complaint.

“They should have used a big beautiful model,” customer Phyllis Kamilar said. “Some of those models must have been a Size 10.”

Which may be a tribute to the collection’s slimming power. The models ranged from “tall and stately” to “short and heavy,” Elledge said. But all were wearing Size 18.