It is now possible to find good quality size 28 clothing on the high street and online. No longer does the larger lady have to hide away wearing ill-fitting kaftans and being totally unfashionable. Fashion outlets and lingerie retailers now cater for the larger lady and many cater for up to size 32.

Many fashion retailers on the high street cater for sizes up to size 22 in the standard ranges and a few cater for larger sizes. Department stores such as Debenhams, Beales and John Lewis all have concessions that sell larger sizes; there are also a number of specialist retailers on the high street. Retailers such as Evans specialise in fashionable and contemporary garments in sizes 16 to 32, they also provide footwear and lingerie ranges for the larger size. I have shopped in Evans on many occasions and have noticed over the last number of years that they carry basically the same trends as the other well known fashion outlets except in larger sizes and cut to suit the larger lady.

The internet has perhaps opened up the marketplace for larger size clothing ranges. There are many sites that exclusively sell larger sizes and have their own specialist designers. Sites such as Bravissimo, Brastop, Figleaves and many more online retailers offer lingerie in larger sizes. The larger lady is no longer satisfied with frumpy clothing and ill-fitting, uncomfortable underwear and manufacturers and retailers are now responding to the demand for bigger sizes. Some of the online retailers have been so successful that they are opening high street shops; Bravissimo now has a number of high street outlets in cities such as Glasgow, Manchester and London.

There are also some less costly retailers that have ranges that include size 28. Fashion retailers such as Mark One and Matalan with their Rogers and Rogers collection, offer low cost fashion clothing for larger sizes up to size 28 and 32, the Marks and Spencer Plus range caters for up to size 28. So it is becoming easier to find larger sizes on the high street at reasonable prices. However it is perhaps online where the biggest revolution has taken place in outfitters catering specifically for larger sizes. There are a lot of sites specialising in clothing ranges that include size 28. Sites such as SoSienna offer a large selection of plus sizes and also offer clothing by leading designers such as Anna Scholz and Karen Kane. The likes of Igigi supply clothes in sizes ranging from size 12 to 32, they also offer bridal wear and special occasion or evening wear.

There has always been specialist catalogues that have catered for larger clothing, but more of these catalogues now operate online outlets to complement the catalogues.

Most of the high street retailers offer sizes up to size 22, but as demand increases for more sizes the retailers will extend the ranges. It has also been argued that sizing in clothes has changed over the years and that a size 28 now is different to a size 28 perhaps twenty years ago. Retailers are aware that body shapes have changed, as women and men are better fed, but also are inclined to be differently shaped than perhaps a generation before. People tend to carry weight around their middle and the bust and clothes have adapted to these changes as has clothing sizes. It would not have been possible even a few years ago to purchase bras in size J and double J.

It is becoming easier to find clothing that is larger and sizes like size 28 are more common. There is more choice available to the shopper looking for larger sizes from department stores to catalogues to online shops to specialist retail outlets. However as demand for bigger sizes increase more retailers will join companies like Marks and Spencer and offer clothing ranges that will cater for size 28 and above.