The Shape of Fashion

STORY BY LIESEL SCHMIDT PHOTOGRAPHY BY ARIELLE LEWIS STUDIOS + COURTESY OF DANI SAUTER | @BLONDE_INTHEDISTRICT

As Coco Chanel famously said, “Fashion is in the sky, in the street; fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” It’s an unerring truth that fashion progresses with ideology, often following changes in culture. But sometimes fashion pushes against what is accepted, redefining what we see and throwing out the rule book. It’s magical and inspiring and transformational. That’s what makes it so powerful. And whether we’re pushing boundaries or not, there is something inherent in us, as women, that needs to feel beautiful, to be seen and admired. Fashion—and, by extension, the clothing created by it—is part of that. “There's more to clothing than just adornment,” New York Times' best-selling author Jacqueline Carey once observed. “It does more than merely change how the world perceives us. It changes how we perceive ourselves.” So the question becomes, in a world where fashion so famously overlooks the need for size inclusivity, how are women past a certain size supposed to perceive themselves? All sizes are beautiful. That fact should be reflected in the options available both on the rack and online. Gains have been made with regard to this, but there is still a dearth of choices that are both flattering and stylish. As a blogger and model whose blog, Blonde in the District, covers fashion in the DC area, Dani Sauter has her finger on the pulse of size inclusive fashion. She says, it is alarmingly faint. “I don’t think it’s just a DMV issue,” she says. “The issue is nation and worldwide! Prepandemic availability of plus fashion was starting to improve little by little, but unfortunately, the pandemic has back-tracked progress these past few years. Sadly, many local stores that carried extended sizing options have closed or shifted to online only, making our options even more limited than prepandemic. I think the broader issue ultimately stems from us being conditioned to think that style is only for people who are a certain size. It’s in the media, advertisements, digital messaging and on runways. If fashion at the top level isn’t inclusive, then it’s not going to filter down to what we see in the real world.”

Change may not be simple when it comes to altering the fashion world, but it is possible. “I think we need to shift our mindset about how we all view style and bodies in general,” says Sauter, who has worked with national and local fashion brands on campaigns, creative collaborations, messaging, consulting and modeling. “Anyone can have great style. Size doesn’t matter. Part of my mission as a fashion blogger and model is to advocate for this change and to show that women can be stylish at any size and any age. Style is not only for one size group. I think being conscious of the issue and including bodies of all shapes and sizes in overall messaging is key. The more society sees this, the more change will happen. But I also think change can come from within the community.” While it may not seem like an issue to anyone who has never walked into a store and felt excluded, there is a very clear message being communicated that needs to be taken out of the narrative. “Everyone deserves to feel beautiful and

As Coco Chanel famously said, “Fashion is in the sky, in the street; fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.”

It’s an unerring truth that fashion progresses with ideology, often following changes in culture. But sometimes fashion pushes against what is accepted, redefining what we see and throwing out the rule book. It’s magical and inspiring and transformational. That’s what makes it so powerful. And whether we’re pushing boundaries or Style is an outward expression of who you not, there is something inherent in us, as women, that needs to feel beautiful, to be seen and admired. Fashion—and, by extension, the are and it should be available to everyone, clothing created by it—is part of that. regardless of size, shape, age or height.

“There's more to clothing than just adornment,” New York Times' best-selling author Jacqueline Carey once observed. “It does more than merely change how the world perceives us. It changes how we perceive ourselves.”

So the question becomes, in a world where fashion so famously overlooks the need for size inclusivity, how are women past a certain size supposed to perceive themselves?

All sizes are beautiful. That fact should be reflected in the options available both on the rack and online. Gains have been made with regard to this, but there is still a dearth of choices that are both flattering and stylish. As a blogger and model whose blog, Blonde in the District, covers fashion in the DC area, Dani Sauter has her finger on the pulse of size inclusive fashion. She says, it is alarmingly faint. “I don’t think it’s just a DMV issue,” she says. “The issue is nation and worldwide! Pre-pandemic availability of plus fashion was starting