Five reasons plus-size style is in the spotlight

At New York Fashion Week this season, plus-size clothing had its strongest showing on the runway in recent memory — or maybe ever

Here are five ways plus-size style stole the show and the designers who helped make it happen.

1. “A banner season for body diversity”: For the first time in New York Fashion Week history, plus-size models walked in 12 shows, with a total of 90 being cast, according to the FashionSpot’s biannual Diversity Report. That’s up from 26 models last season and 16 last fall.

2. Sharing the runway: Several noted designers had a mix of straight and plus-size models walk in their shows. Christian Siriano included 10 curvy models in his cast — the most in a show that wasn’t entirely full-figured fashions. Chromat, Michael Kors, Prabal Gurung, Tracy Reese, Tome, Eckhaus Latta and Anna Sui were some others who followed suit.

3. Exclusive shows: Two shows at New York Fashion Week were devoted to plus-size style. Canadian brand Addition Elle, whose motto is “style isn’t limited by size,” unveiled a see now/buy now collection of relaxed bombers, shirt dresses accented with corset belts, striking lace evening wear and sparkly sheath dresses. Supermodel Ashley Graham also debuted her latest lingerie for the brand. Torrid, which serves sizes 10 to 30, showed off selections for spring, including a mix of edgy looks (black bodycon dresses, dark denim, netted layering pieces, etc.) and playful florals.

4. Speaking up: Lauren Chan, an editor at Glamour magazine modelled a red halter-style swimsuit with white piping for the swim and sport brand Chromat. But when she was bombarded with body-shaming comments, mostly from men, she said on social media, she didn’t shy from the limelight.

“My whole body of work as an editor is focused on redefining the social norms about size and on making women feel valued no matter what they look like. Period,” she wrote as part of her response on Instagram. Glamour also sounded off with more supportive comments.

5. Conference call: While runway shows unfolded across Manhattan, theCURVYcon conference brought together some of the industry’s leading brands, stylists, bloggers, media personalities and more for a body-positive experience, complete with shopping, fitness sessions and panels. Homegrown ModCloth was on site to share its wide selection of styles in a range of sizes.