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One of the things I am often asked when people find out that I’m a fashion editor is “please, please show me where to get great, fashionable clothes as a size 16-plus woman”. Sadly, I’m often stumped. There are a few brilliant labels out there, both specialists and household names, like ASOS Curve, Navabi and M&S Curve but truly special finds are few and far between.
There is hope. Dolce & Gabbana recently announced that it would be extending its size range to a 22, I have my fingers crossed that US brand Universal Standard will be coming to the UK soon and small label The Hour creates beautiful pieces up to a size 32. And there is always Marina Rinaldi, an absolute gem in this market and an offshoot of Italian house Max Mara.
So, brilliant news for anyone searching for designer pieces up to a size 28: Marina Rinaldi has enlisted Roksanda Ilinčić as its latest design collaborator. Roksanda shows are the kind that fashion editors studiously analyse and form the basis for their personal shopping lists and new season colour palettes. The autumn/ winter collection, for example, comprised searing shots of fuchsia and ochre, evolving into cranberry and terracotta tailoring, with gentle twists of lime, and jumpsuits and coats in oatmeal shades more calming than Qigong.
For her Marina Rinaldi collection, Ilinčić has been inspired by the work of American artist Frank
Stella, drawing on his graphic stripes and abstract colourblocking. Sumptuous claret and cobalt cohabit on midis or coats, which nod to
Max Mara’s famous luxurious cover-ups;
Stella’s optical illusion aesthetic is deployed on silhouetteenhancing dresses and there are plenty of the dramatic sleeves and floor-grazing gowns,
which are Ilinčić classics. “In a time when I feel we are all trying to do a little bit more than we normally do to improve the state of the world, it was just a wonderful thing to be able to do a project that talks positively,” Ilinčić explains. “I thought I am not a huge company, but I really want to do this and I felt that this collaboration would give me that platform to say something that normally I would not be able to.” While many creatives speak of attempting to conceal when designing for larger women, Ilinčić was determined instead to defy stereotypes, introducing armbaring dresses and tops. “Our culture has imposed that women have to hide their arms, that it isn’t nice to see them,” the Serbian-born designer says. “It is just perception but why not try to change that? My clothes do cover quite a lot just by how they are. I don’t like to show too much flesh but some things are imposed on to us and we should maybe rebel against that.”
Ilinčić’s appeal is universal; her designs are as beloved by women famed for their bold style (Michelle Obama, Vanessa Redgrave, Helen Mccrory, Cate Blanchett) as those for whom she offers a perfectly pitched level of statement – the Duke of
Cambridge once called his wife’s yellow Roksanda shift her “banana” dress, while Melania Trump owns her “Margot” dress in two colours.
Ilinčić is evidently passionate about working with Marina Rinaldi, having visited Collezione Maramotti, the company’s art archive, and learnt about the real Marina, grandmother of Achille Maramotti, Max Mara’s founder.
“She was a lady with a larger frame and large personality. She was actually making dresses for ladies in the area. I always love to discover stories – something that you don’t know.” I have a feeling Marina would have loved gliding around her boutique in Roksanda’s sweeping scarves, wide-legged trousers and sculptural wooden earrings.
The UK plus-size fashion market was worth £6.6billion in 2017, and its value is expected to rise to £9billion by 2022, a rate of growth that is faster than the rest of the clothing sector.
Many ask why more designers are not creating options for this market; surely it would make business sense? While one school of thought says that labels are worried about dressing women whose bodies don’t conform to societal ideals (I know, I know), Ilinčić says that, for her, it’s more about the logistical difficulties of being a small brand. “If I wanted to extend it quite significantly, that would require quite a lot of investment. So it is not easy,” she explains. She does already go up to a size 18, and her designs are among the most flattering and modern you’ll find for all figures.
If the colours seem daunting, then she advises starting with just a daub. “You always have to follow who you are and if you really are not a colourful person then you shouldn’t force it. If you want to try – and I think that everybody should – bring in a little element,” she advises. “You can start with something that is not full on. Maybe just start with a red lip and take it from there.” The red lip, in shades from coral to burgundy, is Ilinčić’s personal style signature. “I want them to feel good, happy and positive – a better version of themselves,” she says of the women who buy her collaboration. “Like they can do things that, maybe before putting the dress on, they were not so sure about. I always want to design for women to please themselves, not others.”
Marina Rinaldi by Roksanda is available from late July 2019 at marinarinaldi.com and at Marina Rinaldi, Albemarle Street, London. Prices start at £247