I’m the big 5-0. I’m not plus-sized anymore, but a 12, for my continued health and vanity.

In NYC, maybe because there’s just more choice, the lines have become blurred, from age appropriate dressing, to choices for plus-sized women. So, at the end of the day, as the cliche´ goes, there’s something for everyone.

Why hate on younger eco lines for style and sizing? To me, this is like wanting to hang out with your kids. They have their own world, just like I did when I was a knitwear DE, “back in the day”. I didn’t design for folks like my mom––when you’re young, crunchy looks cool on you; and all of us, were younger once.

As far as spending power, older hippie types and women don’t buy as much apparel; I see it at work, and I work for a major style mag. It’s not that these groups don’t have money––it’s the re-assessment of your life at that age, where clothing isn’t a priority; older hippies travel more, and older women decorate their homes. Young people are still building their networks, and you need clothing to do that. Our highest revenue producing issues with older customers, are Design and Travel; with the young, it’s men and women’s fashion. Trust me Karren, the numbers tell it.

Young and trendy plus sizers, due to their better education, are more honest about their body-types now. They, like myself in age, are separates types, and aren’t as brand loyal as their slimmer girlfriends. If a girl has hip-fullness, but smaller up top, she’ll buy Seven jeans at the Avenue, and a eco-message tee at Uni-Glo in Soho. There are also fab plus-size boutiques here, who have adjusted for their aging customer, while keeping an eye out for crossover lines, so you don’t look “old lady.”

Why don’t consumers press established brands such as Eileen Fisher to make the transition to eco? The styling and shaping, are there, and their price points cater to boomer women who have disposable income.

Total transition won’t be easy. The older and plus market is notoriously price sensitive for a reason––salaries in the northeast are over-blown, but older women everywhere else make a lot less money. There are more older women working at Walmart, than Wall St.

I’m not disputing boomer women have resources they’ll (we’ll) expend in accordance with our values. I’m in doubt as to the size of the segment of this particular eco-oriented market.

Your tendency to dismiss grey hairs might be tinged with ageism.

Come come, don’t you think that’d be a little obvious ? While not without my imperfections, I think most understood my commentary as it was intended -tongue in cheek.

I like fitted clothing and can wear DE sizing for the most part, but it’s not always fit that keeps me from buying clothing by young designers, it’s style. While I LOVE their clothes, really love them, I don’t try to dress as I did when I was young. I need to pick and choose clothing that’s age-appropriate which is definitely NOT old lady fashion, but it includes more body coverage than a young person would wear. And as Oxanna said, my weight is distributed differently than it was when I was young. This is NOT a criticism of young DEs and their designs, it’s really a validation of what Kathleen said–we have to design our own clothing.

My clothing line was first designed for plus-sized women, but it’s been streamlined and is appropriate for the over 40s and those are my customer base. While some of my line appeals to the young (and I have young customers), they are not my target audience. I don’t design for them and I don’t expect any DE to design for me if I am not their target buyer. But I might find something here and there in their lines that works (I am not brand loyal, I buy what I like wherever I find it).

I use somewhat eco-friendly fabric and am hunting for more, and I think partly the eco lines have been driven by what fabric is available. Cotton doesn’t work for my clothing. I need drape. Unfortunately, we can expect to pay more for eco friendly clothing just as we have to pay more for organic food.

Marguerite

Of course, the sizing is another animal, and I’d be curious to know if eco-conscious boomers are slimmer than the average. I would assume so based on the “hippie” stereotype in my head, but I’m not sure that’s so.

I’m not plus-sized, but it seems to me that if plus-sized women are looking for cute eco clothes (beyond just T-shirts), then that should be addressed by a specific company or a whole new line, because it’s not just a matter of “adding plus sizes”. Scale and fit have to be taken into consideration as well. It also seems to me that there’s a difference between a “plus size” and a “mature” figure, mainly in the way weight is distributed. An overweight but mature figure will put on weight differently than a plus-sized hourglass.

“I’m not saying that there are not plus size consumers willing to pay a premium, only that not enough of them are.”

This is, still, I think an (admittedly shrinking *no pun intended*) issue.

I think that this is conventional mis-information, not based on fact. Boomer women are a force to be to be taken into account; they now have a disposable income to use in accordance with their values.

“What’s fascinating about women our age is that, with the passage of time, we’re not sinking into the sunset. We’ve only become more powerful…as consumers and professionals. We spend twice as much as our teen counterparts on fashion. We are the gatekeepers of major purchases from cars to computers and are poised to command 60% of the country’s wealth in the next five years.

FROM http://www.womensbiz.us/archives/spotlight0406.asp

‘For example, Boomer women are at the vanguard of ethical consumerism, so corporate values matter. They are contextual and holistic thinkers, so details matter, and the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. They are impassioned communicators, so message integrity and corporate authenticity matter.

Boomer women also value connecting, so the possibilities for online social networking begin with them. We can follow the evolution and development of web communities dedicated to middle-aged women to better predict the potential that networking brings to all this generation.

June 14, 2007 | Permalink http://boomers.typepad.com/boomers/2007/06/boomergirl.html

Your tendency to dismiss grey hairs might be tinged with ageism. Visit Time Goes By blog at http://www.timegoesby.net/ for enlightenment about ageism,the most damning by elders themselves.

I’m not plus-sized, but my sister-in-law is. She is one of the people who encouraged me to make plus-sized clothing.