Not afraid to take fashion risks, Beth Ditto of The Gossip is the unofficial plus-sized icon of the moment. Her hotly anticipated collection for Evans, TopShop’s plus-size division, hits stores and the web on July 9.
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The roles were reversed when fashion photographer Velvet D’Amour stepped in front of the cameras as a plus-size model for her walk down Jean Paul Gaultier’s Spring/Summer 2007 ready-to-wear show in October 2006—Gaultier cast her as part of his 30-year retrospective, which included plus-size models in the past.
Jacques Brinon / AP Photo
Dillon originally started her career as a traditional model in the early ‘90s, but after battling anorexia, she determined with her doctor that it would be healthier to add more pounds to her 5’10” frame. She eventually left modeling, but made a comeback in the late ‘90s as a plus-size model, appearing in Vogue and French Vogue. She was named one of People magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful” in 2000.
Dimitrios Kambouris, WireImage / Getty Images
Model Crystal Renn’s career has extended beyond the plus-size niche, from numerous photo shoots with Steven Meisel in Vogue to campaigns alongside “regular” models for Spanish retailer Mango. Her memoir, Hungry, is due out September 2009.
Remy de la Mauviniere / AP Photo
Half-sister of actress Liv Tyler and daughter of Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, Mia has been one of the most ubiquitous plus-size models of the past two decades alongside Emme. This year, she launched her own plus-sized clothing line, Revolution 1228.
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“Plus-size clothing almost seems like a niche market that is only catered to because no one wants fatties running around naked!” says Templin, a fashion designer from San Diego, CA. “That's why I decided to start my own clothing line, Mint Swan.”
Brenda Jean Templin
“I think that as a plus-size woman, you can't help but approach fashion differently because the choices that exist are so poor,” says Birmingham, England-based Diane D. of Fat Girls Like Nice Clothes Too “You have to be creative—customize, accessorize, chop, crop and change to make things fit. This in itself can create a whole different aesthetic to whatever is trendy at the time.”
Diane D.
“Most of my plus size style icons are regular people I see on the street or on blogs or online forums like the Fatshionista Flickr group,” says New York-based Gregg of Young, Fat and Fabulous. “It's so hard to succeed in the entertainment industry as a fat woman, and therefore there aren't many celebrities to pick from. Hollywood tries to push women like Jennifer Hudson and America Ferrara as these curvy icons, but as much as I love them, they definitely aren't plus size.”
Gabi Gregg
Martinez, a teacher from Los Angeles, blogs about fashion at corazonesrojos.tumblr.com and chronicles her everyday style as a member of the Fatshionista Flickr pool.
Maria Martinez
"The most important plus size style icon is that big girl you see at the shop or in church or at your 12-step meeting who walks in and you just fall in three-second love,” says Gammill, aka Plumcake, who blogs for Manolo for the Big Girl from Austin, TX. “She's the woman you see and think ‘My God, she's fantastic’ and then you notice she's a big girl."
Nathan Black Photography
Makeup artist Tina Lou of Montreal, Quebec is a modern pin-up with a stylist’s keen eye, unafraid of color and mixing vintage finds with updated accessories.
Tina Lou
