You know… I have the sweetest spot for Nordstrom, especially as it pertains to plus size fashion. Always at the forefront of inclusivity in fashion, and for a while, Nordstrom was where it was at… and sometimes, it still is. HOWEVER, with the latest news of them looking to shake up their sizing offerings- including more of our sizes on the floor, I had to stop and think about this…
Something did not feel right.
As you peruse the news, everyone is singing their praises, shouting how happy they are for this move, and thinking this is a huge leap for inclusivity… BUT! But. While I appreciate their awareness of the need to include a range of sizes on the floor, I find it interesting as many department stores and chains are struggling financially, NOW is the time they (not only Nordstrom) realize that the 20-billion-dollar market may be their savior. NOW, after they have removed plus sizes from their floor, after they have stocked their online shops with contemporary plus size designers, and after their bottom line starts to hurt…
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Now. After we have stopped really going in store and sourcing our fun contemporary plus size designers and fashion online.
You see, I have collaborated with Nordstrom and HauteLook many times in the past, I even held in-store events with them. But! There has been this lull (they’ve pulled out plus sizes from many of their stores) annnnnd when you look at Nordstrom as a whole (and its department store friends), I cannot help but to notice a few things missing in their newfound shifts…
What’s Missing with their new approach?
Well, let me break it down for you…
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- Plus sizes should have always been at the forefront… but you know, cultural shifts happen and the plus size community has been putting in that work to make you pay attention. Recognize, celebrate, and relate to us! We obviously have money to spend.
- INCLUDE plus sizes in ALL of your in-store marketing, look books, and advertisements. Not just for the plus size “page,” not just for the websites, and not just for a new designer. Integrate us into your lifestyle marketing (kind of like what Kohl’s, Target, and TJMaxx is doing now…)
- You have a blog for your brand, right? Well, feature plus size influencers, designers, and product on there… not just sprinkled throughout, but serious planning into your editorial calendar.
- Make sure you also include and feature influencers and models of color AND size. Not a 12 who barely makes it by, but give us 18s, 20s, etc. Give us variation and the diversity we crave, demand, and deserve. I would like to note that the growth of the plus size fashion industry has been championed by women of color… please be mindful of this and include those of us in the community who have been here for years- and I am not talking about just me. There are sooooooo many others who have come before me who have created the foundation for today’s plus size fashion industry.
- There are a variety of influencers who appeal to various lifestyles. You have your wear to work bloggers, your contemporary bloggers, your fashion on-a-budget bloggers… they do exist in the plus size market, just as the mainstream fashion market. Use them.
- When you have campaigns for your store, include plus sizes. Not a page or 2, with non-fashion inspired or uninspired basics/essentials. Have you perused the Nordstrom Anniversary sale catalogs? Maybe two pages but all we were given were essentials- no inspiration. I want to promote and share, but you gotta give me something to share, y’all. Give us fashion just as you would our mainstream counterparts… as you can see, we have money to spend- 20 billion to be exact.
Inside a City Chic Boutique - Floor space- make it appealing. Give us the floorspace, departments, and layouts just as you would your straight size counterparts. We want to feel welcome, thought of, and appreciated. Work with the plus size brands to build out mini shops as you would DKNY, Theory, Vince, and DVF. If not, you will end back up here, financially.
- MARKET to us. Include the plus size media (yes, this is a thing) in your outreach. Let us know that you exist. Unlike mainstream fashion, the growth of the plus size fashion industry is bottom up, not top-down like traditional fashion chains. So, this also means recognizing the plus size media that has been birthed from this as well. (I am looking at you PR companies)
- Stop making up superfluous names for “plus size.” Matter of fact, drop the whole conversation and just focus on making dope plus size clothes an option and accessible to us. With all of this energy used on trying to define the brand, work on making fly clothes that we (and you) want to wear.
- Stop stopping your plus sizes at a 20. You want to make a serious impact? At the bare minimum you should be going up through a 24, but I challenge you to raise that to a 32.
These are only ten thoughts that I can readily think of, but there are more…
And let me be honest… this list does not only apply to Nordstrom, but to more than a few brands and retailers taking another look at the plus size market. We are here. Not this monolith consumer, who is collectively shy, thinking she is a work in progress, or who wants to hide her curves.
We’re a variety of women, just as the fellow straight size consumer…
Stop dumbing down the plus size fashion departments, cry wolf, and close up shop when we do not shop your areas.
Spend time getting to know who we are, what we want, and what we have to say.
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You want to positively impact your bottom line? Engage us, respectfully.
I know I cannot be alone in these thoughts… I have these conversations with other bloggers, readers, and retailers… But I want to hear from you.
How do you feel about these changes? With brands finally paying attention? On time or too late?
PS. Nordstrom, holla at me… let’s talk! I love y’all and want you to win.
As someone who spent her former life in higher end department stores,
working 12 years in retail, and rocking an MBA in marketing,
I know more than a little about a lot.
Yes to all of this, especially advertising the fact that they have any selection at all of plus size clothes. Iâve been finding cute stuff at Target lately, but I stumbled upon it by accident earlier this year because Iâd completely written them off as a source of clothing. I was so annoyed with them after their removal of plus sizes and then reintroduction of Ava & Viv, which were really awful clothes that looked nothing like the stylish offerings they had for straight sizes. Iâm a bit worried that theyâre going to get rid of plus sizes again by claiming it doesnât sell, but theyâre not exactly advertising all they have either. I havenât looked for clothes at Nordstrom or Macyâs in yearsâI truly resent having to go upstairs/downstairs, away from all the other womenâs clothing, and then when you do actually find it the clothes feel like an insult. Itâs too bad they couldnât have realized our money is just as green several years ago. Better late than never I guess.
I am hoping that they all get it together… it is soooo odd to see them- Nordstrom of all brands, lose it a bit. BUT, there are so many other brands and departments stores who are missing the mark here.
Yes Nordstrom in Short Hills mall moved the Encore (plus size) clothes to the back left corner of the second floor – It was
previously in the front of the second floor nicely displaying outfit – when I found the new area it was messy with no outfits dispelyed – Soooo disappointed that Nordstrom did this very upsetting – are they doing this in all their stores?? I feel we are bieng put to the back of the bus
Nordstrom Rack buyers have determined they can no longer offer a compelling selection of plus-size options so they will no longer offer plus size in some of their stores.
I was told you can shop for plus sizes on line.
Orlando doesn’t have a Nordstrom store, and that says a lot to me. We have a Nordstrom Rack, but that’s it.
Oh? In all of Orlando? That’s curious…
There was a full line store at the Florida Mall for about a decade, however they closed it back in 2013 due to lackluster sales. I worked there in cosmetics as a Beauty Stylist.. They chose to focus on the new store that they opened at the St. John’s Towncenter in Jacksonville.
Tennessee has 1 Nordstrom. 2 Nordstrom Racks. I have to drive to Nashville. The Nordstrom Rack in Memphis where I live has a very disappointing 3 racks…. awful in comparison to NR store I’ve been to around the nation and online… Nordstrom sends all the good selection to larger markets…Atlanta, Dallas, New York, Los Angeles…
Yes, I have to order online or drive to Tampa
Good stuff.
thank you madame.
I approve this message. I love me some Nordstrom but when I need something last minute, what I want is only available online. A lot of big department stores need to read this article and take notes!!
thank you boo! share this!!! I hope they see, read, and take note.
When they came to Canada I was excited. But minimal (like 4-5 items) in the whole store in downtown TO’s store were plus sized (the continents 3rd largest market). They stocked the same plus size jeans already available at the nearby Bay. And the worst part? No plus sized section! For that minimal selection we were expected to hen pick through the entire store to find that puny treasure. I never set foot in that store again – they’ve also now lost my online biz too.
It is frustrating. soooo ofrustrating
So true – the dearth of options for plus-sized women in Canada is lamentable, even in Toronto. Eventually (I hope) retailers will realize there’s a market here to be served. In the meantime, trial and error via online shopping is my mainstay between trips to the States stock up.
I used to work at Nordstrom and we had a fairly large plus size department called Encore. However the mannequins were dumpy looking and they were definitely gearing towards a “matronly” woman. I go to the Rack now for food prices but that is a woefully small section..maybe 2 racks and a couple of end caps. LL bean took the plus out of their stores a while back and now it’s only available online. Hardly convenient for the woman who’s ready to spend now. I am a plus size middle aged woman (and fashion illustrator) who wants a variety of classic and trendy.
yes! but online, it is a whole different store!
So dislike online, can’t try it on….we are all so different where we curve.
I end up buying from Zulily, Ellos, Simply Be, and Torrid….and only Torrid has a brick and mortar store. And one more rant: enough with cap sleeves and skinny jeans….ok I’m done now…ð
Sue Tait Porcaro Iâm with you with cap sleeves and skinny jeans. Especially skinny jeans. Iâm short and curvy so skinny jeans look awful on me and never fit right. But every time I go jeans shopping it takes trips to several stores usually because 90% of the jeans I can find in my size are skinny, jeggings, or âdistressedâ and I canât wear that to work.
I agree with you 100% Sue! I want trendy items but I want classic timeless pieces as well! I really enjoy that new line from Target, A New Day. I love their trouser jeans, cardigans and blazers. (I just wish the jeans weren’t so freaking long. I’m a leggy 5’7″ & I had to cut several inches off to hem.)
You are absolutely right with questioning their motives, and I agree with you on this bravo ladybug ð
thank ya kindly… I just hope it falls on the right person’s ears!
Me too
I actually wrote letter to the manager of my local Nordstrom’s several years ago because I was so frustrated at their plus size offerings. What they had in the store was a bare minimum effort just to say they had a plus size section. What these stores, particularly department stores, don’t seem to realize is that if I come into the store to shop for clothes, then I’m going to wander over to the children’s department looking for clothes and shoes for my niece and nephew, then I’ll go downstairs and hit the beauty department, meander over to handbags and finally hit shoes. So it’s just not the loss of my plus size clothing dollars they are losing. It’s dollars from all these other departments.
YESSSSSSSSSSSS! Great point
FYI- don’t write to the store manager. Write straight to corporate in Seattle. Blake Nordstrom picks up his own phone.
I am not a plus size but I follow every single plus size page I can because these women are gorgeous, confident and fashionable! I learn from their confidence, to accept my curves. They are important and their wants and needs are important.. Hey retailers, you need to pay attention!!
thank you!
ðð¾ðð¾ðð¾ all of this. Many of the items that you pointed out directly correlate to reasons why dept store retailers get little to none of my dollars anymore. Now you wanna act like my dollar is worth real engagement? It may be too late for me. As for Nordstrom specifically I only shop at the rack now really, and as the one nearest to my home has gotten stingy with the already small plus size section they’ve seen less and less of my dollars as well.
thank you for that and yes, it does beg the question… is it too late?
I have personally given up on Nordstrom simply because of the lack of care and concern from the store in my area. I know I will never be a person who buys clothes from there.
I do believe that more stores need to carry a full line not just a rack or two. However at least in my area TJMaxx and Marshalls is a useless waste of my time. I may go in and get 1/2 a rack (if that) of plus size options. The buyers for the stores do need to engage more than they do. They need to listen to the consumers that for years have been begging them to carry out sizes so we can give them our money.
And to end on a positive note I will say that on a recent trip to NY I was shocked and excited when I was in Macy’s and there was an entire floor of plus size options for me to shop (Herald Square) that shopping experience was one of the highlights of my trip.
Yes! It can vary from location to location and I do hope that this signals others to take note.
PREACH!!!!
thanks babe!
I think retailers were focused on the fairy tail look rather than the realistic look of women, hence they used extremely thin women in their marketing to say âif you buy our clothes, youâll look like thisâ. So not only did they not address plus size women, they didnât address the sizes in between plus and super thin in their catalog. And today they are only making an attempt for the reasons you mentioned. SMH.
seriously!
Nordstrom is one of the few stores that I can go into and has a decent plus size section. I am a 24 and havenât noticed a lack of my size. On the other hand, I went into a Macyâs in the same mall and it had 2 small racks of plus size clothes… there were 2 Macyâs in this mall, one for home and another for other stuff but they could only spare 2 small racks. I was told to look online. I agree that there has been a lack of visibility but Iâve seen stores do much worse than Nordstrom
And you know in the post I share my love for them and how they used to lead the pack… over here in GA it is the opposite. No plus in store downtown and the MACYs is jammin on the one! I think the inconsistency of expectations gives the frustration too
There’s a difference between Macy’s East (where you are) and Macy’s West (where I am). Macy’s West is the usual plus size disaster.
It depends on the Macyâs. The Macyâs in Pentagon City Mall in DC is amazing for plus sizes. An entire floor of high end designers!
yes definitely, and I think that Nordstrom corp has to get with the plan. I’ve been to Nordstrom stores where half the floor is plus size while others have less although I haven’t been to one where there is no plus size. Obviously it is the store manager who is not making plus size a priority. And what do they expect if they don’t advertise plus size? I’ve found it a lot easier to buy online these days. Although things have definitely changed from the days where plus size, if it existed, was in the basement, behind a dark corner, behind some sofas or something… (late 80s/early 90s)
All truth but #5 really got me. How often a magazine or blog have just one small section on plus size where they put a single pic of wear-to-work, a single pic of casual/weekend wear, and one pic of dressy. There are pages upon pages of straight sizes featured.ð¡
seriously! It is a bit frustrating. I hope to see change happen here
ALL. OF. THIS.
For #2, they need to look at what ModCloth has been doing for YEARS. Lifestyle including people of all sizes and colors TOGETHER….like how people actually live their real lives. It makes it personal and fun, making the clothing feel the same way.
YES!!!!! I agreeeeeeee
Love your thoughtful critique! Itâs posts like this that will move us forward ðð»ð
!!! Thank you sis!
Winter coats!!! I want the same high fashion winter coats as my straight sized friends.
And City Chic shouldâve expanded their stores outside of California, especially before they just closed up shop.
I SOOOOOOOOOOOO AGREE!
Amen! I worked for Nordstrom in Encore for 7 years. I constantly talked with our buyers about what they should and shouldn’t be buying. They never listened. They also needed to expand their size range. It was frustrating. And I definitely agree that the stores need to make the department larger and stop hiding Encore in the back if the store.
girl. I used to be in talks with them all the time, but they switched people and now… well….
Ohh, no joke!! The turn over was/is ridiculous!!
I co-sign on All of this! Special shoutout to the dumbing down of the options. H&M comes to mind. They used to go up to a 16, then removed the 16s. They ran a plus line of mumu style dresses & tops. the bottoms did not always consider those of us with big legs. Of course, I see the plus section disappearing from the floor. Like you said, we buy. We buy ALOT! But we donât buy bs.
They need to stop with the urban legend that weâre all ashamed of our bodies and we think the upside down triangle or rectangle method of figure flattery is all that we seek.
âStop dumbing down the plus size fashion departments, cry wolf, and close up shop when we do not shop your areas.â- EXACTLY.
Say it louder for the people in the back!!!
I want my department to look just as inviting and dope as the skinny girls section! Sadly, that doesnât happen! i only see it at stores like Lane unfortunately.
My personal pet peeve is when the same line or designerâs plus collection is the plain dowdy version of the regular size collection. INC in Macyâs is the best example of this. They have all these cute trendy styles in regular sizes and then the plus versions are potato sacks made of the same fabric. Old Navy does this a lot too. They will take the same fabric but make the dress shapeless or 5 inches longer. How about you do what Talbots does: make all styles available in 2-24 or even 32.
I LOVED everything you wrote here! It’s funny because I used to be a shop a holic with a new piece of clothing every two weeks. Once I became a size 18 it became so discouraging to find anything cute that I started shopping online. Then I found Gwynnie Bee and all bets were off-you’d have to almost pay me to shop at the mall now. It would be extremely difficult for malls to get my money now.
NONE of the Nordstrom stores in LA had a plus section when I was there in July. Iâve had decent luck with selection at Nordstrom in Lenox. But across the street at the high end Nordstrom in Phipps, nada. (Also why are there Nordstromâs across the street from each other?) they think plus sized women donât have money to spend? Give us something to buy and we will. (Though I do see plus sized women complaining often about prices for upscale plus brands and it embarrasses me)
Great critique. We have their Plus Department here. Itâs tiny and terrible. Itâs in a corner, hidden by other departments, like itâs shameful. Itâs called Encore, a performance after the main show. You know, a second thought, a toss away.
Bloomingdales here in Chicago does it much better. Better brands, up front placement, prettier clothes.
Norman Marcus has great online but seems to embarrassed to have one actually taking up floor space.
Did âEncoreâ come from the saying âitâs not over until the fat lady singsâ??!! Omg….
Agreed ! Nordstrom is my baby but you are totally correct , they are only making these changes because it makes great business sense .
Yep. This goes to all brands and stores, not just Nordstrom. We arenât a âspecialty marketâ; we are actual people. You want our dollars? Make an effort.
I don’t live anywhere near a city, so I look to get what I can from my closest plus size places and what I can’t stand is that they seem to get clothes that look like i could have made at home with a bedazzle machine. A little sparkle is good, too much I feel as if i’m entering disco ball territory
In my area (Boston) Lord and Taylor does a pretty good job with their plus size department, They generally go to a 24. To your whole comment I say âAmenâ !
Great article! How can we help push this forward? One way is to have more representation among decision makers but I wonder if there are other things we can do.
I want to know when someone will take Target to task for putting their plus size lines in the Maternity section. Their athletic line enjoys prime real estate next to regular size clothing, but in every Target store Iâve been to, the maternity and plus clothing are intermingled with each other in whatever corner they can find. Maternity does not equal plus size and plus size does not equal maternity. Itâs insulting to both group of women.
So here in the northeast they have redesigned a lot of their stores & the plus section is no longer next to maternity! I donât know if theyâre doing this everywhere but I was SO HAPPY to see this the last time I was there!
Melissa Monello they need to do it in the Southeast too! It irritates me every time I walk into a Target. Itâs like the pregnant and plus size women are the ugly stepchildren that shouldnât be seen with regular sizes.
They split up the maternity and plus size in my city
You know, Nordstrom (online) is always one of my go toâs. Because of selection, quality, brands. But I can NEVER find any of these in store. So I will go in store to buy my other items but itâs disheartening to walk in there- go to the second floor – find 1 or 2 racks with what looks like clearance clothes from 2001. I donât even bother anymore. They definitely need to step it up.
Number 10! Rarely do the plis size collections go past a 24.
Yes!! Thank you so much for saying it! Iâm actually so sick of stores getting all self-congratulatory about including plus sizes. Why is this something to be congratulated like all of a sudden plus size people are a thing?! Weâve always been a thing and weâve always needed clothes so plus size clothing should have always existed in all stores, not just in some speciality niche market stores with questionably fashion sense.
And yes plus size means way more than size 20. I get so frustrated when I go into a plus size store or section and find 2XL or 3XL as the biggest size and Iâm like wow thereâs def women out there who are bigger than that…what do they get to wear?!
I canât wait for a time when fashion embraces all bodies and clothes for every size for every body is just a normal part of fashion stores. Then maybe they will stop going out of business.
PS Iâd also really like to see great fashion and clothes for women you arenât necessarily plus size but have curves. It seems like most fashion is created for the stick skinny women with no curves, and cool those women do exist and they deserve fashion pieces too but they do not deserve the entire market! Clothes should be made for all the diverse body shapes & sizes out there, not just for the able bodied as well.
I agree 1000%!!!!
I wonât shop at Nordstrom anymore. They treat their employees like crap.
No they don’t. Employee here. I love my job and am treated like a human, not a number.
I worked there too. It was complete BS.
I’m sorry you had a poor experience. I don’t know your story but I’ve worked 4 doors and I love coming to work. The pay is good, the benefits are good and my team is amazing. Don’t paint your experience over the whole company
From what Iâve seen, it was my entire department. I worked at the contact center for 3 years and even moved up in the company and as soon as I had any sort of dissenting opinion towards some of the shady decisions they were making they gave me the boot. Thereâs a lot of stuff you see working at the corporate level that you donât see while working in a store.
ðððð
Nordtroms needs to start with less racist clerks first. I dont like being followed everywhere by waify white women when Im trying to look through their clearance section for bed sheets which are the only plus size items they have.
with obesity at an all time high, you would think that the fashion industry would jump on board.
Loved this article. You left nothing out and I learned a few new things as well. Thank you!
Very limited out here in the AZ! Even when stated âplus sizeâ! We will get there!!!!!
Oh ffs!! Here are the complaining! When they didnât have our sizes in the floor it was a complaint. Now theyâre looking into putting our sizes on the floor itâs STILL a complaint. Like WTF??!! Iâm so sick of this ânever satisfiedâ mentality of society! This is like when K-Mart decided to call the plus size section fabulous size or whatever. People complained about that but in all of our size inclusivity do we or do we NOT refer to ourselves as fabulous, full figured and fabulous or whatever. The constant complaining is enough. If theyâre putting more of our sizes on the floor, as a plus size consumer, Iâm looking forward to seeing what they have to offer. Look at it like this, if catering to the plus size consumer improves their bottom like it may open the eyes of other retailers to start catering to us more. Look for the silver lining in the cloud!
I always look at the silver lining and in the post I outline reasons and process that they have to fix in order for their decisions to last.
âBe happy youâre thought of at all, even if no one actually ASKS you what you want,â is a terrible sales technique. And also not something Iâm willing to settle for. Marie didnât say they were doing a bad thing. She said doing it without listening to what plus size women want would be an dumb move Sheâs doing them a *favor* by telling Nordstrom the answer to marketing research in what fat women want that they shouldâve done themselves.
I always thought that Nordstrom had more of a selection online than in-store. I *hate* that lots of stores (Lane Bryant included) do not stock all of the sizes they carry and direct you to go online. Iâd like to actually be able to go into a store and try on those plus-petite jeans instead of having to go through the hassle of ordering online and then going back to the store to return. In Nordstromâs case though, the âEncoreâ section was always in the back near the bathrooms. It still is! And the matronly clothes are always on display. And they arenât cheap! If they want my $$, they have to do better than that. The other issue with Nordstrom is that for their big annual sale at the end of August, they refuse to include plus sizes in their huge catalog that they send out. Plus-size has to be in a âseparateâ book. Thatâs really lame.
The Avenue is the worst charging 100 for cheesy thin ,not warm or cute winter coats..
I had my own issue with Nordstrom and their less-than-awesome response to plus sizing. Basically, they are happy to pay lip service but don’t actually do anything. After calling out a VP at a Norstrom store opening for the lack of a plus size department, she made a lot of big promises, but didn’t really follow through. I have zero faith in them, and I don’t spend my clothing money with them. http://atxslavetofashion.com/nordstrom-plus-size-inclusion/
Theyâre just doing this so they can blame us when they inevitably go under. Pay them no mind.
YES. #7 and #10 especially.
All. Of. This!!
Offer clothes beyond a size 22! I literally shop at only 2 brick & mortar stores for my clothes (those sites are targeted to plus sizes) because other stores that âcarryâ plus sizes stop at 18-20. Everything else I get online. However, I would LOVE to shop for clothes in my size – in person at regular department stores my friends/family are shopping.
I shared this point in the post! 😉
Agreed! We want to try things on in store too! We want to see models who look like us, tall, short, heavier, thinner, all plus sized! We want cool clothes! If i see one more overly ruffled sack i’ll snap and torch something. And stop sticking our clothes in the back or next to the maternity section.
I’m sure that if plus sizes were flying off the racks at their stores they’d stock them in their stores.
Not always…
Not everyone understands retail!
Brick and Mortar stores are dying. Sale jobs are disappearing.
I understand retail at various stages, worked in it, studied it, and know it. Hence my points made about certain elememts that have to be addressed
Amen! As a stylist with over 150 clients, Iï¸ rarely take my plus size clients to Nordstrom. They leave so much money on the table itâs crazy!
Also the narrowness of their range of pieces. It’s either trendy or grandma…but so, so little in suits and contemporary professional wear….Need more curvy #GirlBoss
Went to Nordstrom Rack recently and was told that they’ve discontinued their plus-size section, which makes sense….as they always threw us in a dark, dingy corner somewhere >:(
I agree with make us feel special. When a woman (or man) feels confident, then we’re going to buy the outfit. I want to be surrounded by pretty lighting and fixtures too. I want more preppy clothes. I also want to be able to get a special occasion dress that doesn’t look like it’s for the mother of the bride or grandmother of the bride, without ordering online. You hit on so many points.
I am still not eating Special K either. I have not forgotten that their foul tasting products were very recently and for YEARS, marketed as a way to erase a significant part of who and what I am. Not shopping at stores that haven’t had my sizes my entire life now that they are going broke. They don’t respect me or my body. They are just desperate. I’m not about that.
The Nordstrom outside Philly just moved the plus department to the third floor. For over 20 years itâs been on the 2nd floor. I was really disappointed.
I don’t shop in stores very often anymore. Most don’t have a good selection of things for size 22/24. Even Torrid only offers one or two of each size of an item on the rack. My size -3 is almost always sold out. Their stores are also cramped, and let’s face I need room to move around the store- plus size HELLO. The other store that drives me crazy is Kohls. About a quarter of their store is for women’s clothing. However, plus size is only a super small portion of the women’s clothing section. At my location, they have even made it smaller by including this horrible discounted section on one side of the plus size section. It makes me not want to even bother shopping there. And there are tons of stores that only sell their plus size lines online and refuse to spare any square footage for plus size clothing. I typically don’t patronize those store at all. My favorite place to shop is eshakti. They have some pretty good deals and you pay a little extra to have the clothes made to fit your measurements.
Bravo The Curvy Fashionista. It is frustrating especially the size cutoff.
I also love the new Loralette line from Avenue but their size range is limited.
I agree! I met you at a Nordstroms event in Chicago store on Michigan Ave. Now they’ve moved the plus sized “department” to a small corner near the door. It’s horrible. I now do any shopping from Nordstrom online. I hope they step it up or I’ll be stepping down the hall to the new Eloqui store full time!
I’m leaving a comment so I can come back and read comments. But I also wonder… why is it that Torrid, a plus size store, uses all size 1 models? That’s a 14/16? I have pretty much quit shopping there also. Sad.
Torrid’s clothes are mostly cheaply made and overpriced anyway, and they run small. It’s not okay.
Hubby purchased a few items for me last year for Christmas, happily returned the itemsâ for a gift card ! A year later I still got the gift card !!!! I guess Iâll order me a pair of overly priced ð¢…..
The only brick-and-mortar stores I shop in cater to men, because men’s ‘big and tall’ sections more frequently carry extended plus sizes. I almost never know what a store’s size range is, even online, without some work, not to mention knowing what is available in the store vs online. I would love to have a fun retail shopping experience, but how can I do that, if I don’t even have confidence that the most basic clothing will be there for me?
This waa the best piece EVER!!! GREAT JOB MARIE! TRUTHFUL INFORMATIVE AND TO THE POINT!
Iâve wondered. Nordstrom here once had a better Encore. Oddly, when they finally started stocking plus sizes in athletic wear, they moved it to Encore, turning the section into a mini store. I guess I kinda get it, but it feels isolating. When they moved the department the last time, they put it in an even more out of the way spot, smaller, and crap selection. I quit trying to shop in the store, it was just too irritating.
All hail eShakti as my new go to for dresses, even if I canât see them or try them on ahead of time.
I agree the Nordstromâs where I live at in Ohio sucks for plus size, i go there mostly for shoes and food. If they had a good selection i definitely would spend more money
As usual it takes an industry influencer or someone who eats and breathes this topic for them to listen. Iâve commented so many times in the store in Las Vegas , that they donât carry enough . We have small , very small section next to kid shoes on the third floor. Weâre out of the way of the other areas while small and petites have like two or more floors of clothing . Their section is sprawling compared to the box they placed the plus size section in. I was going to a formal event in Virginia and I thought the vegas store would have had a gown. Nope! I found my dress at Lane Bryant thank goodness . Itâs sad . Itâs disrespectful. Itâs mean. And it shows us that they donât value our dollars.
You tell them! I was appalled when my Nordstrom out here in Washington not 20 minutes from Downtown Seattle had all their plus size stuff on the 3rd floor and literally tucked behind home goods. It was maybe, 3 racks of items, albeit nice items. But i felt like a schmuck having to go searching for those things.
Macys is notorious for hiding their plus department. A worker got mad at me when I asked where in the back would I find the Women’s Dept. She responded, “it isn’t in the back”. I apologized and she then said, ” Back their”….pointing to the far back corner of the 3rd floor. I looked at her and said” Yup! Hidden in the back like I said, thanks!”. Sad that what could be a cash cow industry for department stores is still treated like a pariah.
Loved every word of this article!!!
Yeah, Nordstrom has disappointed me. Eloquii is the only brink and mortar store I shop in
Hi Marie, Holla! Please email me, we’d love to chat with you.
–Pamela Lopez from Nordstrom
I totally agree with you! I love Nordstrom but when I go there to shop it’s more like a trek through the Nordstrom rain forest because it way in the back and by the maternity section at that! I feel some kind of way because I don’t understand why the plus sizes are always in the very back of the store and near the maternity section at that.
I was actually having this conversation with my mother but it was about Sears and not Nordstrom.
Plus size gals need to try on clothes IN PERSON and not from a catalog due to various bodies.
ie: big belly-slim arms , small belly-big legs etc.
We provide foot traffic to the stores and it would be great if they could recognize that.
I wear Eileen Fisher Plus almost exclusively for all but my most casual of looks. Was feeling cantankerous one day and noticed that a particular Eileen Fisher coat was on sale in Women’s but not in Plus sizes. 33% off which for those of you that know EF prices can be a lot of money. Knowing the only way to address this in a public forum was to post to Nordstrom’s Facebook page, I asked why the coat was on sale for some sizes but not others. I got some BS answer that essentially made it seems as if pricing was set by some outside entity and Nordstrom’s was at their mercy. I called them on that and reminded them that they could sell their merchandise for whatever price they wanted (yes, I know that is not true for many items, but it is true for EF). We went acouple of rounds with them caliming that there was nothing they could do and me claiming they could. I finally enede the argument by posting all the other department stores that sold the caot in Plus sizes and reminds customers that if they were going to pay full price at least don’t pay it to Nordstrom’s who was disrespecting its Plus size customers. I may not be a size 2, but I am not an idiot.
Yes! Yes! Yes! I just want to walk up to the rack in any department and find my size amongst those there. I don’t want to go to a separate department. I want to see bodies that are curvy like mine in the adverts and media, mixed in with the rest, not segregated somewhere else. Thank you a zillion times!!
Too true! Here in Chicago most of the Nordstrom Racks have pulled plus-size clothing off of the floor. Sent a ‘nice’ tweet about that.
Downtown/State St. plus size clothing is a joke. Torrid just closed; Lane Bryant and The Avenue are long gone. Loft just put plus clothing in their store on LaSalle St. Other than that, we are left with TJMaxx, Burlignton and the little teeny space in Target. Last and making themselves least, Macy’s moved the Womens section to a little L-shaped section on the 4th floor. They remolded the former/larger 5th floor location and gave it to Misses. Yes, Eloquii is here but, it is too far for a lunch-time run.
It is lack of true commitment.
Since this first posted, we have seen that Nordies has been making a few steps forward with these changes!!!
Last year i had found some great pieces at Nordstroms Rack. I’ve noticed it shrinking, and shrining, and shrinking … finally the other day I asked a sales person where did you move all the plus size clothes? She said “we are doing away with them because they didn’t sell well” WHAT?!? Well, it WAS about the only place i could find higher end clothes over a size 18/20, and was hoping for them to add more, not take away. It was obvious, even at their highest inventory, that they didn’t carry as much higher end as the smaller sizes. But there was a few Michael Kors,Vince Camuto, etc.. items. Now there is very little and its mostly their cheaper made for Nordstrom Rack items. Not the quality I’m looking for, no wonder they weren’t selling much of that. Seems from other blogs I’ve read Nordstroms tried to add to there plus size, but didn’t do a good job of marketing it, so we Would even know we could finally walk in there with out feeling left out. Blows my mind that we are such a great financial contributor to fashion, yet so many refuse to cater to us with higher quality pieces.
I forgot to mention in my last remark that Dillards ( I believe most their store are in the south and the plains) has a very large Higher end in store plus size department. I have not found any other store with a larger in store designer plus section. Would complain that it’s stashed in back of store, but they at least have one. Dont get me started with how plus size is always hidden in the back! And they wonder why their sales are low??? Keep up the fight girl!
I’ve been to three Nordstom’s in the Seattle area and all of them wither have nothing in the area, or they have removed the area completely. SO disappointing as I spend more money in the store than online. Shame.
Why stop at size 26 / 30. Why can’t stores go up to (a true size) 5x. Lots of women my size have a hard time finding clothes in our size in a store. Especially since Cathrines has closed all their stores. And please start making clothes in a true to size size. I’m so sick of finding beautiful clothes that say 4x or 5x but when you look at the size chart it says 22/24 then another store has that size as a 26/28. Please please can we have just 1 UNIVERSAL SIZE CHART???
I just came from the 59th St Bloomingdales and was told they no longer carry plus size women’s in the store. That was done prior to COVID-19. The staff seemed totally embarrassed and shamed. They also asked me to complain. Instead I called and was told I could go online. I then asked if the policy was to not have plus sized individuals come into their store. I’m now waiting on a manager to call back. At least Nordstrom’s had a few items. Which that bugs me more but at least they had a section, Bloomingdales just don’t bother.
I am disgusted with the fashion industry! This month, I found out that Macy’s no longer has a designated area for plus sized women, and they will only have plus sized clothing online, unless a specific designer has plus sized clothing. In addition, I am more than disappointed to find “women’s” sizes relegated to one rack in such retailers as Marshalls and TJ Max! It’s infuriating- almost like plus sized women do not exist! Retailers are going to lose a large market share if they continue to ignore the plus sized community!
I agree with you! This is an insult to full figured women a slap in the face to say because you’re a BIG WOMAN you can’t shop in our stores we stop selling plus sizes because everyone should look like twiggy, How dare you, Nordstroms I didn’t know this, this is so hurtful I will not be going back there. Everyone can’t be Twiggy and I’m so disappointed and hurt, because I could always go to Nordstrom’s and find a nice blouse and for them to do this is beyond me. I’ve been a loyal customer for many years and I’m just totally blown away about your decision to me as a form of discrimination.