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During the past 20 years, the author has watch China move from being a developing country into an industrial superpower
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Rosenblum is thrilled Acra has begun doing the same. “Finally, finally, finally—that was my biggest cry when I was there. It was a horrible shopping experience, especially for a girl who was a size 16 or 18.” Yukia Walker—age 33, size 20—went through that horror when she was shopping for her dress four years ago. With a $3,000 budget, Walker couldn’t find an upscale gown in her size anywhere. “I was ready to fly to several locations,” she says. “I ended up with this gown that I couldn’t stand.”
The frustration eventually inspired Walker to open her own bridal salon dedicated to the healthy buxom set. Curvaceous Couture, which she opened in the basement of her Columbia (Md.) home in 2009, specializes in gowns ranging from size 12 to 32 and priced from $1,000 to $25,000. As word spread, Walker began seeing clients from New York, Virginia, South Carolina, and the Caribbean. “If people are so fed up that they’re willing to come to someone’s basement, it’s a testament to how difficult this industry is and how embarrassing this situation is,” Walker says. Curvaceous Couture has since upgraded to a 5,000-square-foot showroom that serves 15 to 20 brides-to-be on a typical day, with a 92 percent sale rate on first-time visits. Walker is scouting for a second location.
The skinny establishment is trying to adjust. Madison Avenue bridal salon Amsale, subject of the WE reality series Amsale Girls, a rival to Say Yes to the Dress, says it makes gowns for women of any size. But of the 100-plus samples in the store, none are plus size. Instead, “if the girl doesn’t fit the sample, we have different devices to hold together a dress that doesn’t zip all the way up,” says Amsale Chief Executive Neil Harris. He and the label’s designer, Amsale Aberra, maintain that these “devices” do not threaten sales to plus-size clients. “I’m not aware of plus-size brides finding it particularly difficult here,” Aberra says.
Amsale, however, isn’t the only outfit that gets a bit touchy when it’s newest customers are mentioned. Upscale wedding boutique Priscilla of Boston, which carries dresses up to size 20, “respectfully declined” to comment. Repeated calls to fashion house Badgley Mischka went unanswered. J. Crew would not speak on the record, and Vera Wang, the wedding empress who makes plus-size gowns for David’s Bridal but not her main line, was mum. Still, the main selling point for brides, no matter their size, hasn’t changed. Rosenblum, who sees brides from all over the world, says each has the same demand every time: “Make me look thin!”
