FASHION : Big Gets Beautiful--Finally

Lace bustiers that fit a 44 D? Sheer dresses in a Size 22? How about a Size 20 evening dress that sports a Gianni Versace label?

It seems like only yesterday that women who wore a Size 14 or larger were relegated to wearing hibiscus print polyester muumuus. Not any more. The large-size business is flourishing, and women who wear Sizes 14 to 24 finally have some options when they browse through catalogues, chain stores and specialty boutiques. What’s more, department stores that once buried their large sizes in the basement are getting back into the business in a big way.

“Five or six years ago I was trapped into buying whatever would fit,” says Miriam Chankin, a manager at a discount clothing chain who wears a Size 22. “I would settle for things that weren’t exciting and would feel frustrated because the hot things were not available to me.”

A self-described “hard-core shopper,” Chankin has checked out the mall stores and department stores, but found the clothes, “too cheap, too junior or too career.” And she was hesitant to order from mail-order catalogues because she doesn’t feel comfortable buying things she can’t try on. Eventually, she found some of the clothes she was looking for--workout gear, sexy lingerie, evening wear--at Great Changes, a North Hollywood boutique.

“We are not for everybody,” says store owner Idrea Lippman. “We don’t carry career wear. Why should we? There is plenty of that out there,” she says with a dismissive wave of her hand.

“We do what is hot--in fabrics that are hot. We have everything from bustiers to crotchless panties. Our customers like to wear fishnet hose and hip boots. And they are crazy for chiffon. They are as body conscious as any Size 10, and just as positive.”

Great Changes has been open for 2 1/2 years, and Lippman says sales have doubled each year. She and her partner, Wendy Jones, plan to open a second store on Melrose Avenue the first week of September.

That growth is emblematic of the entire large-size industry, which grew 25% last year, according to Fairchild’s Fact File, a market research publication. (In the past decade, annual retail sales in the large-size industry have grown from $2 billion to $10 billion.) And Fairchild projects that the large-size market will triple in the 1990s as the base of stores expands.

Saks Fifth Avenue represents the high end of the market. The chain, which dropped large sizes 10 years ago, started to resurrect the category last year, with departments called Salon Z. Two will open in Southern California stores--Costa Mesa and Woodland Hills--this fall.

Salon Z clothes reflect the kind of prices and labels that are well known at Saks. The average price for a daytime dress is $300; $600 for an evening dress. Exclusive labels include Carolina Herrera, Adolfo, Victor Costa, Peter Nigard and Mary McFadden.

Saks officials say many manufacturers were reluctant to make clothes for Salon Z; some flat-out refused. “I think initially they may have had a misconception that women who are larger than a Size 14 don’t have money or taste. And nothing could be further from the truth,” says Saks vice president Louise Chasen. “The cash register speaks.”

Saks’ re-entry into the large-size market is appreciated by other merchants, even those who consider Saks their competition.

Nancye Radmin, the owner of the Forgotten Woman boutiques says, “Saks has been a tremendous benefit to the large-size industry” because the chain has convinced big-name designers to enter the market. Although many of these designers have exclusive agreements with Saks, Radmin says: “They won’t sell to me, yet. But give it another season and they will. And others will follow.”

Other department store chains, such as Bloomingdale’s--which has the exclusive on Gianni Versace’s large-size line, Versatile--Nordstrom and Saks are also pursuing a piece of the high-end pie. And over the past year the Bullock’s Woman shops in several stores have been expanded.

Chain stores such as August Max, a division of U. S. Shoe Corp., with five locations in Southern California, and Audrey Jones, with four, have staked out the moderate-priced market. These nationwide chains try to offer an entire wardrobe, from exercise wear to evening wear. The prices are usually under $100, although some natural-fiber garments, jackets and evening wear are higher.

Lane Bryant, another familiar face on the mall landscape, reported sales of $200 million in 1982 when it was bought by the Limited, which retooled the company and aimed it at a more fashion-conscious customer. Six years later Lane Bryant brought in $1 billion a year in sales.

Sportswear makes up the bulk of Lane Bryant’s business, with items rarely topping $100. Some career wear is available at slightly higher prices. Cotton/polyester blend T’s are under $20; matching skirts and pants are usually under $40. The lingerie and casual sportswear often mirrors the prices and styles of the sister stores, the Limited and Victoria’s Secret.

K mart and Target are stocking large-size departments with casual sportswear that rarely tops $50. JC Penney and Sear’s have always had large-size departments; most of the clothing is very traditional, with prices well under $100.

Most of the stores that carry large sizes have remained generalists, trying to offer all things to all customers--swimwear, sportswear, career wear and, upon occasion, evening wear.

But many of those customers--about 35 million American women wear Size 14 to 24--are distressed by the lack of variety. “An 18-year-old who is a Size 20 has to shop from the same rack as a 38-year-old who wears a Size 20,” says Carole Shaw, editor of BBW: Big Beautiful Women magazine.

Indeed, the loudest complaint heard from the large-size customer is “Too much of the same.”

Rochelle Toas, a Size 20 customer service manager for a Los Angeles-based fashion company, is sympathetic to the problems facing the manufacturers, but it doesn’t lessen her frustration with the lack of selection.

“You have to manufacture a lot of garments to make a profit and there is a small market for a trendy large-size customer. I also think there is a societal embarrassment about a large woman’s need to feel sensual. Mostly, though, I suspect it is a marketing thing. It is easy to sell the volume items,” she sighs.

Toas has some specifics she’d like the large-size manufacturers to address, beginning with bright colors. She hates them. They aren’t sophisticated enough. She can’t find enough natural-fiber clothing, and she has never seen a Lycra/cotton skirt short enough for her tastes.

Says Shaw: “Considering this business started at ground zero in 1979, the department stores have come a long way. What is going on is terrific.” But she is ready for the next big leap forward. “It’s time for variety. I can go shopping and find just about everything I need but not everything I want.”