Lane Bryant’s Fall Line
When I research clothing lines, I look for a combination of what I see and must have in combination of what I believe I can reasonably expect from a retailer. Which is why Lane Bryant’s fall line is a disappointment double-whammy for me. Believe me, I don’t want to knock LB – for a few years, they were all there was to clothe me, and during those years they were still treating their customers nicely. Then they got big heads and an “It’s us or Weight Watchers” attitude that led to pleather and cropped pants.
After this view of their 2007 fall line, though, I need to get into my own head that I have to let go of the idea of Lane Bryant being any kind of plus size fashion leader. They are trendsters, staying solidly in the middle of their assigned looks, because in their litany of company goals “profit” is ahead of “fashion forward,” and whether or not that’s rightly so is a debate for a business blog and not a plus size one. They stay within designs that emerged in the last 2-3 years, as unveiled by other plus size clothing lines: you can find smocking like Alloy, screen Tees like Baby Phat, and even trousers along the line of Avenue.com.
That said, with digging, you can still find some original and worthwhile stuff even in Lane Bryant:
This top still has the slightly raised waist as well as the gentle pleating that accentuates curves. The banding adds some definition and contrast for a really nice, very clean look – I would definitely use this as a variation on the white blouse wardrobe staple, because it is a very cool go-anywhere look.
What I was really hoping to find was a plus size ballet-neck top (the kind that goes straight across the shoulder, no dip at the cleavage), but instead I found their scoop-neck long sleeved cinch sweater, which just looks off to me in a way I can’t quite put my finger on. Maybe I’m being visually fooled by the mannequin, but there’s just something about the shaping that makes me think it would look lumpy on a real person.
Still not my first choice for plus size clothing or even in my top ten anymore, but Lane Bryant is still worth the occasional dig. I just wouldn’t choose them for my fall wardrobe.