Plus Trend to Bounce: the Swing Jacket
Regular commenter Jillithian has mentioned to me a couple times a distaste for the swing jacket1 as have a few other people in other plus forums. While I’ve never liked them for reasons based on comfort – it just adds additional restriction to arm movement that I just don’t enjoy – the perspective of the swing jacket’s detractors is that it emphasizes the stomach unnecessarily. Yet, the women who have the stomachs are the one to whom the swing jacket is marketed.
Is this an example of disrespect for the customer – if we tell them to buy it, they’ll buy it? Are designers, who have been pinning these looks on “plus models” with flat stomachs just not realizing what happens when the women who actually wear their designs don these fabric flaps? Over the years I’ve seen women enthuse about outfits that included the jackets, and while I didn’t notice bellies or anything else that wasn’t already attached, I did notice the jacket negatively.
I wouldn’t wear one myself – but on someone, it might work, I just haven’t seen that person yet. Given the vest trend this fall, along with the still-present well-designed cardigan/sweaters and flattering overcoats, I’m not feeling too trapped by the swing jacket. We’ve got options, this year – darn good ones!
- formerly marketed as the “bolero” jacket [↩]