Trends
From Handan Aydemir’s notebook
Runways, collections, launches: I follow what happens in the plus-size world, one short note at a time.
Note 20
The Victoria's Secret show is in Los Angeles tonight, the first time in this city since 2007. Ashley Graham and Paloma Elsesser are in the cast. I will note how many looks they get and how the lingerie is cut for plus sizes, one by one.
Note 19
Torrid's open casting call is down to 30 semi-finalists from more than 12,000 applicants. Voting closes on October 20, the finalists go to a model boot camp in Los Angeles at the end of the month, and the winners will be announced on November 13. Any woman in US sizes 10 to 30 could apply.
Note 18
Marie Claire's season count is out. In Paris, 43 of roughly 3,990 looks were plus-size; up 139 percent on last season, and Paris tops the list for the first time. But 16 of those 43 came from a single show, Ester Manas. So this is one label's success, not a city's.
Note 17
In Milan, only 12 plus-size looks out of roughly 2,350. Seven of them came from the Vogue World show and three from Marco Rambaldi. The rest of the entire schedule managed two. It still surprises me that the capital of fabric and craft stays this closed to size.
Note 16
London slipped this season. Only 21 of roughly 1,605 looks were plus-size, a 56 percent drop on previous seasons. The reason is clear; Sinéad O'Dwyer and Karoline Vitto were not on the schedule. Two independent designers step back and a whole city's share halves. Representation still rests on a few shoulders.
Note 15
Sinéad O'Dwyer is staging a solo show at Dublin City Hall tonight. Her absence from the London schedule was much discussed; it seems she chose to show at home this season. Two of her pieces are in the Met's Costume Institute collection. I am curious to see what she brings.
Note 14
Good news from New York. 39 of roughly 3,605 looks were plus-size; almost 50 percent more than last season. I am not forgetting that the share is still around 1 percent. But the direction is up, and even writing that feels good.
Note 13
Bad news. H&M has dropped sizes 3XL and 4XL, citing lower demand. According to Edited, the share of UK sizes 16 to 20 among Mango's new dresses fell from 6.6 to 0.5 percent. Runway representation edges up while the shop rail shrinks. And the rail is what really matters.
Note 12
I went through Ester Manas again. From PrimaDonna's 161-year archive they took construction, not decoration; sheer body stockings built from structured panels and lace. There is also a hand-knitted dress covered in 22,000 tiny bows from old stock. Corsetry and bra-cutting know-how is exactly what plus sizes need.
Note 11
Ester Manas returned to the Paris schedule after two years. Thirty-four looks, a collaboration with Belgian lingerie house PrimaDonna, and the title "Somehow I Manage". The label moved to direct sales in the meantime. Plus-size representation fell while they were away, which is why their return matters.
Note 10
Paris Fashion Week opened today and runs until October 6. The schedule is busier than ever. At the top of my list is Ester Manas tomorrow morning; they are back after a two-year break. I will write here every day about who brings plus sizes to the Paris runway.
Note 9
I watched Marco Rambaldi. The starting point was Virginia Woolf's "A Room of One's Own", domestic life and handwork. Handkerchief skirts were the shared language of the season, and his were among the most fluid. He cast three plus-size models; he is almost the only name in Milan who does it every season.
Note 8
Vogue World was held in Milan this year. Alongside names like Jennifer Lopez and Cardi B, Paloma Elsesser was on the runway. The show sparkled. I hope plus sizes in Milan do not stop at this one evening; I will watch the rest of the week closely.
Note 7
Di Petsa's "Holy Milk" show was at Banking Hall. The theme was motherhood and rebirth; mothers and pregnant models walked. Five plus-size models were cast. This season Di Petsa was almost the only independent name carrying plus sizes in London.
Note 6
I looked at the London schedule; neither Sinéad O'Dwyer nor Karoline Vitto is showing this season. Both were the strongest names bringing plus sizes to the runway. In February Vitto said brands should hire pattern cutters who work with extended sizes. She is right. But we will not see her on the runway this time.
Note 5
Christian Siriano showed a fairytale collection at Cipriani; florals on one side, a darker villain mood on the other. Liris Crosse was on the runway. Pink gowns with exaggerated sleeves and a black tiered dress with a big peplum stood out. Siriano shows plus sizes within the collection, not as a separate chapter.
Note 4
In Copenhagen this season, Gestuz was among the shows most praised for its casting. In March, Abisola Omole, who works on body diversity, joined the week's show committee, and it shows. Paris closed last season with 99.5 percent of looks on straight-size models. Copenhagen is choosing a different path.
Note 3
Torrid has relaunched its open model casting, with Candice Huffine as casting director. It started in Times Square, with in-person castings in Texas, Tennessee, Washington and California. Three winners get a 15,000-dollar wardrobe and 5,000 dollars. Applications are open until the end of September.
Note 2
Sinéad O'Dwyer presented "Notice Me", a 15-piece selection, in the Raphael Gallery as part of the V&A's Fashion in Motion series. A designer who builds her patterns on her models' bodies entering a museum shows this work is seen as craft, not a trend.
Note 1
Victoria's Secret has added Paloma Elsesser to the cast of its 2026 show. The show will take place in Los Angeles this autumn. I see Elsesser as the plus-size face of mainstream luxury. I am especially curious how they will cut the lingerie for plus sizes.