NYFW 2017 Spring Plus-Size Models on the Runway at Christian Siriano

Models who were not sample sized walked in Christian Siriano Spring 2017 collection during Fashion Week in New York, Saturday, Sept. 10, 2016. (Credit: Mary Altaffer AP)

It’s been a busy week at New York Fashion Week and The Recessionista team has been on the ground in New York City running from show to show.  It’s a smaller more subdued New York Fashion Week without sponsor Mercedes-Benz, and everything is very spread out around New York City.  One of the week’s highlights was–gasp–plus-sized women on the runway.

Christian Siriano Put the Average American Women on the Runway

They call size 10 or over plus size in the fashion industry, but studies show the average American woman is a size 14 -16 now.  In this week’s Washington Post, the wonderful Tim Gunn noted that it’s time for Fashion Week and the industry to represent women of all sizes. “There are 100 million plus-size women in America, and, for the past three years, they have increased their spending on clothes faster than their straight-size counterparts. There is money to be made here ($20.4 billion, up 17 percent from 2013). But many designers — dripping with disdain, lacking imagination or simply too cowardly to take a risk — still refuse to make clothes for them,” notes Mr. Gunn.

Christian Siriano sent plus-sized Precious Lee ( and 4 other plus-sized models)  down the runway last week at New York Fashion Week to cheers and applause from the audience.   It’s been awhile since we’ve seen real women (not models) on the runway.  Donna Karan did it a few seasons ago for her DKNY line and Betsey Johnson put women who worked at her retail store on the runway.

Models in all different shapes at the Christian Siriano Spring 2017 runway show at New York fashion Week.

Siriano’s Capri themed travel collection for Spring 2017 looked cool (literally ) on all shapes and sizes.  The good looking collection was inspired photos’ of by fashion icon Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis on her  trips to Capri.