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They’ve started to post the “Ask Tim Gunn” Q&A on the PR site. I thought this was an interesting question and I like his answer especially about the models in the last paragraph.

Q: Is it conceivable for a plus-size woman to wear high fashion? I would like to see a challenge designing fashion for her. Or, does “runway fashion” always mean six feet tall and thin?

First, let’s define “high fashion.” In my world, high fashion means “haute couture,” which is a rarefied universe containing precious few designers. There are a mere several dozen customers worldwide for haute couture, owing to shockingly high costs ($100,000 for a dress is not uncommon) and a rarefied taste level.

By have “high fashion” do you mean designer-ready-to-wear, which is the highest end of American fashion? Take a look at Donna Karan Collection, because Donna’s designs can work on a myriad of figures, including plus-size (and until her fairly recent makeover, she was plus-size herself). But, it ain’t cheap.

It is perfectly possible for people on a budget (and that includes me and almost everyone I know). The trick is to focus on your physical assets and know what styles and cuts of clothes work best for your body. Be especially attentive to silhouette and proportion.

And you’re quite right about runway fashion meaning six feet tall and thin. (I’m six feet myself, yet our Project Runway models dwarf me.) Runway models are like walking fashion illustrations, the formula for which is an extra head higher than “normal” people.

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