Last week, I had the opportunity to attend Ashley Nell Tipton’s fashion show in NYC featuring her new Boutique+ collection for JC Penney.
Ashley Nell Tipton’s story is amazing. Starting out as a plus size designer who went from working out of her house to create her namesake brand to being the winner of last season’s Project Runway, Ashley’s story is an incredible one for someone who is just 24.
The most compelling and inspiring aspect of Ashley’s story is that even though she’s a plus size woman, her work shows that style truly has no size.
I’m certain that Ashley has faced many doubters and non-believers, but that negative energy didn’t stop her from achieving her dreams. Congratulations, Ashley!
So when asked if I would feel comfortable covering a fashion show for a women’s clothing line, I thought of Ashley’s journey and said yes, because at the end of the day, inspiration is inspiration.
Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the fashion show, so I kept an open mind. The show didn’t disappoint. Ashley had models of varying sizes and shapes in her show, which was very popular with the crowd in the outdoor venue. The clothing was on-trend for fall with her signature details incorporated in her pieces such as sequins, shades of pink and a lipstick print that seemed very popular with the ladies in attendance.
To see someone live out their dream is something that is incredible and extremely inspiring. From a male’s perspective, it made me happy to see progress being made in the plus size fashion industry for women. However, it also made me reflect on how much more needs to be done for big and tall men. We need more on-trend clothing collections that fit us well and we need to see more runway shows geared toward us too!
The audience was so engaged and excited during the show so imagine if it were a big and tall men’s runway show? Fashion continues to evolve and I’m not knocking the small steps. But we still have a way to go in being fully inclusive for both women AND men.
Until next time… Kavah
