| Plus Sizes Article | Plus-size clothing is a general term given to clothing sized specifically for men and women of large build. Most people agree that plus-size refers specifically to clothing labelled size 14 and upwards for women, and for sizes over .... for men. A synonymous term for men's plus-size clothing is Big and Tall. In North America, Australia and many European countries, plus-size clothing is labelled either numerically (14,16,18, etc); by using the letters 'X' and 'XL' and a numeral together (i.e. X, 1X, 2X, XL, 1XL, 2XL, etc); or with the designer's own system of sizing which is conceived with the philosophy of reducing stigma attached to body size [1]. The majority of brands employing the 'X' sizing policy produce garments up to size 3X/3XL. The 'XL' is an abbreviation of 'Extra Large'. Sometimes the letter 'W' appears after the numeral (i.e. 14W) as an abbreviation for 'Women', however this is a trait of mainly U.S. designers and is not an internationally-adopted practice. Extended Sizes Garments over a size 24 or 3X are often referred to as 'Extended Size' or 'Supersize'. This style of size labelling also prevails on garments for men. As many plus-size brands do not offer sizes above 3X in stores, catalog and shopping via the internet has increased fashion options for the extended- or super- size garment customer. |
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