It’s rather surprising that the founder-designer of Love Curves PH, a homegrown fashion label for full-figured women, is not at all built like her clientele.
And yet, instead of dressing willowy models (as most fashion designers are wont to do), Jennifer Go interprets the latest trends into well-fitting clothes for the voluptuously beautiful.
It’s actually an offshoot of working in the lingerie industry, said Go, addressing our curiosity about why a size-6 person like her would create outfits for those in the 14-20 range.
A six-year stint in a company that manufactures and exports women’s intimate apparel to the Middle East has taught Go that proper undergarments need the right combination of fit, fabric, shape, even drape if you will—just exactly what’s needed as well to get plus-size fashions right.
“Measurements alone take so much time, and it used to delay the release of the collections,” said Go, whose label rolls out new designs four times a year. “Before I hired an assistant, I would spend hours measuring not just the dimensions for each item but also design details like keyholes (teardrop gap or cut usually on the neckline).”
The 31-year-old entrepreneur’s exacting standards and eye for detail go hand in hand with her thorough understanding of the silhouette she designs for, including what works and is flattering on a shapely body.
Designers often create styles with tall, slender women in mind, leaving out a whole spectrum of other body types. According to Go, big women also want to be able to wear styles that ladies in other shapes and sizes can easily fit into.
Go said plus-size women often feel isolated fashion-wise. What’s available to them are usually loose, baggy and in dark colors that supposedly hide flaws but instead do nothing for their bodies and self-confidence.
“It’s only a matter of adjusting to their sartorial needs,” Go said, which, for example, could be as basic as adding sleeves to a sleeveless frock, so it becomes wearable to plus-size women who might be uncomfortable about baring their arms.
Recently, Go and her consulting partner Jean Avellanosa-Dee introduced daring, sexy pieces, such as cocktail/party dresses in soft, clingy fabrics and eveningwear with thigh-high slits—items the co-owners didn’t expect to sell but wanted to offer as wardrobe options to their customers anyway.
Lo and behold, the items were immediately snapped up from their online shop.
Just goes to show that, given more clothing options that are tasteful and vogue, plus-size women would (and they should!) go daring, sexy, and show the world they do love their curves.