A new perspective on

the lady who’s

larger than life –

Articulate’s designer has a few things to say!

A new collection titled “Articulate – a new fashion label for the plus size lady”. Articulate are giving a sneak preview of their Autumn collection launch for the 2013–2014 season. Three outfits from the collection will be on view at Liverpool College’s fashion show in June 2013. Articulate started from the idea that “adventure is central to life”, and that many interesting and adventurous women do not conform to a size 8-14 frame. Articulate’s designer found that these qualities were sadly lacking in the clothing available in the plus size market. Alison L Carey is the unapologetically big woman behind Articulate. A survivor of grunge and housewifery, she feels ready to take on her detractors – “I believe that if women feel excited by their lives, that they choose adventure, then they revere the freedom to self-actualise, and the freedom to do it in the style that they choose. Being big per se is not the unhealthy thing, what is unhealthy is being sedentary and passive – nothing should get in our way.” “An Edwardian sensibility of anything being possible for a woman in skirts was what grabbed my attention. I was fascinated by the amazing lives of women such as Fanny Workman – a mountain climber, Emmeline Pankhurst – pioneer of women’s suffrage, and Marie Curie – the eminent scientist, who all achieved great feats whilst remaining feminine.” “We can climb mountains, work, be independent, and intellectual, and we don’t need to apologise for wanting to look beautiful while we do it.”

Articulate

Alison chose to take a leap into the unknown and to retrain into what had always been her first passion – dress making – when being made redundant from her local government job. Although fraught with difficulties, and a constant struggle to keep her head above water financially, she feels it is the best thing she has ever done. “So many women have a choice to make, to take the first step towards turning unfulfilling boring lives into an adventurous joy filled experience; if you wait to lose weight in order to start living your life, you may never start.” Hovering somewhere between formal and quirky-casual, Articulate is happy to be identified as ‘Steampunk’ in origin, “emphasis on the punk.” The collection utilises fabrics more often used in mountain climbing gear and other sportswear. Using softshell fabric for an ornate skirt suit and tight leggings, whilst using Gore-Tex as embellishment. It does not shy away from the fetish elements of constriction and corsetry, but it does so in fabrics that allow freedom of movement. The collection is body-conscious in as much as it celebrates the woman and her curves. Sizes 16-26, the clothes accentuate the positive attributes of being curvy, and give women who wear them confidence to be who they want to be, and feel sexy doing it.