She’s uber funny, juggles an absurd professional and personal schedule and has now tackled the growing issue of fashion segregation in large retail establishments. Yes, the Melissa McCarthy everyone knows and loves, who starred in Ghostbusters, Tammy and Identity Theft, has launched an intriguing fashion line geared toward plus size women who are tired of being labeled “plus size.”
Larger retails boldly advertise what section their larger garments are located, causing shoppers to feel inadequate. With Melissa McCarthy having launched her Seven7 line on the Home Shopping Network and many other retail locations, she can now reduce merchandise segregation which should help other stores follow suit. Offering leggings, loungewear, t-shirts and basic styles, her good name should push the brand past Martha Stewart and others who concentrate on women of various walks, sizes and tastes.
McCarthy, who left SIU in Carbondale, IL to pursue fashion in New York but eventually tried stand-up comedy, wants women to be proud when they open their closets. Unlike Gloria Vanderbilt and other women who’ve adorned jean pockets with their name, however, McCarthy prefers her Seven7 brand take precedence instead of slapping her personal name across clothing.
Often times you’ll see her prance across the red carpet wearing outfits designed herself — not from Dolce & Gabbana. Her clothing, which retails between $54-$169, will be stocked at HSN, Lane Bryant, Von Maur and her personal website. But with her sudden “slim down,” will her fashion line send the wrong message to the right women? With roughly 67 percent of American women being of larger size, the impetus for her fashion’s launch is simple: it shouldn’t be hard for plus-size women to find clothing, especially for those moms on a budge.
Women, according to McCarthy, don’t want to dress like waitresses, hookers or professionals 99 percent of the time. Therefore, she’s bringing sexy back to America’s plus-size closet in an affordable yet not-so-embarassing manner. Her clothing line isn’t just for women of larger stature, either: you’ll find clothing between the 4 to 16 size range, a size 14-28 and 1X-4X range, proving that all clothing can go onto one rack without creating numerous sections for petite, regular and plus size.
Her first run will continue through September 1.
