Plus-Size Shopping in the Wild
New York magazine|The Cut Special Issue - September 2024
Samyra Miller’s quest to find clothes at the mall that fit.
- Nina Frazier
Plus-Size Shopping in the Wild

For Samyra Miller, shopping for her size-24 to 26, or 3X to 4X-in stores isn't just daunting; it's damn near impossible. Just ask the 26-year-old's 2.3 million followers on Tik Tok and Instagram who double-tap the videos chronicling her searches in Los Angeles to find anything that fits and looks good. We tagged along on a recent Sunday, spending five hours shopping at three popular malls: Westfield Century City, the Beverly Center, and Beverly Connection. Ten stores later, the haul was unsurprisingly light.

We start at Nordstrom. At the Skims section, an employee assures her that all styles are available up to 4X. Then, she tracks down a pair of employees who direct her to the Topshop and Free People sections, telling her the ASOS line that Nordstrom previously carried—which had more plus-size options—is now 
 gone. After going through several racks, she grabs one of the first XL items she sees. “Now this is the kind of thing I would go up to and be like, Will it stretch?”

A Free People denim jumpsuit catches her eye: “This is cute!” Alas, there’s nothing larger than an XL.

Things found at Nordstrom: two different Skims bodysuit styles in a 2X. She doesn’t buy either.

Miller spots a Free People store in the mall and goes in to ask about the jumpsuit she saw at Nordstrom. Employees tell her the largest size the shop typically carries is XL. They can ship her larger sizes that are available online, but the jumpsuits only go up to XXL. (She can fit into a 2X, which is larger than XXL and commonly mistaken as the same thing. “I don’t wear an XXL. I’m just lucky I can squeeze into it,” she says.)

Things found at Free People: zero.

At Zara, an employee says the largest size in stock is an XL but that Miller can order larger sizes online, where many items go up to an XXL. She’s out the door in 90 seconds.

Things found at Zara: zero.

この蚘事は New York magazine の The Cut Special Issue - September 2024 版に掲茉されおいたす。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トラむアルを開始しお、䜕千もの厳遞されたプレミアム ストヌリヌ、9,000 以䞊の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしおください。

この蚘事は New York magazine の The Cut Special Issue - September 2024 版に掲茉されおいたす。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トラむアルを開始しお、䜕千もの厳遞されたプレミアム ストヌリヌ、9,000 以䞊の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしおください。

NEW YORK MAGAZINEのその他の蚘事すべお衚瀺
Trapped in Time
New York magazine

Trapped in Time

A woman relives the same day in a stunning Danish novel.

time-read
6 分  |
Nov 18-Dec 1, 2024
Polyphonic City
New York magazine

Polyphonic City

A SOFT, SHIMMERING beauty permeates the images of Mumbai that open Payal Kapadia's All We Imagine As Light. For all the nighttime bustle on display-the heave of people, the constant activity and chaos-Kapadia shoots with a flair for the illusory.

time-read
3 分  |
Nov 18-Dec 1, 2024
Lear at the Fountain of Youth
New York magazine

Lear at the Fountain of Youth

Kenneth Branagh's production is nipped, tucked, and facile.

time-read
5 分  |
Nov 18-Dec 1, 2024
A Belfast Lad Goes Home
New York magazine

A Belfast Lad Goes Home

After playing some iconic Americans, Anthony Boyle is a beloved IRA commander in a riveting new series about the Troubles.

time-read
5 分  |
Nov 18-Dec 1, 2024
The Pluck of the Irish
New York magazine

The Pluck of the Irish

Artists from the Indiana-size island continue to dominate popular culture. Online, they've gained a rep as the \"good Europeans.\"

time-read
8 分  |
Nov 18-Dec 1, 2024
Houston's on Houston
New York magazine

Houston's on Houston

The Corner Store is like an upscale chain for downtown scene-chasers.

time-read
3 分  |
Nov 18-Dec 1, 2024
A Brownstone That's Pink Inside
New York magazine

A Brownstone That's Pink Inside

Artist Vivian Reiss's Murray Hill house of whimsy.

time-read
3 分  |
Nov 18-Dec 1, 2024
These Jeans Made Me Gay
New York magazine

These Jeans Made Me Gay

The Citizens of Humanity Horseshoe pants complete my queer style.

time-read
2 分  |
Nov 18-Dec 1, 2024
Manic, STONED, Throttle, No Brakes
New York magazine

Manic, STONED, Throttle, No Brakes

Less than six months after her Gagosian sölu show, the artist JAMIAN JULIANO-VILLAND lost her gallery and all her money and was preparing for an exhibition with two the biggest living American artists.

time-read
10+ 分  |
Nov 18-Dec 1, 2024
WHO EVER THOUGHT THAT BRIGHT PINK MEAT THAT LASTS FOR WEEKS WAS A GOOD IDEA?
New York magazine

WHO EVER THOUGHT THAT BRIGHT PINK MEAT THAT LASTS FOR WEEKS WAS A GOOD IDEA?

Deli Meat Is Rotten

time-read
10+ 分  |
Nov 18-Dec 1, 2024