Skinny Is In Again!
The tokenism for plus size is missing on the runways, ultra-slim casting and body-conscious dressing are back, but is the industry moving away from body diversity or simply pushing a cyclic trend?
Fashion has always had a complicated relationship with body types. One season it celebrates volume, the next it wants everything cinched, cropped and close to the skin. Now, as 90s minimalism and Y2K dressing return to the high-fashion conversation, the mood is swinging towards ultra-slim silhouettes and plus-size rep is wiped off from campaigns and runways.
Silhouette vs. Statement
A body-skimming dress is a silhouette; it does not have to be a prescription for the body wearing it. Yet fashion has historically blurred the two. Designer Isha Jajodia, founder of Roseroom by Isha Jajodia does not think plus size fashion is out of fashion. “I don't think we should look at fashion through the lens of one body type replacing another. Trends will always move between different silhouettes and proportions, but that shouldn't determine who gets to be represented,” she says. The return of body skimming silhouettes is perhaps more about the aesthetic of the moment than a rejection of body diversity. She adds, “What I hope we continue to see is a fashion industry where different body types are part of the conversation, regardless of what silhouette happens to be trending.”
When a particular shape dominates both casting and clothing, it can quickly begin to look like a requirement rather than an aesthetic choice. Designer Nidhi Yasha points out, “To me, this exposes how fragile the earlier push for diversity was. Visibility matters, but if it does not translate into different sample sizes, better pattern cutting and clothes people can actually buy in their size; it remains vulnerable to the next aesthetic shift. I wouldn’t say plus-size fashion is ‘out of fashion’. Bodies are not seasonal. Slim models may continue to dominate casting for a while, but that tells us about the industry’s choices, not who deserves to participate in fashion. As a designer, I find it far more interesting to make a silhouette work on different bodies than to keep asking bodies to fit one silhouette.”
Indian Runway Scene
The question is particularly relevant for India, where designer showcases operate within a different cultural and commercial landscape. Indian fashion has its own relationship with proportion, drape and occasion dressing, and many designers work with varied size sets for private clients and boutique customers.
Changing Consumer Landscape
While fashion is cyclical, but the consumer landscape has changed and even though international runways can romanticise a particular body type, for Indian designers body diversity will always exist. Pranav Kirti, Co-Founder of fashion label Huemn, believes the problem may lie less in the fitted silhouette itself and more in our perception of who is allowed to wear it. He remarks, “Choosing oversized clothing versus choosing a body-hugging fit: are we meaning to say only skinny folks are equipped to wear sculpted dresses? Who decides that? A lot of people are leading from the front who are confident with their bodies rather than hiding them. They are celebrating it the way it is. You choose the fit, not the other way around. If we find it unusual to see people of different body types in a fitted silhouette, the problem lies in our gaze. For Indian designers, who have boutique houses like ours, size sets are often diverse.”
His point also highlights why an extreme shift towards ultra-thin castings may not necessarily translate directly to Indian designer shows. Indian fashion has a strong custom and occasion-wear ecosystem, where fit is often developed around an individual client rather than a single runway sample. Fashion expert and image consultant Tina Walia believes the current moment needs to be viewed with some perspective. There is a genuine concern when one body shape becomes disproportionately represented on runways and in fashion campaigns, remarks Walia. She adds, “The industry’s earlier conversation around body diversity created an important shift in expectations, and that should not be lost simply because a particular silhouette is trending. Plus-size fashion is certainly not ‘out of fashion’; rather, the industry is becoming more fragmented, with different aesthetics and body types coexisting. Skinny silhouettes may dominate certain runways and luxury fashion imagery for a period, but I don't believe that means they will replace the demand for inclusive fashion.”
Attitude & Style Mantras
It is not difficult to make skinny trends work for real bodies.
The good news is that you don’t need a sample-size body to participate in a sample-size trend. The smarter approach is to borrow the attitude rather than reproduce the runway literally.
1. A low-rise bottom can become mid-rise, a micro-skirt can be lengthened or replaced with a skort, while a tiny top can gain wider straps, extra length or a layer underneath.
2. The most interesting styling often comes from contrast: a fitted crop top with fluid trousers, a short skirt with an oversized shirt or a body-skimming dress under a structured jacket.
3. A low-rise silhouette can be paired with a longer or more relaxed top, a micro skirt can be balanced with an oversized jacket, and a cropped top can be layered or paired with a higher waisted silhouette.
4. A narrow glimpse of midriff can be as striking as a fully exposed waist. Pair something small and fitted with something generous and oversized to make a statement.
“I don't think we should look at fashion through the lens of one body type replacing another.”
Isha Jajodia, Designer & Founder, Roseroom by Isha Jajodia
“This exposes how fragile the earlier push for diversity was.”
Nidhi Yasha, Designer