Not Fat, Just Retro

Angelina of Dustpan Alley searches through her vintage patterns, and finds something interesting—no matter what The Devil Wears Prada would have us believe, a size four isn't necessarily the "ideal" body size. In fact, it was once (and may again be) quite a bit larger.

"Here's something to note: a size eighteen in the nineteen thirties was considered average and medium and today that's a size fourteen. A plus size. But no woman back then would have been ashamed to be a size eighteen. When magazines published patterns they always made it a size eighteen. So if a body measuring 36-30-39 is a size fourteen today, why on earth would any woman consider herself over weight at that size?"

And while we're on the subject, Lisa Fashionista offers a report on her quest to find plus-size vintage clothing. If you have any other tips, feel free to let us know!