The Nation: Heavy Promotion

Farrah Fawcett-Majors, move over ... way over. Trim may be in almost everywhere, but when Chicago's big Carson, Pirie, Scott department stores staged a fashion show for what the industry delicately refers to as "half-size" women last week, there was ample evidence the company was on to something big. Five sturdy models—two professionals, three recruits—displayed summer wear in sizes from 16½ to 18½ (available sizes go up to 24½). Said Carson's fashion director Ardelle Tuma: "These women have been ignored as customers who want to buy fashionable clothes. There are more than 22 million women over size 16 in America and...